RESUMO
Introduction: Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a common cause of enterically transmitted acute hepatitis worldwide. The virus is transmitted by the fecal-oral route via the consumption of contaminated water supplies and is also a zoonotic foodborne pathogen. Swine are the main reservoir of zoonotic HEV. In humans, HEV infection is usually asymptomatic or causes acute hepatitis that is self-limited. However, fulminant hepatic failure and chronic cases of HEV infection can occur in some patients. In contrast, HEV infection in pigs remains asymptomatic, although the virus replicates efficiently, suggesting that swine are able to control the virus pathogenesis. Upon viral infection, IFN is secreted and activates cellular pathways leading to the expression of many IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). ISGs can restrict the replication of specific viruses and establish an antiviral state within infected and neighboring cells. Methods: In this study, we used PCR arrays to determine the expression level of up to 168 ISGs and other IFN-related genes in the liver tissues of pigs infected with zoonotic HEV-3c and HEV-3f and in human bipotent liver HepaRG cells persistently infected with HEV-3f. Results and discussion: The expression of 12 and 25 ISGs was found to be up-regulated in infected swine livers and HepaRG cells, respectively. The expression of CXCL10, IFIT2, MX2, OASL and OAS2 was up-regulated in both species. Increased expression of IFI16 mRNA was also found in swine liver tissues. This study contributes to the identification of potential ISGs that could play a role in the control or persistence of HEV infection.
Assuntos
Vírus da Hepatite E , Hepatite E , Humanos , Animais , Suínos , Vírus da Hepatite E/genética , Interferons/genética , Hepatite E/genética , HepatócitosRESUMO
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remained genetically stable during the first 3 months of the pandemic, before acquiring a D614G spike mutation that rapidly spread worldwide and then generating successive waves of viral variants with increasingly high transmissibility. We set out to evaluate possible epistatic interactions between the early-occurring D614G mutation and the more recently emerged cleavage site mutations present in spike of the Alpha, Delta, and Omicron variants of concern. The P681H/R mutations at the S1/S2 cleavage site increased spike processing and fusogenicity but limited its incorporation into pseudoviruses. In addition, the higher cleavage rate led to higher shedding of the spike S1 subunit, resulting in a lower infectivity of the P681H/R-carrying pseudoviruses compared to those expressing the Wuhan wild-type spike. The D614G mutation increased spike expression at the cell surface and limited S1 shedding from pseudovirions. As a consequence, the D614G mutation preferentially increased the infectivity of P681H/R-carrying pseudoviruses. This enhancement was more marked in cells where the endosomal route predominated, suggesting that more stable spikes could better withstand the endosomal environment. Taken together, these findings suggest that the D614G mutation stabilized S1/S2 association and enabled the selection of mutations that increased S1/S2 cleavage, leading to the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants expressing highly fusogenic spikes. IMPORTANCE The first SARS-CoV-2 variant that spread worldwide in early 2020 carried a D614G mutation in the viral spike, making this protein more stable in its cleaved form at the surface of virions. The Alpha and Delta variants, which spread in late 2020 and early 2021, respectively, proved increasingly transmissible and pathogenic compared to the original strain. Interestingly, Alpha and Delta both carried the mutations P681H/R in a cleavage site that made the spike more cleaved and more efficient at mediating viral fusion. We show here that variants with increased spike cleavage due to P681H/R were even more dependent on the stabilizing effect of the D614G mutation, which limited the shedding of cleaved S1 subunits from viral particles. These findings suggest that the worldwide spread of the D614G mutation was a prerequisite for the emergence of more pathogenic SARS-CoV-2 variants with highly fusogenic spikes.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , SARS-CoV-2 , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus , COVID-19/virologia , Humanos , Mutação , SARS-CoV-2/genética , SARS-CoV-2/patogenicidade , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/genéticaRESUMO
HIV elite controllers maintain a population of CD4 + T cells endowed with high avidity for Gag antigens and potent effector functions. How these HIV-specific cells avoid infection and depletion upon encounter with the virus remains incompletely understood. Ex vivo characterization of single Gag-specific CD4 + T cells reveals an advanced Th1 differentiation pattern in controllers, except for the CCR5 marker, which is downregulated compared to specific cells of treated patients. Accordingly, controller specific CD4 + T cells show decreased susceptibility to CCR5-dependent HIV entry. Two controllers carried biallelic mutations impairing CCR5 surface expression, indicating that in rare cases CCR5 downregulation can have a direct genetic cause. Increased expression of ß-chemokine ligands upon high-avidity antigen/TCR interactions contributes to autocrine CCR5 downregulation in controllers without CCR5 mutations. These findings suggest that genetic and functional regulation of the primary HIV coreceptor CCR5 play a key role in promoting natural HIV control.
