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Paranjape AN, D'Aiuto L, Zheng W, Chen X, Villanueva FS. A multicellular brain spheroid model for studying the mechanisms and bioeffects of ultrasound-enhanced drug penetration beyond the blood‒brain barrier. Sci Rep 2024; 14:1909. [PMID: 38253669 PMCID: PMC10803331 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-50203-3] [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: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The blood‒brain barrier (BBB) acts as a hindrance to drug therapy reaching the brain. With an increasing incidence of neurovascular diseases and brain cancer metastases, there is a need for an ideal in vitro model to develop novel methodologies for enhancing drug delivery to the brain. Here, we established a multicellular human brain spheroid model that mimics the BBB both architecturally and functionally. Within the spheroids, endothelial cells and pericytes localized to the periphery, while neurons, astrocytes, and microglia were distributed throughout. Ultrasound-targeted microbubble cavitation (UTMC) is a novel noninvasive technology for enhancing endothelial drug permeability. We utilized our three-dimensional (3D) model to study the feasibility and mechanisms regulating UTMC-induced hyperpermeability. UTMC caused a significant increase in the penetration of 10 kDa Texas red dextran (TRD) into the spheroids, 100 µm beyond the BBB, without compromising cell viability. This hyperpermeability was dependent on UTMC-induced calcium (Ca2+) influx and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation. Our 3D brain spheroid model, with its intact and functional BBB, offers a valuable platform for studying the bioeffects of UTMC, including effects occurring spatially distant from the endothelial barrier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anurag N Paranjape
- Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Wenxiao Zheng
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Health and Human Development, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Xucai Chen
- Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Flordeliza S Villanueva
- Center for Ultrasound Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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2
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Verma M, Francis L, Lizama BN, Callio J, Fricklas G, Wang KZQ, Kaufman BA, D'Aiuto L, Stolz DB, Watkins SC, Nimgaonkar VL, Soto-Gutierrez A, Goldstein A, Chu CT. iPSC-Derived Neurons from Patients with POLG Mutations Exhibit Decreased Mitochondrial Content and Dendrite Simplification. Am J Pathol 2023; 193:201-212. [PMID: 36414085 PMCID: PMC9976192 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2022.11.002] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Mutations in POLG, the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of DNA polymerase gamma, result in clinical syndromes characterized by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) depletion in affected tissues with variable organ involvement. The brain is one of the most affected organs, and symptoms include intractable seizures, developmental delay, dementia, and ataxia. Patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide opportunities to explore mechanisms in affected cell types and potential therapeutic strategies. Fibroblasts from two patients were reprogrammed to create new iPSC models of POLG-related mitochondrial diseases. Compared with iPSC-derived control neurons, mtDNA depletion was observed upon differentiation of the POLG-mutated lines to cortical neurons. POLG-mutated neurons exhibited neurite simplification with decreased mitochondrial content, abnormal mitochondrial structure and function, and increased cell death. Expression of the mitochondrial kinase PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) mRNA was decreased in patient neurons. Overexpression of PINK1 increased mitochondrial content and ATP:ADP ratios in neurites, decreasing cell death and rescuing neuritic complexity. These data indicate an intersection of polymerase gamma and PINK1 pathways that may offer a novel therapeutic option for patients affected by this spectrum of disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manish Verma
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Lily Francis
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Britney N Lizama
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Jason Callio
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Gabriella Fricklas
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Kent Z Q Wang
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Brett A Kaufman
- Department of Medicine, Vascular Medicine Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Donna B Stolz
- Center for Biologic Imaging (CBI), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Simon C Watkins
- Center for Biologic Imaging (CBI), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | - Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Amy Goldstein
- Mitochondrial Medicine Frontier Program, Division of Human Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Charleen T Chu
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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3
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McNulty J, Babu-Dokuburra C, Scattolon J, Zepeda-Velazquez C, Wesesky MA, Caldwell JK, Zheng W, Milosevic J, Kinchington PR, Bloom DC, Nimgaonkar VL, D'Aiuto L. Truncated ring-A amaryllidaceae alkaloid modulates the host cell integrated stress response, exhibiting antiviral activity to HSV-1 and SARSCoV-2. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1639. [PMID: 36717567 PMCID: PMC9885069 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28691-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
The total synthesis of four novel mono-methoxy and hydroxyl substituted ring-A dihydronarciclasine derivatives enabled identification of the 7-hydroxyl derivative as a potent and selective antiviral agent targeting SARSCoV-2 and HSV-1. The concentration of this small molecule that inhibited HSV-1 infection by 50% (IC50), determined by using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPCS)-derived brain organ organoids generated from two iPCS lines, was estimated to be 0.504 µM and 0.209 µM. No significant reduction in organoid viability was observed at concentrations up to 50 mM. Genomic expression analyses revealed a significant effect on host-cell innate immunity, revealing activation of the integrated stress response via PERK kinase upregulation, phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) and type I IFN, as factors potentiating multiple host-defense mechanisms against viral infection. Following infection of mouse eyes with HSV-1, treatment with the compound dramatically reduced HSV-1 shedding in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- James McNulty
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1, Canada.
