Assembly of infectious Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus progeny requires formation of a pORF19 pentamer.

Herpesviruses cause severe diseases particularly in immunocompromised patients. Both genome packaging and release from the capsid require a unique portal channel occupying one of the 12 capsid vertices. Here, we report the 2.6 Å crystal structure of the pentameric pORF19 of the γ-herpesvirus Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) resembling the portal cap that seals this portal channel. We also present the structure of its ß-herpesviral ortholog, revealing a striking structural similarity to its α- and γ-herpesviral counterparts despite apparent differences in capsid association. We demonstrate pORF19 pentamer formation in solution and provide insights into how pentamerization is triggered in infected cells. Mutagenesis in its lateral interfaces blocked pORF19 pentamerization and severely affected KSHV capsid assembly and production of infectious progeny. Our results pave the way to better understand the role of pORF19 in capsid assembly and identify a potential novel drug target for the treatment of herpesvirus-induced diseases.

Maternal vaccination with a type-III glycoconjugate protects mouse neonates against Group B Streptococcus intranasal infection.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is generally an asymptomatic colonizer of human mucosa but it occasionally infects pregnant women and neonates through vertical transmission, causing disease during the first weeks of life with frequent and severe complications. Preclinical studies have shown that maternal vaccination with polysaccharide-based vaccines protects mothers and offspring from GBS mucosal colonization and consecutive infection. In these models, bacteria were inoculated in mouse either intravaginally in the last trimester of pregnancy or systemically in pups. Here, we investigated whether maternal vaccination with glycoconjugate vaccines may also prevent GBS-mediated colonization and disease in neonates using an infection route that more closely mimics inhalation or ingestion of bacteria during human delivery. To address this point, mice aged less than two days were intranasally challenged with epidemiologically relevant GBS strains. Bacteria were found to colonize nose and intestine, reaching in some cases lungs and blood during the first days of life. Bacteria were also found in vagina of a fraction of colonized female mice within the first month of life. GBS-specific IgG induced by maternal vaccination with a glycoconjugate vaccine formulation were found in blood and mucosal tissues of newborns. Finally, when intranasally challenged with GBS serotype III strains, pups delivered by vaccinated mothers were partially protected against mucosal colonization and deeper infection.

Recent Advances in Developing Treatments of Kaposi's Sarcoma Herpesvirus-Related Diseases.

Kaposi-sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) or human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is the causative agent of several malignancies, including Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), and multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD). Active KSHV replication has also been associated with a pathological condition called KSHV inflammatory cytokine syndrome (KICS), and KSHV may play a role in rare cases of post-transplant polyclonal lymphoproliferative disorders. Several commonly used herpesviral DNA polymerase inhibitors are active against KSHV in tissue culture. Unfortunately, they are not always efficacious against KSHV-induced diseases. To improve the outcome for the patients, new therapeutics need to be developed, including treatment strategies that target either viral proteins or cellular pathways involved in tumor growth and/or supporting the viral life cycle. In this review, we summarize the most commonly established treatments against KSHV-related diseases and review recent developments and promising new compounds that are currently under investigation or on the way to clinical use.

Targeting Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus ORF21 Tyrosine Kinase and Viral Lytic Reactivation by Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Approved for Clinical Use.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the cause of three human malignancies: Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and the plasma cell variant of multicentric Castleman disease. Previous research has shown that several cellular tyrosine kinases play crucial roles during several steps in the virus replication cycle. Two KSHV proteins also have protein kinase function: open reading frame (ORF) 36 encodes a serine-threonine kinase, while ORF21 encodes a thymidine kinase (TK), which has recently been found to be an efficient tyrosine kinase. In this study, we explore the role of the ORF21 tyrosine kinase function in KSHV lytic replication. By generating a recombinant KSHV mutant with an enzymatically inactive ORF21 protein, we show that the tyrosine kinase function of ORF21/TK is not required for the progression of the lytic replication in tissue culture but that it is essential for the phosphorylation and activation to toxic moieties of the antiviral drugs zidovudine and brivudine. In addition, we identify several tyrosine kinase inhibitors, already in clinical use against human malignancies, which potently inhibit not only ORF21 TK kinase function but also viral lytic reactivation and the development of KSHV-infected endothelial tumors in mice. Since they target both cellular tyrosine kinases and a viral kinase, some of these compounds might find a use in the treatment of KSHV-associated malignancies.IMPORTANCE Our findings address the role of KSHV ORF21 as a tyrosine kinase during lytic replication and the activation of prodrugs in KSHV-infected cells. We also show the potential of selected clinically approved tyrosine kinase inhibitors to inhibit KSHV TK, KSHV lytic replication, infectious virion release, and the development of an endothelial tumor. Since they target both cellular tyrosine kinases supporting productive viral replication and a viral kinase, these drugs, which are already approved for clinical use, may be suitable for repurposing for the treatment of KSHV-related tumors in AIDS patients or transplant recipients.

Protective effect of Group B Streptococcus type-III polysaccharide conjugates against maternal colonization, ascending infection and neonatal transmission in rodent models.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is a normal inhabitant of recto-vaginal mucosae in up to 30% of healthy women. Colonization is a major risk factor for perinatal infection which can lead to severe complications such as stillbirth and neonatal invasive disease. Intra-partum antibiotic prophylaxis in colonized women is a safe and cost-effective preventive measure against early-onset disease in the first days of life, but has no effect on late-onset manifestations or on early maternal infection. Maternal immunization with capsular polysaccharide-based vaccines shows promise for the prevention of both early-onset and late-onset neonatal infections, although ability to prevent maternal colonization and ascending infection has been less studied. Here we investigated the effect of a GBS glycoconjugate vaccine since the very early stage of maternal GBS acquisition to neonatal outcome by rodent models of vaginal colonization and ascending infection. Immunization of female mice and rats with a type III glycoconjugate reduced vaginal colonization, infection of chorioamniotic/ placental membranes and bacterial transmission to fetuses and pups. Type III specific antibodies were detected in the blood and vagina of vaccinated mothers and their offspring. The obtained data support a potential preventive effect of GBS glycoconjugate vaccines during the different stages of pregnancy.