Appearance of renal hemorrhage in adult mice after inoculation of patient-derived hantavirus

Background: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by hantavirus infection is characterized by fever, renal dysfunction and hemorrhage. An animal model mimicking symptoms of HFRS remains to be established. In this study, we evaluated the pathogenicity of an HFRS patient-derived Hantaan virus (HTNV) in adult mice. Methods: Five clones of HTNV strain KHF 83-61 BL (KHFV) that was derived from blood of an HFRS patient were obtained by plaque cloning. The pathogenicity of the virus clones was evaluated by using 6-week-old female BALB/c mice. Sequence analysis of the viral genome was performed by conventional methods. Results: All of the mice intravenously inoculated with KHFV clone (cl)-1, -2, -3 and -5 showed signs of disease such as transient body weight loss, ruffled fur, reduced activity and remarkably prominent hemorrhage in the renal medulla at 6 to 9 days post-inoculation (dpi) and then recovered. In contrast, mice intravenously inoculated with KHFV cl-4 did not show any signs of disease. We selected KHFV cl-5 and cl-4 as representative of high-pathogenic and low-pathogenic clones, respectively. Quantities of viral RNA in kidneys of KHFV cl-5-infected mice were larger than those in KHFV cl-4-infected mice at any time point examined (3, 6, 9 and 12 dpi). The quantities of viral RNA of KHFV cl-5 and cl-4 peaked at 3 dpi, which was before the onset of disease. Sequence analysis revealed that the amino acid at position 417 in the glycoprotein Gn was the sole difference in viral proteins between KHFV cl-5 and cl-4. The result suggests that amino acid at position 417 in Gn is related to the difference in pathogenicity between KHFV cl-5 and cl-4. When the inoculum of KHFV cl-5 was pretreated with a neutralizing antibody against HTNV strain 76-118, which belongs to the same serotype as KHFV clones, mice did not show any signs of disease, confirming that the disease was caused by KHFV infection. Conclusion: We found that an HFRS patient-derived HTNV caused renal hemorrhage in adult mice. We anticipate that this infection model will be a valuable tool for understanding the pathogenesis of HFRS

未来の保育者としての総合的人間力を高める表現教育の開発 平成29（2017）～令和元（2019）年度和洋女子大学教育振興支援助成報告

　本稿では、本学こども発達学科（学類）で、平成29（2017）～令和元（2019）年度に和洋女子大学教育振興支援助成を受けて実施した取組課題「未来の保育者としての総合的人間力を高める表現教育の開発」について報告した。３年間で「自分を表現する」「他者の表現に応答する」「協同を通した創造的表現力を育成する」というテーマを設定し、外部講師を招いたワークショップを中心に実践的な表現教育を行った。学生自らが表現することだけでなく、表現教育に関する知識・技術を構造化したり、自律性を高めたりすることを目指した

保育現場が求める実習生像の分析

本研究の目的は、保育現場が求める実習生像を明らかにすることである。実習生に身につけておいてほしいことがらを尋ねる26項目を作成し、保育者214名に質問紙調査を実施した。保育現場が求める実習生像について、幼稚園と保育所および公立と私立という勤務先による特徴を検討した。さらに、保育現場での立場として、経験年数、職場内の立場、実習生の年間の受入人数を取りあげて、保育現場が求める実習生像との関係を検討した。分析の結果、次の３点が示された。第１に、保育現場が実習生に求めることは、「学ぶ姿勢・態度」と「保育実践のスキル」にまとめることができる。第２に、「学ぶ姿勢・態度」は、私立施設勤務者が公立施設勤務者よりも実習生に必要であると考えていた。第３に、「学ぶ姿勢・態度」は、園長、主任、保育士が幼稚園教諭よりも実習生に必要であると考えていた。以上の結果を踏まえて、実習指導および保育者養成について、「学ぶ姿勢・態度」を育てることを通して「保育実践のスキル」を身につけることができる指導が重要であること、保育現場が求める実習生像を実習生自身が知ることで実習への意識を高めること、実習先の保育現場が求める実習生像を理解した上で実習生に指導を行なうことを提起した

Role of nucleocapsid protein of hantaviruses in intracellular traffic of viral glycoproteins

