BST-2 controls T cell proliferation and exhaustion by shaping the early distribution of a persistent viral infection

Calcium Influx Regulates the Replication of Several Negative-Strand RNA Viruses Including Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus

Negative-strand RNA viruses (NSVs) represent one of the most threatening groups of emerging viruses globally. Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a highly pathogenic emerging virus that was initially reported in 2011 from China. Currently, no licensed vaccines or therapeutic agents have been approved for use against SFTSV. Here, L-type calcium channel blockers obtained from a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved compound library were identified as effective anti-SFTSV compounds. Manidipine, a representative L-type calcium channel blocker, restricted SFTSV genome replication and exhibited inhibitory effects against other NSVs. The result from the immunofluorescent assay suggested that manidipine inhibited SFTSV N-induced inclusion body formation, which is believed to be important for the virus genome replication. We have shown that calcium possesses at least two different roles in regulating SFTSV genome replication. Inhibition of calcineurin, the activation of which is triggered by calcium influx, using FK506 or cyclosporine was shown to reduce SFTSV production, suggesting the important role of calcium signaling on SFTSV genome replication. In addition, we showed that globular actin, the conversion of which is facilitated by calcium from filamentous actin (actin depolymerization), supports SFTSV genome replication. We also observed an increased survival rate and a reduction of viral load in the spleen in a lethal mouse model of SFTSV infections after manidipine treatment. Overall, these results provide information regarding the importance of calcium for NSV replication and may thereby contribute to the development of broad-scale protective therapies against pathogenic NSVs. IMPORTANCE SFTS is an emerging infectious disease and has a high mortality rate of up to 30%. There are no licensed vaccines or antivirals against SFTS. In this article, L-type calcium channel blockers were identified as anti-SFTSV compounds through an FDA-approved compound library screen. Our results showed the involvement of L-type calcium channel as a common host factor for several different families of NSVs. The formation of an inclusion body, which is induced by SFTSV N, was inhibited by manidipine. Further experiments showed that SFTSV replication required the activation of calcineurin, a downstream effecter of the calcium channel. In addition, we identified that globular actin, the conversion of which is facilitated by calcium from filamentous actin, supports SFTSV genome replication. We also observed an increased survival rate in a lethal mouse model of SFTSV infection after manidipine treatment. These results facilitate both our understanding of the NSV replication mechanism and the development of novel anti-NSV treatment.

The roles of BST-2 in murine B cell development and on virus propagation

The bone marrow (BM) stromal cell antigen-2 (BST-2), also known as tetherin, CD317, PDCA-1, or HM1.24, is a membrane protein overexpressed in several types of tumors and may act as a promising target for cancer treatment via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. BST-2 is also expressed in human BM stromal cells (BMSC), which support B cell development. While the activity of BST-2 as an antiviral factor has been demonstrated, the expression patterns and the role of BST-2 on B-cell development and activation have not been investigated, especially in vivo. In this study, Bst2 knockout (Bst2^-/- ) mice were generated to assess the role of BST-2 on B cell development and activation. It was observed that BST-2 was not expressed in BMSC or all B cell progenitors even in wild-type mice and does not play a significant role in B cell development. In addition, the loss of BST-2 had no effect on B cell activation. Furthermore and in contrast to the well-known antiviral role of BST-2, infection of vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus to the BM cells collected from the Bst2^-/- mice produced less infectious virus compared with that from the WT mice. These results suggest that murine BST-2 is different from human BST-2 in the expression pattern, physiological function, in vivo, and might possess positive role on VSV replication.

Monocytic myeloid-derived suppressive cells mitigate over-adipogenesis of bone marrow microenvironment in aplastic anemia by inhibiting CD8+ T cells

