1
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Chuong C, Cereghino C, Rai P, Bates TA, Oberer M, Weger-Lucarelli J. Author Correction: Enhanced attenuation of chikungunya vaccines expressing antiviral cytokines. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:79. [PMID: 38627437 PMCID: PMC11021412 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00868-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Chelsea Cereghino
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Tyler A Bates
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Megan Oberer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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2
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Rai P, Marano JM, Kang L, Coutermarsh-Ott S, Daamen AR, Lipsky PE, Weger-Lucarelli J. Obesity fosters severe disease outcomes in a mouse model of coronavirus infection associated with transcriptomic abnormalities. J Med Virol 2024; 96:e29587. [PMID: 38587204 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29587] [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] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 03/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Obesity has been identified as an independent risk factor for severe outcomes in humans with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other infectious diseases. Here, we established a mouse model of COVID-19 using the murine betacoronavirus, mouse hepatitis virus 1 (MHV-1). C57BL/6 and C3H/HeJ mice exposed to MHV-1 developed mild and severe disease, respectively. Obese C57BL/6 mice developed clinical manifestations similar to those of lean controls. In contrast, all obese C3H/HeJ mice succumbed by 8 days postinfection, compared to a 50% mortality rate in lean controls. Notably, both lean and obese C3H/HeJ mice exposed to MHV-1 developed lung lesions consistent with severe human COVID-19, with marked evidence of diffuse alveolar damage (DAD). To identify early predictive biomarkers of worsened disease outcomes in obese C3H/HeJ mice, we sequenced RNA from whole blood 2 days postinfection and assessed changes in gene and pathway expression. Many pathways uniquely altered in obese C3H/HeJ mice postinfection aligned with those found in humans with severe COVID-19. Furthermore, we observed altered gene expression related to the unfolded protein response and lipid metabolism in infected obese mice compared to their lean counterparts, suggesting a role in the severity of disease outcomes. This study presents a novel model for studying COVID-19 and elucidating the mechanisms underlying severe disease outcomes in obese and other hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Jeffrey M Marano
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Biomedical Affairs and Research, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, Louisiana, USA
- College of Pharmacy, University of Louisiana Monroe, Monroe, Louisiana, USA
| | - Sheryl Coutermarsh-Ott
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | | | | | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
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3
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Gannett C, Tiller K, Briganti AJ, Brown AM, Weger-Lucarelli J, Lowell AN. Forgotten Natural Products: Semisynthetic Development of Blasticidin S As an Antibiotic Lead. ACS Med Chem Lett 2024; 15:362-368. [PMID: 38505852 PMCID: PMC10945559 DOI: 10.1021/acsmedchemlett.3c00527] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Forgotten natural products offer value as antimicrobial scaffolds, providing diverse mechanisms of action that complement existing antibiotic classes. This study focuses on the derivatization of the cytotoxin blasticidin S, seeking to leverage its unique ribosome inhibition mechanism. Despite its complex zwitterionic properties, a selective protection and amidation strategy enabled the creation of a library of blasticidin S derivatives including the natural product P10. The amides exhibited significantly increased activity against Gram-positive bacteria and enhanced specificity for pathogenic bacteria over human cells. Molecular docking and computational property analysis suggested variable binding poses and indicated a potential correlation between cLogP values and activity. This work demonstrates how densely functionalized forgotten antimicrobials can be straightforwardly modified, enabling the further development of blasticidin S derivatives as lead compounds for a novel class of antibiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cole Gannett
- Department
of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center
for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
(Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Kateland Tiller
- Center
for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
(Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Anthony J. Briganti
- Department
of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Anne M. Brown
- Center
for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
(Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Research
and Informatics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Interdisciplinary
Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Center
for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
(Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department
of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Andrew N. Lowell
- Department
of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center
for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
(Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Faculty of
Health Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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4
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Chuong C, Cereghino C, Rai P, Bates TA, Oberer M, Weger-Lucarelli J. Enhanced attenuation of chikungunya vaccines expressing antiviral cytokines. NPJ Vaccines 2024; 9:59. [PMID: 38472211 PMCID: PMC10933427 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-024-00843-x] [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] [Received: 01/03/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Alphaviruses are vector-borne, medically relevant, positive-stranded RNA viruses that cause disease in animals and humans worldwide. Of this group, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is the most significant human pathogen, responsible for generating millions of infections leading to severe febrile illness and debilitating chronic joint pain. Currently, there are limited treatments to protect against alphavirus disease; thus, there is a tremendous need to generate safe and effective vaccines. Live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs) are cost-effective and potent immunization strategies capable of generating long-term protection in a single dose. However, LAVs often produce systemic viral replication, which can lead to unwanted post-vaccination side effects and pose a risk of reversion to a pathogenic phenotype and transmission to mosquitoes. Here, we utilized a chimeric infectious clone of CHIKV engineered with the domain C of the E2 gene of Semliki Forest virus (SFV) to express IFNγ and IL-21-two potent antiviral and immunomodulatory cytokines-in order to improve the LAV's attenuation while maintaining immunogenicity. The IFNγ- and IL-21-expressing vaccine candidates were stable during passage and significantly attenuated post-vaccination, as mice experienced reduced footpad swelling with minimal systemic replication and dissemination capacity compared to the parental vaccine. Additionally, these candidates provided complete protection to mice challenged with WT CHIKV. Our dual attenuation strategy represents an innovative way to generate safe and effective alphavirus vaccines that could be applied to other viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Chelsea Cereghino
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Tyler A Bates
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Megan Oberer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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5
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Marano JM, Weger-Lucarelli J. Preexisting inter-serotype immunity drives antigenic evolution of dengue virus serotype 2. Virology 2024; 590:109951. [PMID: 38096749 PMCID: PMC10855010 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.109951] [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] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Dengue virus (DENV) infects roughly 400 million people annually, causing febrile and hemorrhagic disease. While preexisting inter-serotype immunity (PISI) provides transient protection, it may drive severe disease over time. PISI's impact on virus evolution, however, is less understood. Retrospective epidemiological analyses suggest that PISI may drive DENV evolution. Using in vitro directed evolution, we explored how DENV2 evolves in the presence of DENV3/4 convalescent serum. Two post-passaging mutations (E-I6M and E-N203D) were then studied for fitness effects in mammalian and insect hosts and immune escape. E-I6M resisted neutralization, altered fitness in mammalian cell culture models, and had no effect in Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. E-N203D showed no change in neutralization sensitivity, reduced fitness in a DENV-naïve epithelial model, and no effects in the other models. These results align with surveillance data, where E-I6M emerged and disappeared, while E-203D and E-203 N cocirculate, thus suggesting that PISI can drive DENV evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Marano
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, United States; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
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6
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Rossmeisl JH, King JN, Robertson JL, Weger-Lucarelli J, Elankumaran S. Phase I/II Trial of Urokinase Plasminogen Activator-Targeted Oncolytic Newcastle Disease Virus for Canine Intracranial Tumors. Cancers (Basel) 2024; 16:564. [PMID: 38339315 PMCID: PMC10854777 DOI: 10.3390/cancers16030564] [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: 12/26/2023] [Revised: 01/24/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurotropic oncolytic viruses are appealing agents to treat brain tumors as they penetrate the blood-brain barrier and induce preferential cytolysis of neoplastic cells. The pathobiological similarities between human and canine brain tumors make immunocompetent dogs with naturally occurring tumors attractive models for the study of oncolytic virotherapies. In this dose-escalation/expansion study, an engineered Lasota NDV strain targeting the urokinase plasminogen activator system (rLAS-uPA) was administered by repetitive intravenous infusions to 20 dogs with intracranial tumors with the objectives of characterizing toxicities, immunologic responses, and neuroradiological anti-tumor effects of the virus for up to 6 months following treatment. Dose-limiting toxicities manifested as fever, hematologic, and neurological adverse events, and the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) of rLAS-uPA was 2 × 107 pfu/mL. Mild adverse events, including transient infusion reactions, diarrhea, and fever were observed in 16/18 of dogs treated at or below MTD. No infectious virus was recoverable from body fluids. Neutralizing antibodies to rLAS-uPA were present in all dogs by 2 weeks post-treatment, and viral genetic material was detected in post-treatment tumors from six dogs. Tumor volumetric reductions occurred in 2/11 dogs receiving the MTD. Systemically administered rLAS-uPA NDV was safe and induced anti-tumor effects in canine brain tumors, although modifications to evade host anti-viral immunity are needed to optimize this novel therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- John H. Rossmeisl
- Veterinary and Comparative Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (J.N.K.); (J.L.R.)
| | - Jamie N. King
- Veterinary and Comparative Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (J.N.K.); (J.L.R.)
| | - John L. Robertson
- Veterinary and Comparative Neuro-Oncology Laboratory, Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (J.N.K.); (J.L.R.)
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (J.W.-L.)
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (J.W.-L.)
| | - Subbiah Elankumaran
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (J.W.-L.)
