Rapid Construction and Characterization of Infectious cDNA Clones and Reporter Viruses of Enteroviruses, Including Enterovirus A71 and Coxsackievirus B5, with Systematic Identification of Critical Determinants for Successful Reporter Virus Generation

Enteroviruses are positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses and common pathogens that are responsible for diverse public health diseases. To facilitate the study of the virus biology and pathogenesis of enterovirus, we developed a rapid method for construction of the enteroviral cDNA clones including enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) and coxsackievirus B5 (CVB5). As described for EV-A71, the full-length cDNA of CVB5 was amplified by long-distance PCR and cloned into a T7 promoter-containing plasmid using directional seamless cloning technology. The virus was successfully rescued by single transfection into cells stably expressing T7 polymerase and exhibited characteristics similar to the parental virus. Next, through systematic construction and the optimization of the EV-A71 and CVB5 reporter viruses, we successfully generated two novel reporter virus panels with high virus titers, rapid replication, and relatively stable genetic inheritance across passages using the new fluorescence proteins mScarlet3-H and the smallest miRFP670nano3. Analysis of critical determinants for the reporter virus construction revealed that reporter gene sizes, genomic insertion sites, and the usage of protease recognition sites are crucial parameters. The EV-A71 and CVB5 reporter viruses enable antiviral drug evaluation, as demonstrated by our identification of gemcitabine as a broad-spectrum inhibitor of both viruses. These systems also facilitate the functional interrogation of host factors, exemplified by our discovery that METTL3 promotes EV-A71 and CVB5 replication. These reverse genetic tools, including infectious cDNA clones and reporter viruses, will advance basic enterovirus biology and accelerate antiviral drug discovery.