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Nazneen F, Thompson EA, Blackwell C, Bai JS, Huang F, Bai F. An effective live-attenuated Zika vaccine candidate with a modified 5' untranslated region. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:50. [PMID: 37005424 PMCID: PMC10066991 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00650-w] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-transmitted flavivirus that has caused devastating congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), including microcephaly, congenital malformation, and fetal demise in human newborns in recent epidemics. ZIKV infection can also cause Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and meningoencephalitis in adults. Despite intensive research in recent years, there are no approved vaccines or antiviral therapeutics against CZS and adult Zika diseases. In this report, we developed a novel live-attenuated ZIKV strain (named Z7) by inserting 50 RNA nucleotides (nt) into the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of a pre-epidemic ZIKV Cambodian strain, FSS13025. We used this particular ZIKV strain as it is attenuated in neurovirulence, immune antagonism, and mosquito infectivity compared with the American epidemic isolates. Our data demonstrate that Z7 replicates efficiently and produces high titers without causing apparent cytopathic effects (CPE) in Vero cells or losing the insert sequence, even after ten passages. Significantly, Z7 induces robust humoral and cellular immune responses that completely prevent viremia after a challenge with a high dose of an American epidemic ZIKV strain PRVABC59 infection in type I interferon (IFN) receptor A deficient (Ifnar1-/-) mice. Moreover, adoptive transfer of plasma collected from Z7 immunized mice protects Ifnar1-/- mice from ZIKV (strain PRVABC59) infection. These results suggest that modifying the ZIKV 5' UTR is a novel strategy to develop live-attenuated vaccine candidates for ZIKV and potentially for other flaviviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzana Nazneen
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - E Ashley Thompson
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Claire Blackwell
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Jonathan S Bai
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA
| | - Faqing Huang
- Chemistry and Biochemistry Program, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA
| | - Fengwei Bai
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, 39406, USA.
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Nazneen F, Mondal P, Ahnaf Shahed N, Khanom S, Kamal Hossain M, Ahmed F. T-BN Nanosheets as High-capacity Anode for Li- and Na-Ion Batteries: An Ab initio Study. COMPUT THEOR CHEM 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.comptc.2023.114105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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Nazneen F, Bai F. Isolate and Culture Mouse Primary Neurons for West Nile Virus Infection. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2585:23-31. [PMID: 36331762 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2760-0_4] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Primary neurons are very valuable cells to study the pathogenesis of neurotropic viruses, such as West Nile virus. The mouse primary neurons can be used to assess viral infection profiles and cellular immune responses to a viral infection. However, successful isolation and culture of mouse neurons can be challenging. Here, we report a step-by-step method to prepare a primary neuron culture from adult mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farzana Nazneen
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA
| | - Fengwei Bai
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.
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Fendereski M, Neupane B, Nazneen F, Bai F, Guo YL. Mouse Trophoblast Cells Can Provide IFN-Based Antiviral Protection to Embryonic Stem Cells via Paracrine Signaling. J Immunol 2022; 208:2761-2770. [PMID: 35649628 PMCID: PMC9308691 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The blastocyst is the preimplantation stage embryo that consists of two major components: the inner cell mass (ICM) and the trophectoderm (TE). The ICM gives rise to the fetus and some extraembryonic tissues whereas the TE contributes to development of the placenta. Previous studies have demonstrated that both human and mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) derived from the ICM are deficient in expressing type I IFNs in response to viral infection. In this study, we investigated the IFN response in mouse trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) and their in vitro differentiated trophoblasts (TSC-TBs). In this study, we report that, unlike ESCs, TSCs have a functional IFN system. They can express type I IFNs in response to viral stimuli and express IFN-stimulated genes in response to type I IFNs. TSC-TBs have a further developed IFN system and acquired the ability to express specialized type III IFN-λ. Furthermore, TSCs and TSC-TBs can provide ESCs with antiviral activity against Chikungunya, West Nile, and Zika virus infection, as demonstrated with a novel coculture model that simulates the temporal and spatial relationship between the ICM and the TE in a blastocyst. Taken together, our data demonstrate that mouse ESCs can respond to type I IFNs and gain IFN-based antiviral protection from TSCs and TSC-TBs via paracrine signaling mechanisms even though they themselves are unable to express type I IFNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mona Fendereski