Aplastic anemia (AA) is a blood disorder resulted from over-activated T-cell related hematopoietic failure, with the characterization of hypocellularity and enhanced adipogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stroma cells (MSCs) in bone marrow (BM). However, little is known about the relationship between immune imbalance and polarized adipogenic abnormity of BM microenvironment in this disease entity. In the present study, we differentiated BM-MSCs into osteoblastic or adipogenic lineages to mimic the osteo-adipogenic differentiation. Activated CD8⁺ T cells and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) were found to stimulate adipogenesis of BM-MSCs either in vitro or in vivo of AA mouse model. Interestingly, myeloid-derived suppressive cells (MDSCs), one of the immune-regulating populations, were decreased within BM of AA mice. We found that it was not CD11b⁺Ly6G⁺Ly6C^- granulocytic-MDSCs (gMDSCs) but CD11b⁺Ly6G^-Ly6C⁺ monocytic-MDSCs (mMDSCs) inhibiting both T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production via inducible nitric oxide synthetase (iNOS) pathway. Single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of AA- and mMDSCs-treated murine BM cells revealed that mMDSCs transfusion could reconstitute BM hematopoietic progenitors by inhibiting T cells population and signature cytokines and decreasing immature Adipo-Cxcl12-abundant reticular cells within BM. Multi-injection of mMDSCs into AA mice reduced intra-BM T cells infiltration and suppressed BM adipogenesis, which subsequently restored the intra-BM immune balance and eventually prevented pancytopenia and hypo-hematopoiesis. In conclusion, adoptive transfusion of mMDSCs might be a novel immune-regulating strategy to treat AA, accounting for not only restoring the intra-BM immune balance but also improving stroma's multi-differentiating microenvironment.

Immune profile and responses of a novel dengue DNA vaccine encoding an EDIII-NS1 consensus design based on Indo-African sequences

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic highlights the need to tackle viral variants, expand the number of antigens, and assess diverse delivery systems for vaccines against emerging viruses. In the present study, a DNA vaccine candidate was generated by combining in tandem envelope protein domain III (EDIII) of dengue virus serotypes 1-4 and a dengue virus (DENV)-2 non-structural protein 1 (NS1) protein-coding region. Each domain was designed as a serotype-specific consensus coding sequence derived from different genotypes based on the whole genome sequencing of clinical isolates in India and complemented with data from Africa. This sequence was further optimized for protein expression. In silico structural analysis of the EDIII consensus sequence revealed that epitopes are structurally conserved and immunogenic. The vaccination of mice with this construct induced pan-serotype neutralizing antibodies and antigen-specific T cell responses. Assaying intracellular interferon (IFN)-γ staining, immunoglobulin IgG2(a/c)/IgG1 ratios, and immune gene profiling suggests a strong Th1-dominant immune response. Finally, the passive transfer of immune sera protected AG129 mice challenged with a virulent, non-mouse-adapted DENV-2 strain. Our findings collectively suggest an alternative strategy for dengue vaccine design by offering a novel vaccine candidate with a possible broad-spectrum protection and a successful clinical translation either as a stand alone or in a mix and match strategy.

The multifaceted role of kidney tubule mitochondrial dysfunction in kidney disease development

More than 800 million people suffer from kidney disease. Genetic studies and follow-up animal models and cell biological experiments indicate the key role of proximal tubule metabolism. Kidneys have one of the highest mitochondrial densities. Mitochondrial biogenesis, mitochondrial fusion and fission, and mitochondrial recycling, such as mitophagy are critical for proper mitochondrial function. Mitochondrial dysfunction can lead to an energetic crisis, orchestrate different types of cell death (apoptosis, necroptosis, pyroptosis, and ferroptosis), and influence cellular calcium levels and redox status. Collectively, mitochondrial defects in renal tubules contribute to epithelial atrophy, inflammation, or cell death, orchestrating kidney disease development.

Reinvestigation of Classic T Cell Subsets and Identification of Novel Cell Subpopulations by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing

Classic T cell subsets are defined by a small set of cell surface markers, while single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) clusters cells using genome-wide gene expression profiles. The relationship between scRNA-seq clustered populations (scCPops) and cell surface marker-defined classic T cell subsets remains unclear. In this article, we integrated six bead-enriched T cell subsets with 62,235 single-cell transcriptomes from human PBMCs and clustered them into nine scCPops. Bead-enriched CD4⁺/CD45RA⁺/CD25^- naive T and CD8⁺/CD45RA⁺ naive T cells were mainly clustered into their scCPop counterparts, while cells from the other T cell subsets were assigned to multiple scCPops, including mucosal-associated invariant T cells and NKT cells. The multiple T cell subsets forming one scCPop exhibit similar expression patterns, but not vice versa, indicating scCPop is a more homogeneous cell population with similar cell states. Interestingly, we discovered and named IFN signaling-associated gene (ISAG) high T (ISAG^hi T) cells, a T cell subpopulation that highly expressed ISAGs. We further enriched ISAG^hi T cells from human PBMCs by FACS of BST2 for scRNA-seq analyses. The ISAG^hi T cell cluster disappeared on t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding plot after removing ISAGs, whereas the ISAG^hi T cell cluster showed up by analysis of ISAGs alone, indicating ISAGs are the major contributor of the ISAG^hi T cell cluster. BST2⁺ and BST2^- T cells showing different efficiencies of T cell activation indicate that a high level of ISAGs may contribute to quick immune responses.

