Correction: IFI16 Restricts HSV-1 Replication by Accumulating on the HSV-1 Genome, Repressing HSV-1 Gene Expression, and Directly or Indirectly Modulating Histone Modifications.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1004503.].

Histone H2B-IFI16 Recognition of Nuclear Herpesviral Genome Induces Cytoplasmic Interferon-ß Responses.

IFI16 (gamma-interferon-inducible protein 16), a predominantly nuclear protein involved in transcriptional regulation, also functions as an innate immune response DNA sensor and induces the IL-1ß and antiviral type-1 interferon-ß (IFN-ß) cytokines. We have shown that IFI16, in association with BRCA1, functions as a sequence independent nuclear sensor of episomal dsDNA genomes of KSHV, EBV and HSV-1. Recognition of these herpesvirus genomes resulted in IFI16 acetylation, BRCA1-IFI16-ASC-procaspase-1 inflammasome formation, cytoplasmic translocation, and IL-1ß generation. Acetylated IFI16 also interacted with cytoplasmic STING and induced IFN-ß. However, the identity of IFI16 associated nuclear proteins involved in STING activation and the mechanism is not known. Mass spectrometry of proteins precipitated by anti-IFI16 antibodies from uninfected endothelial cell nuclear lysate revealed that histone H2B interacts with IFI16. Single and double proximity ligation microscopy, immunoprecipitation, EdU-genome labeled virus infection, and chromatin immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that H2B is associated with IFI16 and BRCA1 in the nucleus in physiological conditions. De novo KSHV and HSV-1 infection as well as latent KSHV and EBV infection induces the cytoplasmic distribution of H2B-IFI16, H2B-BRCA1 and IFI16-ASC complexes. Vaccinia virus (dsDNA) cytoplasmic replication didn't induce the redistribution of nuclear H2B-IFI16 or H2B into the cytoplasm. H2B is critical in KSHV and HSV-1 genome recognition by IFI16 during de novo infection. Viral genome sensing by IFI16-H2B-BRCA1 leads to BRCA1 dependent recruitment of p300, and acetylation of H2B and IFI16. BRCA1 knockdown or inhibition of p300 abrogated the acetylation of H2B-IFI16 or H2B. Ran-GTP protein mediated the translocation of acetylated H2B and IFI16 to the cytoplasm along with BRCA1 that is independent of IFI16-ASC inflammasome. ASC knockdown didn't affect the acetylation of H2B, its cytoplasmic transportation, and the association of STING with IFI16 and H2B during KSHV infection. Absence of H2B didn't affect IFI16-ASC association and cytoplasmic distribution and thus demonstrating that IFI16-H2B complex is independent of IFI16-ASC-procaspase-1-inflammasome complex formed during infection. The H2B-IFI16-BRCA1 complex interacted with cGAS and STING in the cytoplasm leading to TBK1 and IRF3 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation of pIRF3 and IFN-ß production. Silencing of H2B, cGAS and STING inhibited IFN-ß induction but not IL-1ß secretion, and cGAMP activity is significantly reduced by H2B and IFI16 knockdown during infection. Silencing of ASC inhibited IL-1ß secretion but not IFN-ß secretion during de novo KSHV and HSV-1 infection. These studies identify H2B as an innate nuclear sensor mediating a novel extra chromosomal function, and reveal that two IFI16 complexes mediate KSHV and HSV-1 genome recognition responses, with recognition by the IFI16-BRCA1-H2B complex resulting in IFN-ß responses and recognition by IFI16-BRCA1 resulting in inflammasome responses.

BRCA1 Regulates IFI16 Mediated Nuclear Innate Sensing of Herpes Viral DNA and Subsequent Induction of the Innate Inflammasome and Interferon-ß Responses.

