Article
Virology
Tatiana G. Senkevich, Erik K. Zhivkoplias, Andrea S. Weisberg, Bernard Moss
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2020)
Article
Virology
Mauricio A. Martins, Lucas Gonzalez-Nieto, Michael J. Ricciardi, Varian K. Bailey, Christine M. Dang, Georg F. Bischof, Nuria Pedreno-Lopez, Matthias G. Pauthner, Dennis R. Burton, Christopher L. Parks, Patricia Earl, Bernard Moss, Eva G. Rakasz, Jeffrey D. Lifson, Ronald C. Desrosiers, David I. Watkins
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2020)
Article
Microbiology
Chen Peng, Linda S. Wyatt, Shira G. Glushakow-Smith, Madhu Lal-Nag, Andrea S. Weisberg, Bernard Moss
Article
Virology
Andrew Tak, Jeffrey L. Americo, Ulrike S. Diesterbeck, Bernard Moss
Summary: Experimental evolution showed adaptive mutations in viruses lacking the O3 gene, with variants containing F9L, L5R, and D8L mutations exhibiting higher virus titers. The F9L mutation appeared earlier in three independent passages than the L5R and D8L mutations. Further analysis revealed that the adaptive F9L mutants had increased infectivity, faster cell entry, and enhanced EFC assembly.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ruikang Liu, Jeffrey L. Americo, Catherine A. Cotter, Patricia L. Earl, Noam Erez, Chen Peng, Bernard Moss
Summary: Research on modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) expressing the S protein of SARS-CoV-2 showed promising results in inducing antibodies and CD8+ T cells, protecting transgenic mice from lethal infection, preventing nasal infection, reducing cytokine expression, and effectively terminating virus replication in vaccinated animals.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Virology
Noam Erez, Linda S. Wyatt, Jeffrey L. Americo, Wei Xiao, Bernard Moss
Summary: The study identified spontaneous mutations in MVA that led to increased replication in monkey BS-C-1 cells but minimal effects in human cells, mainly due to amino acid substitutions in the D10 decapping enzyme. Despite the mutations being distant from the active site of the decapping enzyme, engineered mutations still enhanced virus replication in BS-C-1 cells. The impact of these mutations on the immunogenicity of MVA vectors requires further investigation.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Alexander M. Schin, Ulrike S. Diesterbeck, Bernard Moss
Summary: Poxviruses have a complex entry-fusion complex (EFC) comprised of 11 conserved proteins, and the proximity of individual EFC proteins in living cells was determined using a tripartite split green fluorescent protein assay. A network connecting components of the EFC was derived, confirming previous protein interactions and discovering new ones.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Tatiana G. Senkevich, Natalya Yutin, Yuri Wolf, Eugene Koonin, Bernard Moss
Summary: The survival of viruses relies on their ability to resist host defenses and certain genes play a crucial role in this process. Poxviruses, like Orthopoxviruses (ORPV), have a significant number of genes dedicated to counteracting host immunity. Through evolution, ORPV acquired accessory genes in three major waves, leading to gene duplication and the formation of gene families. Interestingly, most accessory genes were lost during ORPV evolution, suggesting a variety of functional interactions within this virus family.
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Bernard Moss, Geoffrey L. Smith
Article
Microbiology
Ruikang Liu, Jeffrey L. Americo, Patricia L. Earl, Jack Villani, Catherine A. Cotter, Bernard Moss
Summary: The difference in pathogenicity between the pathogenic isolate clone 3 (CL3) and the second-generation smallpox vaccine ACAM2000 is associated with truncation of the interferon alpha/beta (IFN-alpha/beta) decoy receptor. Viruses expressing the full-length decoy receptor are more virulent in mouse models.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeffrey L. Americo, Catherine A. Cotter, Patricia L. Earl, Ruikang Liu, Bernard Moss
Summary: Intranasal administration of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine induces stronger immune responses compared to intramuscular administration, with higher levels of antibodies and specific T cells. Additionally, intranasal vaccination can prevent or rapidly eliminate SARS-CoV-2 infection.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jeffrey L. Americo, Patricia L. Earl, Bernard Moss
Summary: Monkeypox, a disease similar to smallpox, has become endemic in Africa with limited human-to-human transmission. However, in 2022, the disease spread globally, driven by human-to-human transmission outside of Africa. It is still unclear whether this is due to behavioral factors or the virus adapting to a new host. Genome sequencing revealed differences between the current outbreak strain (clade IIb) and previous strains (clade IIa and clade I), but the impact of these differences on virulence or transmission is yet to be determined. Using a mouse model, researchers found that the clade I virus was more virulent than the clade IIa and IIb.1 strains, suggesting that clade IIb may be evolving diminished virulence or adapting to other species.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Pascal Mutz, Wolfgang Resch, Guilhem Faure, Tatiana G. Senkevich, Eugene V. Koonin, Bernard Moss
Summary: Protein structures are more conserved in evolution than amino acid sequences, making comparative structural analysis important for tracing the origins of rapidly evolving viral proteins. By using AlphaFold2, the structures of orthopoxvirus proteins were predicted, revealing the exaptation of host enzymes for nonenzymatic roles in virus reproduction. This study highlights the unique structural folds of many viral proteins.
Article
Immunology
Catherine A. Cotter, Jeffrey L. Americo, Patricia L. Earl, Bernard Moss
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 vaccines show limited effectiveness against variant strains in preventing infection and transmission, highlighting the need for enhanced protection. Inbred mice expressing human SARS-CoV-2 receptor were used to investigate the efficacy of recombinant MVAs expressing modified S proteins against different strains. Vaccines expressing Wuhan, Beta, and Delta S induced cross-neutralizing activities, while Omicron-specific neutralizing antibody predominately occurred with the rMVA expressing Omicron S. Monovalent vaccines with S mismatched to the challenge virus still provided protection against severe disease, but intranasal administration of rMVAs showed better outcomes in reducing viral load in the lungs and nasal turbinates.
Article
Microbiology
Ruikang Liu, Jeffrey L. Americo, Patricia L. Earl, Jack Villani, Catherine A. Cotter, Bernard Moss
Summary: The more pathogenic Clone 3 (CL3) virus compared to ACAM2000 is attributed to the presence of a full-length IFN-alpha/beta decoy receptor in CL3 and a truncation of the receptor in ACAM2000. Experimental evidence shows that viruses expressing the full-length decoy receptor cause more severe diseases in mice.