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7
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Rai P, Webb EM, Kang L, Weger-Lucarelli J. Insulin reduces the transmission potential of chikungunya virus and activates the toll pathway in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Insect Mol Biol 2023; 32:648-657. [PMID: 37334906 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12863] [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] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus that has re-emerged globally over the last two decades and has the potential to become endemic in the United States due to the presence of competent mosquito vectors, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. CHIK disease is characterised by fever, rash, and joint pain, and causes chronic debilitating joint pain and swelling in >50% of infected individuals. Given the disease severity caused by CHIKV and the global presence of vectors to facilitate its spread, strategies to reduce viral transmission are desperately needed; however, the human biological factors driving CHIKV transmission are poorly understood. Towards that end, we have previously shown that mosquitoes fed on alphavirus-infected obese mice have reduced infection and transmission rates compared to those fed on infected lean mice despite similar viremia in lean and obese mice. One of the many host factors that increase in obese hosts is insulin, which was previously shown to impact the infection of mosquitoes by several flaviviruses. However, insulin's impact on alphavirus infection of live mosquitoes is unknown and whether insulin influences mosquito-borne virus transmission has not been tested. To test this, we exposed A. aegypti mosquitoes to bloodmeals with CHIKV in the presence or absence of physiologically relevant levels of insulin and found that insulin significantly lowered both infection and transmission rates. RNA sequencing analysis on mosquito midguts isolated at 1-day-post-infectious-bloodmeal (dpbm) showed enrichment in genes in the Toll immune pathway in the presence of insulin, which was validated by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). We then sought to determine if the Toll pathway plays a role in CHIKV infection of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes; therefore, we knocked down Myd88, a critical immune adaptor molecule for the Toll pathway, in live mosquitoes, and found increased CHIKV infection compared to the mock knockdown control group. Overall, these data demonstrate that insulin reduces CHIKV transmission by Ae. aegypti and activates the Toll pathway in mosquitoes, suggesting that conditions resulting in higher serum insulin concentrations may reduce alphavirus transmission. Finally, these studies suggest that strategies to activate insulin or Toll signalling in mosquitoes may be an effective control strategy against medically relevant alphaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Emily M Webb
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Department of Entomology, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Lin Kang
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Biomedical Research, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, Louisiana, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
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8
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Weger-Lucarelli J. One receptor, two worlds: MXRA8's alphavirus tango. Cell Host Microbe 2023; 31:1763-1764. [PMID: 37944485 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Mammalian MXRA8 functions as a receptor for chikungunya and other related alphaviruses. A recent study in Cell molecularly characterizes host-specific receptor usage, specifically showing avian MXRA8 acts as a receptor for several alphaviruses with avian reservoirs in an inverted manner relative to alphaviruses that use mammalian MXRA8 as a receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens (CeZAP), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
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9
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Jaeger AS, Marano J, Riemersma KK, Castaneda D, Pritchard EM, Pritchard JC, Bohm EK, Baczenas JJ, O'Connor SL, Weger-Lucarelli J, Friedrich TC, Aliota MT. Gain without pain: adaptation and increased virulence of Zika virus in vertebrate host without fitness cost in mosquito vector. J Virol 2023; 97:e0116223. [PMID: 37800949 PMCID: PMC10653995 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01162-23] [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] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Previously, we modeled direct transmission chains of Zika virus (ZIKV) by serially passaging ZIKV in mice and mosquitoes and found that direct mouse transmission chains selected for viruses with increased virulence in mice and the acquisition of non-synonymous amino acid substitutions. Here, we show that these same mouse-passaged viruses also maintain fitness and transmission capacity in mosquitoes. We used infectious clone-derived viruses to demonstrate that the substitution in nonstructural protein 4A contributes to increased virulence in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S. Jaeger
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Jeffrey Marano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Kasen K. Riemersma
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - David Castaneda
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Elise M. Pritchard
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Julia C. Pritchard
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ellie K. Bohm
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
| | - John J. Baczenas
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Shelby L. O'Connor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Thomas C. Friedrich
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Matthew T. Aliota
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, USA
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10
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Singh SK, King K, Gannett C, Chuong C, Joshi SY, Plate C, Farzeen P, Webb EM, Kunche LK, Weger-Lucarelli J, Lowell AN, Brown AM, Deshmukh SA. Data Driven Computational Design and Experimental Validation of Drugs for Accelerated Mitigation of Pandemic-like Scenarios. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:9490-9499. [PMID: 37850349 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c01749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Emerging pathogens are a historic threat to public health and economic stability. Current trial-and-error approaches to identify new therapeutics are often ineffective due to their inefficient exploration of the enormous small molecule design space. Here, we present a data-driven computational framework composed of hybrid evolutionary algorithms for evolving functional groups on existing drugs to improve their binding affinity toward the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2. We show that combinations of functional groups and sites are critical to design drugs with improved binding affinity, which can be easily achieved using our framework by exploring a fraction of the available search space. Atomistic simulations and experimental validation elucidate that enhanced and prolonged interactions between functionalized drugs and Mpro residues result in their improved therapeutic value over that of the parental compound. Overall, this novel framework is extremely flexible and has the potential to rapidly design inhibitors for any protein with available crystal structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samrendra K Singh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Kelsie King
- Research and Informatics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Cole Gannett
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Soumil Y Joshi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Charles Plate
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Parisa Farzeen
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Emily M Webb
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Lakshmi Kumar Kunche
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Andrew N Lowell
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Anne M Brown
- Research and Informatics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
| | - Sanket A Deshmukh
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, United States
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11
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Fitzmeyer EA, Gallichotte EN, Weger-Lucarelli J, Kapuscinski ML, Abdo Z, Pyron K, Young MC, Ebel GD. Loss of West Nile virus genetic diversity during mosquito infection due to species-dependent population bottlenecks. iScience 2023; 26:107711. [PMID: 37701570 PMCID: PMC10494182 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [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] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Revised: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Vector competence (VC) refers to the efficiency of pathogen transmission by vectors. Each step in the infection of a mosquito vector constitutes a barrier to transmission that may impose bottlenecks on virus populations. West Nile virus (WNV) is maintained by multiple mosquito species with varying VC. However, the extent to which bottlenecks and VC are linked is poorly understood. Similarly, quantitative analyses of mosquito-imposed bottlenecks on virus populations are limited. We used molecularly barcoded WNV to quantify tissue-associated population bottlenecks in three variably competent WNV vectors. Our results confirm strong population bottlenecks during mosquito infection that are capable of dramatically reshaping virus population structure in a non-selective manner. In addition, we found that mosquitoes with differing VC uniquely shape WNV population structure: highly competent vectors are more likely to contribute to the maintenance of rare viral genotypes. These findings have important implications for arbovirus emergence and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A. Fitzmeyer
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Emily N. Gallichotte
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Marylee L. Kapuscinski
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Zaid Abdo
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Kyra Pyron
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Michael C. Young
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Gregory D. Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
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12
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Boehm EC, Jaeger AS, Ries HJ, Castañeda D, Weiler AM, Valencia CC, Weger-Lucarelli J, Ebel GD, O’Connor SL, Friedrich TC, Zamanian M, Aliota MT. Wolbachia-mediated resistance to Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti is dominated by diverse transcriptional regulation and weak evolutionary pressures. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011674. [PMID: 37782672 PMCID: PMC10569609 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 10/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023] Open
Abstract
A promising candidate for arbovirus control and prevention relies on replacing arbovirus-susceptible Aedes aegypti populations with mosquitoes that have been colonized by the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia and thus have a reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses. This reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses is mediated through a phenomenon referred to as pathogen blocking. Pathogen blocking has primarily been proposed as a tool to control dengue virus (DENV) transmission, however it works against a range of viruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). Despite years of research, the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogen blocking still need to be better understood. Here, we used RNA-seq to characterize mosquito gene transcription dynamics in Ae. aegypti infected with the wMel strain of Wolbachia that are being released by the World Mosquito Program in Medellín, Colombia. Comparative analyses using ZIKV-infected, uninfected tissues, and mosquitoes without Wolbachia revealed that the influence of wMel on mosquito gene transcription is multifactorial. Importantly, because Wolbachia limits, but does not completely prevent, replication of ZIKV and other viruses in coinfected mosquitoes, there is a possibility that these viruses could evolve resistance to pathogen blocking. Therefore, to understand the influence of Wolbachia on within-host ZIKV evolution, we characterized the genetic diversity of molecularly barcoded ZIKV virus populations replicating in Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes and found that within-host ZIKV evolution was subject to weak purifying selection and, unexpectedly, loose anatomical bottlenecks in the presence and absence of Wolbachia. Together, these findings suggest that there is no clear transcriptional profile associated with Wolbachia-mediated ZIKV restriction, and that there is no evidence for ZIKV escape from this restriction in our system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C. Boehm
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Anna S. Jaeger
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Hunter J. Ries
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - David Castañeda
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Andrea M. Weiler
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Corina C. Valencia
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Gregory D. Ebel
- Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Shelby L. O’Connor
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Thomas C. Friedrich
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Mostafa Zamanian
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Matthew T. Aliota
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minnesota, United States of America
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13
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Hameed M, Rai P, Makris M, Weger-Lucarelli J. Optimized protocol for mouse footpad immune cell isolation for single-cell RNA sequencing and flow cytometry. STAR Protoc 2023; 4:102409. [PMID: 37402171 PMCID: PMC10339044 DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2023.102409] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) requires the preparation of a highly viable single-cell suspension to get reliable sequencing results. Here, we present a protocol for isolating mouse footpad leukocytes while maintaining high viability. We describe steps for footpad collection, enzymatic tissue dissociation, leukocyte isolation and purification, and cell fixation and preservation. We then detail combinatorial barcoding, library preparation, scRNA-seq, and data analysis. Cells can be used to generate a complete molecular atlas at the single cell level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muddassar Hameed
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Melissa Makris
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.
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14
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Marano JM, Cereghino C, Finkielstein CV, Weger-Lucarelli J. An in vitro workflow to create and modify infectious clones using replication cycle reaction. Virology 2023; 585:109-116. [PMID: 37331111 PMCID: PMC10528026 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2023.05.013] [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] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Revised: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
Reverse genetics systems are critical tools in combating emerging viruses which enable a better understanding of the genetic mechanisms by which viruses cause disease. Traditional cloning approaches using bacteria are fraught with difficulties due to the bacterial toxicity of many viral sequences, resulting in unwanted mutations within the viral genome. Here, we describe a novel in vitro workflow that leverages gene synthesis and replication cycle reaction to produce a supercoiled infectious clone plasmid that is easy to distribute and manipulate. We developed two infectious clones as proof of concept: a low passage dengue virus serotype 2 isolate (PUO-218) and the USA-WA1/2020 strain of SARS-CoV-2, which replicated similarly to their respective parental viruses. Furthermore, we generated a medically relevant mutant of SARS-CoV-2, Spike D614G. Results indicate that our workflow is a viable method to generate and manipulate infectious clones for viruses that are notoriously difficult for traditional bacterial-based cloning methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Marano
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
| | - Chelsea Cereghino
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
| | - Carla V Finkielstein
- Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, USA; Integrated Cellular Responses Laboratory, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, Roanoke, VA, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States.
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15
