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McCall MN, Chu CY, Wang L, Benoodt L, Thakar J, Corbett A, Holden-Wiltse J, Slaunwhite C, Grier A, Gill SR, Falsey AR, Topham DJ, Caserta MT, Walsh EE, Qiu X, Mariani TJ. A systems genomics approach uncovers molecular associates of RSV severity. PLoS Comput Biol 2021; 17:e1009617. [PMID: 34962914 PMCID: PMC8746750 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection results in millions of hospitalizations and thousands of deaths each year. Variations in the adaptive and innate immune response appear to be associated with RSV severity. To investigate the host response to RSV infection in infants, we performed a systems-level study of RSV pathophysiology, incorporating high-throughput measurements of the peripheral innate and adaptive immune systems and the airway epithelium and microbiota. We implemented a novel multi-omic data integration method based on multilayered principal component analysis, penalized regression, and feature weight back-propagation, which enabled us to identify cellular pathways associated with RSV severity. In both airway and immune cells, we found an association between RSV severity and activation of pathways controlling Th17 and acute phase response signaling, as well as inhibition of B cell receptor signaling. Dysregulation of both the humoral and mucosal response to RSV may play a critical role in determining illness severity. This paper presents a novel approach to understanding the localized molecular responses to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the system-level correlates of clinical outcomes. To do this, we developed a novel statistical method able to integrate high dimensional molecular data characterizing the host airway microbota and immune and nasal gene expression. We show that this integrative approach facilitates superior performance in estimating clinical outcome as opposed to any single data type. Using this approach, we identified both cell type-specific and shared biomarkers and regulatory pathways associated with RSV severity. Specifically, we identified an association between RSV severity, activation of pathways controlling Th17, and inhibition of B cell receptor signaling, which were present in both the site of infection airway and in peripheral immune cells. These results can guide future efforts to identify biomarkers for identifying or predicting illness severity following infant RSV infection. They may also be useful as biomarkers to inform the efficacy of future interventions (e.g., therapies) or preventative measures to suppress the rate of severe disease (e.g., vaccines).
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew N McCall
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,Department of Biomedical Genetics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Chin-Yi Chu
- Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Molecular and Personalized Medicine Program, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Lu Wang
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Lauren Benoodt
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Juilee Thakar
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Anthony Corbett
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Jeanne Holden-Wiltse
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Christopher Slaunwhite
- Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Molecular and Personalized Medicine Program, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Alex Grier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Steven R Gill
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Ann R Falsey
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,Department of Medicine, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - David J Topham
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Mary T Caserta
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Edward E Walsh
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,Department of Medicine, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Xing Qiu
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
| | - Thomas J Mariani
- Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Molecular and Personalized Medicine Program, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester New York, United States of America
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Chu CY, Qiu X, McCall MN, Wang L, Corbett A, Holden-Wiltse J, Slaunwhite C, Grier A, Gill SR, Pryhuber GS, Falsey AR, Topham DJ, Caserta MT, Walsh EE, Mariani TJ. Airway Gene Expression Correlates of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease Severity and Microbiome Composition in Infants. J Infect Dis 2021; 223:1639-1649. [PMID: 32926149 PMCID: PMC8136980 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the leading cause of severe respiratory disease in infants. The causes and correlates of severe illness in the majority of infants are poorly defined. METHODS We recruited a cohort of RSV-infected infants and simultaneously assayed the molecular status of their airways and the presence of airway microbiota. We used rigorous statistical approaches to identify gene expression patterns associated with disease severity and microbiota composition, separately and in combination. RESULTS We measured comprehensive airway gene expression patterns in 106 infants with primary RSV infection. We identified an airway gene expression signature of severe illness dominated by excessive chemokine expression. We also found an association between Haemophilus influenzae, disease severity, and airway lymphocyte accumulation. Exploring the time of onset of clinical symptoms revealed acute activation of interferon signaling following RSV infection in infants with mild or moderate illness, which was absent in subjects with severe illness. CONCLUSIONS Our data reveal that airway gene expression patterns distinguish mild/moderate from severe illness. Furthermore, our data identify biomarkers that may be therapeutic targets or useful for measuring efficacy of intervention responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chin-Yi Chu
- Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Molecular and Personalized Medicine Program, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Xing Qiu
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Matthew N McCall
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Lu Wang
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Anthony Corbett
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Jeanne Holden-Wiltse
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- Clinical and Translational Science Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Christopher Slaunwhite
- Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Molecular and Personalized Medicine Program, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Alex Grier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Steven R Gill
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Gloria S Pryhuber
- Departments of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Ann R Falsey
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - David J Topham
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Mary T Caserta
- Departments of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Edward E Walsh
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Thomas J Mariani
- Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Molecular and Personalized Medicine Program, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
- Departments of Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA
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Grier A, Gill AL, Kessler HA, Corbett A, Bandyopadhyay S, Java J, Holden-Wiltse J, Falsey AR, Topham DJ, Mariani TJ, Caserta MT, Walsh EE, Gill SR. Temporal Dysbiosis of Infant Nasal Microbiota Relative to Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection. J Infect Dis 2021; 223:1650-1658. [PMID: 32926147 PMCID: PMC8136976 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiaa577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of infant respiratory disease. Infant airway microbiota has been associated with respiratory disease risk and severity. The extent to which interactions between RSV and microbiota occur in the airway, and their impact on respiratory disease susceptibility and severity, are unknown. METHODS We carried out 16S rRNA microbiota profiling of infants in the first year of life from (1) a cross-sectional cohort of 89 RSV-infected infants sampled during illness and 102 matched healthy controls, and (2) a matched longitudinal cohort of 12 infants who developed RSV infection and 12 who did not, sampled before, during, and after infection. RESULTS We identified 12 taxa significantly associated with RSV infection. All 12 taxa were differentially abundant during infection, with 8 associated with disease severity. Nasal microbiota composition was more discriminative of healthy vs infected than of disease severity. CONCLUSIONS Our findings elucidate the chronology of nasal microbiota dysbiosis and suggest an altered developmental trajectory associated with RSV infection. Microbial temporal dynamics reveal indicators of disease risk, correlates of illness and severity, and impact of RSV infection on microbiota composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex Grier
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
- Genomics Research Center, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Ann L Gill
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Haeja A Kessler
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Anthony Corbett
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Sanjukta Bandyopadhyay
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - James Java
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Jeanne Holden-Wiltse
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Ann R Falsey
- Department of Medicine, Rochester General Hospital, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - David J Topham
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Thomas J Mariani
- Division of Neonatology and Pediatric Molecular and Personalized Medicine Program, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Mary T Caserta
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Edward E Walsh
- Department of Medicine, Rochester General Hospital, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
| | - Steven R Gill
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
- Genomics Research Center, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York, USA
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Wang L, Chu CY, McCall MN, Slaunwhite C, Holden-Wiltse J, Corbett A, Falsey AR, Topham DJ, Caserta MT, Mariani TJ, Walsh EE, Qiu X. Airway gene-expression classifiers for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) disease severity in infants. BMC Med Genomics 2021; 14:57. [PMID: 33632195 PMCID: PMC7908785 DOI: 10.1186/s12920-021-00913-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background A substantial number of infants infected with RSV develop severe symptoms requiring hospitalization. We currently lack accurate biomarkers that are associated with severe illness. Method We defined airway gene expression profiles based on RNA sequencing from nasal brush samples from 106 full-tem previously healthy RSV infected subjects during acute infection (day 1–10 of illness) and convalescence stage (day 28 of illness). All subjects were assigned a clinical illness severity score (GRSS). Using AIC-based model selection, we built a sparse linear correlate of GRSS based on 41 genes (NGSS1). We also built an alternate model based upon 13 genes associated with severe infection acutely but displaying stable expression over time (NGSS2). Results NGSS1 is strongly correlated with the disease severity, demonstrating a naïve correlation (ρ) of ρ = 0.935 and cross-validated correlation of 0.813. As a binary classifier (mild versus severe), NGSS1 correctly classifies disease severity in 89.6% of the subjects following cross-validation. NGSS2 has slightly less, but comparable, accuracy with a cross-validated correlation of 0.741 and classification accuracy of 84.0%. Conclusion Airway gene expression patterns, obtained following a minimally-invasive procedure, have potential utility for development of clinically useful biomarkers that correlate with disease severity in primary RSV infection. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12920-021-00913-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Wang
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Chin-Yi Chu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Matthew N McCall
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA
| | | | - Jeanne Holden-Wiltse
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Anthony Corbett
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Ann R Falsey
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA.,Department of Medicine, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - David J Topham
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Mary T Caserta
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Thomas J Mariani
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Edward E Walsh
- Department of Medicine, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA. .,Department of Medicine, Rochester General Hospital, Rochester, NY, USA.
| | - Xing Qiu
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester School Medicine, Rochester, NY, USA.