Assuntos
Linfócitos T CD4-Positivos/imunologia , Controladores de Elite , Infecções por HIV/imunologia , HIV-1/imunologia , Receptores CCR5/metabolismo , Internalização do Vírus , Quimiocinas , Regulação para Baixo , Regulação da Expressão Gênica , Produtos do Gene gag/metabolismo , Infecções por HIV/virologia , Antígenos de Histocompatibilidade Classe II , Humanos , Mutação , Receptores CCR5/genética , Receptores CXCR3RESUMO
Severe COVID-19 is characterized by lung abnormalities, including the presence of syncytial pneumocytes. Syncytia form when SARS-CoV-2 spike protein expressed on the surface of infected cells interacts with the ACE2 receptor on neighboring cells. The syncytia forming potential of spike variant proteins remain poorly characterized. Here, we first assessed Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Beta (B.1.351) spread and fusion in cell cultures, compared with the ancestral D614G strain. Alpha and Beta replicated similarly to D614G strain in Vero, Caco-2, Calu-3, and primary airway cells. However, Alpha and Beta formed larger and more numerous syncytia. Variant spike proteins displayed higher ACE2 affinity compared with D614G. Alpha, Beta, and D614G fusion was similarly inhibited by interferon-induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs). Individual mutations present in Alpha and Beta spikes modified fusogenicity, binding to ACE2 or recognition by monoclonal antibodies. We further show that Delta spike also triggers faster fusion relative to D614G. Thus, SARS-CoV-2 emerging variants display enhanced syncytia formation.
Assuntos
Enzima de Conversão de Angiotensina 2/metabolismo , Anticorpos Monoclonais/farmacologia , Células Gigantes/virologia , Mutação , SARS-CoV-2/fisiologia , Glicoproteína da Espícula de Coronavírus/genética , Animais , Células CACO-2 , Linhagem Celular , Chlorocebus aethiops , Células Gigantes/efeitos dos fármacos , Células Gigantes/metabolismo , Células HEK293 , Humanos , SARS-CoV-2/efeitos dos fármacos , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Células Vero , Replicação Viral/efeitos dos fármacosRESUMO
SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent behind the COVID-19 pandemic, responsible for over 170 million infections, and over 3.7 million deaths worldwide. Efforts to test, treat and vaccinate against this pathogen all benefit from an improved understanding of the basic biology of SARS-CoV-2. Both viral and cellular proteases play a crucial role in SARS-CoV-2 replication. Here, we study proteolytic cleavage of viral and cellular proteins in two cell line models of SARS-CoV-2 replication using mass spectrometry to identify protein neo-N-termini generated through protease activity. We identify previously unknown cleavage sites in multiple viral proteins, including major antigens S and N: the main targets for vaccine and antibody testing efforts. We discover significant increases in cellular cleavage events consistent with cleavage by SARS-CoV-2 main protease, and identify 14 potential high-confidence substrates of the main and papain-like proteases. We show that siRNA depletion of these cellular proteins inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication, and that drugs targeting two of these proteins: the tyrosine kinase SRC and Ser/Thr kinase MYLK, show a dose-dependent reduction in SARS-CoV-2 titres. Overall, our study provides a powerful resource to understand proteolysis in the context of viral infection, and to inform the development of targeted strategies to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 and treat COVID-19.