The innate immune system pattern recognition receptors (PRR) are the first line of host defenses recognizing the various pathogen- or danger-associated molecular patterns and eliciting defenses by regulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1ß, IL-18 or interferon ß (IFN-ß). NOD-like receptors (NLRs) and AIM2-like receptors (ALRs) are cytoplasmic inflammasome sensors of foreign molecules, including DNA. IFI16, a sequence-independent nuclear innate sensor ALR, recognizes episomal dsDNA genomes of herpes viruses such as KSHV, EBV, and HSV-1 in the infected cell nuclei, forms an inflammasome complex with ASC and procaspase1, and relocates into the cytoplasm leading into Caspase-1 and IL-1ß generation. IFI16 also induces IFN-ß during HSV-1 infection via the cytoplasmic STING-TBK1-IRF3 pathway. Thus far, whether IFI16 recognizes foreign DNA directly or utilizes other host protein(s) is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that BRCA1, a DNA damage repair sensor and transcription regulator, is in complex with IFI16 in the host cell nucleus, and their association increases in the presence of nuclear viral genomes during de novo KSHV, EBV and HSV-1 infection, and in latent KSHV or EBV infection, but not by DNA damage responses (DDR) induced by bleomycin and vaccinia virus cytoplasmic dsDNA. BRCA1 is a constituent of the triggered IFI16-inflammasome and is translocated into the cytoplasm after genome recognition along with the IFI16-inflammasome. The absence of BRCA1 abrogated IFI16-viral genome association, inflammasome assembly, IFI16 cytoplasmic localization, and Caspase-1 and IL-1ß production. The absence of BRCA1 also abolished the cytoplasmic IFI16-STING interaction, downstream IRF3 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation of pIRF3 and IFN-ß production during de novo KSHV and HSV-1 infection. These findings highlight that BRCA1 plays a hitherto unidentified innate immunomodulatory role by facilitating nuclear foreign DNA sensing by IFI16, subsequent assembly and cytoplasmic distribution of IFI16-inflammasomes leading into IL-1ß formation and the induction of IFN-ß via cytoplasmic signaling through IFI16-STING, TBK1 and IRF3.

Herpesvirus Genome Recognition Induced Acetylation of Nuclear IFI16 Is Essential for Its Cytoplasmic Translocation, Inflammasome and IFN-ß Responses.

The IL-1ß and type I interferon-ß (IFN-ß) molecules are important inflammatory cytokines elicited by the eukaryotic host as innate immune responses against invading pathogens and danger signals. Recently, a predominantly nuclear gamma-interferon-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) involved in transcriptional regulation has emerged as an innate DNA sensor which induced IL-1ß and IFN-ß production through inflammasome and STING activation, respectively. Herpesvirus (KSHV, EBV, and HSV-1) episomal dsDNA genome recognition by IFI16 leads to IFI16-ASC-procaspase-1 inflammasome association, cytoplasmic translocation and IL-1ß production. Independent of ASC, HSV-1 genome recognition results in IFI16 interaction with STING in the cytoplasm to induce interferon-ß production. However, the mechanisms of IFI16-inflammasome formation, cytoplasmic redistribution and STING activation are not known. Our studies here demonstrate that recognition of herpesvirus genomes in the nucleus by IFI16 leads into its interaction with histone acetyltransferase p300 and IFI16 acetylation resulting in IFI16-ASC interaction, inflammasome assembly, increased interaction with Ran-GTPase, cytoplasmic redistribution, caspase-1 activation, IL-1ß production, and interaction with STING which results in IRF-3 phosphorylation, nuclear pIRF-3 localization and interferon-ß production. ASC and STING knockdowns did not affect IFI16 acetylation indicating that this modification is upstream of inflammasome-assembly and STING-activation. Vaccinia virus replicating in the cytoplasm did not induce nuclear IFI16 acetylation and cytoplasmic translocation. IFI16 physically associates with KSHV and HSV-1 genomes as revealed by proximity ligation microscopy and chromatin-immunoprecipitation studies which is not hampered by the inhibition of acetylation, thus suggesting that acetylation of IFI16 is not required for its innate sensing of nuclear viral genomes. Collectively, these studies identify the increased nuclear acetylation of IFI16 as a dynamic essential post-genome recognition event in the nucleus that is common to the IFI16-mediated innate responses of inflammasome induction and IFN-ß production during herpesvirus (KSHV, EBV, HSV-1) infections.

Aminophthalocyanine-Mediated Photodynamic Inactivation of Leishmania tropica.