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Amoia CF, Hakizimana JN, Duggal NK, Chengula AA, Rohaim MA, Munir M, Weger-Lucarelli J, Misinzo G. Genetic Diversity of Newcastle Disease Virus Involved in the 2021 Outbreaks in Backyard Poultry Farms in Tanzania. Vet Sci 2023; 10:477. [PMID: 37505881 PMCID: PMC10385779 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci10070477] [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: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/08/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Newcastle disease virus is a significant avian pathogen with the potential to decimate poultry populations all over the world and cause enormous economic losses. Distinct NDV genotypes are currently causing outbreaks worldwide. Due to the high genetic diversity of NDV, virulent strains that may result in a lack of vaccine protection are more likely to emerge and ultimately cause larger epidemics with massive economic losses. Thus, a more comprehensive understanding of the circulating NDV genotypes is critical to reduce Newcastle disease (ND) burden. In this study, NDV strains were isolated and characterized from backyard poultry farms from Tanzania, East Africa in 2021. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) based on fusion (F) gene amplification was conducted on 79 cloacal or tracheal swabs collected from chickens during a suspected ND outbreak. Our results revealed that 50 samples out 79 (50/79; 63.3%) were NDV-positive. Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of the selected NDV isolates showed that 39 isolates belonged to subgenotype VII.2 and only one isolate belonged to subgenotype XIII.1.1. Nucleotide sequences of the NDV F genes from Tanzania were closely related to recent NDV isolates circulating in southern Africa, suggesting that subgenotype VII.2 is the predominant subgenotype throughout Tanzania and southern Africa. Our data confirm the circulation of two NDV subgenotypes in Tanzania, providing important information to design genotype-matched vaccines and to aid ND surveillance. Furthermore, these results highlight the possibility of the spread and emergence of new NDV subgenotypes with the potential of causing future ND epizootics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie F Amoia
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Biotechnology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro 67125, Tanzania
- SACIDS Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases, SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro 67125, Tanzania
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Jean N Hakizimana
- SACIDS Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases, SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro 67125, Tanzania
| | - Nisha K Duggal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Augustino A Chengula
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Biotechnology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro 67125, Tanzania
| | - Mohammed A Rohaim
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YG, UK
- Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza 12211, Egypt
| | - Muhammad Munir
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YG, UK
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Gerald Misinzo
- Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Parasitology and Biotechnology, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro 67125, Tanzania
- SACIDS Africa Centre of Excellence for Infectious Diseases, SACIDS Foundation for One Health, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro 67125, Tanzania
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16
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Boehm EC, Jaeger AS, Ries HJ, Castañeda D, Weiler AM, Valencia CC, Weger-Lucarelli J, Ebel GD, O’Connor SL, Friedrich TC, Zamanian M, Aliota MT. Wolbachia -mediated resistance to Zika virus infection in Aedes aegypti is dominated by diverse transcriptional regulation and weak evolutionary pressures. bioRxiv 2023:2023.06.26.546271. [PMID: 37425681 PMCID: PMC10327090 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.26.546271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
A promising candidate for arbovirus control and prevention relies on replacing arbovirus-susceptible Aedes aegypti populations with mosquitoes that have been colonized by the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia and thus have a reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses. This reduced capacity to transmit arboviruses is mediated through a phenomenon referred to as pathogen blocking. Pathogen blocking has primarily been proposed as a tool to control dengue virus (DENV) transmission, however it works against a range of viruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). Despite years of research, the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogen blocking still need to be better understood. Here, we used RNA-seq to characterize mosquito gene transcription dynamics in Ae. aegypti infected with the w Mel strain of Wolbachia that are being released by the World Mosquito Program in Medellín, Colombia. Comparative analyses using ZIKV-infected, uninfected tissues, and mosquitoes without Wolbachia revealed that the influence of w Mel on mosquito gene transcription is multifactorial. Importantly, because Wolbachia limits, but does not completely prevent, replication of ZIKV and other viruses in coinfected mosquitoes, there is a possibility that these viruses could evolve resistance to pathogen blocking. Therefore, to understand the influence of Wolbachia on within-host ZIKV evolution, we characterized the genetic diversity of molecularly barcoded ZIKV virus populations replicating in Wolbachia -infected mosquitoes and found that within-host ZIKV evolution was subject to weak purifying selection and, unexpectedly, loose anatomical bottlenecks in the presence and absence of Wolbachia . Together, these findings suggest that there is no clear transcriptional profile associated with Wolbachia -mediated ZIKV restriction, and that there is no evidence for ZIKV escape from this restriction in our system. Author Summary When Wolbachia bacteria infect Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, they dramatically reduce the mosquitoes' susceptibility to infection with a range of arthropod-borne viruses, including Zika virus (ZIKV). Although this pathogen-blocking effect has been widely recognized, its mechanisms remain unclear. Furthermore, because Wolbachia limits, but does not completely prevent, replication of ZIKV and other viruses in coinfected mosquitoes, there is a possibility that these viruses could evolve resistance to Wolbachia -mediated blocking. Here, we use host transcriptomics and viral genome sequencing to examine the mechanisms of ZIKV pathogen blocking by Wolbachia and viral evolutionary dynamics in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. We find complex transcriptome patterns that do not suggest a single clear mechanism for pathogen blocking. We also find no evidence that Wolbachia exerts detectable selective pressures on ZIKV in coinfected mosquitoes. Together our data suggest that it may be difficult for ZIKV to evolve Wolbachia resistance, perhaps due to the complexity of the pathogen blockade mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C. Boehm
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Anna S. Jaeger
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Hunter J. Ries
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - David Castañeda
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Andrea M. Weiler
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Corina C. Valencia
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | | | | | - Shelby L. O’Connor
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Thomas C. Friedrich
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Mostafa Zamanian
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Matthew T. Aliota
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
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17
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Webb EM, Compton A, Rai P, Chuong C, Paulson SL, Tu Z, Weger-Lucarelli J. Expression of anti-chikungunya single-domain antibodies in transgenic Aedes aegypti reduces vector competence for chikungunya virus and Mayaro virus. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1189176. [PMID: 37378291 PMCID: PMC10291133 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1189176] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Mayaro virus (MAYV) are closely related alphaviruses that cause acute febrile illness accompanied by an incapacitating polyarthralgia that can persist for years following initial infection. In conjunction with sporadic outbreaks throughout the sub-tropical regions of the Americas, increased global travel to CHIKV- and MAYV-endemic areas has resulted in imported cases of MAYV, as well as imported cases and autochthonous transmission of CHIKV, within the United States and Europe. With increasing prevalence of CHIKV worldwide and MAYV throughout the Americas within the last decade, a heavy focus has been placed on control and prevention programs. To date, the most effective means of controlling the spread of these viruses is through mosquito control programs. However, current programs have limitations in their effectiveness; therefore, novel approaches are necessary to control the spread of these crippling pathogens and lessen their disease burden. We have previously identified and characterized an anti-CHIKV single-domain antibody (sdAb) that potently neutralizes several alphaviruses including Ross River virus and Mayaro virus. Given the close antigenic relationship between MAYV and CHIKV, we formulated a single defense strategy to combat both emerging arboviruses: we generated transgenic Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that express two camelid-derived anti-CHIKV sdAbs. Following an infectious bloodmeal, we observed significant reduction in CHIKV and MAYV replication and transmission potential in sdAb-expressing transgenic compared to wild-type mosquitoes; thus, this strategy provides a novel approach to controlling and preventing outbreaks of these pathogens that reduce quality of life throughout the tropical regions of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M. Webb
- Department of Entomology, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Austin Compton
- Department of Biochemistry, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Sally L. Paulson
- Department of Entomology, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Zhijian Tu
- Department of Biochemistry, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Entomology, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Fralin Life Sciences Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
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18
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Talmi-Frank D, Byas AD, Murrieta R, Weger-Lucarelli J, Rückert C, Gallichotte EN, Yoshimoto JA, Allen C, Bosco-Lauth AM, Graham B, Felix TA, Brault AC, Ebel GD. Intracellular Diversity of WNV within Circulating Avian Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Reveals Host-Dependent Patterns of Polyinfection. Pathogens 2023; 12:767. [PMID: 37375457 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12060767] [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: 03/28/2023] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) populations exist as mutant swarms that are maintained between arthropods and vertebrates. West Nile virus (WNV) population dynamics are host-dependent. In American crows, purifying selection is weak and population diversity is high compared to American robins, which have 100- to 1000-fold lower viremia. WNV passed in robins leads to fitness gains, whereas that passed in crows does not. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that high crow viremia allows for higher genetic diversity within individual avian peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), reasoning that this could have produced the previously observed host-specific differences in genetic diversity and fitness. Specifically, we infected cells and birds with a molecularly barcoded WNV and sequenced viral RNA from single cells to quantify the number of WNV barcodes in each. Our results demonstrate that the richness of WNV populations within crows far exceeds that in robins. Similarly, rare WNV variants were maintained by crows more frequently than by robins. Our results suggest that increased viremia in crows relative to robins leads to the maintenance of defective genomes and less prevalent variants, presumably through complementation. Our findings further suggest that weaker purifying selection in highly susceptible crows is attributable to this higher viremia, polyinfections and complementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalit Talmi-Frank
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Alex D Byas
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Reyes Murrieta
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Emily N Gallichotte
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Janna A Yoshimoto
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Chris Allen
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Angela M Bosco-Lauth
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Barbara Graham
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Todd A Felix
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Lakewood, CO 80228, USA
| | - Aaron C Brault
- Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO 80521, USA
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Center for Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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19
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Gannett C, Banks P, Chuong C, Weger-Lucarelli J, Mevers E, Lowell AN. Semisynthetic blasticidin S ester derivatives show enhanced antibiotic activity. RSC Med Chem 2023; 14:782-789. [PMID: 37122539 PMCID: PMC10131614 DOI: 10.1039/d2md00412g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
A rich potential source of new antibiotics are undeveloped natural product cytotoxins, provided they can be derivatized to restrict their activity to bacteria. In this work, we describe modification of one such candidate, the broad-spectrum, translation termination inhibitor, blasticidin S. By semisynthetically modifying blasticidin S, we produced a series of ester derivatives of this highly polar, zwitterionic compound in a single step. These derivatives showed a marked increase in activity against Gram-positive bacteria and an increase in selectivity index for pathogenic bacteria over human cells. The results of this study suggest that semisynthetic derivatization of blasticidin S and other neglected natural product antimicrobials has the potential to increase their activity against and selectivity for bacteria, an approach that can be leveraged for the development of leads against antimicrobial resistant pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cole Gannett
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA (540) 231 5842
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
| | - Paige Banks
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA (540) 231 5842
| | - Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
| | - Emily Mevers
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA (540) 231 5842
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
| | - Andrew N Lowell
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA (540) 231 5842
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) Blacksburg VA 24061 USA
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20
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Cereghino C, Roesch F, Carrau L, Hardy A, Ribeiro-Filho HV, Henrion-Lacritick A, Koh C, Marano JM, Bates TA, Rai P, Chuong C, Akter S, Vallet T, Blanc H, Elliott TJ, Brown AM, Michalak P, LeRoith T, Bloom JD, Marques RE, Saleh MC, Vignuzzi M, Weger-Lucarelli J. The E2 glycoprotein holds key residues for Mayaro virus adaptation to the urban Aedes aegypti mosquito. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1010491. [PMID: 37018377 PMCID: PMC10109513 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1010491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Adaptation to mosquito vectors suited for transmission in urban settings is a major driver in the emergence of arboviruses. To better anticipate future emergence events, it is crucial to assess their potential to adapt to new vector hosts. In this work, we used two different experimental evolution approaches to study the adaptation process of an emerging alphavirus, Mayaro virus (MAYV), to Ae. aegypti, an urban mosquito vector of many other arboviruses. We identified E2-T179N as a key mutation increasing MAYV replication in insect cells and enhancing transmission after escaping the midgut of live Ae. aegypti. In contrast, this mutation decreased viral replication and binding in human fibroblasts, a primary cellular target of MAYV in humans. We also showed that MAYV E2-T179N generates reduced viremia and displays less severe tissue pathology in vivo in a mouse model. We found evidence in mouse fibroblasts that MAYV E2-T179N is less dependent on the Mxra8 receptor for replication than WT MAYV. Similarly, exogenous expression of human apolipoprotein receptor 2 and Mxra8 enhanced WT MAYV replication compared to MAYV E2-T179N. When this mutation was introduced in the closely related chikungunya virus, which has caused major outbreaks globally in the past two decades, we observed increased replication in both human and insect cells, suggesting E2 position 179 is an important determinant of alphavirus host-adaptation, although in a virus-specific manner. Collectively, these results indicate that adaptation at the T179 residue in MAYV E2 may result in increased vector competence-but coming at the cost of optimal replication in humans-and may represent a first step towards a future emergence event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea Cereghino
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Ferdinand Roesch
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
- UMR 1282 ISP, INRAE Centre Val de Loire, Nouzilly, France
| | - Lucía Carrau
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
- Department of Microbiology, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, United States of America
| | - Alexandra Hardy
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Helder V. Ribeiro-Filho
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Annabelle Henrion-Lacritick
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Cassandra Koh
