These studies were funded by US Public Health Services grants P01AI057005, R01AI047734, R01AI111806 and the Functional Profiling and Computational Biology Core of the University of Washington&#8217;s Center for AIDS Research (P30 AI027757).

<ol>
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Los autores declaran que no tienen intereses financieros en competencia. Las opiniones expresadas aquí son las de los autores y no deben interpretarse como oficial o que representa los puntos de vista del Departamento de Defensa de Estados Unidos o del Departamento del Ejército.

Los protocolos presentados consistían en dos partes principales: la construcción del VIH-1 clones moleculares recombinantes y ensayos de competición crecimiento. A fin de distinguir dos virus en un cultivo celular doblemente infectada, es importante que los clones moleculares que compiten contienen etiquetas de secuencias, que pueden ser detectados por un ensayo de cebador-sonda RT-qPCR o por secuenciación de Sanger. Este protocolo hace uso de las etiquetas Vifa y VifB, que ocupan la misma región del VIH-1 NL4-3 vif y codifican la misma secuencia de aminoácidos pero que difieren por seis mutaciones sinónimas. Estas mutaciones se muestran no afectar gimnasio replicación viral 20. El método de clonación basada en PCR utilizada en este protocolo proporciona una mayor flexibilidad en la selección de sitios de clonación, en comparación con la clonación basada sitio de restricción. Sin embargo, la eficiencia de la clonación PCR disminuye a medida que aumenta el tamaño de inserción. El límite actual del tamaño de inserto es de ~ 5 kb 34. Para la clonación basada en PCR y sitios dirigida mutagenesis, el uso de una ADN polimerasa de alta fidelidad es crucial para reducir la probabilidad de mutaciones adicionales. También se recomienda el uso del número mínimo de ciclos de PCR necesarios para producir cantidades adecuadas de productos. En nuestra experiencia, no detectamos ningún mutaciones adicionales después de los pasos de clonación y mutagénesis dirigida al sitio basados ​​en PCR que aquí se describen. Sin embargo, los productos de PCR deben ser secuenciados para comprobar que no existen mutaciones indeseadas. Idealmente, toda la región de codificación de VIH debe ser resequenced. Por lo menos tres puntos de tiempo de muestreo deben ser examinados dentro de la fase de crecimiento exponencial 9. La cinética de crecimiento viral primero deben establecerse mediante muestreo diario para determinar el período de la cultura y el tiempo de muestreo apropiadas puntos para el concurso de crecimiento. Un factor que afecta a la cinética de crecimiento viral es la multiplicidad de infección (MOI). Este protocolo utiliza un total de 0,005 MOI tanto para monoinfección y la competencia de crecimiento, como se demostró para producir más roresultados busto que baja MOI 9. No obstante, las MOI inferiores se pueden utilizar para obtener una fase de crecimiento exponencial ya si es necesario, pero a expensas de la consistencia resultado. Este protocolo sugiere una relación de la infección inicial de 50:50, suponiendo que las diferencias de aptitud de los virus son generalmente desconocido de antemano. Sin embargo, el uso de relaciones desiguales de entrada son apropiadas cuando hay datos preliminares que sugieren diferencias significativas en la cinética de la replicación viral. En estos casos, se recomienda una proporción de infección de 70:30 a permitir la detección de una diferencia grande de la aptitud donde el virus menos aptos se coloca en exceso 9. El protocolo para la determinación de la TCID 50, la cinética de crecimiento viral, y para llevar a cabo el crecimiento ensayos de competición se optimizaron usando el VIH-1 subtipo B, NL4-3 COTB-p24, y PBMCs de un único donante cuya PBMC han demostrado susceptibilidad consistente para el VIH 1 infección in vitro. El período de cultivoy los puntos de tiempo de muestreo presentados en este protocolo es probable que sean adecuados para el estudio de VIH-1 grupo M virus en PBMC humanas. El uso de PBMCs de una sola fuente es muy recomendable para obtener resultados consistentes como la replicación viral puede variar en diferentes células del donante 35. Aunque menos deseable, PBMCs agrupados a partir de múltiples donantes se pueden utilizar como una sustitución, siempre que la misma agrupación se utiliza en todos los experimentos. Otra alternativa es el uso de líneas celulares. El protocolo que aquí se presenta se utilizó con éxito con la línea de células T CEMx174 23,36. Sin embargo, es importante que el número de células sembradas son re-optimizados para lograr un crecimiento celular consistente. Cinética de crecimiento viral también deben ser restablecidos, ya que es probable que varíe en diferentes líneas celulares, para determinar los puntos de tiempo de muestreo apropiados en los pasos de competencia crecimiento. Dos métodos diferentes para determinar la relación viral para el cálculo de fitness están incluidas en el protocol. El primero utiliza RT-qPCR para medir el número de copias de ADNc viral en cada punto de tiempo de muestreo. A continuación, la aptitud replicación viral se calcula a partir de la relación viral, basado en el número de copias de ADNc. Alternativamente, la relación viral puede ser determinado basado en la relación de altura del pico del cromatograma en los sitios de la etiqueta VifAB. Los dos métodos dieron resultados comparables (Figura 4). El método de la altura del pico del cromatograma se puede aplicar a otras cepas del VIH-1 sin una etiqueta de secuencia de ingeniería. Para RT-qPCR, el uso de cebadores o sondas para distinguir variantes virales primero debe ser evaluado cuidadosamente (ver 20). Sin embargo, RT-qPCR proporciona una mejor sensibilidad para muestras con una pequeña cantidad de ARN viral, tales como los que desde el primer punto de tiempo dentro de la fase de crecimiento exponencial. La medición directa de ADNc viral también permite la detección de los problemas técnicos que puedan surgir de la extracción de RNA y la síntesis de ADNc. Usando clones moleculares con etiquetas de secuencias proporciona una solución rentable to los métodos de RT-qPCR, como sólo se necesitan dos pares de cebadores y sondas para estudiar múltiples virus. Esta estrategia también evita el problema de la variación de altura de pico en la secuencia de cromatogramas debido a bases vecinos 37, como la secuenciación se realiza en el mismo sitio a través de todos los virus en el estudio. Los productos de PCR producidos por RT-qPCR y secuenciación Sanger también pueden estar en uso con otros métodos para determinar la relación viral como la secuenciación mayor parte de clones individuales 12,13, HTA 4,7,17,19, o ensayo de ligación de oligonucleótidos (OLA) 38 .