Photodynamic inactivation ofLeishmaniaspp. requires the cellular uptake of photosensitizers, e.g., endocytosis of silicon(IV)-phthalocyanines (PC) axially substituted with bulky ligands. We report here that when substituted with amino-containing ligands, the PCs (PC1 and PC2) were endocytosed and displayed improved potency againstLeishmania tropicapromastigotes and axenic amastigotesin vitro The uptake of these PCs by bothLeishmaniastages followed saturation kinetics, as expected. Sensitive assays were developed for assessing the photodynamic inactivation ofLeishmaniaspp. by rendering them fluorescent in two ways: transfecting promastigotes to express green fluorescent protein (GFP) and loading them with carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE). PC-sensitizedLeishmania tropicastrains were seen microscopically to lose their motility, structural integrity, and GFP/CFSE fluorescence after exposure to red light (wavelength, ∼650 nm) at a fluence of 1 to 2 J cm(-2) Quantitative fluorescence assays based on the loss of GFP/CFSE from liveLeishmania tropicashowed that PC1 and PC2 dose dependently sensitized both stages for photoinactivation, consistent with the results of a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) cell viability assay.Leishmania tropicastrains are >100 times more sensitive than their host cells or macrophages to PC1- and PC2-mediated photoinactivation, judging from the estimated 50% effective concentrations (EC50s) of these cells. Axial substitution of the PC with amino groups instead of other ligands appears to increase its leishmanial photolytic activity by up to 40-fold. PC1 and PC2 are thus potentially useful for photodynamic therapy of leishmaniasis and for oxidative photoinactivation ofLeishmaniaspp. for use as vaccines or vaccine carriers.

Activated Nrf2 Interacts with Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Latency Protein LANA-1 and Host Protein KAP1 To Mediate Global Lytic Gene Repression.

UNLABELLED: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is etiologically associated with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), and multicentric Castleman's disease. We have previously shown that KSHV utilizes the host transcription factor Nrf2 to aid in infection of endothelial cells and oncogenesis. Here, we investigate the role of Nrf2 in PEL and PEL-derived cell lines and show that KSHV latency induces Nrf2 protein levels and transcriptional activity through the COX-2/PGE2/EP4/PKCζ axis. Next-generation sequencing of KSHV transcripts in the PEL-derived BCBL-1 cell line revealed that knockdown of this activated Nrf2 results in global elevation of lytic genes. Nrf2 inhibition by the chemical brusatol also induces lytic gene expression. Both Nrf2 knockdown and brusatol-mediated inhibition induced KSHV lytic reactivation in BCBL-1 cells. In a series of follow-up experiments, we characterized the mechanism of Nrf2-mediated regulation of KSHV lytic repression during latency. Biochemical assays showed that Nrf2 interacted with KSHV latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA-1) and the host transcriptional repressor KAP1, which together have been shown to repress lytic gene expression. Promoter studies showed that although Nrf2 alone induces the open reading frame 50 (ORF50) promoter, its association with LANA-1 and KAP1 abrogates this effect. Interestingly, LANA-1 is crucial for efficient KAP1/Nrf2 association, while Nrf2 is essential for LANA-1 and KAP1 recruitment to the ORF50 promoter and its repression. Overall, these results suggest that activated Nrf2, LANA-1, and KAP1 assemble on the ORF50 promoter in a temporal fashion. Initially, Nrf2 binds to and activates the ORF50 promoter during early de novo infection, an effect that is exploited during latency by LANA-1-mediated recruitment of the host transcriptional repressor KAP1 on Nrf2. Cell death assays further showed that Nrf2 and KAP1 knockdown induce significant cell death in PEL cell lines. Our studies suggest that Nrf2 modulation through available oral agents is a promising therapeutic approach in the treatment of KSHV-associated malignancies. IMPORTANCE: KS and PEL are aggressive KSHV-associated malignancies with moderately effective, highly toxic chemotherapies. Other than ganciclovir and alpha interferon (IFN-α) prophylaxis, no KSHV-associated chemotherapy targets the underlying infection, a major oncogenic force. Hence, drugs that selectively target KSHV infection are necessary to eradicate the malignancy while sparing healthy cells. We recently showed that KSHV infection of endothelial cells activates the transcription factor Nrf2 to promote an environment conducive to infection and oncogenesis. Nrf2 is modulated through several well-tolerated oral agents and may be an important target in KSHV biology. Here, we investigate the role of Nrf2 in PEL and demonstrate that Nrf2 plays an important role in KSHV gene expression, lytic reactivation, and cell survival by interacting with the host transcriptional repressor KAP1 and the viral latency-associated protein LANA-1 to mediate global lytic gene repression and thus cell survival. Hence, targeting Nrf2 with available therapies is a viable approach in the treatment of KSHV malignancies.

IFI16 restricts HSV-1 replication by accumulating on the hsv-1 genome, repressing HSV-1 gene expression, and directly or indirectly modulating histone modifications.