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Jeffrey M. Marano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Tyler A. Bates
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Shamima Akter
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Thomas Vallet
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Hervé Blanc
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Truitt J. Elliott
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Research and Informatics, University Libraries, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Anne M. Brown
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, Louisiana, United States of America
- Center for One Health Research, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, Untied States of Ameria
- Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tanya LeRoith
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Jesse D. Bloom
- Basic Sciences Division and Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Rafael Elias Marques
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria-Carla Saleh
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNA Interference Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Marco Vignuzzi
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique UMR 3569, Paris, France
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21
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Jaeger AS, Marano J, Riemersma K, Castañeda D, Pritchard E, Pritchard J, Bohm EK, Baczenas JJ, O’Connor SL, Weger-Lucarelli J, Friedrich TC, Aliota MT. Gain without pain: Adaptation and increased virulence of Zika virus in vertebrate host without fitness cost in mosquito vector. bioRxiv 2023:2023.03.20.533515. [PMID: 36993525 PMCID: PMC10055270 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.20.533515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) is now in a post-pandemic period, for which the potential for re-emergence and future spread is unknown. Adding to this uncertainty is the unique capacity of ZIKV to directly transmit between humans via sexual transmission. Recently, we demonstrated that direct transmission of ZIKV between vertebrate hosts leads to rapid adaptation resulting in enhanced virulence in mice and the emergence of three amino acid substitutions (NS2A-A117V, NS2A-A117T, and NS4A-E19G) shared among all vertebrate-passaged lineages. Here, we further characterized these host-adapted viruses and found that vertebrate-passaged viruses also have enhanced transmission potential in mosquitoes. To understand the contribution of genetic changes to the enhanced virulence and transmission phenotype, we engineered these amino acid substitutions, singly and in combination, into a ZIKV infectious clone. We found that NS4A-E19G contributed to the enhanced virulence and mortality phenotype in mice. Further analyses revealed that NS4A-E19G results in increased neurotropism and distinct innate immune signaling patterns in the brain. None of the substitutions contributed to changes in transmission potential in mosquitoes. Together, these findings suggest that direct transmission chains could enable the emergence of more virulent ZIKV strains without compromising mosquito transmission capacity, although the underlying genetics of these adaptations are complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna S. Jaeger
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Jeffrey Marano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
| | - Kasen Riemersma
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - David Castañeda
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Elise Pritchard
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Julia Pritchard
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - Ellie K. Bohm
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
| | - John J. Baczenas
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - Shelby L. O’Connor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, United States
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
| | - Thomas C. Friedrich
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison
| | - Matthew T. Aliota
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
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22
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Marano JM, Weger-Lucarelli J. Replication in the presence of dengue convalescent serum impacts Zika virus neutralization sensitivity and fitness. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1130749. [PMID: 36968111 PMCID: PMC10034770 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1130749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
IntroductionFlaviviruses like dengue virus (DENV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) are mosquito-borne viruses that cause febrile, hemorrhagic, and neurological diseases in humans, resulting in 400 million infections annually. Due to their co-circulation in many parts of the world, flaviviruses must replicate in the presence of pre-existing adaptive immune responses targeted at serologically closely related pathogens, which can provide protection or enhance disease. However, the impact of pre-existing cross-reactive immunity as a driver of flavivirus evolution, and subsequently the implications on the emergence of immune escape variants, is poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated how replication in the presence of convalescent dengue serum drives ZIKV evolution.MethodsWe used an in vitro directed evolution system, passaging ZIKV in the presence of serum from humans previously infected with DENV (anti-DENV) or serum from DENV-naïve patients (control serum). Following five passages in the presence of serum, we performed next-generation sequencing to identify mutations that arose during passaging. We studied two non-synonymous mutations found in the anti-DENV passaged population (E-V355I and NS1-T139A) by generating individual ZIKV mutants and assessing fitness in mammalian cells and live mosquitoes, as well as their sensitivity to antibody neutralization.Results and discussionBoth viruses had increased fitness in Vero cells with and without the addition of anti-DENV serum and in human lung epithelial and monocyte cells. In Aedes aegypti mosquitoes—using blood meals with and without anti-DENV serum—the mutant viruses had significantly reduced fitness compared to wild-type ZIKV. These results align with the trade-off hypothesis of constrained mosquito-borne virus evolution. Notably, only the NS1-T139A mutation escaped neutralization, while E-V335I demonstrated enhanced neutralization sensitivity to neutralization by anti-DENV serum, indicating that neutralization escape is not necessary for viruses passaged under cross-reactive immune pressures. Future studies are needed to assess cross-reactive immune selection in humans and relevant animal models or with different flaviviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M. Marano
- Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Roanoke, VA, United States
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
- *Correspondence: James Weger-Lucarelli,
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23
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Oliveira G, Vogels CBF, Zolfaghari A, Saraf S, Klitting R, Weger-Lucarelli J, P. Leon K, Ontiveros CO, Agarwal R, Tsetsarkin KA, Harris E, Ebel GD, Wohl S, Grubaugh ND, Andersen KG. Genomic and phenotypic analyses suggest moderate fitness differences among Zika virus lineages. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2023; 17:e0011055. [PMID: 36753510 PMCID: PMC9907835 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0011055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
RNA viruses have short generation times and high mutation rates, allowing them to undergo rapid molecular evolution during epidemics. However, the extent of RNA virus phenotypic evolution within epidemics and the resulting effects on fitness and virulence remain mostly unknown. Here, we screened the 2015-2016 Zika epidemic in the Americas for lineage-specific fitness differences. We engineered a library of recombinant viruses representing twelve major Zika virus lineages and used them to measure replicative fitness within disease-relevant human primary cells and live mosquitoes. We found that two of these lineages conferred significant in vitro replicative fitness changes among human primary cells, but we did not find fitness changes in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Additionally, we found evidence for elevated levels of positive selection among five amino acid sites that define major Zika virus lineages. While our work suggests that Zika virus may have acquired several phenotypic changes during a short time scale, these changes were relatively moderate and do not appear to have enhanced transmission during the epidemic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn Oliveira
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Chantal B. F. Vogels
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Ashley Zolfaghari
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Sharada Saraf
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Raphaelle Klitting
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Karla P. Leon
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Carlos O. Ontiveros
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Rimjhim Agarwal
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Konstantin A. Tsetsarkin
- Laboratory of Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Eva Harris
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Gregory D. Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Shirlee Wohl
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Nathan D. Grubaugh
- Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Yale School of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NDG); (KGA)
| | - Kristian G. Andersen
- Department of Immunology and Microbiology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America
- * E-mail: (NDG); (KGA)
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24
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Frank DT, Byas AD, Murrieta R, Weger-Lucarelli J, Rückert C, Gallichotte E, Yoshimoto JA, Allen C, Bosco-Lauth AM, Graham B, Felix TA, Brault A, Ebel GD. Intracellular diversity of WNV within circulating avian peripheral blood mononuclear cells reveals host-dependent patterns of polyinfection. bioRxiv 2023:2023.01.27.525959. [PMID: 36747638 PMCID: PMC9900929 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.27.525959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Error-prone replication of RNA viruses generates the genetic diversity required for adaptation within rapidly changing environments. Thus, arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) populations exist in nature as mutant swarms that are maintained between arthropods and vertebrates. Previous studies have demonstrated that West Nile virus (WNV) population dynamics are host dependent: In American crows, which experience extremely high viremia, purifying selection is weak and population diversity is high compared to American robins, which have 100 to 1000-fold lower viremia. WNV passed in robins experiences fitness gains, whereas that passed in crows does not. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that high crow viremia allows higher genetic diversity within individual avian peripheral-blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), reasoning that this could have produced the previously observed host-specific differences in genetic diversity and fitness. Specifically, we infected cells and birds with a novel, barcoded version of WNV and sequenced viral RNA from single cells to quantify the number of WNV barcodes that each contained. Our results demonstrate that the richness of WNV populations within crows far exceeds that in robins. Similarly, rare WNV variants were maintained by crows more frequently than by robins. Our results suggest that increased viremia in crows relative to robins leads to maintenance of defective genomes and less prevalent variants, presumably through complementation. Our findings further suggest that weaker purifying selection in highly susceptible crows is attributable to this higher viremia, polyinfections and complementation. These studies further document the role of particular, ecologically relevant hosts in shaping virus population structure. Author Summary WNV mutational diversity in vertebrates is species-dependent. In crows, low frequency variants are common, and viral populations are more diverse. In robins, fewer mutations become permanent fixtures of the overall viral population. We infected crows, robins and a chicken cell line with a genetically marked (barcoded) WNV. Higher levels of virus led to multiple unique WNV genomes infecting individual cells, even when a genotype was present at low levels in the input viral stock. Our findings suggest that higher levels of circulating virus in natural hosts allow less fit viruses to survive in RNA virus populations through complementation by more fit viruses. This is significant as it allows less represented and less fit viruses to be maintained at low levels until they potentially emerge when virus environments change. Overall our data reveal new insights on the relationships between host susceptibility to high viremia and virus evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalit Talmi Frank
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Alex D. Byas
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Reyes Murrieta
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, USA
| | - Emily Gallichotte
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Janna A. Yoshimoto
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Chris Allen
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Angela M. Bosco-Lauth
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Barbara Graham
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Todd A. Felix
- United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, Golden, CO, USA
| | - Aaron Brault
- Division of Vector-borne Diseases, National Center for Emerging Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Gregory D. Ebel
- Center for Vector-borne Infectious Diseases, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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25
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Geerling E, Hameed M, Weger-Lucarelli J, Pinto AK. Metabolic syndrome and aberrant immune responses to viral infection and vaccination: Insights from small animal models. Front Immunol 2022; 13:1015563. [PMID: 36532060 PMCID: PMC9747772 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.1015563] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
This review outlines the propensity for metabolic syndrome (MetS) to induce elevated disease severity, higher mortality rates post-infection, and poor vaccination outcomes for viral pathogens. MetS is a cluster of conditions including high blood glucose, an increase in circulating low-density lipoproteins and triglycerides, abdominal obesity, and elevated blood pressure which often overlap in their occurrence. MetS diagnoses are on the rise, as reported cases have increased by greater than 35% since 1988, resulting in one-third of United States adults currently diagnosed as MetS patients. In the aftermath of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, a link between MetS and disease severity was established. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted to illuminate the impact of MetS on enhancing virally induced morbidity and dysregulation of the host immune response. These correlative studies have emphasized the need for elucidating the mechanisms by which these alterations occur, and animal studies conducted as early as the 1940s have linked the conditions associated with MetS with enhanced viral disease severity and poor vaccine outcomes. In this review, we provide an overview of the importance of considering overall metabolic health in terms of cholesterolemia, glycemia, triglyceridemia, insulin and other metabolic molecules, along with blood pressure levels and obesity when studying the impact of metabolism-related malignancies on immune function. We highlight the novel insights that small animal models have provided for MetS-associated immune dysfunction following viral infection. Such animal models of aberrant metabolism have paved the way for our current understanding of MetS and its impact on viral disease severity, dysregulated immune responses to viral pathogens, poor vaccination outcomes, and contributions to the emergence of viral variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Geerling
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Muddassar Hameed
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States,Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States,Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Amelia K. Pinto
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States,*Correspondence: Amelia K. Pinto,
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26