Aptitud La replicación viral se define como la capacidad de un virus para producir progenie infecciosa en un ambiente dado 1 y es un importante factor que contribuye a determinar la prevalencia de una variante del virus en la población a través del tiempo 2. Al igual que en estudios in vivo de la aptitud no son factibles con virus patógenos humanos, como el VIH-1, varios in vitro y ex vivo ensayos de aptitud de replicación se han desarrollado para estudiar los efectos sobre la aptitud derivadas de resistencia a los medicamentos y las mutaciones de escape inmune, epistasis y la evolución de las poblaciones virales 3-6. Entre los diferentes ensayos de aptitud, ensayos de competición de crecimiento se reconocen para producir medidas más sensibles y válidos de diferencias de aptitud, como dos o más variantes virales compiten por la misma población celular bajo exactamente las mismas condiciones ambientales, como ocurre en vivo 1,7,8. Antes de comenzar los experimentos de competición de crecimiento, varios variables necesita ser determinado, incluyendo el uso de diferentes multiplicidades de infección (MOI), la relación de entrada viral, y el tiempo de muestreo para el análisis. Hemos estudiado los efectos de estos parámetros en la cinética de crecimiento virales y sobre los resultados de los experimentos de competición, y hemos identificado los factores clave necesarios para las mediciones robustas de VIH-1 de la aptitud en el cultivo celular 9. Además de las variables de ensayo, hay una variedad de métodos para la cuantificación de variantes virales en experimentos de competición crecimiento. Bulk 10,11 o 12,13 secuenciación clonal se ha utilizado para determinar la relación de los virus que compiten sobre la base de las frecuencias de nucleótidos en el sitio (s) de interés. Aptitud relativa se deriva de cambios en esta relación con el tiempo. Este método es conveniente como servicios de secuenciación de ADN están ampliamente disponibles. El método (PASS) específica de alelo secuenciación paralela permite la secuenciación en múltiples sitios y la detección de recombinantes 14 </sup&gt;, Pero también requiere reactivos desarrollados específicamente y sistemas de detección. Esencialmente, se desarrollaron estos métodos para estudiar las cepas virales con un pequeño número de diferencias de nucleótidos en una región de interés. Otros métodos utilizan un pequeño gen reportero de 15 o sinónimo mutaciones 4,16-18 como etiquetas para distinguir los virus que compiten por la secuenciación, análisis de seguimiento de heterodúplex (HTA) 4,7,17,19 o revertir en tiempo real de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa con transcripción cuantitativa (RT-qPCR) 15,16,18,20, todos los cuales pueden ser aplicables para estudiar cepas competir independientemente de similitud de secuencia. Se requiere un paso adicional para introducir etiquetas en los genomas virales y el ensayo de RT-qPCR también requiere reactivos e instrumentación específicos. Hemos encontrado que los rendimientos de secuenciación de Sanger a granel resultados comparables 9. A raíz de la competencia el crecimiento, la aptitud replicación viral se presenta como la aptitud relativa, o una relación de la aptitud entre two variantes virales. La aptitud relativa de un virus se puede definir como la proporción final de una variante viral normalizado por su proporción en el inóculo inicial o como la diferencia tasa de crecimiento neto entre los dos virus en competencia. Hemos encontrado que el último método, usando puntos de datos longitudinales sólo dentro de la fase de crecimiento exponencial, produjo los resultados más robustos 9,20. En ensayos in vitro de la aptitud se utilizan principalmente para estudiar clones biológicos 6-8 y clones moleculares infecciosos del VIH-1. Este último, al ser susceptibles de manipulación genética, se emplean a menudo para estudiar el efecto sobre la aptitud de mutaciones particulares o secuencias específicas de interés 3-5,21,22. Los siguientes protocolos describen un flujo de trabajo desde el punto de construcción de nuevo de larga duración infecciosas del VIH-1 clones moleculares usando 1-VIH vectores que contienen una etiqueta de secuencia, la introducción de mutaciones de interés, por lo que las poblaciones virales y el establecimiento de la cinética de crecimiento virales, Para realizar el ensayo de competición crecimiento y el cálculo de la aptitud relativa (Figura 1). El uso de nuestros procedimientos optimizados, creamos tres recombinantes del VIH-1 mutantes y se determinó su estado físico replicación. El clon molecular recombinante se construyó primero mediante la sustitución del VIH-1 gag-p24 región del gen de pNL4-3, un plásmido que contiene una longitud de genoma completo infeccioso del VIH-1 NL4-3 cepa de laboratorio, con un COTB sintético (Center-cina Árbol, subtipo B) secuencia gag-p24 23 para crear la cepa prototipo. Cambios aminoácidos individuales (T186M, T242N, y I256V) se introdujeron a continuación para crear tres clones mutantes. Cada mutante se compitió contra el virus prototipo para observar el impacto de la aptitud de cada mutación en el fondo genético determinado. Los tres mutantes demostraron diferentes niveles de fsitness replicación de leve a significativamente menor que el virus prototipo. La mutación T242N se informó anteriormente para tener un fitne moderadass cuesta 24-26, similar al resultado se muestra en este estudio. El costo de la aptitud de las otras dos mutaciones no había sido informado previamente.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="1172">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Name of Material/ Equipment</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Company</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Catalog Number</td>
			<td style="width:196px;">Comments/Description</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Construction of recombinant clones</td>
			<td style="width:484px;"></td>
			<td style="width:137px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Chimeric primer/Mutagenic/Sequencing primers</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">IDT</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>Custom DNA oligos</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">pNL4-3VifA and pNL4-3VifB plasmid</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">N/A</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>Please contact Dr. James I Mullins (jmullins@uw.edu)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">High-Fidelity DNA polymerase</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>F-549S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">High-fidelity buffer</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>F-549S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">dNTP</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Bioline</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Bio-39026</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Thermal cycler</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>Applied Biosystems&#174; GeneAmp&#174; PCR System 9700</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">DNA loading dye</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">R0631</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">1kb Plus DNA ladder</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">10787-018</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">QIAquick PCR Purification Kit</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Qiagen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">28104</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">QIAquick gel extraction kit</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Qiagen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">28704</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">DpnI enzyme</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">New England Biolabs</td>
			<td>R0176S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">TOP10 chemically competent Escherichia coli</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td>C4040-10</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Luria Broth base powder</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">12795-084</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Carbenicillin</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Research Products International</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">C46000-25.0</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">QIAprep Spin Miniprep kit&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Qiagen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">27104</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">EndoFree Plasmid Maxi Kit</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Qiagen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">12362</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Transfection</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">X-tremeGENE 9 DNA transfection reagent</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Roche</td>
			<td>6365787001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">HEK 293T-17</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">ATCC</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">CRL-11268</td>