Interferon-γ inducible factor 16 (IFI16) is a multifunctional nuclear protein involved in transcriptional regulation, induction of interferon-ß (IFN-ß), and activation of the inflammasome response. It interacts with the sugar-phosphate backbone of dsDNA and modulates viral and cellular transcription through largely undetermined mechanisms. IFI16 is a restriction factor for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV-1), though the mechanisms of HSV-1 restriction are not yet understood. Here, we show that IFI16 has a profound effect on HSV-1 replication in human foreskin fibroblasts, osteosarcoma cells, and breast epithelial cancer cells. IFI16 knockdown increased HSV-1 yield 6-fold and IFI16 overexpression reduced viral yield by over 5-fold. Importantly, HSV-1 gene expression, including the immediate early proteins, ICP0 and ICP4, the early proteins, ICP8 and TK, and the late proteins gB and Us11, was reduced in the presence of IFI16. Depletion of the inflammasome adaptor protein, ASC, or the IFN-inducing transcription factor, IRF-3, did not affect viral yield. ChIP studies demonstrated the presence of IFI16 bound to HSV-1 promoters in osteosarcoma (U2OS) cells and fibroblasts. Using CRISPR gene editing technology, we generated U2OS cells with permanent deletion of IFI16 protein expression. ChIP analysis of these cells and wild-type (wt) U2OS demonstrated increased association of RNA polymerase II, TATA binding protein (TBP) and Oct1 transcription factors with viral promoters in the absence of IFI16 at different times post infection. Although IFI16 did not alter the total histone occupancy at viral or cellular promoters, its absence promoted markers of active chromatin and decreased those of repressive chromatin with viral and cellular gene promoters. Collectively, these studies for the first time demonstrate that IFI16 prevents association of important transcriptional activators with wt HSV-1 promoters and suggest potential mechanisms of IFI16 restriction of wt HSV-1 replication and a direct or indirect role for IFI16 in histone modification.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus induces Nrf2 during de novo infection of endothelial cells to create a microenvironment conducive to infection.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the etiological agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion B-cell lymphoma. KSHV induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) early during infection of human dermal microvascular endothelial (HMVEC-d) cells that are critical for virus entry. One of the downstream targets of ROS is nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a transcription factor with important anti-oxidative functions. Here, we show that KS skin lesions have high Nrf2 activity compared to healthy skin tissue. Within 30 minutes of de novo KSHV infection of HMVEC-d cells, we observed Nrf2 activation through ROS-mediated dissociation from its inhibitor Keap1, Ser-40 phosphorylation, and subsequent nuclear translocation. KSHV binding and consequent signaling through Src, PI3-K and PKC-ζ were also important for Nrf2 stability, phosphorylation and transcriptional activity. Although Nrf2 was dispensable for ROS homeostasis, it was essential for the induction of COX-2, VEGF-A, VEGF-D, Bcl-2, NQO1, GCS, HO1, TKT, TALDO and G6PD gene expression in KSHV-infected HMVEC-d cells. The COX-2 product PGE2 induced Nrf2 activity through paracrine and autocrine signaling, creating a feed-forward loop between COX-2 and Nrf2. vFLIP, a product of KSHV latent gene ORF71, induced Nrf2 and its target genes NQO1 and HO1. Activated Nrf2 colocalized with the KSHV genome as well as with the latency protein LANA-1. Nrf2 knockdown enhanced ORF73 expression while reducing ORF50 and other lytic gene expression without affecting KSHV entry or genome nuclear delivery. Collectively, these studies for the first time demonstrate that during de novo infection, KSHV induces Nrf2 through intricate mechanisms involving multiple signal molecules, which is important for its ability to manipulate host and viral genes, creating a microenvironment conducive to KSHV infection. Thus, Nrf2 is a potential attractive target to intervene in KSHV infection and the associated maladies.

Glutamate secretion and metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 expression during Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus infection promotes cell proliferation.

Kaposi's sarcoma associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is etiologically associated with endothelial Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and B-cell proliferative primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), common malignancies seen in immunocompromised HIV-1 infected patients. The progression of these cancers occurs by the proliferation of cells latently infected with KSHV, which is highly dependent on autocrine and paracrine factors secreted from the infected cells. Glutamate and glutamate receptors have emerged as key regulators of intracellular signaling pathways and cell proliferation. However, whether they play any role in the pathological changes associated with virus induced oncogenesis is not known. Here, we report the first systematic study of the role of glutamate and its metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGluR1) in KSHV infected cell proliferation. Our studies show increased glutamate secretion and glutaminase expression during de novo KSHV infection of endothelial cells as well as in KSHV latently infected endothelial and B-cells. Increased mGluR1 expression was detected in KSHV infected KS and PEL tissue sections. Increased c-Myc and glutaminase expression in the infected cells was mediated by KSHV latency associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA-1). In addition, mGluR1 expression regulating host RE-1 silencing transcription factor/neuron restrictive silencer factor (REST/NRSF) was retained in the cytoplasm of infected cells. KSHV latent protein Kaposin A was also involved in the over expression of mGluR1 by interacting with REST in the cytoplasm of infected cells and by regulating the phosphorylation of REST and interaction with ß-TRCP for ubiquitination. Colocalization of Kaposin A with REST was also observed in KS and PEL tissue samples. KSHV infected cell proliferation was significantly inhibited by glutamate release inhibitor and mGluR1 antagonists. These studies demonstrated that elevated glutamate secretion and mGluR1 expression play a role in KSHV induced cell proliferation and suggest that targeting glutamate and mGluR1 is an attractive therapeutic strategy to effectively control the KSHV associated malignancies.