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Hameed M, Geerling E, Pinto AK, Miraj I, Weger-Lucarelli J. Immune response to arbovirus infection in obesity. Front Immunol 2022; 13:968582. [PMID: 36466818 PMCID: PMC9716109 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.968582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a global health problem that affects 650 million people worldwide and leads to diverse changes in host immunity. Individuals with obesity experience an increase in the size and the number of adipocytes, which function as an endocrine organ and release various adipocytokines such as leptin and adiponectin that exert wide ranging effects on other cells. In individuals with obesity, macrophages account for up to 40% of adipose tissue (AT) cells, three times more than in adipose tissue (10%) of healthy weight individuals and secrete several cytokines and chemokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, chemokine C-C ligand (CCL)-2, IL-6, CCL5, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, leading to the development of inflammation. Overall, obesity-derived cytokines strongly affect immune responses and make patients with obesity more prone to severe symptoms than patients with a healthy weight. Several epidemiological studies reported a strong association between obesity and severe arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infections such as dengue virus (DENV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Sindbis virus (SINV). Recently, experimental investigations found that DENV, WNV, CHIKV and Mayaro virus (MAYV) infections cause worsened disease outcomes in infected diet induced obese (DIO) mice groups compared to infected healthy-weight animals. The mechanisms leading to higher susceptibility to severe infections in individuals with obesity remain unknown, though a better understanding of the causes will help scientists and clinicians develop host directed therapies to treat severe disease. In this review article, we summarize the effects of obesity on the host immune response in the context of arboviral infections. We have outlined that obesity makes the host more susceptible to infectious agents, likely by disrupting the functions of innate and adaptive immune cells. We have also discussed the immune response of DIO mouse models against some important arboviruses such as CHIKV, MAYV, DENV, and WNV. We can speculate that obesity-induced disruption of innate and adaptive immune cell function in arboviral infections ultimately affects the course of arboviral disease. Therefore, further studies are needed to explore the cellular and molecular aspects of immunity that are compromised in obesity during arboviral infections or vaccination, which will be helpful in developing specific therapeutic/prophylactic interventions to prevent immunopathology and disease progression in individuals with obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muddassar Hameed
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Elizabeth Geerling
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Amelia K. Pinto
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, United States
| | - Iqra Miraj
- College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, United States
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Murrieta RA, Garcia-Luna SM, Murrieta DJ, Halladay G, Young MC, Fauver JR, Gendernalik A, Weger-Lucarelli J, Rückert C, Ebel GD. Impact of extrinsic incubation temperature on natural selection during Zika virus infection of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009433. [PMID: 34752502 PMCID: PMC8629396 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009433] [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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2021] [Revised: 11/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) require replication across a wide range of temperatures to perpetuate. While vertebrate hosts tend to maintain temperatures of approximately 37°C—40°C, arthropods are subject to ambient temperatures which can have a daily fluctuation of > 10°C. Temperatures impact vector competence, extrinsic incubation period, and mosquito survival unimodally, with optimal conditions occurring at some intermediate temperature. In addition, the mean and range of daily temperature fluctuations influence arbovirus perpetuation and vector competence. The impact of temperature on arbovirus genetic diversity during systemic mosquito infection, however, is poorly understood. Therefore, we determined how constant extrinsic incubation temperatures of 25°C, 28°C, 32°C, and 35°C control Zika virus (ZIKV) vector competence and population dynamics within Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. We also examined fluctuating temperatures which better mimic field conditions in the tropics. We found that vector competence varied in a unimodal manner for constant temperatures peaking between 28°C and 32°C for both Aedes species. Transmission peaked at 10 days post-infection for Aedes aegypti and 14 days for Aedes albopictus. Conversely, fluctuating temperature decreased vector competence. Using RNA-seq to characterize ZIKV population structure, we identified that temperature alters the selective environment in unexpected ways. During mosquito infection, constant temperatures more often elicited positive selection whereas fluctuating temperatures led to strong purifying selection in both Aedes species. These findings demonstrate that temperature has multiple impacts on ZIKV biology, including major effects on the selective environment within mosquitoes. Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have emerged in recent decades due to complex factors that include increases in international travel and trade, the breakdown of public health infrastructure, land use changes, and many others. Climate change also has the potential to shift the geographical ranges of arthropod vectors, consequently increasing the global risk of arbovirus infection. Changing temperatures may alter the virus-host interaction, ultimately resulting in the emergence of new viruses and virus genotypes in new areas. Therefore, we sought to characterize how temperature (both constant and fluctuating) alters the ability of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus to transmit Zika virus, and how it influences virus populations within mosquitoes. We found that intermediate temperatures maximize virus transmission compared to more extreme and fluctuating temperatures. Constant temperatures increased positive selection on virus genomes, while fluctuating temperatures strengthened purifying selection. Our studies provide evidence that in addition to altering vector competence, temperature significantly influences natural selection within mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reyes A. Murrieta
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Selene M. Garcia-Luna
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Deedra J. Murrieta
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Gareth Halladay
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Michael C. Young
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Joseph R. Fauver
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Yale School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Laboratory of Epidemiology of Public Health, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America
| | - Alex Gendernalik
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Sciences & Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, United States of America
| | - Gregory D. Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Porier DL, Wilson SN, Auguste DI, Leber A, Coutermarsh-Ott S, Allen IC, Caswell CC, Budnick JA, Bassaganya-Riera J, Hontecillas R, Weger-Lucarelli J, Weaver SC, Auguste AJ. Enemy of My Enemy: A Novel Insect-Specific Flavivirus Offers a Promising Platform for a Zika Virus Vaccine. Vaccines (Basel) 2021; 9:vaccines9101142. [PMID: 34696250 PMCID: PMC8539214 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines9101142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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: 08/25/2021] [Revised: 09/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Vaccination remains critical for viral disease outbreak prevention and control, but conventional vaccine development typically involves trade-offs between safety and immunogenicity. We used a recently discovered insect-specific flavivirus as a vector in order to develop an exceptionally safe, flavivirus vaccine candidate with single-dose efficacy. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of this platform, we created a chimeric Zika virus (ZIKV) vaccine candidate, designated Aripo/Zika virus (ARPV/ZIKV). ZIKV has caused immense economic and public health impacts throughout the Americas and remains a significant public health threat. ARPV/ZIKV vaccination showed exceptional safety due to ARPV/ZIKV’s inherent vertebrate host-restriction. ARPV/ZIKV showed no evidence of replication or translation in vitro and showed no hematological, histological or pathogenic effects in vivo. A single-dose immunization with ARPV/ZIKV induced rapid and robust neutralizing antibody and cellular responses, which offered complete protection against ZIKV-induced morbidity, mortality and in utero transmission in immune-competent and -compromised murine models. Splenocytes derived from vaccinated mice demonstrated significant CD4+ and CD8+ responses and significant cytokine production post-antigen exposure. Altogether, our results further support that chimeric insect-specific flaviviruses are a promising strategy to restrict flavivirus emergence via vaccine development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle L. Porier
- Department of Entomology, Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (D.L.P.); (S.N.W.); (D.I.A.)
| | - Sarah N. Wilson
- Department of Entomology, Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (D.L.P.); (S.N.W.); (D.I.A.)
| | - Dawn I. Auguste
- Department of Entomology, Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (D.L.P.); (S.N.W.); (D.I.A.)
| | - Andrew Leber
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (A.L.); (J.B.-R.); (R.H.)
| | - Sheryl Coutermarsh-Ott
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.C.-O.); (I.C.A.); (C.C.C.); (J.A.B.); (J.W.-L.)
| | - Irving C. Allen
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.C.-O.); (I.C.A.); (C.C.C.); (J.A.B.); (J.W.-L.)
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Clayton C. Caswell
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.C.-O.); (I.C.A.); (C.C.C.); (J.A.B.); (J.W.-L.)
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - James A. Budnick
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.C.-O.); (I.C.A.); (C.C.C.); (J.A.B.); (J.W.-L.)
- Center for One Health Research, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Josep Bassaganya-Riera
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (A.L.); (J.B.-R.); (R.H.)
| | - Raquel Hontecillas
- Nutritional Immunology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory Institute, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (A.L.); (J.B.-R.); (R.H.)
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.C.-O.); (I.C.A.); (C.C.C.); (J.A.B.); (J.W.-L.)
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Scott C. Weaver
- World Reference Center for Emerging Viruses and Arboviruses, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA;
- Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Albert J. Auguste
- Department of Entomology, Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (D.L.P.); (S.N.W.); (D.I.A.)
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic, and Arthropod-Borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
- Correspondence:
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Kang L, He G, Sharp AK, Wang X, Brown AM, Michalak P, Weger-Lucarelli J. A selective sweep in the Spike gene has driven SARS-CoV-2 human adaptation. Cell 2021; 184:4392-4400.e4. [PMID: 34289344 PMCID: PMC8260498 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [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: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic underscores the need to better understand animal-to-human transmission of coronaviruses and adaptive evolution within new hosts. We scanned more than 182,000 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) genomes for selective sweep signatures and found a distinct footprint of positive selection located around a non-synonymous change (A1114G; T372A) within the spike protein receptor-binding domain (RBD), predicted to remove glycosylation and increase binding to human ACE2 (hACE2), the cellular receptor. This change is present in all human SARS-CoV-2 sequences but not in closely related viruses from bats and pangolins. As predicted, T372A RBD bound hACE2 with higher affinity in experimental binding assays. We engineered the reversion mutant (A372T) and found that A372 (wild-type [WT]-SARS-CoV-2) enhanced replication in human lung cells relative to its putative ancestral variant (T372), an effect that was 20 times greater than the well-known D614G mutation. Our findings suggest that this mutation likely contributed to SARS-CoV-2 emergence from animal reservoirs or enabled sustained human-to-human transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Kang
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, LA 71203, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Guijuan He
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Amanda K Sharp
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Xiaofeng Wang
- School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Anne M Brown
- Program in Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology (GBCB), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; Research and Informatics, University Libraries, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Pawel Michalak
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Monroe, LA 71203, USA; Center for One Health Research, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; Institute of Evolution, Haifa University, Haifa 3498838, Israel.
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA.
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Callahan V, Hawks S, Crawford MA, Lehman CW, Morrison HA, Ivester HM, Akhrymuk I, Boghdeh N, Flor R, Finkielstein CV, Allen IC, Weger-Lucarelli J, Duggal N, Hughes MA, Kehn-Hall K. The Pro-Inflammatory Chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10 and CXCL11 Are Upregulated Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection in an AKT-Dependent Manner. Viruses 2021; 13:1062. [PMID: 34205098 PMCID: PMC8226769 DOI: 10.3390/v13061062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [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: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly transmissible RNA virus that is the causative agent of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Patients with severe COVID-19 may develop acute lung injury (ALI) or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and require mechanical ventilation. Key features of SARS-CoV-2 induced pulmonary complications include an overexpression of pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines that contribute to a 'cytokine storm.' In the current study an inflammatory state in Calu-3 human lung epithelial cells was characterized in which significantly elevated transcripts of the immunostimulatory chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 were present. Additionally, an increase in gene expression of the cytokines IL-6, TNFα, and IFN-γ was observed. The transcription of CXCL9, CXCL10, IL-6, and IFN-γ was also induced in the lungs of human transgenic angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. To elucidate cell signaling pathways responsible for chemokine upregulation in SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, small molecule inhibitors targeting key signaling kinases were used. The induction of CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 gene expression in response to SARS-CoV-2 infection was markedly reduced by treatment with the AKT inhibitor GSK690693. Samples from COVID-19 positive individuals also displayed marked increases in CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11 transcripts as well as transcripts in the AKT pathway. The current study elucidates potential pathway specific targets for reducing the induction of chemokines that may be contributing to SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis via hyperinflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Callahan
- National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Manassas, VA 20110, USA; (V.C.); (N.B.); (R.F.)
| | - Seth Hawks
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.H.); (C.W.L.); (H.A.M.); (I.A.); (I.C.A.); (J.W.-L.); (N.D.)
| | - Matthew A. Crawford
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (M.A.C.); (M.A.H.)
| | - Caitlin W. Lehman
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.H.); (C.W.L.); (H.A.M.); (I.A.); (I.C.A.); (J.W.-L.); (N.D.)
| | - Holly A. Morrison
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.H.); (C.W.L.); (H.A.M.); (I.A.); (I.C.A.); (J.W.-L.); (N.D.)
| | - Hannah M. Ivester
- Graduate Program in Translational Biology, Medicine and Health, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, VA 24061, USA;
| | - Ivan Akhrymuk
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.H.); (C.W.L.); (H.A.M.); (I.A.); (I.C.A.); (J.W.-L.); (N.D.)
| | - Niloufar Boghdeh
- National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Manassas, VA 20110, USA; (V.C.); (N.B.); (R.F.)
| | - Rafaela Flor
- National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Manassas, VA 20110, USA; (V.C.); (N.B.); (R.F.)
| | - Carla V. Finkielstein
- Integrated Cellular Responses Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Center for Drug Discovery, Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Roanoke, VA 24016, USA;
| | - Irving Coy Allen
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.H.); (C.W.L.); (H.A.M.); (I.A.); (I.C.A.); (J.W.-L.); (N.D.)
- Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24016, USA
- Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.H.); (C.W.L.); (H.A.M.); (I.A.); (I.C.A.); (J.W.-L.); (N.D.)
- Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Nisha Duggal
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.H.); (C.W.L.); (H.A.M.); (I.A.); (I.C.A.); (J.W.-L.); (N.D.)
- Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
| | - Molly A. Hughes
- Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA; (M.A.C.); (M.A.H.)
| | - Kylene Kehn-Hall
- National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Manassas, VA 20110, USA; (V.C.); (N.B.); (R.F.)
- Department of Biomedical Science and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA; (S.H.); (C.W.L.); (H.A.M.); (I.A.); (I.C.A.); (J.W.-L.); (N.D.)