			<td>http://www.atcc.org/</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">0.22um filter top tube</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">VWR International</td>
			<td>89220-716&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Cell culture</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM)</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td>10566016</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Iscove&#8242;s Modified Dulbecco&#8242;s Medium (IMDM)</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td>31980-030</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">RPMI-1640 media</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td>61870-036</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Phytohemagglutinin (PHA)</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>R30852801</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Human Interleukin-2</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Roche</td>
			<td>11147528001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Fetal bovine serum</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">JR Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">43640</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Penicillin and Streptomycin</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Corning Cellgro</td>
			<td>30-001-CI</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">6 well plate</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">VWR Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">73520-906</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">48 well plate</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">VWR Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">62407-338</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">96 well flat-bottomed plate</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">ISC Bioexpress</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">T-3015-4</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">96 well round-bottomed plate</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">BD Falcon</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">353077</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">1.5 ml Microcentrifuge Tube</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Mt. Baker Bio</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">MBD-1500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">1.5 mL tubes w/ O-ring</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">VWR Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">89004-290</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:355px;">50 mL conical tube</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">ISC Bioexpress</td>
			<td>C-3317-6</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">ELISA</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Triton-X 100</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>X100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Phosphate buffer saline (PBS)</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">14190-250</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Fetal bovine serum (FBS)</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>F0392</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">glycerol</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">G5516</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Tween 20</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P1379</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA)</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A2153</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Rabbit anti-HIV-1 SF2 p24 antiserum</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">NIH AIDS Reagent Program</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">4250</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Goat anti-rabbit HRP</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">KPL</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">474-1516</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">TMB Microwell Peroxidase Substrate</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">KPL</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">52-00-01</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="26">
			<td height="26" style="height:26px;">H2SO4</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A300-500</td>
			<td>Causes severe burns by all exposure routes. Use personal protective equipment. Use only under a chemical fume hood. Wash off immediately with plenty of water for at least 15 minutes.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">HIV p24 standard</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">AIDS and Cancer Virus program (NCI-Frederick)</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>For order details please contact Julian Bess, Jr. (bessjw@mail.nih.gov); http://ncifrederick.cancer.gov/Programs/Science/Acvp/bio/Bess.aspx</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Microplate reader</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Molecular Devices</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>VMax Kinetic ELISA Microplate Reader</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">RNA isolation cDNA synthesis</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">QIAxtractor</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Qiagen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>http://www.qiagen.com/products/catalog/automated-solutions/sample-prep/qiaxtractor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Qiagen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">52906</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">dNTP</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Bioline</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Bio-39026</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">SuperscriptIII</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td>18080-085</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">First-strand buffer&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td>18080-085</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">Dithiothreitol (DTT)</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td>18080-085</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Rnase inhibitor</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Roche</td>
			<td>3335402001</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">RnaseH</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td>18021-071</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">qPCR</td>
			<td style="width:484px;"></td>
			<td style="width:137px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Real-time qPCR machine</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>Applied Biosystems 7300 Real-Time PCR&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">TaqMan&#174; Gene Expression Master Mix</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td>4369016</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Forward, reverse primer</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">IDT</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>Custom order</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Probe</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>Custom order</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">optical 96 well reaction plate</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Life Technologies</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">I19N3Q216</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">PCR+sequencing</td>
			<td style="width:484px;"></td>
			<td style="width:137px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Taq DNA polymerase (Biolase)</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Bioline</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Bio-21043</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">NH4 buffer&#160;</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Bioline</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Bio-21043</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="26">
			<td height="26" style="height:26px;">MgCl2</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Bioline</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">Bio-21043</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">Sequencing primer</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">IDT</td>
			<td style="width:137px;">N/A</td>
			<td>Custom order</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:355px;">QIAxcel</td>
			<td style="width:484px;">Qiagen</td>
			<td style="width:137px;"></td>
			<td>http://www.qiagen.com/products/catalog/automated-solutions/detection-and-analysis/qiaxcel-advanced-system</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">DNA sequencing service provider</td>
			<td>http://www.htseq.org/</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;"></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">GRC web tool</td>
			<td>http://indra.mullins.microbiol.washington.edu/grc/</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;">ChromatQuan web tool</td>
			<td>http://indra.mullins.microbiol.washington.edu/cgi-bin/chromatquant.cgi</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