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Unbiased analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells reveals CD4 T cell response to RSV matrix protein. Vaccine X 2020; 5:100065. [PMID: 32529184 PMCID: PMC7280769 DOI: 10.1016/j.jvacx.2020.100065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Revised: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most important cause of respiratory tract illness especially in young infants that develop severe disease requiring hospitalization, and accounting for 74,000–126,000 admissions in the United States (Rezaee et al., 2017; Resch, 2017). Observations of neonatal and infant T cells suggest that they may express different immune markers compared to T-cells from older children. Flow cytometry analysis of cellular responses using “conventional” anti-viral markers (IL2, IFN-γ, TNF, IL10 and IL4) upon RSV-peptide stimulation detected an overall low RSV response in peripheral blood. Therefore we sought an unbiased approach to identify RSV-specific immune markers using RNA-sequencing upon stimulation of infant PBMCs with overlapping peptides representing RSV antigens. To understand the cellular response using transcriptional signatures, transcription factors and cell-type specific signatures were used to investigate breadth of response across peptides. Unexpected from the ICS data, M peptide induced a response equivalent to the F-peptide and was characterized by activation of GATA2, 3, STAT3 and IRF1. This along with upregulation of several unconventional T cell signatures was only observed upon M-peptide stimulation. Moreover, signatures of natural RSV infections were identified from the data available in the public domain to investigate similarities between transcriptional signatures from PBMCs and upon peptide stimulation. This analysis also suggested activation of T cell response upon M-peptide stimulation. Hence, based on transcriptional response, markers were chosen to validate the role of M-peptide in activation of T cells. Indeed, CD4+CXCL9+ cells were identified upon M-peptide stimulation by flow cytometry. Future work using additional markers identified in this study could reveal additional unconventional T cells responding to RSV infections in infants. In conclusion, T cell responses to RSV in infants may not follow the canonical Th1/Th2 patterns of effector responses but include additional functions that may be unique to the neonatal period and correlate with clinical outcomes.
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Respiratory syncytial virus. MATERNAL IMMUNIZATION 2020. [PMCID: PMC7149541 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-814582-1.00011-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is a leading cause of hospitalization and mortality associated with lower respiratory tract illness in infants and young children worldwide. The World Health Organization recognizes the need to develop and implement prevention strategies to reduce the impact of RSV in early life as a global health priority. RSV vaccination during pregnancy is a feasible strategy to achieve this goal. Vaccines for maternal immunization against RSV are in active development and could be implemented in the near future within existing maternal-child health platforms. In addition, infant protection may be achieved through either passive antibody administration or active immunization, depending on infant health status, given that options for these complementary interventions are being developed in parallel to vaccines for maternal immunization.
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Benoodt L, Thakar J. Network Analysis of Large-Scale Data and Its Application to Immunology. Methods Mol Biol 2020; 2131:199-211. [PMID: 32162255 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0389-5_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Diseases and infections elicit a multilayered immune response which consists of molecular and cellular interaction cascades. Recent advances in high-throughput technologies have facilitated multiparameter investigation of immune cells involved in human immune responses. These multiparameter investigations generate large-scale datasets and advanced computational techniques are required to gain useful information from them. Networks or graphs offer a practical way to represent complex information and develop advanced algorithms to unveil the underlying mechanisms. Here we discuss ways to assemble and analyze networks using genome-wide transcriptional profiles. Additionally, we discuss ways to integrate information available in primary literature and databases with the networks assembled using large-scale datasets. Finally, we describe ways in which network analysis offers insights into human immune responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Benoodt
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA
| | - Juilee Thakar
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA. .,Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
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