- Center for Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
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Chuong C, DuChane CM, Webb EM, Rai P, Marano JM, Bernier CM, Merola JS, Weger-Lucarelli J. Noble Metal Organometallic Complexes Display Antiviral Activity against SARS-CoV-2. Viruses 2021; 13:v13060980. [PMID: 34070524 PMCID: PMC8227008 DOI: 10.3390/v13060980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 emerged in 2019 as a devastating viral pathogen with no available preventative or treatment to control what led to the current global pandemic. The continued spread of the virus and increasing death toll necessitate the development of effective antiviral treatments to combat this virus. To this end, we evaluated a new class of organometallic complexes as potential antivirals. Our findings demonstrate that two pentamethylcyclopentadienyl (Cp*) rhodium piano stool complexes, Cp*Rh(1,3-dicyclohexylimidazol-2-ylidene)Cl2 (complex 2) and Cp*Rh(dipivaloylmethanato)Cl (complex 4), have direct virucidal activity against SARS-CoV-2. Subsequent in vitro testing suggests that complex 4 is the more stable and effective complex and demonstrates that both 2 and 4 have low toxicity in Vero E6 and Calu-3 cells. The results presented here highlight the potential application of organometallic complexes as antivirals and support further investigation into their activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (C.C.); (P.R.)
| | - Christine M. DuChane
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (C.M.D.); (C.M.B.)
| | - Emily M. Webb
- Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (C.C.); (P.R.)
| | - Jeffrey M. Marano
- Department of Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA;
| | - Chad M. Bernier
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (C.M.D.); (C.M.B.)
| | - Joseph S. Merola
- Department of Chemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (C.M.D.); (C.M.B.)
- Correspondence: (J.S.M.); (J.W.-L.)
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA; (C.C.); (P.R.)
- Correspondence: (J.S.M.); (J.W.-L.)
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Levi LI, Rezelj VV, Henrion-Lacritick A, Erazo D, Boussier J, Vallet T, Bernhauerová V, Suzuki Y, Carrau L, Weger-Lucarelli J, Saleh MC, Vignuzzi M. Defective viral genomes from chikungunya virus are broad-spectrum antivirals and prevent virus dissemination in mosquitoes. PLoS Pathog 2021; 17:e1009110. [PMID: 33556143 PMCID: PMC7870000 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Defective viral genomes (DVGs) are truncated and/or rearranged viral genomes produced during virus replication. Described in many RNA virus families, some of them have interfering activity on their parental virus and/or strong immunostimulatory potential, and are being considered in antiviral approaches. Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus transmitted by Aedes spp. that infected millions of humans in the last 15 years. Here, we describe the DVGs arising during CHIKV infection in vitro in mammalian and mosquito cells, and in vivo in experimentally infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. We combined experimental and computational approaches to select DVG candidates most likely to have inhibitory activity and showed that, indeed, they strongly interfere with CHIKV replication both in mammalian and mosquito cells. We further demonstrated that some DVGs present broad-spectrum activity, inhibiting several CHIKV strains and other alphaviruses. Finally, we showed that pre-treating Aedes aegypti with DVGs prevented viral dissemination in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura I. Levi
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
- École doctorale BioSPC, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Veronica V. Rezelj
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | | | - Diana Erazo
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - J Boussier
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
- École doctorale Frontières du vivant, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Vallet
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Veronika Bernhauerová
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
- Department of Biophysics and Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Charles University, Hradec Králové, Czech Republic
| | - Yasutsugu Suzuki
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNAi Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Lucia Carrau
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
- École doctorale BioSPC, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Maria-Carla Saleh
- Institut Pasteur, Viruses and RNAi Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
| | - Marco Vignuzzi
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, CNRS UMR 3569, Paris, France
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33
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Liu JL, Webb EM, Zabetakis D, Burke CW, Gardner CL, Glass PJ, Legler PM, Weger-Lucarelli J, Anderson GP, Goldman ER. Stabilization of a Broadly Neutralizing Anti-Chikungunya Virus Single Domain Antibody. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:626028. [PMID: 33585527 PMCID: PMC7876468 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.626028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A single domain antibody (clone CC3) previously found to neutralize a vaccine strain of the chikungunya virus (PRNT50 = 2. 5 ng/mL) was found to be broadly neutralizing. Clone CC3 is not only able to neutralize a wild-type (WT) strain of chikungunya virus (CHIKV), but also neutralizes WT strains of Mayaro virus (MAYV) and Ross River virus (RRV); both arthralgic, Old World alphaviruses. Interestingly, CC3 also demonstrated a degree of neutralizing activity against the New World alphavirus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV); albeit both the vaccine strain, TC-83, and the parental, WT Trinidad donkey strain had PRNT50 values ~1,000-fold higher than that of CHIKV. However, no neutralization activity was observed with Western equine encephalitis virus (WEEV). Ten CC3 variants designed to possess a range of isoelectric points, both higher and lower, were constructed. This approach successfully identified several lower pI mutants which possessed improved thermal stabilities by as much as 10°C over the original CC3 (Tm = 62°C), and excellent refolding abilities while maintaining their capacity to bind and neutralize CHIKV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinny L Liu
- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Center for BioMolecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Emily M Webb
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Dan Zabetakis
- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Center for BioMolecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Crystal W Burke
- Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Christina L Gardner
- Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Pamela J Glass
- Virology Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Diseases, Fort Detrick, MD, United States
| | - Patricia M Legler
- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Center for BioMolecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, United States
| | | | - George P Anderson
- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Center for BioMolecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Ellen R Goldman
- U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Center for BioMolecular Science and Engineering, Washington, DC, United States
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34
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Bates TA, Chuong C, Rai P, Marano J, Waldman A, Klinger A, Reinhold JM, Lahondère C, Weger-Lucarelli J. American Aedes japonicus japonicus, Culex pipiens pipiens, and Culex restuans mosquitoes have limited transmission capacity for a recent isolate of Usutu virus. Virology 2021; 555:64-70. [PMID: 33454558 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2020.12.023] [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] [Received: 02/14/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Usutu virus (USUV; Flavivirus) has caused massive die-offs in birds across Europe since the 1950s. Although rare, severe neurologic disease in humans has been reported. USUV is genetically related to West Nile virus (WNV) and shares an ecological niche, suggesting it could spread from Europe to the Americas. USUV's risk of transmission within the United States is currently unknown. To this end, we exposed field-caught Aedes japonicus, Culex pipiens pipiens, and Culex restuans-competent vectors for WNV-to a recent European isolate of USUV. While infection rates for each species varied from 7%-21%, no dissemination or transmission was observed. These results differed from a 2018 report by Cook and colleagues, who found high dissemination rates and evidence of transmission potential using a different USUV strain, U.S. mosquito populations, temperature, and extrinsic incubation period. Future studies should evaluate the impact of these experimental conditions on USUV transmission by North American mosquitoes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler A Bates
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Jeffrey Marano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Aaron Waldman
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Amy Klinger
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Joanna M Reinhold
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Chloé Lahondère
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA; The Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA; The Global Change Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA; The Fralin Life Science Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA; The Global Change Center, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
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35
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Bates TA, Chuong C, Hawks SA, Rai P, Duggal NK, Weger-Lucarelli J. Development and characterization of infectious clones of two strains of Usutu virus. Virology 2020; 554:28-36. [PMID: 33352463 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2020.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Usutu virus (USUV; genus Flavivirus; family Flaviviridae) is a mosquito-borne, positive-sense RNA virus that is currently causing significant die-offs in numerous bird species throughout Europe and has caused infections in humans. Currently, there are no molecular clones for USUV, hence, hindering studies on the pathogenesis and transmission of USUV. Here, we demonstrate the development and characterization of infectious clones for two modern strains of USUV isolated from Europe and Africa. We show that the infectious clone-derived viruses replicated similarly to the parental strains in mammalian and insect cells. Additionally, we observed similar levels of replication and disease in two mouse models. These clones will aid the study of USUV infection, transmission, diagnostics, and vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler A Bates
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Seth A Hawks
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Pallavi Rai
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Nisha K Duggal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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36
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Marano JM, Chuong C, Weger-Lucarelli J. Rolling circle amplification: A high fidelity and efficient alternative to plasmid preparation for the rescue of infectious clones. Virology 2020; 551:58-63. [PMID: 33032077 PMCID: PMC7521378 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2020.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Alphaviruses (genus Alphavirus; family Togaviridae) are a medically relevant family of viruses that include chikungunya virus and Mayaro virus. Infectious cDNA clones of these viruses are necessary molecular tools to understand viral biology. Traditionally, rescuing virus from an infectious cDNA clone requires propagating plasmids in bacteria, which can result in mutations in the viral genome due to bacterial toxicity or recombination and requires specialized equipment and knowledge to propagate the bacteria. Here, we present an alternative- rolling circle amplification (RCA), an in vitro technology. We demonstrate that the viral yield of transfected RCA product is comparable to midiprepped plasmid, albeit with a slight delay in kinetics. RCA, however, is cheaper and less time-consuming. Further, sequential RCA did not introduce mutations into the viral genome, subverting the need for glycerol stocks and retransformation. These results indicate that RCA is a viable alternative to traditional plasmid-based approaches to viral rescue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Marano
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA; Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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37
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Boussier J, Levi L, Weger-Lucarelli J, Poirier EZ, Vignuzzi M, Albert ML. Chikungunya virus superinfection exclusion is mediated by a block in viral replication and does not rely on non-structural protein 2. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0241592. [PMID: 33180795 PMCID: PMC7660575 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241592] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Superinfection exclusion (SIE) is a process by which a virally infected cell is protected from subsequent infection by the same or a closely related virus. By preventing cell coinfection, SIE favors preservation of genome integrity of a viral strain and limits its recombination potential with other viral genomes, thereby impacting viral evolution. Although described in virtually all viral families, the precise step(s) impacted by SIE during the viral life cycle have not been systematically explored. Here, we describe for the first time SIE triggered by chikungunya virus (CHIKV), an alphavirus of public health importance. Using single-cell technologies, we demonstrate that CHIKV excludes subsequent infection with: CHIKV; Sindbis virus, a related alphavirus; and influenza A, an unrelated RNA virus. We further demonstrate that SIE does not depend on the action of type I interferon, nor does it rely on host cell transcription. Moreover, exclusion is not mediated by the action of a single CHIKV protein; in particular, we observed no role for non-structural protein 2 (nsP2), making CHIKV unique among characterized alphaviruses. By stepping through the viral life cycle, we show that CHIKV exclusion occurs at the level of replication, but does not directly influence virus binding, nor viral structural protein translation. In sum, we characterized co-infection during CHIKV replication, which likely influences the rate of viral diversification and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy Boussier
- Immubiology of Dendritic Cells unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Inserm U1223, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,École doctorale Frontières du Vivant, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
| | - Laura Levi
- Viral Population and Pathogenesis Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Viral Population and Pathogenesis Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Enzo Z Poirier
- Viral Population and Pathogenesis Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Immunobiology Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Vignuzzi
- Viral Population and Pathogenesis Unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Matthew L Albert
- Immubiology of Dendritic Cells unit, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.,Insitro, South San Francisco, CA, United States of America
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38
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Chuong C, Bates TA, Akter S, Werre SR, LeRoith T, Weger-Lucarelli J. Nutritional status impacts dengue virus infection in mice. BMC Biol 2020; 18:106. [PMID: 32854687 PMCID: PMC7453574 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00828-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [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: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 07/11/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Dengue virus (DENV) is estimated to infect 390 million people annually. However, few host factors that alter disease severity are known. Malnutrition, defined as both over- and undernutrition, is a growing problem worldwide and has long been linked to dengue disease severity by epidemiological and anecdotal observations. Accordingly, we sought to establish a mouse model to assess the impact of nutritional status on DENV disease severity. Results Using transiently immunocompromised mice, we established a model of mild dengue disease with measurable viremia. We then applied it to study the effects of healthy weight, obese, and low-protein diets representing normal, over-, and undernutrition, respectively. Upon infection with DENV serotype 2, obese mice experienced more severe morbidity in the form of weight loss and thrombocytopenia compared to healthy weight groups. Additionally, obesity altered cytokine expression following DENV infection. Although low protein-fed mice did not lose significant weight after DENV2 infection, they also experienced a reduction in platelets as well as increased spleen pathology and viral titers. Conclusions Our results indicate that obese or undernourished mice incur greater disease severity after DENV infection. These studies establish a role for nutritional status in DENV disease severity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Tyler A Bates
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Shamima Akter
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Present Address: Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, School of Systems Biology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Stephen R Werre
- Department of Population Health Sciences, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Tanya LeRoith
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, VA-MD College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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39