p130Cas scaffolds the signalosome to direct adaptor-effector cross talk during Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus trafficking in human microvascular dermal endothelial cells.

UNLABELLED: Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) interacts with cell surface receptors, such as heparan sulfate, integrins (α3ß1, αVß3, and αVß5), and EphrinA2 (EphA2), and activates focal adhesion kinase (FAK), Src, phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K), c-Cbl, and RhoA GTPase signal molecules early during lipid raft (LR)-dependent productive macropinocytic entry into human dermal microvascular endothelial cells. Our recent studies have identified CIB1 as a signal amplifier facilitating EphA2 phosphorylation and subsequent cytoskeletal cross talk during KSHV macropinocytosis. Although CIB1 lacks an enzymatic activity and traditional adaptor domain or known interacting sequence, it associated with the KSHV entry signal complex and the CIB1-KSHV association was sustained over 30 min postinfection. To identify factors scaffolding the EphA2-CIB1 signal axis, the role of major cellular scaffold protein p130Cas (Crk-associated substrate of Src) was investigated. Inhibitor and small interfering RNA (siRNA) studies demonstrated that KSHV induced p130Cas in an EphA2-, CIB1-, and Src-dependent manner. p130Cas and Crk were associated with KSHV, LRs, EphA2, and CIB1 early during infection. Live-cell microscopy and biochemical studies demonstrated that p130Cas knockdown did not affect KSHV entry but significantly reduced productive nuclear trafficking of viral DNA and routed KSHV to lysosomal degradation. p130Cas aided in scaffolding adaptor Crk to downstream guanine nucleotide exchange factor phospho-C3G possibly to coordinate GTPase signaling during KSHV trafficking. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that p130Cas acts as a bridging molecule between the KSHV-induced entry signal complex and the downstream trafficking signalosome in endothelial cells and suggest that simultaneous targeting of KSHV entry receptors with p130Cas would be an attractive potential avenue for therapeutic intervention in KSHV infection. IMPORTANCE: Eukaryotic cell adaptor molecules, without any intrinsic enzymatic activity, are well known to allow a great diversity of specific and coordinated protein-protein interactions imparting signal amplification to different networks for physiological and pathological signaling. They are involved in integrating signals from growth factors, extracellular matrix molecules, bacterial pathogens, and apoptotic cells. The present study identifies human microvascular dermal endothelial (HMVEC-d) cellular scaffold protein p130Cas (Crk-associated substrate) as a platform to promote Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) trafficking. Early during KSHV de novo infection, p130Cas associates with lipid rafts and scaffolds EphrinA2 (EphA2)-associated critical adaptor members to downstream effector molecules, promoting successful nuclear delivery of the KSHV genome. Hence, simultaneous targeting of the receptor EphA2 and scaffolding action of p130Cas can potentially uncouple the signal cross talk of the KSHV entry-associated upstream signal complex from the immediate downstream trafficking-associated signalosome, consequently routing KSHV toward lysosomal degradation and eventually blocking KSHV infection and associated malignancies.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus induces the ATM and H2AX DNA damage response early during de novo infection of primary endothelial cells, which play roles in latency establishment.