| | - Chanti Babu-Dokuburra
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - Jon Scattolon
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - Carlos Zepeda-Velazquez
- Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4M1, Canada
| | - Maribeth A Wesesky
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Jill K Caldwell
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Wenxiao Zheng
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Second Xiangya Hospital, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jadranka Milosevic
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Captis Diagnostics Inc, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Paul R Kinchington
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - David C Bloom
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA
| | - Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
- Veterans Administration Pittsburgh Healthcare System, 4100 Allequippa St (University Drive C), Pittsburgh, PA, 15240, USA
| | - Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
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4
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Zheng W, Benner EM, Bloom DC, Muralidaran V, Caldwell JK, Prabhudesai A, Piazza PA, Wood J, Kinchington PR, Nimgaonkar VL, D'Aiuto L. Variations in Aspects of Neural Precursor Cell Neurogenesis in a Human Model of HSV-1 Infection. Organogenesis 2022; 18:2055354. [PMID: 35384798 PMCID: PMC8993067 DOI: 10.1080/15476278.2022.2055354] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Encephalitis, the most significant of the central nervous system (CNS) diseases caused by Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1), may have long-term sequelae in survivors treated with acyclovir, the cause of which is unclear. HSV-1 exhibits a tropism toward neurogenic niches in CNS enriched with neural precursor cells (NPCs), which play a pivotal role in neurogenesis. NPCs are susceptible to HSV-1. There is a paucity of information regarding the influence of HSV-1 on neurogenesis in humans. We investigated HSV-1 infection of NPCs from two individuals. Our results show (i) HSV-1 impairs, to different extents, the proliferation, self-renewing, and, to an even greater extent, migration of NPCs from these two subjects; (ii) The protective effect of the gold-standard antiherpetic drug acyclovir (ACV) varies with viral dose and is incomplete. It is also subject to differences in terms of efficacy of the NPCs derived from these two individuals. These results suggest that the effects of HSV-1 may have on aspects of NPC neurogenesis may vary among individuals, even in the presence of acyclovir, and this may contribute to the heterogeneity of cognitive sequelae across encephalitis survivors. Further analysis of NPC cell lines from a larger number of individuals is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenxiao Zheng
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Second Xiangya Hospital, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Emily M Benner
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David C Bloom
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Vaishali Muralidaran
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jill K Caldwell
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Anuya Prabhudesai
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Paolo A Piazza
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Pitt Graduate School Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joel Wood
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Paul R Kinchington
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Molecular Microbiology and Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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5
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Lima MC, de Mendonça LR, Rezende AM, Carrera RM, Aníbal-Silva CE, Demers M, D'Aiuto L, Wood J, Chowdari KV, Griffiths M, Lucena-Araujo AR, Barral-Netto M, Azevedo EAN, Alves RW, Farias PCS, Marques ETA, Castanha PMS, Donald CL, Kohl A, Nimgaonkar VL, Franca RFO. The Transcriptional and Protein Profile From Human Infected Neuroprogenitor Cells Is Strongly Correlated to Zika Virus Microcephaly Cytokines Phenotype Evidencing a Persistent Inflammation in the CNS. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1928. [PMID: 31474994 PMCID: PMC6707094 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [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: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is associated with microcephaly, a congenital malformation resulting from neuroinflammation and direct effects of virus replication on the developing central nervous system (CNS). However, the exact changes in the affected CNS remain unknown. Here, we show by transcriptome analysis (at 48 h post-infection) and multiplex immune profiling that human induced-neuroprogenitor stem cells (hiNPCs) respond to ZIKV infection with a strong induction of type-I interferons (IFNs) and several type-I IFNs stimulated genes (ISGs), notably cytokines and the pro-apoptotic chemokines CXCL9 and CXCL10. By comparing the inflammatory profile induced by a ZIKV Brazilian strain with an ancestral strain isolated from Cambodia in 2010, we observed that the response magnitude differs among them. Compared to ZIKV/Cambodia, the experimental infection of hiNPCs with ZIKV/Brazil resulted in a diminished induction of ISGs and lower induction of several cytokines (IFN-α, IL-1α/β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-15), consequently favoring virus replication. From ZIKV-confirmed infant microcephaly cases, we detected a similar profile characterized by the presence of IFN-α, CXCL10, and CXCL9 in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples collected after birth, evidencing a sustained CNS inflammation. Altogether, our data suggest that the CNS may be directly affected due to an unbalanced and chronic local inflammatory response, elicited by ZIKV infection, which contributes to damage to the fetal brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morganna C Lima
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation/Fiocruz, Institute Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Brazil
| | | | - Antonio M Rezende
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation/Fiocruz, Institute Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Brazil
| | - Raquel M Carrera
- Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | | | - Matthew Demers
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Joel Wood
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Kodavali V Chowdari
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Michael Griffiths
- Institute of Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Elisa A N Azevedo
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation/Fiocruz, Institute Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Brazil
| | - Renan W Alves
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation/Fiocruz, Institute Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Brazil
| | - Pablo C S Farias
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation/Fiocruz, Institute Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Brazil
| | - Ernesto T A Marques
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation/Fiocruz, Institute Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Brazil.,Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Priscila M S Castanha
- Center for Vaccine Research, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Claire L Donald
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Alain Kohl
- MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.,Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Rafael F O Franca
- Oswaldo Cruz Foundation/Fiocruz, Institute Aggeu Magalhães, Recife, Brazil
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6
