The blood-brain barrier is dysregulated in COVID-19 and serves as a CNS entry route for SARS-CoV-2.

Neurological complications are common in COVID-19. Although SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in patients' brain tissues, its entry routes and resulting consequences are not well understood. Here, we show a pronounced upregulation of interferon signaling pathways of the neurovascular unit in fatal COVID-19. By investigating the susceptibility of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived brain capillary endothelial-like cells (BCECs) to SARS-CoV-2 infection, we found that BCECs were infected and recapitulated transcriptional changes detected in vivo. While BCECs were not compromised in their paracellular tightness, we found SARS-CoV-2 in the basolateral compartment in transwell assays after apical infection, suggesting active replication and transcellular transport of virus across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vitro. Moreover, entry of SARS-CoV-2 into BCECs could be reduced by anti-spike-, anti-angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-, and anti-neuropilin-1 (NRP1)-specific antibodies or the transmembrane protease serine subtype 2 (TMPRSS2) inhibitor nafamostat. Together, our data provide strong support for SARS-CoV-2 brain entry across the BBB resulting in increased interferon signaling.

A novel lung explant model for the ex vivo study of efficacy and mechanisms of anti-influenza drugs.

Influenza A virus causes considerable morbidity and mortality largely because of a lack of effective antiviral drugs. Viral neuraminidase inhibitors, which inhibit viral release from the infected cell, are currently the only approved drugs for influenza, but have recently been shown to be less effective than previously thought. Growing resistance to therapies that target viral proteins has led to increased urgency in the search for novel anti-influenza compounds. However, discovery and development of new drugs have been restricted because of differences in susceptibility to influenza between animal models and humans and a lack of translation between cell culture and in vivo measures of efficacy. To circumvent these limitations, we developed an experimental approach based on ex vivo infection of human bronchial tissue explants and optimized a method of flow cytometric analysis to directly quantify infection rates in bronchial epithelial tissues. This allowed testing of the effectiveness of TVB024, a vATPase inhibitor that inhibits viral replication rather than virus release, and to compare efficacy with the current frontline neuraminidase inhibitor, oseltamivir. The study showed that the vATPase inhibitor completely abrogated epithelial cell infection, virus shedding, and the associated induction of proinflammatory mediators, whereas oseltamivir was only partially effective at reducing these mediators and ineffective against innate responses. We propose, therefore, that this explant model could be used to predict the efficacy of novel anti-influenza compounds targeting diverse stages of the viral replication cycle, thereby complementing animal models and facilitating progression of new drugs into clinical trials.

Niclosamide is a proton carrier and targets acidic endosomes with broad antiviral effects.

Viruses use a limited set of host pathways for infection. These pathways represent bona fide antiviral targets with low likelihood of viral resistance. We identified the salicylanilide niclosamide as a broad range antiviral agent targeting acidified endosomes. Niclosamide is approved for human use against helminthic infections, and has anti-neoplastic and antiviral effects. Its mode of action is unknown. Here, we show that niclosamide, which is a weak lipophilic acid inhibited infection with pH-dependent human rhinoviruses (HRV) and influenza virus. Structure-activity studies showed that antiviral efficacy and endolysosomal pH neutralization co-tracked, and acidification of the extracellular medium bypassed the virus entry block. Niclosamide did not affect the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase, but neutralized coated vesicles or synthetic liposomes, indicating a proton carrier mode-of-action independent of any protein target. This report demonstrates that physico-chemical interference with host pathways has broad range antiviral effects, and provides a proof of concept for the development of host-directed antivirals.

Single-cell analysis of population context advances RNAi screening at multiple levels.