Assuntos
Antivirais/farmacologia , COVID-19/metabolismo , Inibidores de Proteases/farmacologia , SARS-CoV-2/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Linhagem Celular , Dipeptídeos/farmacologia , Humanos , Mutação , Quinase de Cadeia Leve de Miosina/antagonistas & inibidores , Quinase de Cadeia Leve de Miosina/genética , Quinase de Cadeia Leve de Miosina/metabolismo , Proteólise , Proteômica , RNA Interferente Pequeno/farmacologia , SARS-CoV-2/genética , Proteases Virais/metabolismo , Proteínas Virais/genética , Proteínas Virais/metabolismo , Internalização do Vírus/efeitos dos fármacos , Replicação Viral/efeitos dos fármacos , Quinases da Família src/antagonistas & inibidores , Quinases da Família src/genética , Quinases da Família src/metabolismo , Tratamento Farmacológico da COVID-19RESUMO
Understanding how SARS-CoV-2 spreads within the respiratory tract is important to define the parameters controlling the severity of COVID-19. Here we examine the functional and structural consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a reconstructed human bronchial epithelium model. SARS-CoV-2 replication causes a transient decrease in epithelial barrier function and disruption of tight junctions, though viral particle crossing remains limited. Rather, SARS-CoV-2 replication leads to a rapid loss of the ciliary layer, characterized at the ultrastructural level by axoneme loss and misorientation of remaining basal bodies. Downregulation of the master regulator of ciliogenesis Foxj1 occurs prior to extensive cilia loss, implicating this transcription factor in the dedifferentiation of ciliated cells. Motile cilia function is compromised by SARS-CoV-2 infection, as measured in a mucociliary clearance assay. Epithelial defense mechanisms, including basal cell mobilization and interferon-lambda induction, ramp up only after the initiation of cilia damage. Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Syrian hamsters further demonstrates the loss of motile cilia in vivo. This study identifies cilia damage as a pathogenic mechanism that could facilitate SARS-CoV-2 spread to the deeper lung parenchyma.
Assuntos
COVID-19/patologia , Cílios/ultraestrutura , Depuração Mucociliar/fisiologia , SARS-CoV-2 , Animais , Axonema , Corpos Basais , Cílios/metabolismo , Cílios/patologia , Cricetinae , Citocinas , Células Epiteliais/patologia , Fatores de Transcrição Forkhead/metabolismo , Humanos , Pulmão/patologia , Masculino , Mesocricetus , Mucosa Respiratória/metabolismo , Mucosa Respiratória/patologia , Replicação ViralRESUMO
BACKGROUND: 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (HO-PAA) is produced by intestinal microbiota from L-tyrosine. High concentrations in human fecal water have been associated with cytotoxicity, urging us to test HO-PAA's effects on human colonocytes. We compared these effects with those of phenylacetic acid (PAA), phenol and acetaldehyde, also issued from amino acids fermentation. METHODS: HT-29 Glc-/+ human colonocytes were exposed for 24â¯h to metabolites at concentrations between 350 and 1000⯵M for HO-PAA and PAA, 250-1500⯵M for phenol and 25-500⯵M for acetaldehyde. We evaluated metabolites'cytotoxicity with 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide and DNA quantification assays, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production with H2DCF-DA, and DNA damage with the comet assay. We measured cell oxygen consumption and mitochondrial complexes activity by polarography. RESULTS: Although HO-PAA displayed no cytotoxic effect on colonocytes, it decreased mitochondrial complex I activity and oxygen consumption. This was paralleled by an increase in ROS production and DNA alteration. Cells pretreatment with N-acetylcysteine, a ROS scavenger, decreased genotoxic effects of HO-PAA, indicating implication of oxidative stress in HO-PAA's genotoxicity. PAA and phenol did not reproduce these effects, but were cytotoxic towards colonocytes. Last, acetaldehyde displayed no effect in terms of cytotoxicity and mitochondrial metabolic activity, but increased DNA damage. CONCLUSIONS: Several bacterial metabolites produced from amino acids displayed deleterious effects on human colonocytes, in terms of genotoxicity (HO-PAA and acetaldehyde) or cytotoxicity (PAA and phenol). GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study helps understanding the consequences of intestinal microbiota's metabolic activity on the host since amino acids fermentation can lead to the formation of compounds toxic towards colonic epithelial cells.