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
| | - Biswas Neupane
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
| | - Farzana Nazneen
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
| | - Fengwei Bai
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
| | - Yan-Lin Guo
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
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Neupane B, Fendereski M, Nazneen F, Guo YL, Bai F. Murine Trophoblast Stem Cells and Their Differentiated Cells Attenuate Zika Virus In Vitro by Reducing Glycosylation of the Viral Envelope Protein. Cells 2021; 10:3085. [PMID: 34831310 PMCID: PMC8619372 DOI: 10.3390/cells10113085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy can cause devastating fetal neuropathological abnormalities, including microcephaly. Most studies of ZIKV infection in pregnancy have focused on post-implantation stage embryos. Currently, we have limited knowledge about how a pre-implantation stage embryo deals with a viral infection. This study investigates ZIKV infection on mouse trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) and their in vitro differentiated TSCs (DTSCs), which resemble the cellular components of the trophectoderm layer of the blastocyst that later develops into the placenta. We demonstrate that TSCs and DTSCs are permissive to ZIKV infection; however, ZIKV propagated in TSCs and DTSCs exhibit substantially lower infectivity, as shown in vitro and in a mouse model compared to ZIKV that was generated in Vero cells or mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). We further show that the low infectivity of ZIKV propagated in TSCs and DTSCs is associated with a reduced level of glycosylation on the viral envelope (E) proteins, which are essential for ZIKV to establish initial attachment by binding to cell surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). The decreased level of glycosylation on ZIKV E is, at least, partially due to the low-level expression of a glycosylation-related gene, Hexa, in TSCs and DTSCs. Furthermore, this finding is not limited to ZIKV since similar observations have been made as to the chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and West Nile virus (WNV) propagated in TSCs and DTSCs. In conclusion, our results reveal a novel phenomenon suggesting that murine TSCs and their differentiated cells may have adapted a cellular glycosylation system that can limit viral infectivity by altering the glycosylation of viral envelope proteins, therefore serving as a unique, innate anti-viral mechanism in the pre-implantation stage embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Fengwei Bai
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 39406, USA; (B.N.); (M.F.); (F.N.); (Y.-L.G.)
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Neupane B, Acharya D, Nazneen F, Gonzalez-Fernandez G, Flynt AS, Bai F. Interleukin-17A Facilitates Chikungunya Virus Infection by Inhibiting IFN-α2 Expression. Front Immunol 2020; 11:588382. [PMID: 33304351 PMCID: PMC7701120 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.588382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Interferons (IFNs) are the key components of innate immunity and are crucial for host defense against viral infections. Here, we report a novel role of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) in inhibiting IFN-α2 expression thus promoting chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection. CHIKV infected IL-17A deficient (Il17a-/- ) mice expressed a higher level of IFN-α2 and developed diminished viremia and milder footpad swelling in comparison to wild-type (WT) control mice, which was also recapitulated in IL-17A receptor-deficient (Il17ra-/- ) mice. Interestingly, IL-17A selectively blocked IFN-α2 production during CHIKV, but not West Nile virus (WNV) or Zika virus (ZIKV), infections. Recombinant IL-17A treatment inhibited CHIKV-induced IFN-α2 expression and enhanced CHIKV replication in both human and mouse cells. We further found that IL-17A inhibited IFN-α2 production by modulating the expression of Interferon Regulatory Factor-5 (IRF-5), IRF-7, IFN-stimulated gene 49 (ISG-49), and Mx1 expression during CHIKV infection. Neutralization of IL-17A in vitro leads to the increase of the expression of these antiviral molecules and decrease of CHIKV replication. Collectively, these results suggest a novel function of IL-17A in inhibiting IFN-α2-mediated antiviral responses during CHIKV infection, which may have broad implications in viral infections and other inflammatory diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Biswas Neupane
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Dhiraj Acharya
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Farzana Nazneen
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Gabriel Gonzalez-Fernandez
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Alex Sutton Flynt
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
| | - Fengwei Bai
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Center for Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, United States
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Schmidt M, Nazneen F, Georgiev Y, Herzog G, Galvin P, Petkov N. FIB Patterning of Stainless Steel for the Development of Nano-Structured Stent Surfaces for Cardiovascular Applications. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2012. [DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/371/1/012065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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