pairwise growth competition assay for determining the replication fitness of human immunodeficiency viruses

In vitro fitness assays are essential tools for determining viral replication fitness for viruses such as HIV-1. Various measurements have been used to extrapolate viral replication fitness, ranging from the number of viral particles per infectious unit, growth rate in cell culture, and relative fitness derived from multiple-cycle growth competition assays. Growth competition assays provide a particularly sensitive measurement of fitness since the viruses are competing for cellular targets under identical growth conditions. There are several experimental factors to consider when conducting growth competition assays, including the multiplicity of infection (MOI), sampling times, and viral detection and fitness calculation methods. Each factor can affect the end result and hence must be considered carefully during the experimental design. The protocol presented here includes steps from constructing a new recombinant HIV-1 clone to performing growth competition assays and analyzing the experimental results. This protocol utilizes experimental parameter values previously shown to yield consistent and robust results. Alternatives are discussed, as some parameters need to be adjusted according to the cell type and viruses being studied. The protocol contains two alternative viral detection methods to provide flexibility as the availability of instruments, reagents and expertise varies between laboratories.

Para estudiar el impacto de la aptitud de los cambios de aminoácidos individuales en el VIH-1 Gag-p24, utilizamos oligonucleótido mutagénesis dirigida para introducir mutaciones en un plásmido pNL4-3 contiene el VIH-1 COTB-p24 gen 23,32,33. Stocks virales se generaron mediante transfección de células 293T y se recogieron después de 48 hr. Estimamos el cultivo de tejidos dosis infecciosa 50% (DICT50) de cada acción viral por el método de Reed-Muench 31. La TCID 50 del prototipo y los virus mutantes variaron de 04 10 hasta 5 10 UI / ml (Figura 3A). La cinética de crecimiento de los virus recombinantes se establecieron en PBMCs de un solo donante a una MOI de 0,005. RT-qPCR se utilizó para medir el número de copias de ADNc viral al día durante seis días. Todos los virus mutantes y de prototipo crecieron de manera exponencial entre el día 2 y día 4, después de lo cual se redujo el crecimiento viral, tal como se indica por una disminución de la pendiente del número de copias de ARN viral aumento (&lt;strong&gt; Figura 3B). La disminución en el número de copias de cDNA entre el día 0 (correspondiente al inóculo) y día 2 se debe a la absorción de virus a las células y la eliminación de los viriones no unidas por el día 1 de lavado (etapa 5.1.6). En la fase de crecimiento exponencial, los tres mutantes tenían una tasa de crecimiento más lento (g) que el virus prototipo (Figura 3C). Los tres mutantes fueron compitieron contra el virus prototipo en ensayos de competición crecimiento a una MOI total de 0.005. Cinética de crecimiento viral en cultivos doblemente infectadas fueron similares a la de monoinfección; la fase de crecimiento exponencial viral fue entre los días 2 y 4, y el crecimiento viral llegó a una meseta alrededor del día 5 (Figura 4A). Las diferencias de crecimiento viral se derivaron del cambio en la relación viral con el tiempo. La relación viral se calculó basándose en el número de copias de ADNc de la referencia y los virus mutantes utilizando RT-qPCR, y al comparar alturas de los picosen secuencia cromatogramas en los sitios de nucleótidos que distinguen los dos virus (Figura 4B). Las diferencias de crecimiento determinado usando el pico de altura y métodos virales número de copias de ARN arrojado resultados similares (Figura 4C). Los tres mutantes tenían menor aptitud de replicación de los virus prototipo con el I256V mutante que tiene la aptitud más baja (Figura 4C). <img alt="Figura 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/52610/52610fig1.jpg" /> Figura 1: Diagrama de flujo de los protocolos presentados en este documento La protocolos de preparación de la preocupación de la construcción del virus del VIH-1 clones recombinantes y la generación de las reservas virales.. Los protocolos de la aptitud para el establecimiento de ensayos son cinética de crecimiento viral y la determinación de la aptitud viral relativa. Las líneas discontinuas representan los flujos alternativos para los protocolos. Por ejemplo, una mutación puede introducirse directamente en el VIH-1 NL4-3clon molecular sin generar un clon recombinante. <img alt="Figura 2" src="/files/ftp_upload/52610/52610fig2.jpg" /> Figura 2:. Construcción de VIH-1 NL4-3 COTB Gag-p24 clones moleculares recombinantes usando PCR de extensión por solapamiento (A) Diseño de los cebadores quiméricos. El 5 &#39;mitades de los cebadores contienen la secuencia del vector NL4-3 y el 3&#39; mitades contienen los extremos de la secuencia de inserción. (B) cebadores quiméricos se utilizan para amplificar el fragmento de inserción, COTB Gag-p24. (C) Los fragmentos de inserción se utilizan como cebadores para una segunda PCR para generar un nuevo plásmido recombinante. <img alt="Figura 3" src="/files/ftp_upload/52610/52610fig3.jpg" /> Figura 3:. Características de crecimiento virales en PBMC (A) Log 10 DICT 50 </sub&gt; de las reservas virales. (B) la cinética de crecimiento viral en monoinfections comenzado en una MOI = 0,005. (C) las tasas de crecimiento viral de más de seis días, incluyendo la fase exponencial de crecimiento (días 2-4) derivado de panel (B). Los valores mostrados representan la media de tres repeticiones de un experimento. Las barras de error representan intervalos de confianza del 95%. <img alt="Figura 4" src="/files/ftp_upload/52610/52610fig4.jpg" /> Figura 4: crecimiento viral y de la aptitud relativa determinaciones (A) el crecimiento viral en cultivos de PBMC doblemente infectados.. (B) Las relaciones de los virus T242N y prototipos determinaron utilizando RT-qPCR o el método de secuenciación de pico de altura. Diferencias netas virales tasa de crecimiento (D) entre el mutante y los virus prototipo en cultivos doblemente infectadas (C), como se muestra en (A). Se calcularon los valores d fesde los datos de relación virales que se muestran en (B). Los valores mostrados representan la media de tres repeticiones de un experimento. Las barras de error representan intervalos de confianza del 95%.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses at JoVE.com

Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses

Growth competition between nearly isogenic viruses provides a sensitive measurement for determining relative replication fitness. The protocols described here include the construction of recombinant HIV-1 clones, virus propagation and growth competition and analysis methods optimized to yield sensitive and consistent results.