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D'Aiuto L, Bloom DC, Naciri JN, Smith A, Edwards TG, McClain L, Callio JA, Jessup M, Wood J, Chowdari K, Demers M, Abrahamson EE, Ikonomovic MD, Viggiano L, De Zio R, Watkins S, Kinchington PR, Nimgaonkar VL. Modeling Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Infections in Human Central Nervous System Neuronal Cells Using Two- and Three-Dimensional Cultures Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. J Virol 2019; 93:e00111-19. [PMID: 30787148 PMCID: PMC6475775 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00111-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [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: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) establishes latency in both peripheral nerve ganglia and the central nervous system (CNS). The outcomes of acute and latent infections in these different anatomic sites appear to be distinct. It is becoming clear that many of the existing culture models using animal primary neurons to investigate HSV-1 infection of the CNS are limited and not ideal, and most do not recapitulate features of CNS neurons. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) and neurons derived from them are documented as tools to study aspects of neuropathogenesis, but few have focused on modeling infections of the CNS. Here, we characterize functional two-dimensional (2D) CNS-like neuron cultures and three-dimensional (3D) brain organoids made from hiPSCs to model HSV-1-human-CNS interactions. Our results show that (i) hiPSC-derived CNS neurons are permissive for HSV-1 infection; (ii) a quiescent state exhibiting key landmarks of HSV-1 latency described in animal models can be established in hiPSC-derived CNS neurons; (iii) the complex laminar structure of the organoids can be efficiently infected with HSV, with virus being transported from the periphery to the central layers of the organoid; and (iv) the organoids support reactivation of HSV-1, albeit less efficiently than 2D cultures. Collectively, our results indicate that hiPSC-derived neuronal platforms, especially 3D organoids, offer an extraordinary opportunity for modeling the interaction of HSV-1 with the complex cellular and architectural structure of the human CNS.IMPORTANCE This study employed human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to model acute and latent HSV-1 infections in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) CNS neuronal cultures. We successfully established acute HSV-1 infections and infections showing features of latency. HSV-1 infection of the 3D organoids was able to spread from the outer surface of the organoid and was transported to the interior lamina, providing a model to study HSV-1 trafficking through complex neuronal tissue structures. HSV-1 could be reactivated in both culture systems; though, in contrast to 2D cultures, it appeared to be more difficult to reactivate HSV-1 in 3D cultures, potentially paralleling the low efficiency of HSV-1 reactivation in the CNS of animal models. The reactivation events were accompanied by dramatic neuronal morphological changes and cell-cell fusion. Together, our results provide substantive evidence of the suitability of hiPSC-based neuronal platforms to model HSV-1-CNS interactions in a human context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David C Bloom
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Jennifer N Naciri
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Adam Smith
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Terri G Edwards
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Lora McClain
- Magee-Women's Research Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jason A Callio
- Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Morgan Jessup
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Joel Wood
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Kodavali Chowdari
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Matthew Demers
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Eric E Abrahamson
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Milos D Ikonomovic
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Luigi Viggiano
- Department of Biology, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
| | - Roberta De Zio
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze, Biotecnologie e Biofarmaceutica, Università degli Studi di Bari, Bari, Italy
| | - Simon Watkins
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Paul R Kinchington
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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7
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D'Aiuto L, Naciri J, Radio N, Tekur S, Clayton D, Apodaca G, Di Maio R, Zhi Y, Dimitrion P, Piazza P, Demers M, Wood J, Chu C, Callio J, McClain L, Yolken R, McNulty J, Kinchington P, Bloom D, Nimgaonkar V. Generation of three-dimensional human neuronal cultures: application to modeling CNS viral infections. Stem Cell Res Ther 2018; 9:134. [PMID: 29751846 PMCID: PMC5948884 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-018-0881-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [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: 11/20/2017] [Revised: 04/10/2018] [Accepted: 04/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A variety of neurological disorders including neurodegenerative diseases and infection by neurotropic viruses can cause structural and functional changes in the central nervous system (CNS), resulting in long-term neurological sequelae. An improved understanding of the pathogenesis of these disorders is important for developing efficacious interventions. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) offer an extraordinary window for modeling pathogen-CNS interactions, and other cellular interactions, in three-dimensional (3D) neuronal cultures that can recapitulate several aspects of in vivo brain tissue. METHODS Herein, we describe a prototype of scaffold-free hiPSC-based adherent 3D (A-3D) human neuronal cultures in 96-well plates. To test their suitability for drug screening, A-3D neuronal cultures were infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) with or without acyclovir. RESULTS The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of acyclovir was 3.14 μM and 3.12 μM determined using flow cytometry and the CX7 High Content Screening platform, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our A-3D neuronal cultures provide an unprecedented opportunity for high-content drug screening programs to treat human CNS infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.
| | - Jennifer Naciri
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Nicholas Radio
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Cellular Imaging and Analysis, 100 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA
| | - Sesha Tekur
- Thermo Fisher Scientific, Cellular Imaging and Analysis, 100 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh, PA, 15219, USA
| | - Dennis Clayton
- Department of Medicine Renal-Electrolyte Division and Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Gerard Apodaca
- Department of Medicine Renal-Electrolyte Division and Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Roberto Di Maio
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3-7035, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
| | - Yun Zhi
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, 30 Shuangqing Rd, Haidian Qu, Beijing Shi, China
| | - Peter Dimitrion
- Division of Neurovirology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Blalock 1105, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Paolo Piazza
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, 130 De Soto Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
| | - Matthew Demers
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Joel Wood
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Charleen Chu
- Pittsburgh Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, 3501 Fifth Avenue, BST3-7035, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Suite 820, Eye & Ear Building, 203 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.,Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Jason Callio
- Department of Pathology, Division of Neuropathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Lora McClain
- Magee Women's Research Institute, 204 Craft Ave, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Robert Yolken
- Division of Neurovirology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 North Wolfe Street, Blalock 1105, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - James McNulty
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical-Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S4L8, Canada
| | - Paul Kinchington
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Suite 820, Eye & Ear Building, 203 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - David Bloom
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
| | - Vishwajit Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, 130 De Soto Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15261, USA