Isogenic cells in culture show strong variability, which arises from dynamic adaptations to the microenvironment of individual cells. Here we study the influence of the cell population context, which determines a single cell's microenvironment, in image-based RNAi screens. We developed a comprehensive computational approach that employs Bayesian and multivariate methods at the single-cell level. We applied these methods to 45 RNA interference screens of various sizes, including 7 druggable genome and 2 genome-wide screens, analysing 17 different mammalian virus infections and four related cell physiological processes. Analysing cell-based screens at this depth reveals widespread RNAi-induced changes in the population context of individual cells leading to indirect RNAi effects, as well as perturbations of cell-to-cell variability regulators. We find that accounting for indirect effects improves the consistency between siRNAs targeted against the same gene, and between replicate RNAi screens performed in different cell lines, in different labs, and with different siRNA libraries. In an era where large-scale RNAi screens are increasingly performed to reach a systems-level understanding of cellular processes, we show that this is often improved by analyses that account for and incorporate the single-cell microenvironment.

An RNA replication-center assay for high content image-based quantifications of human rhinovirus and coxsackievirus infections.

BACKGROUND: Picornaviruses are common human and animal pathogens, including polio and rhinoviruses of the enterovirus family, and hepatitis A or food-and-mouth disease viruses. There are no effective countermeasures against the vast majority of picornaviruses, with the exception of polio and hepatitis A vaccines. Human rhinoviruses (HRV) are the most prevalent picornaviruses comprising more than one hundred serotypes. The existing and also emerging HRVs pose severe health risks for patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Here, we developed a serotype-independent infection assay using a commercially available mouse monoclonal antibody (mabJ2) detecting double-strand RNA. RESULTS: Immunocytochemical staining for RNA replication centers using mabJ2 identified cells that were infected with either HRV1A, 2, 14, 16, 37 or coxsackievirus (CV) B3, B4 or A21. MabJ2 labeled-cells were immunocytochemically positive for newly synthesized viral capsid proteins from HRV1A, 14, 16, 37 or CVB3, 4. We optimized the procedure for detection of virus replication in settings for high content screening with automated fluorescence microscopy and single cell analysis. Our data show that the infection signal was dependent on multiplicity, time and temperature of infection, and the mabJ2-positive cell numbers correlated with viral titres determined in single step growth curves. The mabJ2 infection assay was adapted to determine the efficacy of anti-viral compounds and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) blocking enterovirus infections. CONCLUSIONS: We report a broadly applicable, rapid protocol to measure infection of cultured cells with enteroviruses at single cell resolution. This assay can be applied to a wide range of plus-sense RNA viruses, and hence allows comparative studies of viral infection biology without dedicated reagents or procedures. This protocol also allows to directly compare results from small compound or siRNA infection screens for different serotypes without the risk of assay specific artifacts.

The Helicobacter pylori CagA protein disrupts matrix adhesion of gastric epithelial cells by dephosphorylation of vinculin.

Helicobacter pylori colonizes the human stomach, contributing to or causing several diseases. Translocation of the CagA bacterial protein into gastric epithelial cells has been linked to an increased risk of peptic ulcer disease and gastric carcinoma. Upon translocation, CagA is tyrosine phosphorylated by Src family kinases (SFKs), which themselves become inactivated via a negative feedback loop. Here, we show that tyrosine-phosphorylated CagA disrupts adhesion of AGS cells to the extracellular matrix. Owing to the inactivation of c-Src via CagA interaction, vinculin is dephosphorylated at tyrosine residues, 100 and 1065, by corresponding phosphatases. Vinculin dephosphorylation disturbs the interaction and recruitment of the actin-related protein 2/3 (Arp2/3) complex by p34Arc, resulting in a reduction of focal adhesion complexes. These defects can be mimicked by downregulating vinculin using RNA interference in non-infected cells. Tyrosine dephosphorylation of vinculin results in severe cellular deficiencies in cell-matrix adhesion, cell spreading and wound repair. We hypothesize that CagA-mediated inactivation of vinculin is a key step in the mechanism by which H. pylori induces damage to the gastric epithelium and represents an important step in disease development.

Analysis of cell type-specific responses mediated by the type IV secretion system of Helicobacter pylori.

