An NA-deficient 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus mutant can efficiently replicate in cultured cells

• Published in: Archives of virology Vol. 159; no. 4; pp. 797 - 800
• Main Authors: Inoue, Emi, Ieko, Masahiro, Takahashi, Nobuhiko, Osawa, Yoshiaki, Okazaki, Katsunori
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Vienna Springer Vienna 01.04.2014; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brief Report; cell culture; Cell Line; Chickens; cultured cells; deficiency; Dogs; drugs; Enzymes; erythrocytes; Genes; genetics; Genomes; Health sciences; Humans; Infections; Infectious Diseases; influenza; Influenza A virus; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - genetics; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - isolation & purification; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype - physiology; Influenza virus; Influenza, Human; Influenza, Human - virology; isolation & purification; Medical Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; mutants; Mutation; Neuraminidase; Neuraminidase - deficiency; pandemic; Pandemics; Phylogenetics; physiology; Proteins; RNA, Viral; RNA, Viral - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Sequence Deletion; sialidase; Swine flu; Viral Plaque Assay; Viral Proteins; Virology; Virus Replication; Viruses; Denmark; Japan; Oseltamivir; Influenza; MDCK Cell; H1N1 Virus; Zanamivir
• DOI: 10.1007/s00705-013-1887-0
• ISSN: 0304-8608; 1432-8798

We identified a novel neuraminidase (NA)-deficient virus that was a 2009 pandemic influenza H1N1 virus mutant. The mutant virus had a deletion of 1,009 nt in the NA gene and lacked an enzymatic domain. Although the yield of the NA-deficient virus was limited, it formed large plaques when applied to MDCK cell cultures, indicating that the virus was able to spread to adjacent cells. Furthermore, the NA-deficient virus was eluted from chicken erythrocytes at 37 °C, even in the presence of the antiviral drug peramivir. Spread of this NA-deficient virus may pose a potential threat to anti-influenza therapies.