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Dimitrion P, Zhi Y, Clayton D, Apodaca GL, Wilcox MR, Johnson JW, Nimgaonkar V, D'Aiuto L. Low-Density Neuronal Cultures from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Mol Neuropsychiatry 2017; 3:28-36. [PMID: 28879199 DOI: 10.1159/000476034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based technologies offer an unprecedented possibility to investigate defects occurring during neuronal differentiation in neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, but the density and intricacy of intercellular connections in neuronal cultures challenge currently available analytic methods. Low-density neuronal cultures facilitate the morphometric and functional analysis of neurons. We describe a differentiation protocol to generate low-density neuronal cultures (∼2,500 neurons/cm2) from human iPSC-derived neural stem cells/early neural progenitor cells. We generated low-density cultures using cells from 3 individuals. We also evaluated the morphometric features of neurons derived from 2 of these individuals, one harboring a microdeletion on chromosome 15q11.2 and the other without the microdeletion. An approximately 7.5-fold increase in the density of dendritic filopodia was observed in the neurons with the microdeletion, consistent with previous reports. Low-density neuronal cultures enable facile and unbiased comparisons of iPSC-derived neurons from different individuals or clones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Dimitrion
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Yun Zhi
- Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Dennis Clayton
- Division of Renal-Electrolyte, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Gerard L Apodaca
- Division of Renal-Electrolyte, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Cell Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Madeleine R Wilcox
- Department of Neuroscience and Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jon W Johnson
- Department of Neuroscience and Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Vishwajit Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.,Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
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D'Aiuto L, Williamson K, Dimitrion P, McNulty J, Brown CE, Dokuburra CB, Nielsen AJ, Lin WJ, Piazza P, Schurdak ME, Wood J, Yolken RH, Kinchington PR, Bloom DC, Nimgaonkar VL. Comparison of three cell-based drug screening platforms for HSV-1 infection. Antiviral Res 2017; 142:136-140. [PMID: 28342892 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2017.03.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2017] [Accepted: 03/21/2017] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Acyclovir (ACV) and its derivatives have been highly effective for treating recurrent, lytic infections with Herpes Simplex Virus, type 1 (HSV-1), but searches for additional antiviral drugs are motivated by recent reports of resistance to ACV, particularly among immunocompromised patients. In addition, the relative neurotoxicity of ACV and its inability to prevent neurological sequelae among HSV-1 encephalitis survivors compel searches for new drugs to treat HSV-1 infections of the central nervous system (CNS). Primary drug screens for neurotropic viruses like HSV-1 typically utilize non-neuronal cell lines, but they may miss drugs that have neuron specific antiviral effects. Therefore, we compared the effects of a panel of conventional and novel anti-herpetic compounds in monkey epithelial (Vero) cells, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs)-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and hiPSC-derived neurons (N = 73 drugs). While the profiles of activity for the majority of the drugs were similar in all three tissues, Vero cells were less likely than NPCs to identify drugs with substantial inhibitory activity in hiPSC-derived neurons. We discuss the relative merits of each cell type for antiviral drug screens against neuronal infections with HSV-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
| | - Kelly Williamson
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Peter Dimitrion
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Chemistry and Departments of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - James McNulty
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical-Biology, McMaster University, Canada
| | - Carla E Brown
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical-Biology, McMaster University, Canada
| | | | | | - Wen Jing Lin
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical-Biology, McMaster University, Canada
| | - Paolo Piazza
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, USA
| | - Mark E Schurdak
- Drug Discovery Institute, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Joel Wood
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Robert H Yolken
- Division of Neurovirology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Paul R Kinchington
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics & Biochemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - David C Bloom
- Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, USA
| | - Vishwajit L Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, USA
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D'Aiuto L, Zhi Y, Kumar Das D, Wilcox MR, Johnson JW, McClain L, MacDonald ML, Di Maio R, Schurdak ME, Piazza P, Viggiano L, Sweet R, Kinchington PR, Bhattacharjee AG, Yolken R, Nimgaonka VL, Nimgaonkar VL. Large-scale generation of human iPSC-derived neural stem cells/early neural progenitor cells and their neuronal differentiation. Organogenesis 2015; 10:365-77. [PMID: 25629202 DOI: 10.1080/15476278.2015.1011921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [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] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based technologies offer an unprecedented opportunity to perform high-throughput screening of novel drugs for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. Such screenings require a robust and scalable method for generating large numbers of mature, differentiated neuronal cells. Currently available methods based on differentiation of embryoid bodies (EBs) or directed differentiation of adherent culture systems are either expensive or are not scalable. We developed a protocol for large-scale generation of neuronal stem cells (NSCs)/early neural progenitor cells (eNPCs) and their differentiation into neurons. Our scalable protocol allows robust and cost-effective generation of NSCs/eNPCs from iPSCs. Following culture in neurobasal medium supplemented with B27 and BDNF, NSCs/eNPCs differentiate predominantly into vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1) positive neurons. Targeted mass spectrometry analysis demonstrates that iPSC-derived neurons express ligand-gated channels and other synaptic proteins and whole-cell patch-clamp experiments indicate that these channels are functional. The robust and cost-effective differentiation protocol described here for large-scale generation of NSCs/eNPCs and their differentiation into neurons paves the way for automated high-throughput screening of drugs for neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- a Department of Psychiatry ; Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic ; University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine ; Pittsburgh , PA USA
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Das DK, Tapias V, D'Aiuto L, Chowdari KV, Francis L, Zhi Y, Ghosh BA, Surti U, Tischfield J, Sheldon M, Moore JC, Fish K, Nimgaonkar V. Genetic and morphological features of human iPSC-derived neurons with chromosome 15q11.2 (BP1-BP2) deletions. Mol Neuropsychiatry 2015; 1:116-123. [PMID: 26528485 DOI: 10.1159/000430916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Copy number variation on chromosome 15q11.2 (BP1-BP2) causes deletion of CYFIP1, NIPA1, NIPA2 and TUBGCP5; it also affects brain structure and elevates risk for several neurodevelopmental disorders that are associated with dendritic spine abnormalities. In rodents, altered cyfip1 expression changes dendritic spine morphology, motivating analyses of human neuronal cells derived from iPSCs (iPSC-neurons). METHODS iPSCs were generated from a mother and her offspring, both carrying the 15q11.2 (BP1-BP2) deletion, and a non-deletion control. Gene expression in the deletion region was estimated using quantitative real-time PCR assays. Neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and iPSC-neurons were characterized using immunocytochemistry. RESULTS CYFIP1, NIPA1, NIPA2 and TUBGCP5 gene expression was lower in iPSCs, NPCs and iPSC-neurons from the mother and her offspring in relation to control cells. CYFIP1 and PSD95 protein levels were lower in iPSC-neurons derived from the CNV bearing individuals using Western blot analysis. At 10 weeks post-differentiation, iPSC-neurons appeared to show dendritic spines and qualitative analysis suggested that dendritic morphology was altered in 15q11.2 deletion subjects compared with control cells. CONCLUSIONS The 15q11.2 (BP1-BP2) deletion is associated with reduced expression of four genes in iPSC-derived neuronal cells; it may also be associated altered iPSC-neuron dendritic morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- D K Das
