@article{WelkeSperberBergmannetal.2022, author = {Welke, Robert-William and Sperber, Hannah Sabeth and Bergmann, Ronny and Koikkarah, Amit and Menke, Laura and Sieben, Christian and Kr{\"u}ger, Detlev H. and Chiantia, Salvatore and Herrmann, Andreas and Schwarzer, Roland}, title = {Characterization of hantavirus N protein intracellular dynamics and localization}, series = {Viruses}, volume = {14}, journal = {Viruses}, number = {3}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1999-4915}, doi = {10.3390/v14030457}, pages = {14}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Hantaviruses are enveloped viruses that possess a tri-segmented, negative-sense RNA genome. The viral S-segment encodes the multifunctional nucleocapsid protein (N), which is involved in genome packaging, intracellular protein transport, immunoregulation, and several other crucial processes during hantavirus infection. In this study, we generated fluorescently tagged N protein constructs derived from Puumalavirus (PUUV), the dominant hantavirus species in Central, Northern, and Eastern Europe. We comprehensively characterized this protein in the rodent cell line CHO-K1, monitoring the dynamics of N protein complex formation and investigating co-localization with host proteins as well as the viral glycoproteins Gc and Gn. We observed formation of large, fibrillar PUUV N protein aggregates, rapidly coalescing from early punctate and spike-like assemblies. Moreover, we found significant spatial correlation of N with vimentin, actin, and P-bodies but not with microtubules. N constructs also co-localized with Gn and Gc albeit not as strongly as the glycoproteins associated with each other. Finally, we assessed oligomerization of N constructs, observing efficient and concentration-dependent multimerization, with complexes comprising more than 10 individual proteins.}, language = {en} } @article{SchmidtReilJeskeetal.2021, author = {Schmidt, Sabrina and Reil, Daniela and Jeske, Kathrin and Drewes, Stephan and Rosenfeld, Ulrike and Fischer, Stefan and Spierling, Nastasja G. and Labutin, Anton and Heckel, Gerald and Jacob, Jens and Ulrich, Rainer G. and Imholt, Christian}, title = {Spatial and temporal dynamics and molecular evolution of Tula orthohantavirus in German vole populations}, series = {Viruses / Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)}, volume = {13}, journal = {Viruses / Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)}, number = {6}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1999-4915}, doi = {10.3390/v13061132}, pages = {17}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) is a rodent-borne hantavirus with broad geographical distribution in Europe. Its major reservoir is the common vole (Microtus arvalis), but TULV has also been detected in closely related vole species. Given the large distributional range and high amplitude population dynamics of common voles, this host-pathogen complex presents an ideal system to study the complex mechanisms of pathogen transmission in a wild rodent reservoir. We investigated the dynamics of TULV prevalence and the subsequent potential effects on the molecular evolution of TULV in common voles of the Central evolutionary lineage. Rodents were trapped for three years in four regions of Germany and samples were analyzed for the presence of TULV-reactive antibodies and TULV RNA with subsequent sequence determination. The results show that individual (sex) and population-level factors (abundance) of hosts were significant predictors of local TULV dynamics. At the large geographic scale, different phylogenetic TULV clades and an overall isolation-by-distance pattern in virus sequences were detected, while at the small scale (<4 km) this depended on the study area. In combination with an overall delayed density dependence, our results highlight that frequent, localized bottleneck events for the common vole and TULV do occur and can be offset by local recolonization dynamics.}, language = {en} } @article{ReilBinderFreiseetal.2018, author = {Reil, Daniela and Binder, Florian and Freise, Jona and Imholt, Christian and Beyrers, Konrad and Jacob, Jens and Kr{\"u}ger, Detlev H. and Hofmann, J{\"o}rg and Dreesman, Johannes and Ulrich, Rainer G{\"u}nter}, title = {Hantaviren in Deutschland}, series = {Berliner und M{\"u}nchener tier{\"a}rztliche Wochenschrift}, volume = {131}, journal = {Berliner und M{\"u}nchener tier{\"a}rztliche Wochenschrift}, number = {11-12}, publisher = {Schl{\"u}tersche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH \& Co. KG.}, address = {Hannover}, issn = {0005-9366}, doi = {10.2376/0005-9366-18003}, pages = {453 -- 464}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Hantaviruses are small mammal-associated pathogens that are found in rodents but also in shrews, moles and bats. Aim of this manuscript is to give a current overview of the epidemiology and ecology of hantaviruses in Germany and to discuss respective models for the prediction of virus outbreaks. In Germany the majority of human disease cases are caused by the Puumala virus (PUUV), transmitted by the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). PUUV is associated with the Western evolutionary lineage of the bank vole and is not present in the eastern and northern parts of Germany. A second human pathogenic hantavirus is the Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV), genotype Kurkino; its reservoir host, the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), is mostly occurring in the eastern part of Germany. A PUUV-related hantavirus is the rarely pathogenic Tula virus (TULV), that is associated with the common vole (Microtus arvalis). In addition, Seewis virus, Asikkala virus, and Bruges virus are shrew- and mole-associated hantaviruses with still unknown pathogenicity in humans. Human disease cases are associated with the different hantaviruses according to their regional distribution. The viruses can cause mild to severe but also subclinical courses of the respective disease. The number of human PUUV disease cases in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2017 correlates with the occurrence of high levels of seed production of beech trees ("beech mast") in the preceding year. Models based on weather parameters for the prediction of PUUV disease clusters as developed in recent years need further validation and optimisation. in addition to the abundance of infected reservoir rodents, the exposure behaviour of humans affects the risk of human infection. The application of robust forecast models can assist the public health service to develop and communicate spatially and temporally targeted information. Thus, further recommendations to mitigate infection risk for the public may be provided.}, language = {de} } @article{ReilImholtRosenfeldetal.2017, author = {Reil, Daniela and Imholt, Christian and Rosenfeld, Ulrike and Drewes, Stephan and Fischer, S. and Heuser, Emil and Petraityte-Burneikiene, Rasa and Ulrich, R. G. and Jacob, J.}, title = {Validation of the Puumala virus rapid field test for bank voles in Germany}, series = {Epidemiology and infection}, volume = {145}, journal = {Epidemiology and infection}, number = {3}, publisher = {Cambridge Univ. Press}, address = {New York}, issn = {0950-2688}, doi = {10.1017/S0950268816002557}, pages = {434 -- 439}, year = {2017}, abstract = {Puumala virus (PUUV) causes many human infections in large parts of Europe and can lead to mild to moderate disease. The bank vole (Myodes glareolus) is the only reservoir of PUUV in Central Europe. A commercial PUUV rapid field test for rodents was validated for bank-vole blood samples collected in two PUUV-endemic regions in Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Wurttemberg). A comparison of the results of the rapid field test and standard ELISAs indicated a test efficacy of 93-95\%, largely independent of the origin of the antigens used in the ELISA. In ELISAs, reactivity for the German PUUV strain was higher compared to the Swedish strain but not compared to the Finnish strain, which was used for the rapid field test. In conclusion, the use of the rapid field test can facilitate short-term estimation of PUUV seroprevalence in bank-vole populations in Germany and can aid in assessing human PUUV infection risk.}, language = {en} }