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Weger-Lucarelli J, Carrau L, Levi LI, Rezelj V, Vallet T, Blanc H, Boussier J, Megrian D, Coutermarsh-Ott S, LeRoith T, Vignuzzi M. Host nutritional status affects alphavirus virulence, transmission, and evolution. PLoS Pathog 2019; 15:e1008089. [PMID: 31710653 PMCID: PMC6872174 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1008089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2019] [Revised: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Malnourishment, specifically overweight/obesity and undernourishment, affects more than 2.5 billion people worldwide, with the number affected ever-increasing. Concurrently, emerging viral diseases, particularly those that are mosquito-borne, have spread dramatically in the past several decades, culminating in outbreaks of several viruses worldwide. Both forms of malnourishment are known to lead to an aberrant immune response, which can worsen disease outcomes and reduce vaccination efficacy for viral pathogens such as influenza and measles. Given the increasing rates of malnutrition and spread of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), there is an urgent need to understand the role of host nutrition on the infection, virulence, and transmission of these viruses. To address this gap in knowledge, we infected lean, obese, and undernourished mice with arthritogenic arboviruses from the genus Alphavirus and assessed morbidity, virus replication, transmission, and evolution. Obesity and undernourishment did not consistently influence virus replication in the blood of infected animals except for reductions in virus in obese mice late in infection. However, morbidity was increased in obese mice under all conditions. Using Mayaro virus (MAYV) as a model arthritogenic alphavirus, we determined that both obese and undernourished mice transmit virus less efficiently to mosquitoes than control (lean) mice. In addition, viral genetic diversity and replicative fitness were reduced in virus isolated from obese compared to lean controls. Taken together, nutrition appears to alter the course of alphavirus infection and should be considered as a critical environmental factor during outbreaks. Over- and undernutrition, collectively known as malnutrition, affect over 2.5 billion people worldwide. Associations between malnutrition and mosquito-borne virus infection and resulting disease have been identified in epidemiological studies but have not been explored in controlled studies. Here, we infect obese or undernourished mice with different arthritis inducing viruses in the genus Alphavirus and measure disease symptoms, viral replication, transmission, and evolution. We found that markers of disease, namely weight loss and footpad swelling, were increased in obese mice. We also found that replication differences between mice fed different diets were minimal except late in infection for obese mice when levels of virus dropped significantly. When mosquitoes were allowed to feed on mice fed different diets, we observed reduced infection and transmission rates, depending on the diet. Finally, we found reduced genetic diversity and replicative fitness of virus isolated from obese mice. This study provides insights into the influence of nutrition on alphavirus pathogenesis and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Weger-Lucarelli
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Paris, France.,Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Lucia Carrau
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Paris, France
| | - Laura I Levi
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Paris, France.,Ecole doctorale BioSPC, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Veronica Rezelj
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Paris, France
| | - Thomas Vallet
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Paris, France
| | - Hervé Blanc
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Paris, France
| | - Jérémy Boussier
- Institut Pasteur, Immunobiology of Dendritic Cells, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Paris, France
| | - Daniela Megrian
- Institut Pasteur, Evolutionary Biology of the Microbial Cell, Department of Microbiology, Paris, France
| | - Sheryl Coutermarsh-Ott
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Tanya LeRoith
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, United States of America
| | - Marco Vignuzzi
- Institut Pasteur, Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Paris, France
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40
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de la Cruz-Ramos JM, Hernández-Triana LM, García-De la Peña C, González-Álvarez VH, Weger-Lucarelli J, Siller-Rodríguez QK, Sánchez Rámos FJ, Rodríguez AD, Ortega-Morales AI. Comparison of two DNA extraction methods from larvae, pupae, and adults of Aedes aegypti. Heliyon 2019; 5:e02660. [PMID: 31692696 PMCID: PMC6806409 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [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: 06/03/2019] [Revised: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 10/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Mosquitoes are the most important arthropods from the point of view of public health, due to the fact that they can transmit a large number of pathogens which can cause diseases to humans and animals. Aedes aegypti (L.) is one of the most important vector species in the world, since it can transmit numerous pathogens such as dengue, Zika, and chikungunya. Therefore, studies involving the molecular aspects of this and other mosquitoes species are currently increasing. In this report, we describe the comparison between two DNA extraction techniques, Chelex and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), for carrying out DNA extraction in larvae, pupae and adult female of Ae. aegypti. The Chelex technique was superior in the amount and purity of DNA as compared to the CTAB technique in the three life stages we tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josué M de la Cruz-Ramos
- Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro Unidad Laguna, Periférico y carretera Santa Fe, 27084, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico.,Unidad de Investigaciones Entomológicas y de Bioensayos del estado de Durango, Periférico y carretera Santa Fe, 27084, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
| | - Luis M Hernández-Triana
- Animal and Plant Health Agency, Virology Department, Wildlife Zoonoses and Vector Borne Diseases Research Group, Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone, Surrey, KT153NB, UK
| | - Cristina García-De la Peña
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Av. Universidad, 35010, Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico
| | - Vicente H González-Álvarez
- Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Ciajinicuilapa, Guerrero, Mexico
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Quetzaly Karmy Siller-Rodríguez
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Juárez del Estado de Durango, Av. Universidad, 35010, Gómez Palacio, Durango, Mexico
| | - Francisco J Sánchez Rámos
- Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro Unidad Laguna, Periférico y carretera Santa Fe, 27084, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
| | - Américo D Rodríguez
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Publica, Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
| | - Aldo I Ortega-Morales
- Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro Unidad Laguna, Periférico y carretera Santa Fe, 27084, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico.,Unidad de Investigaciones Entomológicas y de Bioensayos del estado de Durango, Periférico y carretera Santa Fe, 27084, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
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41
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Chuong C, Bates TA, Weger-Lucarelli J. Infectious cDNA clones of two strains of Mayaro virus for studies on viral pathogenesis and vaccine development. Virology 2019; 535:227-231. [PMID: 31325837 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2019.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Revised: 07/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Mayaro virus (MAYV; family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus) is an emerging global threat that can cause severe clinical manifestations similar to Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses. Currently, there is a lack of molecular tools to enable a better understanding of the transmission and pathogenesis of MAYV. Here, we detail the development and characterization of infectious clones of two strains of MAYV that produce infectious virus and replicate in mammalian and mosquito cells similarly to wild-type virus. Additionally, clone-derived viruses produced identical infection rates and phenotypes in CD-1 mice compared to the parental strains. This infectious clone system will provide a resource to the research community to analyze MAYV genetic determinants of virulence, determine vector competence, and develop vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Chuong
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Tyler A Bates
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Tech, VA-MD Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
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42
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Rückert C, Prasad AN, Garcia-Luna SM, Robison A, Grubaugh ND, Weger-Lucarelli J, Ebel GD. Small RNA responses of Culex mosquitoes and cell lines during acute and persistent virus infection. Insect Biochem Mol Biol 2019; 109:13-23. [PMID: 30959110 PMCID: PMC6516063 DOI: 10.1016/j.ibmb.2019.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [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: 12/04/2018] [Revised: 04/01/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
RNA interference is a crucial antiviral mechanism in arthropods, including in mosquito vectors of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses). Although the exogenous small interfering RNA (siRNA) pathway constitutes an efficient antiviral response in mosquitoes, virus-derived P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI)-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have been implicated in the response to alpha-, bunya- and flaviviruses in Aedes spp. mosquitoes. Culex mosquitoes transmit several medically important viruses including West Nile virus (WNV), but are considerably less well studied than Aedes mosquitoes and little is known about antiviral RNA interference in Culex mosquitoes. Therefore, we sequenced small RNA (sRNA) libraries from different Culex cell lines and tissues infected with WNV. The clear majority of virus-derived sRNA reads were 21 nt siRNAs in all cell lines and tissues tested, with no evidence for a role of WNV-derived piRNAs. Additionally, we aligned sRNA reads from Culex quinquefasciatus Hsu cells to the insect-specific rhabdovirus, Merida virus, which persistently replicates in these cells. We found that a significant proportion of the sRNA response to Merida virus consisted of piRNAs. Since viral DNA forms have been implicated in siRNA and piRNA responses of Aedes spp. mosquitoes, we also tested for viral DNA forms in WNV infected Culex cells. We detected viral DNA in Culex tarsalis cells infected with WNV and, to a lesser amount, WNV and Merida virus-derived DNA in Culex quinquefasciatus Hsu cells. In conclusion, Hsu cells generated Merida virus-derived piRNAs, but our data suggests that the major sRNA response of Culex cells and mosquitoes to WNV infection is the exogenous siRNA response. It is also evident that sRNA responses differ significantly between specific virus-mosquito combinations. Future work using additional Culex-borne viruses may further elucidate how virus-derived piRNAs are generated in Culex cells and what role they may play in controlling replication of different viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Rückert
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
| | - Abhishek N Prasad
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA; Department of Pathology, Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Selene M Garcia-Luna
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA; Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Alexis Robison
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Nathan D Grubaugh
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA; Yale School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, Laboratory of Epidemiology of Public Health, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.
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Duggal NK, McDonald EM, Weger-Lucarelli J, Hawks SA, Ritter JM, Romo H, Ebel GD, Brault AC. Mutations present in a low-passage Zika virus isolate result in attenuated pathogenesis in mice. Virology 2019; 530:19-26. [PMID: 30763872 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2019.02.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2018] [Revised: 02/05/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection can result in neurological disorders including Congenital Zika Syndrome in infants exposed to the virus in utero. Pregnant women can be infected by mosquito bite as well as by sexual transmission from infected men. Herein, the variants of ZIKV within the male reproductive tract and ejaculates were assessed in inoculated mice. We identified two non-synonymous variants at positions E-V330L and NS1-W98G. These variants were also present in the passage three PRVABC59 isolate and infectious clone relative to the patient serum PRVABC59 sequence. In subsequent studies, ZIKV E-330L was less pathogenic in mice than ZIKV E-330V as evident by increased average survival times. In Vero cells, ZIKV E-330L/NS1-98G outcompeted ZIKV E-330V/NS1-98W within 3 passages. These results suggest that the E-330L/NS1-98G variants are attenuating in mice and were enriched during cell culture passaging. Cell culture propagation of ZIKV could significantly affect animal model development and vaccine efficacy studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nisha K Duggal
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
| | - Erin M McDonald
- Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States; Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Seth A Hawks
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, United States
| | - Jana M Ritter
- Division of High-Consequence Pathogens and Pathology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Hannah Romo
- Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Aaron C Brault
- Division of Vector-borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
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44
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Fauver JR, Akter S, Morales AIO, Black WC, Rodriguez AD, Stenglein MD, Ebel GD, Weger-Lucarelli J. A reverse-transcription/RNase H based protocol for depletion of mosquito ribosomal RNA facilitates viral intrahost evolution analysis, transcriptomics and pathogen discovery. Virology 2018; 528:181-197. [PMID: 30616207 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.12.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [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] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Revised: 12/28/2018] [Accepted: 12/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Identifying novel viruses or assessing viral variation by NGS requires high sequencing coverage. More than 90% of total RNA is ribosomal (rRNA), making variant calling, virus discovery or transcriptomic profiling difficult. Current methods to increase informative reads suffer from drawbacks, either they cannot be used for some viruses, are optimized for a single species, or introduce bias. We describe a two-part approach combining reverse-transcription to create RNA/DNA hybrids which are then degraded with RNaseH/DNase sequentially that works for three medically relevant mosquito genera; Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex. We demonstrate depletion of rRNA from different samples, including whole mosquitoes and midgut contents from FTA cards. We describe novel insect-specific virus genomes from field collected mosquitoes. The protocol requires only common laboratory reagents and small oligonucleotides specific to rRNA. This approach can be adapted for other organisms, aiding virus diversity analyses, virus discovery and transcriptomics in both laboratory and field samples.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Fauver
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Shamima Akter
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 360 W Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Aldo Ivan Ortega Morales
- Departamento de Parasitología, Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro, Torreón, Coahuila, Mexico
| | - William C Black
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Americo D Rodriguez
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Publica, Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
| | - Mark D Stenglein
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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Cross ST, Kapuscinski ML, Perino J, Maertens BL, Weger-Lucarelli J, Ebel GD, Stenglein MD. Co-Infection Patterns in Individual Ixodes scapularis Ticks Reveal Associations between Viral, Eukaryotic and Bacterial Microorganisms. Viruses 2018; 10:E388. [PMID: 30037148 PMCID: PMC6071216 DOI: 10.3390/v10070388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [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: 06/29/2018] [Revised: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Ixodes scapularis ticks harbor a variety of microorganisms, including eukaryotes, bacteria and viruses. Some of these can be transmitted to and cause disease in humans and other vertebrates. Others are not pathogenic, but may impact the ability of the tick to harbor and transmit pathogens. A growing number of studies have examined the influence of bacteria on tick vector competence but the influence of the tick virome remains less clear, despite a surge in the discovery of tick-associated viruses. In this study, we performed shotgun RNA sequencing on 112 individual adult I. scapularis collected in Wisconsin, USA. We characterized the abundance, prevalence and co-infection rates of viruses, bacteria and eukaryotic microorganisms. We identified pairs of tick-infecting microorganisms whose observed co-infection rates were higher or lower than would be expected, or whose RNA levels were positively correlated in co-infected ticks. Many of these co-occurrence and correlation relationships involved two bunyaviruses, South Bay virus and blacklegged tick phlebovirus-1. These viruses were also the most prevalent microorganisms in the ticks we sampled, and had the highest average RNA levels. Evidence of associations between microbes included a positive correlation between RNA levels of South Bay virus and Borrelia burgdorferi, the Lyme disease agent. These findings contribute to the rationale for experimental studies on the impact of viruses on tick biology and vector competence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun T Cross
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| | - Marylee L Kapuscinski
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| | - Jacquelyn Perino
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| | - Bernadette L Maertens
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA.