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry
| | - V Tapias
- University of Pittsburgh, Dept. of Neurology
| | - L D'Aiuto
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry
| | - K V Chowdari
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry
| | - L Francis
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry
| | - Y Zhi
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry ; Tsinghua University School of Medicine
| | | | - U Surti
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dept. of Pathology ; University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Department of Human Genetics
| | - J Tischfield
- Dept. of Genetics and The Human Genome Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
| | - M Sheldon
- Dept. of Genetics and The Human Genome Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
| | - J C Moore
- Dept. of Genetics and The Human Genome Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
| | - K Fish
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry
| | - V Nimgaonkar
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Dept of Psychiatry ; University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Department of Human Genetics
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McClain L, Zhi Y, Cheng H, Ghosh A, Piazza P, Yee MB, Kumar S, Milosevic J, Bloom DC, Arav-Boger R, Kinchington PR, Yolken R, Nimgaonkar V, D'Aiuto L. Broad-spectrum non-nucleoside inhibitors of human herpesviruses. Antiviral Res 2015; 121:16-23. [PMID: 26079681 DOI: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2015.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [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: 03/15/2015] [Revised: 06/05/2015] [Accepted: 06/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Herpesvirus infections cause considerable morbidity and mortality through lifelong recurrent cycles of lytic and latent infection in several tissues, including the human nervous system. Acyclovir (ACV) and its prodrug, the current antivirals of choice for herpes simplex virus (HSV) and, to some extent, varicella zoster virus (VZV) infections are nucleoside analogues that inhibit viral DNA replication. Rising viral resistance and the need for more effective second-line drugs have motivated searches for additional antiviral agents, particularly non-nucleoside based agents. We evaluated the antiviral activity of five compounds with predicted lysosomotropic activity using conventional and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neuronal (iPSC-neurons) cultures. Their potency and toxicity were compared with ACV and the lysosomotropic agents chloroquine and bafilomycin A1. Out of five compounds tested, micromolar concentrations of 30N12, 16F19, and 4F17 showed antiviral activity comparable to ACV (50μM) during lytic herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infections, reduced viral DNA copy number, and reduced selected HSV-1 protein levels. These compounds also inhibited the reactivation of 'quiescent' HSV-1 infection established in iPSC-neurons, but did not inhibit viral entry into host cells. The same compounds had greater potency than ACV against lytic VZV infection; they also inhibited replication of human cytomegalovirus. The anti-herpetic effects of these non-nucleoside agents merit further evaluation in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lora McClain
- Department of Psychiatry, WPIC, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Yun Zhi
- Department of Psychiatry, WPIC, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Hoyee Cheng
- Department of Psychiatry, WPIC, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Ayantika Ghosh
- Department of Psychiatry, WPIC, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Paolo Piazza
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Michael B Yee
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Santosh Kumar
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jadranka Milosevic
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - David C Bloom
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ravit Arav-Boger
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Paul R Kinchington
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Molecular Genetics & Biochemistry, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Robert Yolken
- Stanley Division of Neurovirology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vishwajit Nimgaonkar
- Department of Psychiatry, WPIC, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Department of Human Genetics, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Psychiatry, WPIC, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Epperly M, Houghton F, D'Aiuto L, Zhang X, Nimgaonkar V, Greenberger J. Relative Radiosensitivity of Human Inducible Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSC) Compared to Parent Fibroblast Line and Cells of Differentiated Neural Rosettes. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2013.06.1669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Greenberger JS, Houghton FD, Zhang X, Nimgaonkar VL, D'Aiuto L, Epperly MW. Radiosensitivity of Human Inducible Pluripotential Stem Cells (iPSCs). FASEB J 2013. [DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.530.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Xichen Zhang
- Radiation OncologyUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPA
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15
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D'Aiuto L, Di Maio R, Heath B, Raimondi G, Milosevic J, Watson AM, Bamne M, Parks WT, Yang L, Lin B, Miki T, Mich-Basso JD, Arav-Boger R, Sibille E, Sabunciyan S, Yolken R, Nimgaonkar V. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived models to investigate human cytomegalovirus infection in neural cells. PLoS One 2012; 7:e49700. [PMID: 23209593 PMCID: PMC3507916 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2012] [Accepted: 10/12/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is one of the leading prenatal causes of congenital mental retardation and deformities world-wide. Access to cultured human neuronal lineages, necessary to understand the species specific pathogenic effects of HCMV, has been limited by difficulties in sustaining primary human neuronal cultures. Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells now provide an opportunity for such research. We derived iPS cells from human adult fibroblasts and induced neural lineages to investigate their susceptibility to infection with HCMV strain Ad169. Analysis of iPS cells, iPS-derived neural stem cells (NSCs), neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and neurons suggests that (i) iPS cells are not permissive to HCMV infection, i.e., they do not permit a full viral replication cycle; (ii) Neural stem cells have impaired differentiation when infected by HCMV; (iii) NPCs are fully permissive for HCMV infection; altered expression of genes related to neural metabolism or neuronal differentiation is also observed; (iv) most iPS-derived neurons are not permissive to HCMV infection; and (v) infected neurons have impaired calcium influx in response to glutamate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
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D'Aiuto L, Di Maio R, Mohan KN, Minervini C, Saporiti F, Soreca I, Greenamyre JT, Chaillet JR. Mouse ES cells overexpressing DNMT1 produce abnormal neurons with upregulated NMDA/NR1 subunit. Differentiation 2011; 82:9-17. [PMID: 21492995 DOI: 10.1016/j.diff.2011.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2010] [Revised: 03/23/2011] [Accepted: 03/24/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