Crecimiento por parejas Ensayo de competición para determinar la aptitud de replicación de virus de inmunodeficiencia Humanos

In vitro fitness assays are essential tools for determining viral replication fitness for viruses such as HIV-1. Various measurements have been used to ...

pairwise-growth-competition-assay-for-determining-replication-fitness

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

11.0K vistas.  University of Washington. Growth competition between nearly isogenic viruses provides a sensitive measurement for determining relative replication fitness. The protocols described here include the construction of recombinant HIV-1 clones, virus propagation and growth competition and analysis methods optimized to yield sensitive and consistent results.

Video: Pairwise Growth Competition Assay for Determining the Replication Fitness of Human Immunodeficiency Viruses

Determining the Reactivity and Titre of Serum using a Haemagglutination Assay

Haemagglutination is a specific form of agglutination and is used when antibodies bind to red blood cells, which act as a particulate antigen. Red blood cells are particularly useful targets as they are readily available and agglutination is observable using the naked eye. This technique is commonly used to determine the titre of an antibody (Ab), for blood grouping and viral quantification. In this video, the steps involved in preparing and performing a haemagglutination assay is demonstrated using antibodies specific to blood group A-antigens added to red blood cells (Revercells). The antiserum is serially diluted in a 96 well U-bottom microtitre tray, to which is added a suspension of Revercells. The samples are mixed and then incubated at 37&deg;C for 60 minutes. After this time, the samples can then be easily scored for  ve, +ve and intermediate (-/+) haemagglutination reactions. This approach allows for the reactivity and titre of a serum sample to be assessed using a rapid and simple technique. The video will cover the theory behind the assay, how the results are read and interpreted, how the titre is determined, how the assay can be modified and any issues associated with the use of this technique.

Haemagglutination is a form of agglutination where antibodies bind to red blood cells. Red blood cells are both readily available and the results are readily observable using the naked eye. This video demonstrates the steps involved in a haemagglutination assay, interpreting the results and determining the titre.

La determinación de la reactividad y el título de suero utilizando un ensayo de hemaglutinación

Haemagglutination is a specific form of agglutination and is used when antibodies bind to red blood cells, which act as a particulate antigen. Red blood ...

Investigación

Inmunología e Infección

Cost-effective Method for Microbial Source Tracking Using Specific Human and Animal Viruses

Microbial contamination of the environment represents a significant health risk. Classical bacterial fecal indicators have shown to have significant limitations, viruses are more resistant to many inactivation processes and standard fecal indicators do not inform on the source of contamination. The development of cost-effective methods for the concentration of viruses from water and molecular assays facilitates the applicability of viruses as indicators of fecal contamination and as microbial source tracking (MST) tools. Adenoviruses and polyomaviruses are DNA viruses infecting specific vertebrate species including humans and are persistently excreted in feces and/or urine in all geographical areas studied. In previous studies, we suggested the quantification of human adenoviruses (HAdV) and JC polyomaviruses (JCPyV) by quantitative PCR (qPCR) as an index of human fecal contamination. Recently, we have developed qPCR assays for the specific quantification of porcine adenoviruses (PAdV) and bovine polyomaviruses (BPyV) as animal fecal markers of contamination with sensitivities of 1-10 genome copies per test tube. In this study, we present the procedure to be followed to identify the source of contamination in water samples using these tools. As example of representative results, analysis of viruses in ground water presenting high levels of nitrates is shown.
Detection of viruses in low or moderately polluted waters requires the concentration of the viruses from at least several liters of water into a much smaller volume, a procedure that usually includes two concentration steps in series. This somewhat cumbersome procedure and the variability observed in viral recoveries significantly hamper the simultaneous processing of a large number of water samples.
In order to eliminate the bottleneck caused by the two-step procedures we have applied a one-step protocol developed in previous studies and applicable to a diversity of water matrices. The procedure includes: acidification of ten-liter water samples, flocculation by skimmed milk, gravity sedimentation of the flocculated materials, collection of the precipitate and centrifugation, resuspension of the precipitate in 10 ml phosphate buffer. The viral concentrate is used for the extraction of viral nucleic acids and the specific adenoviruses and polyomaviruses of interest are quantified by qPCR. High number of samples may be simultaneously analyzed using this low-cost concentration method.
The procedure has been applied to the analysis of bathing waters, seawater and river water and in this study, we present results analyzing groundwater samples. This high-throughput quantitative method is reliable, straightforward, and cost-effective.

The study describes a cost-effective method for the identification of the source of fecal/urine contamination or contamination by nitrates in water using qPCR for the specific quantification of human/porcine/bovine DNA viruses, adenoviruses and polyomaviruses, proposed as MST tools.

Método rentable para el Rastreo de uso microbiana específica virus humanos y animales

Microbial contamination of the environment represents a significant health risk. Classical bacterial fecal indicators have shown to have significant ...