UNLABELLED: The DNA damage response (DDR) that evolved to repair host cell DNA damage also recognizes viral DNA entering the nucleus during infections. Here, we investigated the modulation of DDR signaling during de novo infection of primary endothelial cells by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV). Phosphorylation of representative DDR-associated proteins, such as ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) and H2AX, was induced as early as 30 min (0.5 h) postinfection and persisted during in vitro KSHV latency. Phosphorylated H2AX (γH2AX) colocalized at 30 min (0.5 h) with the KSHV genome entering the nuclei. Total H2AX protein levels also increased, and the increase was attributed to a decrease in degradative H2AX Lys48-linked polyubiquitination with a concomitant increase in Lys63-linked polyubiquitination that was shown to increase protein stability. ATM and H2AX phosphorylation and γH2AX nuclear foci were also induced by UV-inactivated KSHV, which ceased at later times of infection. Inhibition of ATM kinase activity by KU-55933 and H2AX knockdown by small interfering RNA significantly reduced the expression of the KSHV latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA-1; ORF73) and LANA-1 nuclear puncta. Knockdown of H2AX also resulted in a >80% reduction in the nuclear KSHV DNA copy numbers. Similar results were also observed in ATM-negative cells, although comparable levels of viral DNA entered ATM-negative and ATM-positive cell nuclei. In contrast, knockdown of CHK1 and CHK2 did not affect ORF73 expression. Collectively, these results demonstrate that KSHV induces ATM and H2AX, a selective arm of the DDR, for the establishment and maintenance of its latency during de novo infection of primary endothelial cells. IMPORTANCE: Eukaryotic cells mount a DNA damage response (DDR) to sense and repair different types of cellular DNA damage. In addition, DDR also recognizes exogenous genetic material, such as the viral DNA genome entering the nucleus during infections. The present study was undertaken to determine whether de novo Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection modulates DDR. Our results demonstrate that early during de novo infection of primary endothelial cells, KSHV induces a selective arm of DDR signaling, such as the ATM kinase and its downstream target, H2AX, which are essential for KSHV's latent gene expression and the establishment of latency. These studies suggest that targeting ATM and H2AX could serve as an attractive strategy to block the establishment of KSHV latent infection and the associated malignancies.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-positive primary effusion lymphoma tumor formation in NOD/SCID mice is inhibited by neomycin and neamine blocking angiogenin's nuclear translocation.

Angiogenin (ANG) is a 14-kDa multifunctional proangiogenic secreted protein whose expression level correlates with the aggressiveness of several tumors. We observed increased ANG expression and secretion in endothelial cells during de novo infection with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), in cells expressing only latency-associated nuclear antigen 1 (LANA-1) protein, and in KSHV latently infected primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) BCBL-1 and BC-3 cells. Inhibition of phospholipase Cγ (PLCγ) mediated ANG's nuclear translocation by neomycin, an aminoglycoside antibiotic (not G418-neomicin), resulted in reduced KSHV latent gene expression, increased lytic gene expression, and increased cell death of KSHV(+) PEL and endothelial cells. ANG detection in significant levels in KS and PEL lesions highlights its importance in KSHV pathogenesis. To assess the in vivo antitumor activity of neomycin and neamine (a nontoxic derivative of neomycin), BCBL-1 cells were injected intraperitoneally into NOD/SCID mice. We observed significant extended survival of mice treated with neomycin or neamine. Markers of lymphoma establishment, such as increases in animal body weight, spleen size, tumor cell spleen infiltration, and ascites volume, were observed in nontreated animals and were significantly diminished by neomycin or neamine treatments. A significant decrease in LANA-1 expression, an increase in lytic gene expression, and an increase in cleaved caspase-3 were also observed in neomycin- or neamine-treated animal ascitic cells. These studies demonstrated that ANG played an essential role in KSHV latency maintenance and BCBL-1 cell survival in vivo, and targeting ANG function by neomycin/neamine to induce the apoptosis of cells latently infected with KSHV is an attractive therapeutic strategy against KSHV-associated malignancies.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus latency in endothelial and B cells activates gamma interferon-inducible protein 16-mediated inflammasomes.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infections of endothelial and B cells are etiologically linked with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and primary effusion B-cell lymphoma (PEL), respectively. KS endothelial and PEL B cells carry multiple copies of the nuclear episomal latent KSHV genome and secrete a variety of inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) and IL-18. The maturation of IL-1ß and IL-18 depends upon active caspase-1, which is regulated by a multiprotein inflammasome complex induced by sensing of danger signals. During primary KSHV infection of endothelial cells, acting as a nuclear pattern recognition receptor, gamma interferon-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) colocalized with the KSHV genome in the nuclei and interacted with ASC and procaspase-1 to form a functional inflammasome (Kerur N et al., Cell Host Microbe 9:363-375, 2011). Here, we demonstrate that endothelial telomerase-immortalized human umbilical cells (TIVE) supporting KSHV stable latency (TIVE-LTC cells) and PEL (cavity-based B-cell lymphoma 1 [BCBL-1]) cells show evidence of inflammasome activation, such as the activation of caspase-1 and cleavage of pro-IL-1ß and pro-IL-18. Interaction of ASC with IFI16 but not with AIM2 or NOD-like receptor P3 (NLRP3) was detected. The KSHV latency-associated viral FLIP (vFLIP) gene induced the expression of IL-1ß, IL-18, and caspase-1 mRNAs in an NF-κB-dependent manner. IFI16 and cleaved IL-1ß were detected in the exosomes released from BCBL-1 cells. Exosomal release could be a KSHV-mediated strategy to subvert IL-1ß functions. In fluorescent in situ hybridization analyses, IFI16 colocalized with multiple copies of the KSHV genome in BCBL-1 cells. IFI16 colocalization with ASC was also detected in lung PEL sections from patients. Taken together, these findings demonstrated the constant sensing of the latent KSHV genome by IFI16-mediated innate defense and unraveled a potential mechanism of inflammation induction associated with KS and PEL lesions.