High levels of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), hypermethylation, and downregulation of GAD(67) and reelin have been described in GABAergic interneurons of patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar (BP) disorders. However, overexpression of DNMT1 is lethal, making it difficult to assess the direct effect of high levels of DNMT1 on neuronal development in vivo. We therefore used Dnmt1(tet/tet) mouse ES cells that overexpress DNMT1 as an in vitro model to investigate the impact of high levels of DNMT1 on neuronal differentiation. Although there is down-regulation of DNMT1 during early stages of differentiation in wild type and Dnmt1(tet/tet) ES cell lines, neurons derived from Dnmt1(tet/tet) cells showed abnormal dendritic arborization and branching. The Dnmt1(tet/tet) neuronal cells also showed elevated levels of functional N-methyl d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), a feature also reported in some neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. Considering the roles of reelin and GAD(67) in neuronal networking and excitatory/inhibitory balance, respectively, we studied methylation of these genes' promoters in Dnmt1(tet/tet) ES cells and neurons. Both reelin and GAD(67) promoters were not hypermethylated in the Dnmt1(tet/tet) ES cells and neurons, suggesting that overexpression of DNMT1 may not directly result in methylation-mediated repression of these two genes. Taken together, our results suggest that overexpression of DNMT1 in ES cells results in an epigenetic change prior to the onset of differentiation. This epigenetic change in turn results in abnormal neuronal differentiation and upregulation of functional NMDA receptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Magee-Womens Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh, 204 Craft Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
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D'Aiuto L, Marzulli M, Mohan KN, Borowczyk E, Saporiti F, VanDemark A, Chaillet JR. Dissection of structure and function of the N-terminal domain of mouse DNMT1 using regional frame-shift mutagenesis. PLoS One 2010; 5:e9831. [PMID: 20352123 PMCID: PMC2843745 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0009831] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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: 12/14/2009] [Accepted: 02/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Deletion analysis of mouse DNMT1, the primary maintenance methyltransferase in mammals, showed that most of the N-terminal regulatory domain (amino acid residues 412-1112) is required for its enzymatic activity. Although analysis of deletion mutants helps to identify regions of a protein sequence required for a particular activity, amino acid deletions can have drastic effects on protein structure and/or stability. Alternative approaches represented by rational design and directed evolution are resource demanding, and require high-throughput selection or screening systems. We developed Regional Frame-shift Mutagenesis (RFM) as a new approach to identify portions required for the methyltransferase activity of DNMT1 within the N-terminal 89-905 amino acids. In this method, a short stretch of amino acids in the wild-type protein is converted to a different amino acid sequence. The resultant mutant protein retains the same amino acid length as the wild type, thereby reducing physical constrains on normal folding of the mutant protein. Using RFM, we identified three small regions in the amino-terminal one-third of the protein that are essential for DNMT1 function. Two of these regions (amino acids 124-160 and 341-368) border a large disordered region that regulates maintenance methylation activity. This organization of DNMT1's amino terminus suggests that the borders define the position of the disordered region within the DNMT1 protein, which in turn allows for its proper function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Marco Marzulli
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - K. Naga Mohan
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Ewa Borowczyk
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Federica Saporiti
- Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Andrew VanDemark
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - J. Richard Chaillet
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Chaillet JR, Borowczyk E, D'Aiuto L, Mohan KN. ES Cells That Model Developmental Changes in DNA Methylation. Biol Reprod 2009. [DOI: 10.1093/biolreprod/81.s1.270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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D'Aiuto L, Robison CS, Gigante M, Nwanegbo E, Shaffer B, Sukhwani M, Castro CA, Chaillet JR. Human IL-12 p40 as a reporter gene for high-throughput screening of engineered mouse embryonic stem cells. BMC Biotechnol 2008; 8:52. [PMID: 18522747 PMCID: PMC2442052 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6750-8-52] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 01/17/2008] [Accepted: 06/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Establishing a suitable level of exogenous gene expression in mammalian cells in general, and embryonic stem (ES) cells in particular, is an important aspect of understanding pathways of cell differentiation, signal transduction and cell physiology. Despite its importance, this process remains challenging because of the poor correlation between the presence of introduced exogenous DNA and its transcription. Consequently, many transfected cells must be screened to identify those with an appropriate level of expression. To improve the screening process, we investigated the utility of the human interleukin 12 (IL-12) p40 cDNA as a reporter gene for studies of mammalian gene expression and for high-throughput screening of engineered mouse embryonic stem cells. RESULTS A series of expression plasmids were used to study the utility of IL-12 p40 as an accurate reporter of gene activity. These studies included a characterization of the IL-12 p40 expression system in terms of: (i) a time course of IL-12 p40 accumulation in the medium of transfected cells; (ii) the dose-response relationship between the input DNA and IL-12 p40 mRNA levels and IL-12 p40 protein secretion; (iii) the utility of IL-12 p40 as a reporter gene for analyzing the activity of cis-acting genetic elements; (iv) expression of the IL-12 p40 reporter protein driven by an IRES element in a bicistronic mRNA; (v) utility of IL-12 p40 as a reporter gene in a high-throughput screening strategy to identify successful transformed mouse embryonic stem cells; (vi) demonstration of pluripotency of IL-12 p40 expressing ES cells in vitro and in vivo; and (vii) germline transmission of the IL-12 p40 reporter gene. CONCLUSION IL-12 p40 showed several advantages as a reporter gene in terms of sensitivity and ease of the detection procedure. The IL-12 p40 assay was rapid and simple, in as much as the reporter protein secreted from the transfected cells was accurately measured by ELISA using a small aliquot of the culture medium. Remarkably, expression of Il-12 p40 does not affect the pluripotency of mouse ES cells. To our knowledge, human IL-12 p40 is the first secreted reporter protein suitable for high-throughput screening of mouse ES cells. In comparison to other secreted reporters, such as the widely used alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) reporter, the IL-12 p40 reporter system offers other real advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Pittsburgh Development Center, Magee-Women's Research Institute, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, PA 15261, USA.
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D'Aiuto L, De Marco R, Edward N, Rizzo A, Chaillet JR, Montecalvo A, Lotze MT, Gambotto A. Evidence of the capability of the CMV enhancer to activate in trans gene expression in mammalian cells. DNA Cell Biol 2006; 25:171-80. [PMID: 16569196 DOI: 10.1089/dna.2006.25.171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [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] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies have reported that an enhancer can act in trans when artificially, noncovalently bridged to the promoter by a protein-linked biotin:streptavidin complex, or when an enhancer and a promoter are located on separate concatenated plasmids. To investigate such transactivation in mammalian cells, we constructed CMV promoter-enhancer mutants driving the expression of the EGFP reporter gene and transfected cultured cells with various combinations of the mutant PCR products; results were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Our results show that the CMV enhancer can stimulate transcription in trans, even in the absence of physical association of the enhancer and promoter. Furthermore, we show that the transactivation of the CMV enhancer can be strengthened by the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate. Finally, we provide evidence that the CMV enhancer can influence, in trans, the activity of heterologous promoters. Although different mechanisms may lead to transcriptional activation when the CMV enhancer is not covalently linked to the promoter, our results suggest that the main mechanism resembles the process of transfection and may be important for gene regulation. These findings may have implications in understanding the processes that underlie gene therapy because of the potential alteration of endogenous gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Surgery, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219, USA.
