To date, over 100 vomeronasal receptor type 1 (V1R) genes have been identified in rodents. V1R is specifically expressed in the rodent vomeronasal organ (VNO) and is thought to be responsible for pheromone reception. Recently, 21 putatively functional V1R genes were identified in the genome database of the amphibian Xenopus tropicalis. Amphibians are the first vertebrates to possess a VNO. In order to determine at which point during evolution the vertebrate V1R genes began to function in the vomeronasal system, we analyzed the expression of all putatively functional V1R genes in Xenopus olfactory organs. We found that V1R expression was not detected in the VNO but was specifically detected in the main olfactory epithelium (MOE). We also observed that V1R-expressing cells in the MOE coexpressed Gi2, thus suggesting that the V1R-Gi2-mediated signal transduction pathway, which is considered to play an important role in pheromone reception in the rodent VNO, exists in the amphibian MOE. These results suggest that V1R-mediated signal transduction pathway functions in Xenopus main olfactory system.

In the course of evolution, the vomeronasal organ (VNO) first appeared in amphibians. To understand the relationship between the VNO and the vomeronasal receptors, we isolated and analyzed the expression of the vomeronasal receptor genes of Xenopus laevis. We identified genes of the Xenopus V2R receptor family, which are predominantly expressed throughout the sensory epithelium of the VNO. The G-protein Go, which is coexpressed with V2Rs in the rodent VNO, was also extensively expressed throughout the vomeronasal sensory epithelium. These results strongly suggest that the V2Rs and Go are coexpressed in the vomeronasal receptor cells. The predominant expression of the Xenopus V2R families and the coexpression of the V2Rs and Go imply that V2Rs play important roles in the sensory transduction of Xenopus VNO. We found that these receptors were expressed not only in the VNO, but also in the posterolateral epithelial area of the principal cavity (PLPC). Electron microscopic study revealed that the epithelium of the PLPC is more like that of the VNO than that of the principal and the middle cavity. These results suggest that in adult Xenopus the V2Rs analyzed so far are predominantly expressed in the vomeronasal and vomeronasal-like epithelium. The analysis of V2R expression in Xenopus larvae demonstrates that V2Rs are predominantly expressed in the VNO even before metamorphosis.

To construct poliovirus defective interfering (DI) particles in vitro, we synthesized an RNA from a cloned poliovirus cDNA, pSM1(T7)1, which carried a deletion in the genome region corresponding to nucleotide positions 1663 to 2478 encoding viral capsid proteins, by using bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase. The RNA was designed to retain the correct reading frame in nucleotide sequence downstream of the deletion. HeLa S3 monolayer cells were transfected with the deletion RNA and then superinfected with standard virus as a helper. The DI RNA was observed in the infected cells after three passages at high multiplicity of infection. The sequence analysis of RNA extracted from the purified DI particle clearly showed that this DI RNA had the same deletion in size and location as that in the RNA used for the transfection. Thus, we succeeded in construction of a poliovirus DI particle in vitro. To gain insight into the mechanism for DI generation, we constructed poliovirus cDNAs pSM1(T7)la and pSM1(T7)lb that, in addition to the same deletion as that in pSM1(T7)1, had insertion sequences of 4 bases and 12 bases, respectively, at the corresponding nucleotide position, 2978. The RNA transcribed from pSM1(T7)la was not a template for synthesis of poliovirus nonstructural proteins and therefore was inactive as an RNA replicon. On the other hand, the RNA from pSM1(T7)lb replicated properly in the transfected cells. Superinfection of the transfected cells with standard virus resulted in production of DI particles derived from pSMI(T7)lb and not from pSM1(T7)la. These observations indicate that deletion RNAs that are inactive replicons have little or no possibility of being genomes of DI particles, suggesting the existence of a nonstructural protein(s) that has an inclination to function as a cis-acting protein(s). The method described here will provide a useful technique to investigate genetic information essential for poliovirus replication.

Mammals possess two anatomically and functionally distinct olfactory systems. The olfactory epithelium (OE) detects volatile odorants, while the vomeronasal organ (VNO) detects pheromones that elicit innate reproductive and social behavior within a species. In rodent VNO, three multigene families that encode the putative pheromone receptors, V1Rs, V2Rs and V3Rs, have been expressed. We have identified the V1R homologue genes from goat genomic DNA (gV1R genes). Deduced amino acid sequences of gV1R genes show 40-50% and 20-25% identity to those of rat and mouse V1R and V3R genes, respectively, suggesting that the newly isolated goat receptor genes are members of the V1R gene family. One gene (gV1R1 gene) has an open reading frame that encodes a polypeptide of 309 amino acids. It is expressed not only in VNO but also in OE. In situ hybridization analysis revealed that gV1R1 -expressing cells were localized in neuropithelial layers of VNO and OE. These results suggest that the goat may detect pheromone molecules through two distinct olfactory organs.

Viral attenuation may be due to lowered efficiency of certain steps essential for viral multiplication. For the construction of less neurovirulent strains of poliovirus in vitro, we introduced deletions into the 5' noncoding sequence (742 nucleotides long) of the genomes of the Mahoney and Sabin 1 strains of poliovirus type 1 by using infectious cDNA clones of the virus strains. Plaque sizes shown by deletion mutants were used as a marker for rate of viral proliferation. Deletion mutants of both the strains thus constructed lacked a genome region of nucleotide positions 564 to 726. The sizes of plaques displayed by these deletion mutants were smaller than those by the respective parental viruses, although a phenotype referring to reproductive capacity at different temperatures (rct) of viruses was not affected by introduction of the deletion. Monkey neurovirulence tests were performed on the deletion mutants. The results clearly indicated that the deletion mutants had much less neurovirulence than with the corresponding parent viruses. Production of infectious particles and virus-specific protein synthesis in cells infected with the deletion mutants started later than in those infected with the parental viruses. The rate at which cytopathic effect progressed was also slower in cells infected with the mutants. Phenotypic stability of the deletion mutant for small-plaque phenotype and temperature sensitivity was investigated after passaging the mutant at an elevated temperature of 37.5°C. Our data strongly suggested that the less neurovirulent phenotype introduced by the deletion is very stable during passaging of the virus.