Determining Optimal Cytotoxic Activity of Human Her2neu Specific CD8 T cells by Comparing the Cr51 Release Assay to the xCELLigence System

Cytotoxic CD8 T cells constitute a subgroup of T cells that are capable of inducing the death of infected or malignant host cells1. These cells express a specialized receptor, called the T cell receptor (TCR), which can recognize a specific antigenic peptide bound to HLA class I molecules2. Engagement of infected cells or tumor cells through their HLA class I molecule results in production of lytic molecules such as granzymes and perforin resulting in target cell death. While it is useful to determine frequencies of antigen-specific CD8 T cells using assays such as the ELIspot or flow cytometry, it is also helpful to ascertain the strength of CD8 T cell responses using cytotoxicity assays3. The most recognizable assay for assessing cytotoxic function is the Chromium Release Assay (CRA), which is considered a standard assay 4. The CRA has several limitations, including exposure of cells to gamma radiation, lack of reproducibility, and a requirement for large numbers of cells. Over the past decade, there has been interest in adopting new strategies to overcome these limitations. Newer approaches include those that measure caspase 
release 4, BLT esterase activity 5 and surface expression of CD107 6. The impedance-based assay, using the Roche xCelligence system, was examined in the present paper for its potential as an alternative to the CRA. Impedance or opposition to an electric current occurs when adherent tumor cells bind to electrode plates. Tumor cells detach following killing and electrical impedance is reduced which can be measured by the xCelligence system. The ability to adapt the impedance-based approach to assess cell-mediated killing rests on the observation that T cells do not adhere tightly to most surfaces and do not appear to have much impact on impedance thus diminishing any concern of direct interference of the T cells with the measurement. Results show that the impedance-based assay can detect changes in the levels of antigen-specific cytotoxic CD8 T cells with increased sensitivity relative to the standard CRA. Based on these results, impedance-based approaches may be good alternatives to CRAs or other approaches that aim to measure cytotoxic CD8 T cell functionality.

The chromium release assay, a common assay for detecting cytotoxic T cell activity, has several limitations. Using antigen-specific CD8 T cells and the human breast cancer tumor line, SKBR3, in the present article, an impedance-based approach was examined for the capability of detecting cell killing.

La determinación óptima de la actividad citotóxica de las células T específicas Her2Neu CD8 Humanos comparando el Ensayo de liberación de Cr51 al Sistema xCELLigence

Cytotoxic CD8 T cells constitute a subgroup of T  cells that are capable of inducing the death of infected or malignant host  cells1. These cells express ...

Determining Soil-transmitted Helminth Infection Status and Physical Fitness of School-aged Children

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are common. Indeed, more than 1 billion people are affected, mainly in the developing world where poverty prevails and hygiene behavior, water supply, and sanitation are often deficient1,2. Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, and the two hookworm species, Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, are the most prevalent STHs3. The estimated global burden due to hookworm disease, ascariasis, and trichuriasis is 22.1, 10.5, and 6.4 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), respectively4. Furthermore, an estimated 30-100 million people are infected with Strongyloides stercoralis, the most neglected STH species of global significance which arguably also causes a considerable public health impact5,6. Multiple-species infections (i.e., different STHs harbored in a single individual) are common, and infections have been linked to lowered productivity and thus economic outlook of developing countries1,3.
For the diagnosis of common STHs, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the Kato-Katz technique7,8, which is a relatively straightforward method for determining the prevalence and intensity of such infections. It facilitates the detection of parasite eggs that infected subjects pass in their feces.
With regard to the diagnosis of S.stercoralis, there is currently no simple and accurate tool available. The Baermann technique is the most widely employed method for its diagnosis. The principle behind the Baermann technique is that active S.stercoralis larvae migrate out of an illuminated fresh fecal sample as the larvae are phototactic9. It requires less sophisticated laboratory materials and is less time consuming than culture and immunological methods5.
Morbidities associated with STH infections range from acute but common symptoms, such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and pruritus, to chronic symptoms, such as anemia, under- and malnutrition, and cognitive impairment10. Since the symptoms are generally unspecific and subtle, they often go unnoticed, are considered a normal condition by affected individuals, or are treated as symptoms of other diseases that might be more common in a given setting. Hence, it is conceivable that the true burden of STH infections is underestimated by assessment tools relying on self-declared signs and symptoms as is usually the case in population-based surveys.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Stephenson and colleagues highlighted the possibility of STH infections lowering the physical fitness of boys aged 6-12 years11,12. This line of scientific inquiry gained new momentum recently13,14,15. The 20-meter (m) shuttle run test was developed and validated by L&eacute;ger et al.16 and is used worldwide to measure the aerobic fitness of children17. The test is easy to standardize and can be performed wherever a 20-m long and flat running course and an audio source are available, making its use attractive in resource-constrained settings13. To facilitate and standardize attempts at assessing whether STH infections have an effect on the physical fitness of school-aged children, we present methodologies that diagnose STH infections or measure physical fitness that are simple to execute and yet, provide accurate and reproducible outcomes. This will help to generate new evidence regarding the health impact of STH infections.

Chronic infection with soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) causes malabsorption, stunting, and wasting in the growing child. Hence, it is plausible that these infections also reduce the physical fitness of children. Here, we visualize two techniques for the diagnosis of STHs and the 20-meter shuttle run test for assessing children's physical fitness.

La determinación de helmintos transmitidos por el suelo el estado de infección y estado físico de los niños en edad escolar

Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are common. Indeed, more than 1 billion people are affected, mainly in the developing world where poverty ...