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Magin-Lachmann C, Kotzamanis G, D'Aiuto L, Cooke H, Huxley C, Wagner E. In vitro andin vivo delivery of intact BAC DNA– comparison of different methods. J Gene Med 2004; 6:195-209. [PMID: 14978773 DOI: 10.1002/jgm.481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [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] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability to deliver large (>100 kb) fragments of DNA to mammalian cells in vitro and in vivo is becoming increasingly important with the availability of BAC and PAC constructs for gene expression. Here we investigate in vitro and in vivo delivery of BACs up to 157 kb. METHODS Different types of polyethylenimine (PEI) and Lipofectamine were used to deliver 150-kb BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) DNA to mouse and human cell lines in tissue culture and the level of EGFP expression compared. To assess the intactness of the DNA delivered, a BAC carrying oriP/EBNA-1 was used to make stably transfected cell lines. Episomal DNA was then rescued into E. coli followed by analysis on a pulsed-field gel. Three different methods of in vivo delivery were also assessed for delivery of BAC DNA; intravenous injection of DNA/PEI particles, intramuscular injection with electroporation and high-volume injection into the tail vein. RESULTS PEI22 (linear polymer form, 22 kDa) was found to be the most efficient method for delivery of 150-kb BAC DNA to both cell lines in tissue culture. However, Lipofectamine 2000 was found to give a higher proportion of intact DNA than PEI22 in stably transformed colonies and almost all the DNA delivered by Lipofectamine 2000 was intact. Intravenous injection of DNA/PEI particles was found to be inefficient for delivery of BAC DNA. Intramuscular injection with electroporation of pure BAC DNA was very efficient and expression was maintained for 105 days. High-volume injection of BAC DNA gave excellent expression in the liver and intact BAC DNA could be rescued 7 days after injection. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate efficient delivery of intact, large (up to 157 kb) DNA constructs for in vitro gene expression and in vivo gene therapy applications.
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de las Heras JI, D'Aiuto L, Cooke H. Mammalian artificial chromosome formation in human cells after lipofection of a PAC precursor. Methods Mol Biol 2004; 240:187-206. [PMID: 14970411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jose I de las Heras
- Chromosome Biology Section, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
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Abstract
We have developed a telomere-based episome by large-scale amplification in Escherichia coli cells. This episome consists of a PAC vector in which a 6 Kb sequence, containing an array of telomeric repeats spaced by a synthetic sequence, is tandemly repeated by large-scale multimerization in E. coli. After transfection in human HT1080 cells, the construct, called clone 106, was able to persist in episomal form or integrated into some endogenous chromosomes. Integrations occurred exclusively at the telomeres. Episomes were still present in HT1080 cells after more than 100 days in the absence of selection. Integrations of clone 106 into the telomeric regions were retained only under selective conditions, and when the selection was removed the construct was progressively eliminated from the chromosome. The long-term maintenance of clone 106 into human cells as an episome and its ability to integrate transiently into the telomeres of the host chromosomes suggest that this PAC-based episome is potentially a good candidate vector for gene therapy applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15219, USA.
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Abstract
The causative agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has been identified as a new type of coronavirus. Here, we have investigated the ability of adenoviral delivery of codon-optimised SARS-CoV strain Urbani structural antigens spike protein S1 fragment, membrane protein, and nucleocapsid protein to induce virus-specific broad immunity in rhesus macaques. We immunised rhesus macaques intramuscularly with a combination of the three Ad5-SARS-CoV vectors or a control vector and gave a booster vaccination on day 28. The vaccinated animals all had antibody responses against spike protein S1 fragment and T-cell responses against the nucleocapsid protein. All vaccinated animals showed strong neutralising antibody responses to SARS-CoV infection in vitro. These results show that an adenoviral-based vaccine can induce strong SARS-CoV-specific immune responses in the monkey, and hold promise for development of a protective vaccine against the SARS causal agent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wentao Gao
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Azaibi Tamin
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Adam Soloff
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Leonardo D'Aiuto
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Edward Nwanegbo
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Paul D Robbins
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - William J Bellini
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Simon Barratt-Boyes
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Andrea Gambotto
- Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Correspondence to: Dr Andrea Gambotto, Departments of Surgery and Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Molecular Medicine Institute, Suite 412, 300 Technology Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA
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Magin-Lachmann C, Kotzamanis G, D'Aiuto L, Wagner E, Huxley C. Retrofitting BACs with G418 resistance, luciferase, and oriP and EBNA-1 - new vectors for in vitro and in vivo delivery. BMC Biotechnol 2003; 3:2. [PMID: 12609052 PMCID: PMC150596 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6750-3-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2002] [Accepted: 02/03/2003] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) have been used extensively for sequencing the human and mouse genomes and are thus readily available for most genes. The large size of BACs means that they can generally carry intact genes with all the long range controlling elements that drive full levels of tissue-specific expression. For gene expression studies and gene therapy applications it is useful to be able to retrofit the BACs with selectable genes such as G418 resistance, reporter genes such as luciferase, and oriP/EBNA-1 from Epstein Barr virus which allows long term episomal maintenance in mammalian cells. RESULTS We describe a series of retrofitting plasmids and a protocol for in vivo loxP/Cre recombination. The vector pRetroNeo carries a G418 resistance cassette, pRetroNeoLuc carries G418 resistance and a luciferase expression cassette, pRetroNeoLucOE carries G418 resistance, luciferase and an oriP/EBNA-1 cassette and pRetroNeoOE carries G418 resistance and oriP/EBNA-1. These vectors can be efficiently retrofitted onto BACs without rearrangement of the BAC clone. The luciferase cassette is expressed efficiently from the retrofitting plasmids and from retrofitted BACs after transient transfection of B16F10 cells in tissue culture and after electroporation into muscles of BALB/c mice in vivo. We also show that a BAC carrying GFP, oriP and EBNA-1 can be transfected into B16F10 cells with Lipofectamine 2000 and can be rescued intact after 5 weeks. CONCLUSION The pRetro vectors allow efficient retrofitting of BACs with G418 resistance, luciferase and/or oriP/EBNA-1 using in vivo expression of Cre. The luciferase reporter gene is expressed after transient transfection of retrofitted BACs into cells in tissue culture and after electroporation into mouse muscle in vivo. OriP/EBNA-1 allows stable maintenance of a 150-kb BAC without rearrangement for at least 5 weeks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Magin-Lachmann
- Boehringer Ingelheim Austria GmbH, A-1121 Vienna, Austria, current address: BAXTER BioScience, A-1220 Vienna, Austria
| | - George Kotzamanis
- MAC group, Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 ONN, UK
| | - Leonardo D'Aiuto
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Ernst Wagner
- Pharmaceutical Biology-Biotechnology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandstrasse 5-13, D-81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Clare Huxley
- MAC group, Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 ONN, UK
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D'Aiuto L, Barsanti P, Cserpan I, Minardi G, Ciccarese S. A patchwork interspersed sequence is present in a high copy number in the sheep genome. Gene 2003; 303:69-76. [PMID: 12559568 DOI: 10.1016/s0378-1119(02)01103-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
We have isolated a new interspersed sequence present in a high copy number in the ovine genome. This patchwork sequence, named 3.79 AS1, is part of a larger element encompassing similarities to constant region of reverse transcriptase and to art2 shared with the Bovine Dimer Driven Family (BDDF). The 3.79 AS1 sequence includes homologies to amplification promoting sequences (APS), to a potential origin of bidirectional DNA replication (OBR), to the Alu core sequence motif GGAGGC required for RNA polymerase III promoter function and to the ATGGCTGCCAT sequence that has been shown to be able to induce amplification-dependent transformation in murine cells. Fluorescent in situ hybridization experiments using probes derived from both ends of the 3.79 AS1 sequence showed a widespread signal over all sheep chromosomes, except the Y chromosome. We propose that the structural features of the 3.79 AS1 patchwork sequence, that is likely to be a subfamily of Bov B LINE that invaded the Artiodactyl genome prior to the separation of the Bovidae species, facilitated its massive amplification and dispersion in the ovine genome.
