Development of a novel BSL2 system for high-throughput analysis of hantavirus entry glycoproteins

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Hantaviruses are the causative agents of hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in Americas and Eurasia, respectively. These viruses are usually transmitted from their rodent reservoirs to human. However, multiple incidents of person-to-person transmission of a South American Andes hantavirus raises significant public health concern about these deadly viruses with up to 40% case fatality rates. No FDA-approved hantavirus vaccines and therapies exist. Cellular entry and infection of hantaviruses is mediated by its virion surface Gn/Gc glycoproteins, which are also the main target of protective immune responses. However, our understanding of the molecular determinants of Gn/Gc in hantavirus entry and antigenicity remains limited, at least partly, due to the general requirement of Biosafety level-3 (BSL3) containment for hantavirus research and the lack of a reverse genetics system. To address these limitations, multiple BSL2 pseudovirus systems have been developed. However, current BSL2 systems are limited by poor scalability and limited diversity of the generated viruses due to their inefficient plasmid-based rescue, which makes them incompatible with a more comprehensive analysis of the biology and function of the entry glycoproteins. Here, we propose to fix this major shortcoming of the hantavirus field by developing a novel BSL2 system that allows comprehensive reverse as well as forward genetic analysis of Gn/Gc’s role in virus entry and antigenicity.