Stefanie Weber1, Astghik Hakobyan2, Hovakim Zakaryan2, Walter Doerfler1,3. 1. Institute for Clinical & Molecular Virology, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany. 2. Group of Antiviral Defense Mechanisms, Institute of Molecular Biology of the National Academy of Sciences, 0014, Yerevan, Armenia. 3. Institute of Genetics, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany.
Abstract
AIM: Sequence-specific CpG methylation of eukaryotic promoters is an important epigenetic signal for long-term gene silencing. We have now studied the methylation status of African swine fever virus (ASFV) DNA at various times after infection of Vero cells in culture. METHODS & RESULTS: ASFV DNA was detectable throughout the infection cycle and was found unmethylated in productively infected Vero cells as documented by bisulfite sequencing of 13 viral DNA segments. CONCLUSION: ASFV DNA does not become de novo methylated in the course of infection in selected segments spread across the entire genome. Thus DNA methylation does not interfere with ASFV genome transcription. Lack of de novo methylation has previously been observed for free intracellular viral DNA in cells permissively infected with human adenoviruses, with human papillomaviruses and others.
AIM: Sequence-specific CpG methylation of eukaryotic promoters is an important epigenetic signal for long-term gene silencing. We have now studied the methylation status of African swine fever virus (ASFV) DNA at various times after infection of Vero cells in culture. METHODS & RESULTS:ASFV DNA was detectable throughout the infection cycle and was found unmethylated in productively infected Vero cells as documented by bisulfite sequencing of 13 viral DNA segments. CONCLUSION:ASFV DNA does not become de novo methylated in the course of infection in selected segments spread across the entire genome. Thus DNA methylation does not interfere with ASFV genome transcription. Lack of de novo methylation has previously been observed for free intracellular viral DNA in cells permissively infected with human adenoviruses, with human papillomaviruses and others.
Entities:
Keywords:
ASFV DNA compared with other DNA viral genomes; ASFV DNA replication; African swine fever virus (ASFV); bisulfite sequencing; de novo DNA methylation; foreign DNA; free versus integrated viral DNA; productive ASFV infection of Vero cells
Authors: Vivian K O'Donnell; Frederic R Grau; Gregory A Mayr; Tracy L Sturgill Samayoa; Kimberly A Dodd; Roger W Barrette Journal: J Clin Microbiol Date: 2019-12-23 Impact factor: 5.948