Constitutive interferon-inducible protein 16-inflammasome activation during Epstein-Barr virus latency I, II, and III in B and epithelial cells.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), etiologically linked with human B-cell malignancies and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), establishes three types of latency that facilitate its episomal genome persistence and evasion of host immune responses. The innate inflammasome responses recognize the pathogen-associated molecular patterns which lead into the association of a cytoplasmic sensor such as NLRP3 and AIM2 proteins or nuclear interferon-inducible protein 16 (IFI16) with adaptor ASC protein (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein with a caspase recruitment domain) and effector procaspase-1, resulting in active caspase-1 formation which cleaves the proforms of inflammatory interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), IL-18, and IL-33 cytokines. Whether inflammasome responses recognize and respond to EBV genome in the nuclei was not known. We observed evidence of inflammasome activation, such as the activation of caspase-1 and cleavage of pro-IL-1ß, -IL-18, and -IL-33, in EBV latency I Raji cells, latency II NPC C666-1 cells, and latency III lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCL). Interaction between ASC with IFI16 but not with AIM2 or NLRP3 was detected in all three latencies and during EBV infection of primary human B cells. IFI16 and cleaved caspase-1, IL-1ß, IL-18, and IL-33 were detected in the exosomes from Raji cells and LCL. Though EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1) and EBV-encoded small RNAs (EBERs) are common to all forms of EBV latency, caspase-1 cleavage was not detected in cells expressing EBNA1 alone, and blocking EBER transcription did not inhibit caspase-1 cleavage. In fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, IFI16 colocalized with the EBV genome in LCL and Raji cell nuclei. These studies demonstrated that constant sensing of latent EBV genome by IFI16 in all types of latency results in the constitutive induction of the inflammasome and IL-1ß, IL-18, and IL-33 maturation.

A member of the Ras oncogene family, RAP1A, mediates antileishmanial activity of monastrol.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the mode of action of monastrol in intracellular Leishmania. METHODS: Microarray experiments were conducted on an Affymetrix GeneChip(®) Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array, to determine the genes that encode proteins related to pathological alterations of cell signalling pathways in intracellular Leishmania amastigotes in response to monastrol treatment. RESULTS: Monastrol induced unprenylated Rap1A in intracellular Leishmania when exposed to this anticancer drug at the IC50 (10 µM). Monastrol, known to cause mitotic arrest in cancer cells, inhibited Rap1A prenylation (geranylgeranylation) in intracellular Leishmania, which resulted in blockade at the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Growth inhibition, rather than apoptosis, was found to be the mechanism by which monastrol displays antileishmanial activity. CONCLUSIONS: Prenylation inhibitors (unprenylation) of cell signalling pathways can be exploited in Leishmania parasites as novel therapeutic tools.

Delta-aminolevulinate-induced host-parasite porphyric disparity for selective photolysis of transgenic Leishmania in the phagolysosomes of mononuclear phagocytes: a potential novel platform for vaccine delivery.

