Enhanced Growth of Influenza Vaccine Seed Viruses in Vero Cells Mediated by Broadening the Optimal pH Range for Virus Membrane Fusion

The threat of future influenza pandemics and their potential for rapid spread, morbidity, and mortality has led to the development of pandemic vaccines. We generated seven reassortant pandemic live attenuated influenza vaccines (pLAIVs) with the hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes derived from animal influenza viruses on the backbone of the six internal protein gene segments of the temperature sensitive, cold-adapted (ca) A/Ann Arbor/60 (H2N2) virus (AA/60 ca) of the licensed seasonal LAIV. The pLAIV viruses were moderately to highly restricted in replication in seronegative adults; we sought to determine the biological basis for this restriction. Avian influenza viruses generally replicate at higher temperatures than human influenza viruses and, although they shared the same backbone, the pLAIV viruses had a lower shutoff temperature than seasonal LAIV viruses, suggesting that the HA and NA influence the degree of temperature sensitivity. The pH of HA activation of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses was greater than human and low-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses, as reported by others. However, pLAIV viruses had a consistently higher pH of HA activation and reduced HA thermostability compared to the corresponding wild-type parental viruses. From studies with single-gene reassortant viruses bearing one gene segment from the AA/60 ca virus in recombinant H5N1 or pH1N1 viruses, we found that the lower HA thermal stability and increased pH of HA activation were associated with the AA/60 M gene. Together, the impaired HA acid and thermal stability and temperature sensitivity likely contributed to the restricted replication of the pLAIV viruses we observed in seronegative adults. IMPORTANCEThere is increasing evidence that the HA stability of influenza viruses depends on the virus strain and host species and that HA stability can influence replication, virulence, and transmission of influenza A viruses in different species. We investigated the HA stability of pandemic live attenuated influenza vaccine (pLAIV) viruses and observed that the pLAIV viruses consistently had a less stable HA than the corresponding wild-type influenza viruses. The reduced HA stability and temperature sensitivity of the pLAIV viruses may account for their restricted replication in clinical trials.

Section: Figmentioning

confidence: 53%

The Matrix Gene Segment Destabilizes the Acid and Thermal Stability of the Hemagglutinin of Pandemic Live Attenuated Influenza Virus Vaccines

O’Donnell

Vogel

Matsuoka

et al. 2014

“…The reduced stability of (H1N1)pdm09 HA likely makes it more susceptible to pH or other environmental stresses. Several groups have shown that the stability of HA varies greatly among different virus strains that have adapted to different environmental conditions and hosts (21,(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)(63)(64)(65)(66) (58). Pathogenic H7 HA proteins can vary up to 0.6 pH unit in their pH of fusion activation (9).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influenza Virus M2 Protein Ion Channel Activity Helps To Maintain Pandemic 2009 H1N1 Virus Hemagglutinin Fusion Competence during Transport to the Cell Surface