A diverse fibroblastic stromal cell landscape in the spleen directs tissue homeostasis and immunity

[Figure: see text].

BST2 promotes growth and induces gefitinib resistance in oral squamous cell carcinoma via regulating the EGFR pathway

INTRODUCTION

Gefitinib, well known as a new antitumor agent, has been applied in various cancers such as oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, most patients eventually acquire resistance to gefitinib, and the molecular mechanism of gefitinib resistance is not well described. Bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST2) has been reported to promote tumor cell growth and confer chemotherapy resistance in various cancers. However, the roles of BST2 in OSCC still need to be fully understood.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We determined the expression of BST2 in OSCC tissues using qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and western blot. Next, we used MTT assay, flow cytometry and western blot to determine the roles of BST2 in OSCC cell proliferation, cycle progression and apoptosis, respectively. Furthermore, we evaluated the effect of BST2 on gefitinib resistance in OSCC cells and explored the related molecular mechanism.

RESULTS

BST2 expression was up-regulated in OSCC tissues compared with the adjacent normal tissues. BST2 overexpression significantly enhanced OSCC cell proliferation, mediated the cell cycle progression and inhibited cell apoptosis. Additionally, the results showed that BST2 overexpression effectively induced gefitinib resistance in OSCC cells. Subsequent analysis revealed that the underlying mechanism was associated with activation of the EGFR pathway.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study indicated that BST2 promoted growth and induced gefitinib resistance in OSCC cells, at least partially, through regulating the EGFR pathway. Thus, BST2 could be used as a therapeutic target for gefitinib resistance in OSCC.

Human BST-2/tetherin inhibits Junin virus release from host cells and its inhibition is partially counteracted by viral nucleoprotein

Bone marrow stromal cell antigen-2 (BST-2), also known as tetherin, is an interferon-inducible membrane-associated protein. It effectively targets enveloped viruses at the release step of progeny viruses from host cells, thereby restricting the further spread of viral infection. Junin virus (JUNV) is a member of Arenaviridae, which causes Argentine haemorrhagic fever that is associated with a high rate of mortality. In this study, we examined the effect of human BST-2 on the replication and propagation of JUNV. The production of JUNV Z-mediated virus-like particles (VLPs) was significantly inhibited by over-expression of BST-2. Electron microscopy analysis revealed that BST-2 functions by forming a physical link that directly retains VLPs on the cell surface. Infection using JUNV showed that infectious JUNV production was moderately inhibited by endogenous or exogenous BST-2. We also observed that JUNV infection triggers an intense interferon response, causing an upregulation of BST-2, in infected cells. However, the expression of cell surface BST-2 was reduced upon infection. Furthermore, the expression of JUNV nucleoprotein (NP) partially recovered VLP production from BST-2 restriction, suggesting that the NP functions as an antagonist against antiviral effect of BST-2. We further showed that JUNV NP also rescued the production of Ebola virus VP40-mediated VLP from BST-2 restriction as a broad spectrum BST-2 antagonist. To our knowledge, this is the first report showing that an arenavirus protein counteracts the antiviral function of BST-2.

[Molecular mechanisms of highly pathogenic viruses' replication and their applications for a novel drug discovery]

Productive (lytic) replication of DNA viruses elicits host cell DNA damage responses, which cause both beneficial and detrimental effects on viral replication. Viruses utilize them and selectively cancel the 'noisy' downstream signaling pathways, leading to maintain high S-phase CDK activities required for viral replication. To achieve this fine tuning of cellular environment, herpesviruses encode many (>70) genes in their genome, which are expressed in a strictly regulated temporal cascade (immediate-early, early, and late). Here, I introduce and discuss how Epstein-Barr virus, an oncogenic herpesvirus, hijacks the cellular environment and adapt it for the progeny production.