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Affiliation(s)
- L D'Aiuto
- Dipartimento di Anatomia Patologica e di Genetica, University of Bari, via Amendola 165/A, Italy
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D'Aiuto L, Barsanti P, Mauro S, Cserpan I, Lanave C, Ciccarese S. Physical relationship between satellite I and II DNA in centromeric regions of sheep chromosomes. Chromosome Res 1997; 5:375-81. [PMID: 9364939 DOI: 10.1023/a:1018444325085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with probes representing sheep satellite I and satellite II DNAs shows a different distribution of the two repetitive DNA families in the centromeric region of most chromosomes. The single signal per chromosome produced by the satellite I probe suggests close proximity of this DNA family to the primary constriction. Satellite II produces two separate signals on the sister chromatids, and large blocks of satellite II DNA constitute most of the short arm of all acrocentric chromosomes. We have isolated and sequenced a phage clone containing a junction between discrete blocks of satellite I and satellite II sequences. The junction is characterized by an abrupt juxtaposition of arrays of the two satellites. The possibility that the peculiar structural features of this junction could have a functional significance is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- L D'Aiuto
- Istituto di Genetica, University of Bari, Italy
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Rocchi M, Archidiacono N, Antonacci R, Finelli P, D'Aiuto L, Carbone R, Lindsay E, Baldini A. Cloning and comparative mapping of recently evolved human chromosome 22-specific alpha satellite DNA. Somat Cell Mol Genet 1994; 20:443-8. [PMID: 7825067 DOI: 10.1007/bf02257462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
We have isolated and characterized a new alphoid probe, named p190.22. Its chromosomal location was investigated using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Under high stringency conditions p190.22 recognizes specifically the centromere of chromosome 22. A chromosome 22-specific alphoid subset has been previously reported in the literature (p22/1:2.1). The partial sequence and the genomic organization comparison strongly suggests that they recognize distinct subsets both specific for chromosome 22. The comparative mapping of probes p190.22 and p22/1:2.1 on chimpanzee (PTR and PPA) and gorilla (GGO) chromosomes was investigated. The two probes showed different hybridization results. p190.22, in particular, did not show any hybridization signal in these three species, suggesting a recent evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Rocchi
- Istituto di Genetica, Università di Bari, Italy
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D'Aiuto L, Antonacci R, Marzella R, Archidiacono N, Rocchi M. Cloning and comparative mapping of a human chromosome 4-specific alpha satellite DNA sequence. Genomics 1993; 18:230-5. [PMID: 8288224 DOI: 10.1006/geno.1993.1460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [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: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
We have isolated and characterized two human alphoid DNA clones: p4n1/4 and pZ4.1. Clone p4n1/4 identifies specifically the centromeric region of chromosome 4; pZ4.1 recognizes a subset of alphoid DNA shared by chromosomes 4 and 9. The specificity was determined using fluorescence in situ hybridization experiments on metaphase spreads and Southern blotting analysis of human-hamster somatic cell hybrids. The genomic organization of both subsets was also investigated. Comparative mapping on chimpanzee and gorilla chromosomes was performed. p4n1/4 hybridizes to chimpanzee chromosomes 11 and 13, homologs of human chromosomes 9 and 2q, respectively. On gorilla metaphase spreads, p4n1/4 hybridizes exclusively to the centromeric region of chromosome 19, partially homologous to human chromosome 17. No hybridization signal was detected on chromosome 3 of both chimpanzee and gorilla, in both species homolog of human chromosome 4. Identical comparative mapping results were obtained using pZ4.1 probe, although the latter recognizes an alphoid subset distinct from the one recognized by p4n1/4. The implications of these results in the evolution of centromeric regions of primate chromosomes are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- L D'Aiuto
- Istituto di Genetica, Università di Bari, Italy
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Baldini A, Ried T, Shridhar V, Ogura K, D'Aiuto L, Rocchi M, Ward DC. An alphoid DNA sequence conserved in all human and great ape chromosomes: evidence for ancient centromeric sequences at human chromosomal regions 2q21 and 9q13. Hum Genet 1993; 90:577-83. [PMID: 8444464 DOI: 10.1007/bf00202474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [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] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Using vector-CENP-B box polymerase chain reaction (PCR) we isolated and cloned from a human chromosome 21-specific plasmid library, a 1 kb DNA sequence, named p alpha H21. In in situ hybridization experiments, p alpha H21 hybridized, under high stringency conditions, to the centromeric region of all the human, chimpanzee, gorilla and orangutan chromosomes. On human chromosomes p alpha H21 also identified non-centromeric sequences at 2q21 (locus D2F33S1) and 9q13 (locus D9F33S2). The possible derivation of these sequences from ancestral centromeres is discussed. Sequence analysis confirmed the alphoid nature of the whole p alpha H21 insert.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Baldini
- Department of Human Genetics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510
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