Leishmania double transfectants (DTs) expressing the 2nd and 3rd enzymes in the heme biosynthetic pathway were previously reported to show neogenesis of uroporphyrin I (URO) when induced with delta-aminolevulinate (ALA), the product of the 1st enzyme in the pathway. The ensuing accumulation of URO in DT promastigotes rendered them light excitable to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in their cytolysis. Evidence is presented showing that the DTs retained wild-type infectivity to their host cells and that the intraphagolysosomal/parasitophorous vacuolar (PV) DTs remained ALA inducible for uroporphyrinogenesis/photolysis. Exposure of DT-infected cells to ALA was noted by fluorescence microscopy to result in host-parasite differential porphyrinogenesis: porphyrin fluorescence emerged first in the host cells and then in the intra-PV amastigotes. DT-infected and control cells differed qualitatively and quantitatively in their porphyrin species, consistent with the expected multi- and monoporphyrinogenic specificities of the host cells and the DTs, respectively. After ALA removal, the neogenic porphyrins were rapidly lost from the host cells but persisted as URO in the intra-PV DTs. These DTs were thus extremely light sensitive and were lysed selectively by illumination under nonstringent conditions in the relatively ROS-resistant phagolysosomes. Photolysis of the intra-PV DTs returned the distribution of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules and the global gene expression profiles of host cells to their preinfection patterns and, when transfected with ovalbumin, released this antigen for copresentation with MHC class I molecules. These Leishmania mutants thus have considerable potential as a novel model of a universal vaccine carrier for photodynamic immunotherapy/immunoprophylaxis.

Photodynamic vaccination of hamsters with inducible suicidal mutants of Leishmania amazonensis elicits immunity against visceral leishmaniasis.

Leishmania, naturally residing in the phagolysosomes of macrophages, is a suitable carrier for vaccine delivery. Genetic complementation of these trypanosomatid protozoa to partially rectify their defective heme-biosynthesis renders them inducible with delta-aminolevulinate to develop porphyria for selective photolysis, leaving infected host cells unscathed. Delivery of released "vaccines" to antigen-presenting cells is thus expected to enhance immune response, while their self-destruction presents added advantages of safety. Such suicidal L. amazonensis was found to confer immunoprophylaxis and immunotherapy on hamsters against L. donovani. Neither heat-killed nor live parasites without suicidal induction were effective. Photodynamic vaccination of hamsters with the suicidal mutants reduced the parasite loads by 99% and suppressed the development of disease. These suppressions were accompanied by an increase in Leishmania-specific delayed-type hypersensitivity and lymphoproliferation as well as in the levels of splenic iNOS, IFN-gamma, and IL-12 expressions and of Leishmania-specific IgG2 in the serum. Moreover, a single intravenous administration of T cells from vaccinated hamsters was shown to confer on naïve animals an effective cellular immunity against L. donovani challenges. The absence of lesion development at vaccination sites and parasites in the draining lymphnodes, spleen and liver further indicates that the suicidal mutants provide a safe platform for vaccine delivery against experimental visceral leishmaniasis.

Transgenic Leishmania model for delta-aminolevulinate-inducible monospecific uroporphyria: cytolytic phototoxicity initiated by singlet oxygen-mediated inactivation of proteins and its ablation by endosomal mobilization of cytosolic uroporphyrin.

Inherent deficiencies of Leishmania in heme biosynthesis were genetically complemented for delta-aminolevulinate-inducible biosynthesis and accumulation of light-excitable uroporphyrin. The phototoxic flagellar immobilization and cytolysis phenotypes and porphyrin mobilization noted previously were further analyzed biochemically and cytologically to delineate the mechanism of phototoxicity and detoxification in this monoporphyric model. Under optimal conditions of induction for approximately 3 days, cells remained viable but became increasingly uroporphyric, peaking at > or =90% of the population by approximately day 2; thereafter, a small population of less porphyric or aporphyric cells emerged. On exposure to light, the flagella of porphyric cells were immobilized in milliseconds, and singlet oxygen became detectable in their lysates. Both photosensitive phenotypes increased proportionally with the cellular uroporphyric levels and were susceptible to inhibition by azide, but not by D-mannitol. Brief irradiation of the uroporphyric cells produced no appreciable protein degradation but inactivated cytosolic neomycin phosphotransferase and significantly bleached cytosolic green fluorescent protein, which was azide reversible. These cells were irreparably photodamaged, as indicated by their subsequent loss of membrane permeability and viability. This is the first in situ demonstration that early inactivation of functional proteins by singlet oxygen initiates the cytolytic phototoxicity in uroporphyria. Detoxification appears to involve endocytic/exocytic mobilization of uroporphyrin from cytosol to "porphyrinosomes" for its eventual extracellular expulsion. This is proposed as the sole mechanism of detoxification, since it is attributable to the reversion of porphyric to aporphyric cells during uroporphyrinogenesis and repeated cycles of this event plus photolysis selected no resistant mutants, only aporphyric clones of the parental phenotypes. Further characterization of the transport system for uroporphyrin in this model is expected to benefit not only our understanding of the cellular mechanism for disposal of toxic soluble wastes but also potentially the effective management of human uroporphyria and the use of uroporphyric Leishmania for vaccine/drug delivery.