Alvarado-Facundo

Gao

Ribas‐Aparicio

et al. 2015

The influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) envelope protein mediates virus entry by first binding to cell surface receptors and then fusing viral and endosomal membranes during endocytosis. Cleavage of the HA precursor (HA0) into a surface receptor-binding subunit (HA1) and a fusion-inducing transmembrane subunit (HA2) by host cell enzymes primes HA for fusion competence by repositioning the fusion peptide to the newly created N terminus of HA2. We previously reported that the influenza virus M2 protein enhances pandemic 2009 influenza A virus [(H1N1)pdm09] HA-pseudovirus infectivity, but the mechanism was unclear. In this study, using cell-cell fusion and HA-pseudovirus infectivity assays, we found that the ion channel function of M2 was required for enhancement of HA fusion and HA-pseudovirus infectivity. The M2 activity was needed only during HA biosynthesis, and proteolysis experiments indicated that M2 proton channel activity helped to protect (H1N1)pdm09 HA from premature conformational changes as it traversed low-pH compartments during transport to the cell surface. While M2 has previously been shown to protect avian influenza virus HA proteins of the H5 and H7 subtypes that have polybasic cleavage motifs, this study demonstrates that M2 can protect HA proteins from human H1N1 strains that lack a polybasic cleavage motif. This finding suggests that M2 proton channel activity may play a wider role in preserving HA fusion competence among a variety of HA subtypes, including HA proteins from emerging strains that may have reduced HA stability. IMPORTANCEInfluenza virus infects cells when the hemagglutinin (HA) surface protein undergoes irreversible pH-induced conformational changes after the virus is taken into the cell by endocytosis. HA fusion competence is primed when host cell enzymes cleave the HA precursor. The proton channel function of influenza virus M2 protein has previously been shown to protect avian influenza virus HA proteins that contain a polybasic cleavage site from pH-induced conformational changes during biosynthesis, but this effect is less well understood for human influenza virus HA proteins that lack polybasic cleavage sites. Using assays that focus on HA entry and fusion, we found that the M2 protein also protects (H1N1)pdm09 influenza A virus HA from premature conformational changes as it transits low-pH compartments during biosynthesis. This work suggests that M2 may play a wider role in preserving HA function in a variety of influenza virus subtypes that infect humans and may be especially important for HA proteins that are less stable. T he influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) envelope protein mediates virus entry by binding to cell surface receptors, followed by endocytosis and fusion of the viral and endosomal membranes. Cellular proteases cleave the HA precursor (HA0) to generate the HA1 surface subunit, which mediates binding to cell surface sialic acid receptors, and the HA2 transmembrane subunit, which mediates membrane fusion between viral and endosomal membranes during e...

“…Several studies have provided evidence that the pH of fusion is crucial for influenza virus infection in distinct organisms (23)(24)(25). It was further shown that viral adaptation to different host cells and species often necessitates mutations in the HA protein, altering the fusion pH to account for host-specific variations in the endosomal pH and/or for different transmission modes (36,(54)(55)(56)(57)(58). In particular, it has been shown that a high pH of fusion increases the pathogenicity of the virus in infected chicken and ducks (22,24), whereas a high pH is not favorable for infection of and spread between mammals (23,25,36,54,55,58).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Histidine Residue of the Influenza Virus Hemagglutinin Controls the pH Dependence of the Conformational Change Mediating Membrane Fusion

Mair

Meyer

Schneider

et al. 2014

The conformational change of the influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) protein mediating the fusion between the virus envelope and the endosomal membrane was hypothesized to be induced by protonation of specific histidine residues since their pK a s match the pHs of late endosomes (pK a of ϳ6.0). However, such critical key histidine residues remain to be identified. We investigated the highly conserved His184 at the HA1-HA1 interface and His110 at the HA1-HA2 interface of highly pathogenic H5N1 HA as potential pH sensors. By replacing both histidines with different amino acids and analyzing the effect of these mutations on conformational change and fusion, we found that His184, but not His110, plays an essential role in the pH dependence of the conformational change of HA. Computational modeling of the protonated His184 revealed that His184 is central in a conserved interaction network possibly regulating the pH dependence of conformational change via its pK a . As the propensity of histidine to get protonated largely depends on its local environment, mutation of residues in the vicinity of histidine may affect its pK a . The HA of highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses carries a Glu-to-Arg mutation at position 216 close to His184. By mutation of residue 216 in the highly pathogenic as well as the low pathogenic H5 HA, we observed a significant influence on the pH dependence of conformational change and fusion. These results are in support of a pK a -modulating effect of neighboring residues. IMPORTANCEThe main pathogenic determinant of influenza viruses, the hemagglutinin (HA) protein, triggers a key step of the infection process: the fusion of the virus envelope with the endosomal membrane releasing the viral genome. Whereas essential aspects of the fusion-inducing mechanism of HA at low pH are well understood, the molecular trigger of the pH-dependent conformational change inducing fusion has been unclear. We provide evidence that His184 regulates the pH dependence of the HA conformational change via its pK a . Mutations of neighboring residues which may affect the pK a of His184 could play an important role in virus adaptation to a specific host. We suggest that mutation of neighboring residue 216, which is present in all highly pathogenic phenotypes of H5N1 influenza virus strains, contributed to the adaptation of these viruses to the human host via its effect on the pK a of His184.