A novel Cre recombinase imaging system for tracking lymphotropic virus infection in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Detection, isolation, and identification of individual virus infected cells during long term infection are critical to advance our understanding of mechanisms of pathogenesis for latent/persistent viruses. However, current approaches to study these viruses in vivo have been hampered by low sensitivity and effects of cell-type on expression of viral encoded reporter genes. We have designed a novel Cre recombinase (Cre)-based murine system to overcome these problems, and thereby enable tracking and isolation of individual in vivo infected cells. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) was used as a prototypic persistent model virus. A Cre expressing recombinant virus was constructed and characterised. The virus is attenuated both in lytic virus replication, producing ten-fold lower lung virus titres than wild type virus, and in the establishment of latency. However, despite this limitation, when the sEGFP7 mouse line containing a Cre-activated enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was infected with the Cre expressing virus, sites of latent and persistent virus infection could be identified within B cells and macrophages of the lymphoid system on the basis of EGFP expression. Importantly, the use of the sEGFP7 mouse line which expresses high levels of EGFP allowed individual virus positive cells to be purified by FACSorting. Virus gene expression could be detected in these cells. Low numbers of EGFP positive cells could also be detected in the bone marrow. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The use of this novel Cre-based virus/mouse system allowed identification of individual latently infected cells in vivo and may be useful for the study and long-term monitoring of other latent/persistent virus infections.

Effector memory T cell responses are associated with protection of rhesus monkeys from mucosal simian immunodeficiency virus challenge.

The rapid onset of massive, systemic viral replication during primary HIV or simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infection and the immune evasion capabilities of these viruses pose fundamental problems for vaccines that depend upon initial viral replication to stimulate effector T cell expansion and differentiation. We hypothesized that vaccines designed to maintain differentiated effector memory T cell (TEM cell) responses at viral entry sites might improve efficacy by impairing viral replication at its earliest stage, and we have therefore developed SIV protein-encoding vectors based on rhesus cytomegalovirus (RhCMV), the prototypical inducer of life-long TEM cell responses. RhCMV vectors expressing SIV Gag, Rev-Tat-Nef and Env persistently infected rhesus macaques, regardless of preexisting RhCMV immunity, and primed and maintained robust, SIV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ TEM cell responses (characterized by coordinate tumor necrosis factor, interferon-gamma and macrophage inflammatory protein-1beta expression, cytotoxic degranulation and accumulation at extralymphoid sites) in the absence of neutralizing antibodies. Compared to control rhesus macaques, these vaccinated rhesus macaques showed increased resistance to acquisition of progressive SIVmac239 infection upon repeated limiting-dose intrarectal challenge, including four macaques who controlled rectal mucosal infection without progressive systemic dissemination. These data suggest a new paradigm for AIDS vaccine development--vaccines capable of generating and maintaining HIV-specific TEM cells might decrease the incidence of HIV acquisition after sexual exposure.

Human cytomegalovirus entry into epithelial and endothelial cells depends on genes UL128 to UL150 and occurs by endocytosis and low-pH fusion.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication in epithelial and endothelial cells appears to be important in virus spread, disease, and persistence. It has been difficult to study infection of these cell types because HCMV laboratory strains (e.g., AD169 and Towne) have lost their ability to infect cultured epithelial and endothelial cells during extensive propagation in fibroblasts. Clinical strains of HCMV (e.g., TR and FIX) possess a cluster of genes (UL128 to UL150) that are largely mutated in laboratory strains, and recent studies have indicated that these genes facilitate replication in epithelial and endothelial cells. The mechanisms by which these genes promote infection of these two cell types are unclear. We derived an HCMV UL128-to-UL150 deletion mutant from strain TR, TRdelta4, and studied early events in HCMV infection of epithelial and endothelial cells, and the role of genes UL128 to UL150. Analysis of wild-type TR indicated that HCMV enters epithelial and endothelial cells by endocytosis followed by low-pH-dependent fusion, which is different from the pH-independent fusion with the plasma membrane observed with human fibroblasts. TRdelta4 displayed a number of defects in early infection processes. Adsorption and entry of TRdelta4 on epithelial cells were poor compared with those of TR, but these defects could be overcome with higher doses of virus and the use of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to promote fusion between virion and cellular membranes. High multiplicity and PEG treatment did not promote infection of endothelial cells by TRdelta4, yet virus particles were internalized. Together, these data indicate that genes UL128 to UL150 are required for HCMV adsorption and penetration of epithelial cells and to promote some early stage of virus replication, subsequent to virus entry, in endothelial cells.

Antigenic domain 1 is required for oligomerization of human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein B (gB) is an abundant virion envelope protein that has been shown to be essential for the infectivity of HCMV. HCMV gB is also one of the most immunogenic virus-encoded proteins, and a significant fraction of virus neutralizing antibodies are directed at gB. A linear domain of gB designated AD-1 (antigenic domain 1) represents a dominant antibody binding site on this protein. AD-1 from clinical isolates of HCMV exhibits little sequence variation, suggesting that AD-1 plays an essential role in gB structure or function. We investigated this possibility by examining the role of AD-1 in early steps of gB synthesis. Our results from studies using eukaryotic cells indicated that amino acid (aa) 635 of the gB sequence represented the carboxyl-terminal limit of this domain and that deletion of aa 560 to 640 of the gB sequence resulted in loss of AD-1 expression. AD-1 was shown to be required for oligomerization of gB. Mutation of cysteine at either position 573 or 610 in AD-1 resulted in loss of its reactivity with AD-1-specific monoclonal antibodies and gB oligomerization. Infectious virus could not be recovered from HCMV bacterial artificial chromosomes following introduction of these mutations into the HCMV genome, suggesting that AD-1 was an essential structural domain required for gB function in the replicative cycle of HCMV. Sequence alignment of AD-1 with homologous regions of gBs from other herpesviruses demonstrated significant relatedness, raising the possibility that this domain may contribute to multimerization of gBs in other herpesviruses.

Phosphorylation of human cytomegalovirus glycoprotein B (gB) at the acidic cluster casein kinase 2 site (Ser900) is required for localization of gB to the trans-Golgi network and efficient virus replication.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein B (gB), encoded by the UL55 open reading frame, is an essential envelope glycoprotein involved in cell attachment and entry. Previously, we identified residue serine 900 (Ser900) as a unique site of reversible casein kinase 2 phosphorylation in the cytoplasmic domain of HCMV gB. We have also recently shown that gB is localized to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) in HCMV-permissive cells, thereby identifying the TGN as a possible site of virus envelopment. The aim of the current study was to determine the role of Ser900 phosphorylation in transport of gB to the TGN and in HCMV biogenesis. Recombinant HCMV strains were constructed that expressed gB molecules containing either an aspartic acid (gBAsp900) or alanine residue (gBAla900) substitution at Ser900 to mimic the phosphorylated or nonphosphorylated form, respectively. Immunofluorescence analysis of the trafficking of gB mutant molecules in fibroblasts infected with the HCMV recombinants revealed that gBAsp900 was localized to the TGN. In contrast, gBAla900 was partially mislocalized from the TGN, indicating that phosphorylation of gB at Ser900 was necessary for TGN localization. The increased TGN localization of gBAsp900 was due to a decreased transport of the molecule to post-TGN compartments. Remarkably, the substitution of an aspartic acid residue for Ser900 also resulted in an increase in levels of progeny virus production during HCMV infection of fibroblasts. Together, these results demonstrate that phosphorylation of gB at Ser900 is necessary for gB localization to the TGN, as well as for efficient viral replication, and further support the TGN as a site of HCMV envelopment.