Microtubule-dependent transport of arenavirus matrix protein demonstrated using live-cell imaging microscopy

Lassa virus (LASV), belonging to the family Arenaviridae, causes severe haemorrhagic manifestations and is associated with a high mortality rate in humans. Thus, it is classified as a biosafety level (BSL)-4 agent. Since countermeasures for LASV diseases are yet to be developed, it is important to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the life cycle of the virus, including its viral and host cellular protein interactions. These underlying molecular mechanisms may serve as the key for developing novel therapeutic options. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a close relative of LASV, is usually asymptomatic and is categorized as a BSL-2 agent. In the present study, we visualized the transport of viral matrix Z protein in LCMV-infected cells using live-cell imaging microscopy. We demonstrated that the transport of Z protein is mediated by polymerized microtubules. Interestingly, the transport of LASV Z protein showed characteristics similar to those of Z protein in LCMV-infected cells. The live-cell imaging system using LCMV provides an attractive surrogate measure for studying arenavirus matrix protein transport in BSL-2 laboratories. In addition, it could be also utilized to analyze the interactions between viral matrix proteins and the cellular cytoskeleton, as well as to evaluate the antiviral compounds that target the transport of viral matrix proteins.

Beyond Tethering the Viral Particles: Immunomodulatory Functions of Tetherin (BST-2)

Host response to viral infection is a highly regulated process involving engagement of various host factors, cytokines, chemokines, and stimulatory signals that pave the way for an antiviral immune response. The response is manifested in terms of viral sequestration, phagocytosis, and inhibition of genome replication, and, finally, if required, lymphocyte-mediated clearance of virally infected cells. During this process, cross-talk between viral and host factors can shape disease outcomes and immunopathology. Bone marrow stromal antigen 2 (BST-2), also know as tetherin, is induced by type I interferon produced in response to viral infections, as well as in certain cancers. BST-2 has been shown to be a host restriction factor of virus multiplication through its ability to physically tether budding virions and restrict viral spread. However, BST-2 has other roles in the host antiviral response. This review focuses on the diverse functions of BST-2 and its downstream signaling pathways in regulating host immune responses.

Comparative Description of the Expression Profile of Interferon-Stimulated Genes in Multiple Cell Lineages Targeted by HIV-1 Infection

Immediately after viral infections, innate immune sensors recognize viruses and lead to the production of type I interferon (IFN-I). IFN-I upregulates various genes, referred to as IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs), and some ISGs inhibit viral replication. HIV-1, the causative agent of AIDS, mainly infects CD4⁺ T cells and macrophages and triggers the IFN-I-mediated signaling cascade. Certain ISGs are subsequently upregulated by IFN-I stimulus and potently suppress HIV-1 replication. HIV-1 cell biology has shed light on the molecular understanding of the IFN-I production triggered by HIV-1 infection and the antiviral roles of ISGs. However, the differences in the gene expression patterns following IFN-I stimulus among HIV-1 target cell types are poorly understood. In this study, we hypothesize that the expression profiles of ISGs are different among HIV-1 target cells and address this question by utilizing public transcriptome datasets and bioinformatic techniques. We focus on three cell types intrinsically targeted by HIV-1, including CD4⁺ T cells, monocytes, and macrophages, and comprehensively compare the expression patterns of ISGs among these cell types. Furthermore, we use the datasets of the differentially expressed genes by HIV-1 infection and the evolutionarily conserved ISGs in mammals and perform comparative transcriptome analyses. We defined 104 ‘common ISGs’ that were upregulated by IFN-I stimulus in CD4⁺ T cells, monocytes, and macrophages. The ISG expression patterns were different among these three cell types, and intriguingly, both the numbers and the magnitudes of upregulated ISGs by IFN-I stimulus were greatest in macrophages. We also found that the upregulated genes by HIV-1 infection included most ‘common ISGs.’ Moreover, we determined that the ‘common ISGs,’ particularly those with antiviral activity, were evolutionarily conserved in mammals. To our knowledge, this study is the first investigation to comprehensively describe (i) the different expression patterns of ISGs among HIV-1 target cells, (ii) the overlap in the genes modulated by IFN-I stimulus and HIV-1 infection and (iii) the evolutionary conservation in mammals of the antiviral ISGs that are expressed in HIV-1 target cells. Our results will be useful for deeply understanding the relationship of the effect of IFN-I and the modulated gene expression by HIV-1 infection.