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Nahain AA, Li J, Modhiran N, Watterson D, Li JP, Ignjatovic V, Monagle P, Tsanaktsidis J, Vamvounis G, Ferro V. Antiviral Activities of Heparan Sulfate Mimetic RAFT Polymers Against Mosquito-borne Viruses. ACS Appl Bio Mater 2024. [PMID: 38699864 DOI: 10.1021/acsabm.3c01223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2024]
Abstract
Mosquito-borne viruses are a major worldwide health problem associated with high morbidity and mortality rates and significant impacts on national healthcare budgets. The development of antiviral drugs for both the treatment and prophylaxis of these diseases is thus of considerable importance. To address the need for therapeutics with antiviral activity, a library of heparan sulfate mimetic polymers was screened against dengue virus (DENV), Yellow fever virus (YFV), Zika virus (ZIKV), and Ross River virus (RRV). The polymers were prepared by RAFT polymerization of various acidic monomers with a target MW of 20 kDa (average Mn ∼ 27 kDa by GPC). Among the polymers, poly(SS), a homopolymer of sodium styrenesulfonate, was identified as a broad spectrum antiviral with activity against all the tested viruses and particularly potent inhibition of YFV (IC50 = 310 pM). Our results further uncovered that poly(SS) exhibited a robust inhibition of ZIKV infection in both mosquito and human cell lines, which points out the potential functions of poly(SS) in preventing mosquito-borne viruses associated diseases by blocking viral transmission in their mosquito vectors and mitigating viral infection in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdullah Al Nahain
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jinlin Li
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, The Biomedical Center, University of Uppsala, 75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Naphak Modhiran
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Daniel Watterson
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Jin-Ping Li
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, The Biomedical Center, University of Uppsala, 75123 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Vera Ignjatovic
- Haematology Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - Paul Monagle
- Haematology Research, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- Department of Clinical Haematology, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
| | - John Tsanaktsidis
- CSIRO Manufacturing, Research Way, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | - George Vamvounis
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Vito Ferro
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
- Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
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Mungin JW, Chen X, Liu B. Interferon Epsilon Signaling Confers Attenuated Zika Replication in Human Vaginal Epithelial Cells. Pathogens 2022; 11:853. [PMID: 36014974 PMCID: PMC9415962 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11080853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging flavivirus that causes congenital birth defects and neurological compilations in the human host. Although ZIKV is primarily transmitted through infected mosquitos, recent studies reveal sexual contact as a potential transmission route. In vagina-bearing individuals, the vaginal epithelium constitutes the first line of defense against viruses. However, it is unclear how ZIKV interacts with the vaginal epithelium to initiate ZIKV transmission. In this study, we demonstrate that exposing ZIKV to human vaginal epithelial cells (hVECs) resulted in de novo viral RNA replication, increased envelope viral protein production, and a steady, extracellular release of infectious viral particles. Interestingly, our data show that, despite an increase in viral load, the hVECs did not exhibit significant cytopathology in culture as other cell types typically do. Furthermore, our data reveal that the innate antiviral state of hVECs plays a crucial role in preventing viral cytopathology. For the first time, our data show that interferon epsilon inhibits ZIKV replication. Collectively, our results in this study provide a novel perspective on the viral susceptibility and replication dynamics during ZIKV infection in the human vaginal epithelium. These findings will be instrumental towards developing therapeutic agents aimed at eliminating the pathology caused by the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Bindong Liu
- Centers for AIDS Health Disparity Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Physiology, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN 37208, USA; (J.W.M.J.); (X.C.)
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Frick L, Hinterland L, Renner K, Vogl M, Babl N, Heckscher S, Weigert A, Weiß S, Gläsner J, Berger R, Oefner PJ, Dettmer K, Kreutz M, Schatz V, Jantsch J. Acidic Microenvironments Found in Cutaneous Leishmania Lesions Curtail NO-Dependent Antiparasitic Macrophage Activity. Front Immunol 2022; 13:789366. [PMID: 35493523 PMCID: PMC9047701 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.789366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Local tissue acidosis affects anti-tumor immunity. In contrast, data on tissue pH levels in infected tissues and their impact on antimicrobial activity is sparse. In this study, we assessed the pH levels in cutaneous Leishmania lesions. Leishmania major-infected skin tissue displayed pH levels of 6.7 indicating that lesional pH is acidic. Next, we tested the effect of low extracellular pH on the ability of macrophages to produce leishmanicidal NO and to fight the protozoan parasite Leishmania major. Extracellular acidification led to a marked decrease in both NO production and leishmanicidal activity of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon γ (IFN-γ)-coactivated macrophages. This was not directly caused by a disruption of NOS2 expression, a shortage of reducing equivalents (NAPDH) or substrate (L-arginine), but by a direct, pH-mediated inhibition of NOS2 enzyme activity. Normalization of intracellular pH significantly increased NO production and antiparasitic activity of macrophages even in an acidic microenvironment. Overall, these findings indicate that low local tissue pH can curtail NO production and leishmanicidal activity of macrophages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linus Frick
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Regensburg and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Linda Hinterland
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Regensburg and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Renner
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany,Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Marion Vogl
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Regensburg and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Nathalie Babl
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany,Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Simon Heckscher
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Anna Weigert
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Regensburg and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Susanne Weiß
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Regensburg and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Joachim Gläsner
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Regensburg and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Raffaela Berger
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Peter J. Oefner
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Katja Dettmer
- Institute of Functional Genomics, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Marina Kreutz
- Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany,Leibniz Institute for Immunotherapy, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Valentin Schatz
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Regensburg and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Jonathan Jantsch
- Institute of Clinical Microbiology and Hygiene, University Hospital of Regensburg and University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany,*Correspondence: Jonathan Jantsch,
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Abstract
Heparan sulfate (HS) is a linear polysaccharide attached to a core protein, forming heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) that are ubiquitously expressed on the surface of almost all mammalian cells and the extracellular matrix. HS orchestrates the binding of various signal molecules to their receptors, thus, regulating many biological processes, including homeostasis, metabolism, and various pathological processes. Due to its wide distribution and negatively charged properties, HS is exploited by many viruses as a co-factor to attach to host cells. Therefore, inhibition of the interaction between virus and HS is proposed as a promising approach to mitigate viral infection, including SARS-CoV-2. In this review, we summarize the interaction manners of HS with viruses with focus on significant pathogenic RNA viruses, including alphaviruses, flaviviruses, and coronaviruses. We also provide an overview of the challenges we may face when using HS-mimetics as antivirals for clinical treatment. More studies are needed to provide a further understanding of the interplay between HS and viruses both in vitro and in vivo, which will favor the development of specific antiviral inhibitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxin Ling
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology & The Biomedical Center; Zoonosis Science Center, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden.,Zoonosis Science Center, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jinlin Li
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology & The Biomedical Center; Zoonosis Science Center, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Asifa Khan
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology & The Biomedical Center; Zoonosis Science Center, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Åke Lundkvist
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology & The Biomedical Center; Zoonosis Science Center, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden.,Zoonosis Science Center, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jin-Ping Li
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology & The Biomedical Center; Zoonosis Science Center, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden.,SciLifeLab Uppsala, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden
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