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
| | - Mark D Stenglein
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA.
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46
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Garcia-Luna SM, Weger-Lucarelli J, Rückert C, Murrieta RA, Young MC, Byas AD, Fauver JR, Perera R, Flores-Suarez AE, Ponce-Garcia G, Rodriguez AD, Ebel GD, Black WC. Variation in competence for ZIKV transmission by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Mexico. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2018; 12:e0006599. [PMID: 29965958 PMCID: PMC6044546 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0006599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 07/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND ZIKV is a new addition to the arboviruses circulating in the New World, with more than 1 million cases since its introduction in 2015. A growing number of studies have reported vector competence (VC) of Aedes mosquitoes from several areas of the world for ZIKV transmission. Some studies have used New World mosquitoes from disparate regions and concluded that these have a variable but relatively low competence for the Asian lineage of ZIKV. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Ten Aedes aegypti (L) and three Ae. albopictus (Skuse) collections made in 2016 from throughout Mexico were analyzed for ZIKV (PRVABC59-Asian lineage) VC. Mexican Ae. aegypti had high rates of midgut infection (MIR), dissemination (DIR) and salivary gland infection (SGIR) but low to moderate transmission rates (TR). It is unclear whether this low TR was due to heritable salivary gland escape barriers or to underestimating the amount of virus in saliva due to the loss of virus during filtering and random losses on surfaces when working with small volumes. VC varied among collections, geographic regions and whether the collection was made north or south of the Neovolcanic axis (NVA). The four rates were consistently lower in northeastern Mexico, highest in collections along the Pacific coast and intermediate in the Yucatan. All rates were lowest north of the NVA. It was difficult to assess VC in Ae. albopictus because rates varied depending upon the number of generations in the laboratory. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE Mexican Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus are competent vectors of ZIKV. There is however large variance in vector competence among geographic sites and regions. At 14 days post infection, TR varied from 8-51% in Ae. aegypti and from 2-26% in Ae. albopictus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selene M. Garcia-Luna
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Reyes A. Murrieta
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Michael C. Young
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Alex D. Byas
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Joseph R. Fauver
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Rushika Perera
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - Adriana E. Flores-Suarez
- Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon, México
| | - Gustavo Ponce-Garcia
- Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, Facultad de Ciencias Biologicas, San Nicolas de los Garza, Nuevo Leon, México
| | - Americo D. Rodriguez
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
- Centro Regional de Investigación en Salud Publica, Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Tapachula, Chiapas, México
| | - Gregory D. Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
| | - William C. Black
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America
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47
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Weger-Lucarelli J, Rückert C, Grubaugh ND, Misencik MJ, Armstrong PM, Stenglein MD, Ebel GD, Brackney DE. Adventitious viruses persistently infect three commonly used mosquito cell lines. Virology 2018; 521:175-180. [PMID: 29957338 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Mosquito cell lines have been used extensively in research to isolate and propagate arthropod-borne viruses and understand virus-vector interactions. Despite their utility as an in vitro tool, these cell lines are poorly defined and may harbor insect-specific viruses. Accordingly, we screened four commonly-used mosquito cell lines, C6/36 and U4.4 cells from Aedes albopictus, Aag2 cells from Aedes aegypti, and Hsu cells from Culex quinquefasciatus, for the presence of adventitious (i.e. exogenous) viruses. All four cell lines stained positive for double-stranded RNA, indicative of RNA virus replication. We subsequently identified viruses infecting Aag2, U4.4 and Hsu cell lines using untargeted next-generation sequencing, but not C6/36 cells. PCR confirmation revealed that these sequences stem from active viral replication and/or integration into the cellular genome. Our results show that these commonly-used mosquito cell lines are persistently-infected with several viruses. This finding may be critical to interpreting data generated in these systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Nathan D Grubaugh
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Michael J Misencik
- The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Environmental Sciences, Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Philip M Armstrong
- The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Environmental Sciences, Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mark D Stenglein
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Doug E Brackney
- The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Department of Environmental Sciences, Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Weger-Lucarelli J, Garcia SM, Rückert C, Byas A, O'Connor SL, Aliota MT, Friedrich TC, O'Connor DH, Ebel GD. Using barcoded Zika virus to assess virus population structure in vitro and in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Virology 2018; 521:138-148. [PMID: 29935423 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Revised: 06/06/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Arboviruses such as Zika virus (ZIKV, Flaviviridae; Flavivirus) must replicate in both mammalian and insect hosts possessing strong immune defenses. Accordingly, transmission between and replication within hosts involves genetic bottlenecks, during which viral population size and genetic diversity may be significantly reduced. To help quantify these bottlenecks and their effects, we constructed 4 "barcoded" ZIKV populations that theoretically contain thousands of barcodes each. After identifying the most diverse barcoded virus, we passaged this virus 3 times in 2 mammalian and mosquito cell lines and characterized the population using deep sequencing of the barcoded region of the genome. C6/36 maintain higher barcode diversity, even after 3 passages, than Vero. Additionally, field-caught mosquitoes exposed to the virus to assess bottlenecks in a natural host. A progressive reduction in barcode diversity occurred throughout systemic infection of these mosquitoes. Differences in bottlenecks during systemic spread were observed between different populations of Aedes aegypti.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Weger-Lucarelli
- Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
| | - Selene M Garcia
- Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Alex Byas
- Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Shelby L O'Connor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Matthew T Aliota
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Thomas C Friedrich
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States; Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - David H O'Connor
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States; Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, United States
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Arthropod-Borne and Infectious Diseases Laboratory, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States.
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49
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Gorman MJ, Caine EA, Zaitsev K, Begley MC, Weger-Lucarelli J, Uccellini MB, Tripathi S, Morrison J, Yount BL, Dinnon KH, Rückert C, Young MC, Zhu Z, Robertson SJ, McNally KL, Ye J, Cao B, Mysorekar IU, Ebel GD, Baric RS, Best SM, Artyomov MN, Garcia-Sastre A, Diamond MS. An Immunocompetent Mouse Model of Zika Virus Infection. Cell Host Microbe 2018; 23:672-685.e6. [PMID: 29746837 PMCID: PMC5953559 DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2018.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.7] [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] [Received: 01/09/2018] [Revised: 03/16/2018] [Accepted: 04/10/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Progress toward understanding Zika virus (ZIKV) pathogenesis is hindered by lack of immunocompetent small animal models, in part because ZIKV fails to effectively antagonize Stat2-dependent interferon (IFN) responses in mice. To address this limitation, we first passaged an African ZIKV strain (ZIKV-Dak-41525) through Rag1-/- mice to obtain a mouse-adapted virus (ZIKV-Dak-MA) that was more virulent than ZIKV-Dak-41525 in mice treated with an anti-Ifnar1 antibody. A G18R substitution in NS4B was the genetic basis for the increased replication, and resulted in decreased IFN-β production, diminished IFN-stimulated gene expression, and the greater brain infection observed with ZIKV-Dak-MA. To generate a fully immunocompetent mouse model of ZIKV infection, human STAT2 was introduced into the mouse Stat2 locus (hSTAT2 KI). Subcutaneous inoculation of pregnant hSTAT2 KI mice with ZIKV-Dak-MA resulted in spread to the placenta and fetal brain. An immunocompetent mouse model of ZIKV infection may prove valuable for evaluating countermeasures to limit disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Gorman
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Caine
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Konstantin Zaitsev
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Computer Technologies Department, ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia
| | - Matthew C Begley
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - James Weger-Lucarelli
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Melissa B Uccellini
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shashank Tripathi
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Juliet Morrison
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Boyd L Yount
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Kenneth H Dinnon
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Claudia Rückert
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Michael C Young
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Zhe Zhu
- Department of Medicine, Division of Regenerative Medicine, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Shelly J Robertson
- Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Kristin L McNally
- Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Jing Ye
- Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Bin Cao
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Indira U Mysorekar
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Gregory D Ebel
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Ralph S Baric
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Sonja M Best
- Laboratory of Virology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Hamilton, MT, USA
| | - Maxim N Artyomov
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; The Center of Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Adolfo Garcia-Sastre
- Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA; Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael S Diamond
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; The Center of Human Immunology and Immunotherapy Programs, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
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Abstract
Nutrition is a key factor in host–pathogen defense. Malnutrition can increase both host susceptibility and severity of infection through a number of pathways, and infection itself can promote nutritional deterioration and further susceptibility. Nutritional status can also strongly influence response to vaccination or therapeutic pharmaceuticals. Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) have a long history of infecting humans, resulting in regular pandemics as well as an increasing frequency of autochthonous transmission. Interestingly, aside from host-related factors, nutrition could also play a role in the competence of vectors required for transmission of these viruses. Nutritional status of the host and vector could even influence viral evolution itself. Therefore, it is vital to understand the role of nutrition in the arbovirus lifecycle. This Review will focus on nutritional factors that could influence susceptibility and severity of infection in the host, response to prophylactic and therapeutic strategies, vector competence, and viral evolution. As the old adage goes, you are what you eat. Proper nutrition is a cornerstone of health, and malnutrition can seriously impair the function of the immune system, resulting in increased infections or a more severe disease. Imbalanced or inadequate nutrition can also affect responses to vaccines or drugs that are vital for protection and treatment against viruses. A mosquito is also a product of what it eats. Nutrition during development and adult lifecycle can affect the feeding behavior of mosquitoes, thereby affecting transmission of viral diseases. Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are a major global health concern, especially in areas impacted by malnutrition. Understanding how nutrition can affect both humans and mosquitoes in the context of these viruses is vital to combating these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Weger-Lucarelli
- Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Institut Pasteur, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Heidi Auerswald
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Institut Pasteur International Network, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Marco Vignuzzi
- Viral Populations and Pathogenesis Unit, Institut Pasteur, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Phillipe Dussart
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Institut Pasteur International Network, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
| | - Erik A. Karlsson
- Virology Unit, Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, Institut Pasteur International Network, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- * E-mail:
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