A Visual Assay to Monitor T6SS-mediated Bacterial Competition

Type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are molecular nanomachines allowing Gram-negative bacteria to transport and inject proteins into a wide variety of target cells1,2. The T6SS is composed of 13 core components and displays structural similarities with the tail-tube of bacteriophages3. The phage uses a tube and a puncturing device to penetrate the cell envelope of target bacteria and inject DNA. It is proposed that the T6SS is an inverted bacteriophage device creating a specific path in the bacterial cell envelope to drive effectors and toxins to the surface. The process could be taken further and the T6SS device could perforate other cells with which the bacterium is in contact, thus injecting the effectors into these targets. The tail tube and puncturing device parts of the T6SS are made with Hcp and VgrG proteins, respectively4,5.
The versatility of the T6SS has been demonstrated through studies using various bacterial pathogens. The Vibrio cholerae T6SS can remodel the cytoskeleton of eukaryotic host cells by injecting an "evolved" VgrG carrying a C-terminal actin cross-linking domain6,7. Another striking example was recently documented using Pseudomonas aeruginosa which is able to target and kill bacteria in a T6SS-dependent manner, therefore promoting the establishment of bacteria in specific microbial niches and competitive environment8,9,10.
In the latter case, three T6SS-secreted proteins, namely Tse1, Tse2 and Tse3 have been identified as the toxins injected in the target bacteria (Figure 1). The donor cell is protected from the deleterious effect of these effectors via an anti-toxin mechanism, mediated by the Tsi1, Tsi2 and Tsi3 immunity proteins8,9,10. This antimicrobial activity can be monitored when T6SS-proficient bacteria are co-cultivated on solid surfaces in competition with other bacterial species or with T6SS-inactive bacteria of the same species8,11,12,13.
The data available emphasized a numerical approach to the bacterial competition assay, including time-consuming CFU counting that depends greatly on antibiotic makers. In the case of antibiotic resistant strains like P. aeruginosa, these methods can be inappropriate. Moreover, with the identification of about 200 different T6SS loci in more than 100 bacterial genomes14, a convenient screening tool is highly desirable. We developed an assay that is easy to use and requires standard laboratory material and reagents. The method offers a rapid and qualitative technique to monitor the T6SS-dependent bactericidal/bacteriostasis activity by using a reporter strain as a prey (in this case Escherichia coli DH5&alpha;) allowing a-complementation of the lacZ gene. Overall, this method is graphic and allows rapid identification of T6SS-related phenotypes on agar plates. This experimental protocol may be adapted to other strains or bacterial species taking into account specific conditions such as growth media, temperature or time of contact.

We describe a qualitative assay to monitor bacterial competition mediated by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa type VI secretion system (T6SS). The assay relies on the survival/killing of Escherichia coli target cells carrying a lacZ-reporter. This technique is adjustable to assess the bactericidal/bacteriostasis activity of T6SS-proficient microorganisms.

Un ensayo visual para monitorear T6SS mediada por la competencia bacteriana

Type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) are molecular  nanomachines allowing Gram-negative bacteria to transport and inject proteins  into a wide variety of ...

Establishing a Liquid-covered Culture of Polarized Human Airway Epithelial Calu-3 Cells to Study Host Cell Response to Respiratory Pathogens In vitro

The apical and basolateral surfaces of airway epithelial cells demonstrate directional responses to pathogen exposure in vivo. Thus, ideal in vitro models for examining cellular responses to respiratory pathogens polarize, forming apical and basolateral surfaces. One such model is differentiated normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBE). However, this system requires lung tissue samples, expertise isolating and culturing epithelial cells from tissue, and time to generate an air-liquid interface culture.
Calu-3 cells, derived from a human bronchial adenocarcinoma, are an alternative model for examining the response of proximal airway epithelial cells to respiratory insult1, pharmacological compounds2-6, and bacterial7-9 and viral pathogens, including influenza virus, rhinovirus and severe acute respiratory syndrome - associated coronavirus10-14. Recently, we demonstrated that Calu-3 cells are susceptible to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in a manner consistent with NHBE15,16 . Here, we detail the establishment of a polarized, liquid-covered culture (LCC) of Calu-3 cells, focusing on the technical details of growing and culturing Calu-3 cells, maintaining cells that have been cultured into LCC, and we present the method for performing respiratory virus infection of polarized Calu-3 cells.
To consistently obtain polarized Calu-3 LCC, Calu-3 cells must be carefully subcultured before culturing in Transwell inserts. Calu-3 monolayer cultures should remain below 90% confluence, should be subcultured fewer than 10 times from frozen stock, and should regularly be supplied with fresh medium. Once cultured in Transwells, Calu-3 LCC must be handled with care. Irregular media changes and mechanical or physical disruption of the cell layers or plates negatively impact polarization for several hours or days. Polarization is monitored by evaluating trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and is verified by evaluating the passive equilibration of sodium fluorescein between the apical and basolateral compartments17,18 . Once TEER plateaus at or above 1,000 &Omega;&times;cm2, Calu-3 LCC are ready to use to examine cellular responses to respiratory pathogens.

Establishing a Liquid-covered Culture of Polarized Human Airway Epithelial Calu-3 Cells to Study Host Cell Response to Respiratory Pathogens In vitro

The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

El establecimiento de un cultivo líquido cubierto de las vías respiratorias humanas epiteliales polarizadas Calu-3 células para estudiar la respuesta del huésped celular a patógenos respiratorios<em&gt; In vitro</em

The  apical and basolateral surfaces of airway epithelial cells demonstrate  directional responses to pathogen exposure in  vivo. Thus, ideal in vitro ...

A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses

The protective effect of many HLA class I alleles on HIV-1 pathogenesis and disease progression is, in part, attributed to their ability to target conserved portions of the HIV-1 genome that escape with difficulty. Sequence changes attributed to cellular immune pressure arise across the genome during infection, and if found within conserved regions of the genome such as Gag, can affect the ability of the virus to replicate in vitro. Transmission of HLA-linked polymorphisms in Gag to HLA-mismatched recipients has been associated with reduced set point viral loads. We hypothesized this may be due to a reduced replication capacity of the virus. Here we present a novel method for assessing the in vitro replication of HIV-1 as influenced by the gag gene isolated from acute time points from subtype C infected Zambians. This method uses restriction enzyme based cloning to insert the gag gene into a common subtype C HIV-1 proviral backbone, MJ4. This makes it more appropriate to the study of subtype C sequences than previous recombination based methods that have assessed the in vitro replication of chronically derived gag-pro sequences. Nevertheless, the protocol could be readily modified for studies of viruses from other subtypes. Moreover, this protocol details a robust and reproducible method for assessing the replication capacity of the Gag-MJ4 chimeric viruses on a CEM-based T cell line. This method was utilized for the study of Gag-MJ4 chimeric viruses derived from 149 subtype C acutely infected Zambians, and has allowed for the identification of residues in Gag that affect replication. More importantly, the implementation of this technique has facilitated a deeper understanding of how viral replication defines parameters of early HIV-1 pathogenesis such as set point viral load and longitudinal CD4+ T cell decline.