To understand the role of nucleocapsid protein (NP) of hantaviruses in viral assembly, the effect of NP on intracellular traffic of viral glycoproteins Gn and Gc was investigated. Double staining of viral and host proteins in Hantaan virus (HTNV)-infected Vero E6 cells showed that Gn and Gc were localized to cis-Golgi, in which virus particles are thought to be formed. When HTNV Gn and Gc were expressed by a plasmid encoding glycoprotein precursor (GPC), which is posttranslationaly cleaved into Gn and Gc, Gn was localized to cis-Golgi, whereas Gc showed diffuse distribution in the cytoplasm in 32.9% of Gc-positive cells. The ratio of the diffused Gc-positive cells was significantly decreased to 15.0% by co-expression of HTNV NP. Co-expression of HTNV GPC with NPs of other hantaviruses, such as Seoul virus, Puumala virus and Sin Nombre virus, also reduced the ratios of diffused Gc-positive cells to 13.5%, 25.2%, and 11.6%, respectively. Among amino- and carboxyl-terminally truncated HTNV NPs, NP75-429, NP116-429, NP1-333, NP1-233, and NP1-155 possessed activity to reduce the ratio of diffused Gc-positive cells, while NP155-429 and NP1-116 did not. NP30-429 has partial activity. These results indicate that amino acid region 116-155 of NP is important for the activity, although amino acid region 1-30 is partially related. Truncation of the HTNV Gc cytoplasmic tail caused an increase in diffused Gc-positive cells. In addition, the effect of coexpression of HTNV NP was weakened. These results suggest that HTNV NP has a role to promote Golgi localization of Gc through a mechanism possibly mediated by the Gc cytoplasmic tail

Appearance of renal hemorrhage in adult mice after inoculation of patient-derived hantavirus

Background: Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by hantavirus infection is characterized by fever, renal dysfunction and hemorrhage. An animal model mimicking symptoms of HFRS remains to be established. In this study, we evaluated the pathogenicity of an HFRS patient-derived Hantaan virus (HTNV) in adult mice. Methods: Five clones of HTNV strain KHF 83-61 BL (KHFV) that was derived from blood of an HFRS patient were obtained by plaque cloning. The pathogenicity of the virus clones was evaluated by using 6-week-old female BALB/c mice. Sequence analysis of the viral genome was performed by conventional methods. Results: All of the mice intravenously inoculated with KHFV clone (cl)-1, -2, -3 and -5 showed signs of disease such as transient body weight loss, ruffled fur, reduced activity and remarkably prominent hemorrhage in the renal medulla at 6 to 9 days post-inoculation (dpi) and then recovered. In contrast, mice intravenously inoculated with KHFV cl-4 did not show any signs of disease. We selected KHFV cl-5 and cl-4 as representative of high-pathogenic and low-pathogenic clones, respectively. Quantities of viral RNA in kidneys of KHFV cl-5-infected mice were larger than those in KHFV cl-4-infected mice at any time point examined (3, 6, 9 and 12 dpi). The quantities of viral RNA of KHFV cl-5 and cl-4 peaked at 3 dpi, which was before the onset of disease. Sequence analysis revealed that the amino acid at position 417 in the glycoprotein Gn was the sole difference in viral proteins between KHFV cl-5 and cl-4. The result suggests that amino acid at position 417 in Gn is related to the difference in pathogenicity between KHFV cl-5 and cl-4. When the inoculum of KHFV cl-5 was pretreated with a neutralizing antibody against HTNV strain 76-118, which belongs to the same serotype as KHFV clones, mice did not show any signs of disease, confirming that the disease was caused by KHFV infection. Conclusion: We found that an HFRS patient-derived HTNV caused renal hemorrhage in adult mice. We anticipate that this infection model will be a valuable tool for understanding the pathogenesis of HFRS

Development of an immunochromatography strip test based on truncated nucleocapsid antigens of three representative hantaviruses

Background: Hantaviruses are causative agents of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and nephropathia epidemica (NE) in the Old World and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in the New World. There is a need for time-saving diagnostic methods. In the present study, recombinant N antigens were used as antigens in an immunochromatography strip (ICG) test to detect specific IgG antibodies. Methods: The N-terminal 103 amino acids (aa) of Hantaan virus (HTNV), Puumala virus (PUUV) and Andes virus (ANDV) nucleocapsid (N) protein were expressed in E. coli as representative antigens of three groups (HFRS, NE and HPS-causing viruses) of hantavirus. Five different types of ICG test strips, one antigen line on one strip for each of the three selected hantaviruses (HTNV, PUUV and ANDV), three antigen lines on one strip and a mixed antigen line on one strip, were developed and sensitivities were compared. Results: A total of 87 convalescent-phase patient sera, including sera from 35 HFRS patients, 36 NE patients and 16 HPS patients, and 25 sera from healthy seronegative people as negative controls were used to evaluate the ICG test. Sensitivities of the three-line strip and mixed-line strip were similar to those of the single antigen strip (97.2 to 100%). On the other hand, all of the ICG test strips showed high specificities to healthy donors. Conclusion: These results indicated that the ICG test with the three representative antigens is an effective serodiagnostic tool for screening and typing of hantavirus infection in humans