Helicobacter pylori persistently infects the human stomach and can cause gastritis, gastric ulceration, and gastric cancer. The type IV secretion system (TFSS) of virulent H. pylori strains translocates the CagA protein, inducing the dephosphorylation of host cell proteins and leading to changes in the morphology or shape of AGS gastric epithelial cells. Furthermore, the TFSS is involved in the induction of proinflammatory cytokines. While the H. pylori genes required for TFSS function have been investigated systematically, little is known about possible host cell factors involved. We infected 19 different mammalian cell lines individually with H. pylori and analyzed CagA translocation, dephosphorylation of host cell proteins, chemokine secretion (interleukin-8 and macrophage inflammatory protein 2), and changes in cellular phenotypes. Our results demonstrate that not only bacterial but also host cell factors determine the cellular response to infection. The identification of such unknown host cell factors will add to our understanding of host-pathogen interactions and might help in the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Subproteomes of soluble and structure-bound Helicobacter pylori proteins analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most common bacterial pathogens and causes a variety of diseases, such as peptic ulcer or gastric cancer. Despite intensive study of this human pathogen in the last decades, knowledge about its membrane proteins and, in particular, those which are putative components of the type IV secretion system encoded by the cag pathogenicity island (PAI) remains limited. Our aim is to establish a dynamic two-dimensional electrophoresis-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-DE-PAGE) database with multiple subproteomes of H. pylori (http://www.mpiib-berlin.mpg.de/2D-PAGE) which facilitates identification of bacterial proteins important in pathogen-host interactions. Using a proteomic approach, we investigated the protein composition of two H. pylori fractions: soluble proteins and structure-bound proteins (including membrane proteins). Both fractions differed markedly in the overall protein composition as determined by 2-DE. The 50 most abundant protein spots in each fraction were identified by peptide mass fingerprinting. We detected four cag PAI proteins, numerous outer membrane proteins (OMPs), the vacuolating cytotoxin VacA, other potential virulence factors, and few ribosomal proteins in the structure-bound fraction. In contrast, catalase (KatA), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (Ggt), and the neutrophil-activating protein NapA were found almost exclusively in the soluble protein fraction. The results presented here are an important complement to genome sequence data, and the established 2-D PAGE maps provide a basis for comparative studies of the H. pylori proteome. Such subproteomes in the public domain will be effective instruments for identifying new virulence factors and antigens of potential diagnostic and/or curative value against infections with this important pathogen.

The Helicobacter pylori CagA protein induces tyrosine dephosphorylation of ezrin.

Helicobacter pylori is one of the most wide-spread bacterial pathogens and infects the human stomach to cause diseases, such as gastritis, gastric ulceration, and gastric cancer. A major virulence determinant is the H. pylori CagA protein (encoded by the cytotoxin-associated gene A) which is translocated from the bacteria into the cytoplasm of host cells by a type IV secretion system. In the host cell, CagA is phosphorylated on tyrosine residues and induces rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton. We have previously shown that tyrosine-phosphorylated CagA inhibits the catalytic activity of Src family kinases and induces tyrosine dephosphorylation of several host cell proteins. Here, we identified one of these proteins as ezrin by a combination of preparative gel electrophoresis, two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). Specific pharmacological inhibition of Src family kinases also induces ezrin dephosphorylation. Therefore, ezrin dephosphorylation appears to be induced by CagA-mediated Src inactivation. Ezrin is the founding member of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family of proteins which are signalling integrators at the cell cortex. Since ezrin is a component of microvilli and a linker protein between actin filaments and membrane proteins, this observation has important implications for H. pylori pathogenesis and might also help to explain the development of gastric cancer.

Helicobacter pylori induces AGS cell motility and elongation via independent signaling pathways.

Helicobacter pylori induces motogenic and cytoskeletal responses in gastric epithelial cells. We demonstrate that these responses can be induced via independent signaling pathways that often occur in parallel. The cag pathogenicity island appears to be nonessential for induction of motility, whereas the elongation phenotype depends on translocation and phosphorylation of CagA.

The Helicobacter pylori CagA protein induces cortactin dephosphorylation and actin rearrangement by c-Src inactivation.

The gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori translocates the CagA protein into epithelial cells by a type IV secretion process. Translocated CagA is tyrosine phosphorylated (CagA(P-Tyr)) on specific EPIYA sequence repeats by Src family tyrosine kinases. Phos phorylation of CagA induces the dephosphorylation of as yet unidentified cellular proteins, rearrangements of the host cell actin cytoskeleton and cell scattering. We show here that CagA(P-Tyr) inhibits the catalytic activity of c-Src in vivo and in vitro. c-Src inactivation leads to tyrosine dephosphorylation of the actin binding protein cortactin. Concomitantly, cortactin is specifically redistributed to actin-rich cellular protrusions. c-Src inactivation and cortactin dephosphorylation are required for rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton. Moreover, CagA(P-Tyr)-mediated c-Src inhibition downregulates further CagA phosphorylation through a negative feedback loop. This is the first report of a bacterial virulence factor that inhibits signalling of a eukaryotic tyrosine kinase and on a role of c-Src inactivation in host cell cytoskeletal rearrangements.

cag+ Helicobacter pylori induces homotypic aggregation of macrophage-like cells by up-regulation and recruitment of intracellular adhesion molecule 1 to the cell surface.

Infection with cag+ but not cag-negative Helicobacter pylori leads to the formation of large homotypic aggregates of macrophage-like cells. Intracellular adhesion molecule 1 is up-regulated and recruited to the cell surface of infected cells and mediates the aggregation via lymphocyte function-associated molecule 1. This signaling may regulate cell-cell interactions and inflammatory responses.

Functional analysis of the Helicobacter pylori cag pathogenicity island reveals both VirD4-CagA-dependent and VirD4-CagA-independent mechanisms.

The type IV secretion machinery encoded by the cag pathogenicity island (PAI) of Helicobacter pylori has been implicated in a series of host responses during infection. Here, we analyzed the function of 12 cag PAI genes from both cag I and cag II loci, including the complete virB/D complex (virB4, virB7, virB8, virB9, virB10, virB11, and virD4). We monitored interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion, CagA translocation and tyrosine phosphorylation, and induction of a scattering ("hummingbird") phenotype upon H. pylori infection of AGS gastric epithelial cells. For the first time, we have complemented individual cag PAI gene knockout mutants with their intact genes expressed from a shuttle vector and showed that complemented CagA and VirD4 restored wild-type function. Our results demonstrate that phenotypic changes and phosphorylation of CagA depended on all virB/D genes and several other genes of the cag PAI. Induction of IL-8 secretion depended largely on the same set of genes but was independent of CagA and VirD4. Thus, CagA translocation and induction of IL-8 secretion are regulated by VirD4-CagA-dependent and VirD4-CagA-independent mechanisms, respectively. The function of VirD4 as a possible adapter protein which guides CagA into the type IV secretion channel is presented in a model.

Src is the kinase of the Helicobacter pylori CagA protein in vitro and in vivo.

The gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori uses a type IV secretion system to inject the bacterial CagA protein into gastric epithelial cells. Within the host cell, CagA becomes phosphorylated on tyrosine residues and initiates cytoskeletal rearrangements. We demonstrate here that Src-like protein-tyrosine kinases mediate CagA phosphorylation in vitro and in vivo. First, the Src-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP2 specifically blocks CagA phosphorylation and cytoskeletal rearrangements thereby inhibiting the CagA-induced hummingbird phenotype of gastric epithelial cells. Second, CagA is in vivo phosphorylated by transiently expressed c-Src. Third, recombinant c-Src and lysates derived from c-Src-expressing fibroblasts but not lysates derived from Src-, Yes-, and Fyn-deficient cells phosphorylated CagA in vitro. Fourth, a transfected CagA-GFP fusion protein is phosphorylated in vivo in Src-positive fibroblasts but not in Src-, Yes-, and Fyn-deficient cells. Because a CagA-GFP fusion protein mutated in an EPIYA motif is not efficiently phosphorylated in any of these fibroblast cells, the CagA EPIYA motif appears to constitute the major c-Src phosphorylation site conserved among CagA-positive Helicobacter strains.