A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses

HIV-1 pathogenesis is defined by both viral characteristics and host genetic factors. Here we describe a robust method that allows for reproducible measurements to assess the impact of the gag gene sequence variation on the in vitro replication capacity of the virus.

Una enzima de restricción método basado clonación para evaluar la<em&gt; In vitro</em&gt; Capacidad de replicación del VIH-1 subtipo C Gag-MJ4 quiméricos virus

The protective effect of many HLA class I alleles on HIV-1 pathogenesis and disease progression is, in part, attributed to their ability to target ...

Intranasal Administration of Recombinant Influenza Vaccines in Chimeric Mouse Models to Study Mucosal Immunity

Vaccines are one of the greatest achievements of mankind, and have saved millions of lives over the last century. Paradoxically, little is known about the physiological mechanisms that mediate immune responses to vaccines perhaps due to the overall success of vaccination, which has reduced interest into the molecular and physiological mechanisms of vaccine immunity. However, several important human pathogens including influenza virus still pose a challenge for vaccination, and may benefit from immune-based strategies. 
Although influenza reverse genetics has been successfully applied to the generation of live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs), the addition of molecular tools in vaccine preparations such as tracer components to follow up the kinetics of vaccination in vivo, has not been addressed. In addition, the recent generation of mouse models that allow specific depletion of leukocytes during kinetic studies has opened a window of opportunity to understand the basic immune mechanisms underlying vaccine-elicited protection. Here, we describe how the combination of reverse genetics and chimeric mouse models may help to provide new insights into how vaccines work at physiological and molecular levels, using as example a recombinant, cold-adapted, live-attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV). We utilized laboratory-generated LAIVs harboring cell tracers as well as competitive bone marrow chimeras (BMCs) to determine the early kinetics of vaccine immunity and the main physiological mechanisms responsible for the initiation of vaccine-specific adaptive immunity. In addition, we show how this technique may facilitate gene function studies in single animals during immune responses to vaccines. We propose that this technique can be applied to improve current prophylactic strategies against pathogens for which urgent medical countermeasures are needed, for example influenza, HIV, Plasmodium, and hemorrhagic fever viruses such as Ebola virus.

There is an overall lack of knowledge about how vaccines work. Here we propose the combined use of reverse genetics and bone marrow chimeric mice to gain insight into the early host immune responses to vaccines with a special focus on dendritic cells and T cell immunity.

Administración intranasal de vacunas contra la influenza recombinante en modelos de ratón quimérico para el Estudio de la mucosa Inmunidad

Vaccines are one of the greatest achievements of mankind, and have saved millions of lives over the last century. Paradoxically, little is known about the ...

Fluorescence-based Neuraminidase Inhibition Assay to Assess the Susceptibility of Influenza Viruses to The Neuraminidase Inhibitor Class of Antivirals

The neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors are the only class of antivirals approved for the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza that are effective against currently circulating strains. In addition to their use in treating seasonal influenza, the NA inhibitors have been stockpiled by a number of countries for use in the event of a pandemic. It is therefore important to monitor the susceptibility of circulating influenza viruses to this class of antivirals. There are different types of assays that can be used to assess the susceptibility of influenza viruses to the NA inhibitors, but the enzyme inhibition assays using either a fluorescent substrate or a chemiluminescent substrate are the most widely used and recommended. This protocol describes the use of a fluorescence-based assay to assess influenza virus susceptibility to NA inhibitors. The assay is based on the NA enzyme cleaving the 2&#8242;-(4-Methylumbelliferyl)-&#945;-D-N-acetylneuraminic acid (MUNANA) substrate to release the fluorescent product 4-methylumbelliferone (4-MU). Therefore, the inhibitory effect of an NA inhibitor on the influenza virus NA is determined based on the concentration of the NA inhibitor that is required to reduce 50% of the NA activity, given as an IC50 value.

We describe the use of a phenotypic fluorescence-based neuraminidase inhibition assay to assess the susceptibility of influenza A and B viruses to the neuraminidase inhibitor class of antivirals.

La neuraminidasa Ensayo de inhibición basado en la fluorescencia para evaluar la susceptibilidad de los virus de la influenza a El Inhibidor de la neuraminidasa clase de antivirales

The neuraminidase (NA) inhibitors are the only class of antivirals approved for the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza that are effective against ...

Ex Vivo Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue and Female Genital Mucosa with Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Histoculture

Histocultures allow studying intercellular interactions within human tissues, and they can be employed to model host-pathogen interactions under controlled laboratory conditions. Ex vivo infection of human tissues with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), among other viruses, has been successfully used to investigate early disease pathogenesis, as well as a platform to test the efficacy and toxicity of antiviral drugs. In the present protocol, we explain how to process and infect with HIV-1 tissue explants from human tonsils and cervical mucosae, and maintain them in culture on top of gelatin sponges at the liquid-air interface for about two weeks. This non-polarized culture setting maximizes access to nutrients in culture medium and oxygen, although progressive loss of tissue integrity and functional architectures remains its main limitation. This method allows monitoring HIV-1 replication and pathogenesis using several techniques, including immunoassays, qPCR, and flow cytometry. Of importance, the physiologic variability between tissue donors, as well as between explants from different areas of the same specimen, may significantly affect experimental results. To ensure result reproducibility, it is critical to use an adequate number of explants, technical replicates, and donor-matched control conditions to normalize the results of the experimental treatments when compiling data from multiple experiments (i.e., conducted using tissue from different donors) for statistical analysis.

Ex Vivo Infection of Human Lymphoid Tissue and Female Genital Mucosa with Human Immunodeficiency Virus 1 and Histoculture

Infection of human tissues with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) ex vivo provides a valuable 3D model of virus pathogenesis. Here, we describe a protocol to process and infect tissue specimens from human tonsils and female genital mucosae with HIV-1 and maintain them in culture at the liquid-air interface.