scholarly journals Extended in vivo transcriptomes of two ascoviruses with different tissue tropisms reveal alternative mechanisms for enhancing virus reproduction in hemolymph

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heba A. H. Zaghloul ◽  
Robert H. Hice ◽  
Peter Arensburger ◽  
Dennis K. Bideshi ◽  
Brian A. Federici

AbstractAscoviruses are large dsDNA viruses characterized by the extraordinary changes they induce in cellular pathogenesis and architecture whereby after nuclear lysis and extensive hypertrophy, each cell is cleaved into numerous vesicles for virion reproduction. However, the level of viral replication and transcription in vesicles compared to other host tissues remains uncertain. Therefore, we applied RNA-Sequencing to compare the temporal transcriptome of Spodoptera frugiperda ascovirus (SfAV) and Trichoplusia ni ascovirus (TnAV) at 7, 14, and 21 days post-infection (dpi). We found most transcription occurred in viral vesicles, not in initial tissues infected, a remarkably novel reproduction mechanism compared to all other viruses and most other intracellular pathogens. Specifically, the highest level of viral gene expression occurred in hemolymph, for TnAV at 7 dpi, and SfAV at 14 dpi. Moreover, we found that host immune genes were partially down-regulated in hemolymph, where most viral replication occurred in highly dense accumulations of vesicles.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Tarnow ◽  
Alan McLachlan

β-catenin (Ctnnb1) supports high levels of liver gene expression in hepatocytes in proximity to the central vein functionally defining zone 3 of the liver lobule. This region of the liver lobule supports the highest levels of viral biosynthesis in wildtype HBV transgenic mice. Liver-specific β-catenin-null HBV transgenic mice exhibit a stark loss of high levels of pericentral viral biosynthesis. Additionally, viral replication that does not depend directly on β-catenin activity appears to expand to include hepatocytes of zone 1 of the liver lobule in proximity to the portal vein, a region of the liver that typically lacks significant HBV biosynthesis in wildtype HBV transgenic mice. While the average amount of viral RNA transcripts does not change, viral DNA replication is reduced approximately three-fold. Together, these observations demonstrate that β-catenin signaling represents a major determinant of HBV biosynthesis governing the magnitude and distribution of viral replication across the liver lobule in vivo. Additionally, these findings reveal a novel mechanism for the regulation of HBV biosynthesis that is potentially relevant to the expression of additional liver-specific genes. IMPORTANCE Viral biosynthesis is highest around the central vein in the HBV transgenic mouse model of chronic infection. The associated HBV biosynthetic gradient across the liver lobule is primarily dependent upon β-catenin. In the absence of β-catenin, the gradient of viral gene expression spanning the liver lobule is absent and HBV replication is reduced. Therefore, therapeutically manipulating β-catenin activity in the liver of chronic HBV carriers may reduce circulating infectious virions without greatly modulating viral protein production. Together, these change in viral biosynthesis might limit infection of additional hepatocytes while permitting immunological clearance of previously infected cells, potentially limiting disease persistence.


2008 ◽  
Vol 205 (4) ◽  
pp. 841-852 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Gosert ◽  
Christine H. Rinaldo ◽  
Georg A. Funk ◽  
Adrian Egli ◽  
Emilio Ramos ◽  
...  

Immunosuppression is required for BK viremia and polyomavirus BK–associated nephropathy (PVAN) in kidney transplants (KTs), but the role of viral determinants is unclear. We examined BKV noncoding control regions (NCCR), which coordinate viral gene expression and replication. In 286 day–matched plasma and urine samples from 129 KT patients with BKV viremia, including 70 with PVAN, the majority of viruses contained archetypal (ww-) NCCRs. However, rearranged (rr-) NCCRs were more frequent in plasma than in urine samples (22 vs. 4%; P < 0.001), and were associated with 20-fold higher plasma BKV loads (2.0 × 104/ml vs. 4.4 × 105/ml; P < 0.001). Emergence of rr-NCCR in plasma correlated with duration and peak BKV load (R2 = 0.64; P < 0.001). This was confirmed in a prospective cohort of 733 plasma samples from 227 patients. For 39 PVAN patients with available biopsies, rr-NCCRs were associated with more extensive viral replication and inflammation. Cloning of 10 rr-NCCRs revealed diverse duplications or deletions in different NCCR subregions, but all were sufficient to increase early gene expression, replication capacity, and cytopathology of recombinant BKV in vitro. Thus, rr-NCCR BKV emergence in plasma is linked to increased replication capacity and disease in KTs.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 192-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley L. Steed ◽  
Erik S. Barton ◽  
Scott A. Tibbetts ◽  
Daniel L. Popkin ◽  
Mary L. Lutzke ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Establishment of latent infection and reactivation from latency are critical aspects of herpesvirus infection and pathogenesis. Interfering with either of these steps in the herpesvirus life cycle may offer a novel strategy for controlling herpesvirus infection and associated disease pathogenesis. Prior studies show that mice deficient in gamma interferon (IFN-γ) or the IFN-γ receptor have elevated numbers of cells reactivating from murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (γHV68) latency, produce infectious virus after the establishment of latency, and develop large-vessel vasculitis. Here, we demonstrate that IFN-γ is a powerful inhibitor of reactivation of γHV68 from latency in tissue culture. In vivo, IFN-γ controls viral gene expression during latency. Importantly, depletion of IFN-γ in latently infected mice results in an increased frequency of cells reactivating virus. This demonstrates that IFN-γ is important for immune surveillance that limits reactivation of γHV68 from latency.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (51) ◽  
pp. e2113060118
Author(s):  
Xing Liu ◽  
Dhiraj Acharya ◽  
Eric Krawczyk ◽  
Chase Kangas ◽  
Michaela U. Gack ◽  
...  

Herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection relies on immediate early proteins that initiate viral replication. Among them, ICP0 is known, for many years, to facilitate the onset of viral gene expression and reactivation from latency. However, how ICP0 itself is regulated remains elusive. Through genetic analyses, we identify that the viral γ134.5 protein, an HSV virulence factor, interacts with and prevents ICP0 from proteasomal degradation. Furthermore, we show that the host E3 ligase TRIM23, recently shown to restrict the replication of HSV-1 (and certain other viruses) by inducing autophagy, triggers the proteasomal degradation of ICP0 via K11- and K48-linked ubiquitination. Functional analyses reveal that the γ134.5 protein binds to and inactivates TRIM23 through blockade of K27-linked TRIM23 autoubiquitination. Deletion of γ134.5 or ICP0 in a recombinant HSV-1 impairs viral replication, whereas ablation of TRIM23 markedly rescues viral growth. Herein, we show that TRIM23, apart from its role in autophagy-mediated HSV-1 restriction, down-regulates ICP0, whereas viral γ134.5 functions to disable TRIM23. Together, these results demonstrate that posttranslational regulation of ICP0 by virus and host factors determines the outcome of HSV-1 infection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (51) ◽  
pp. e2104163118
Author(s):  
Tianyou Yao ◽  
Seth Coleman ◽  
Thu Vu Phuc Nguyen ◽  
Ido Golding ◽  
Oleg A. Igoshin

When host cells are in low abundance, temperate bacteriophages opt for dormant (lysogenic) infection. Phage lambda implements this strategy by increasing the frequency of lysogeny at higher multiplicity of infection (MOI). However, it remains unclear how the phage reliably counts infecting viral genomes even as their intracellular number increases because of replication. By combining theoretical modeling with single-cell measurements of viral copy number and gene expression, we find that instead of hindering lambda’s decision, replication facilitates it. In a nonreplicating mutant, viral gene expression simply scales with MOI rather than diverging into lytic (virulent) and lysogenic trajectories. A similar pattern is followed during early infection by wild-type phage. However, later in the infection, the modulation of viral replication by the decision genes amplifies the initially modest gene expression differences into divergent trajectories. Replication thus ensures the optimal decision—lysis upon single-phage infection and lysogeny at higher MOI.


2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (23) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Shrestha ◽  
Kan Bao ◽  
Yun-Ru Chen ◽  
Wenbo Chen ◽  
Ping Wang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe baculovirusAutographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus(AcMNPV) is a large double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) virus that encodes approximately 156 genes and is highly pathogenic to a variety of larval lepidopteran insects in nature. Oral infection of larval midgut cells is initiated by the occlusion-derived virus (ODV), while secondary infection of other tissues is mediated by the budded virus (BV). Global viral gene expression has been studied in detail in BV-infected cell cultures, but studies of ODV infection in the larval midgut are limited. In this study, we examined expression of the ∼156 AcMNPV genes inTrichoplusia nimidgut tissue using a transcriptomic approach. We analyzed expression profiles of viral genes in the midgut and compared them with profiles from aT. nicell line (Tnms42). Several viral genes (p6.9,orf76,orf75,pp31,Ac-bro,odv-e25, andodv-ec27) had high expression levels in the midgut throughout the infection. Also, the expression of genes associated with occlusion bodies (polhandp10) appeared to be delayed in the midgut in comparison with the cell line. Comparisons of viral gene expression profiles revealed remarkable similarities between the midgut and cell line for most genes, although substantial differences were observed for some viral genes. These included genes associated with high level BV production (fp-25k), acceleration of systemic infection (v-fgf), and enhancement of viral movement (arif-1/orf20). These differential expression patterns appear to represent specific adaptations for virus infection and transmission through the polarized cells of the lepidopteran midgut.IMPORTANCEBaculoviruses such as AcMNPV are pathogens that are natural regulators of certain insect populations. Baculovirus infections are biphasic, with a primary phase initiated by oral infection of midgut epithelial cells by occlusion-derived virus (ODV) virions and a secondary phase in which other tissues are infected by budded-virus (BV) virions. While AcMNPV infections in cultured cells have been studied extensively, comparatively little is known regarding primary infection in the midgut. In these studies, we identified gene expression patterns associated with ODV-mediated infection of the midgut inTrichoplusia niand compared those results with prior results from BV-infected cultured cells, which simulate secondary infection. These studies provide a detailed analysis of viral gene expression patterns in the midgut, which likely represent specific viral strategies to (i) overcome or avoid host defenses in the gut and (ii) rapidly move infection from the midgut, into the hemocoel to facilitate systemic infection.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (10) ◽  
pp. 3722-3728 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnès Lezin ◽  
Nicolas Gillet ◽  
Stéphane Olindo ◽  
Aïssatou Signaté ◽  
Nathalie Grandvaux ◽  
...  

AbstractEpigenetic modifications of chromatin may play a role in maintaining viral latency and thus persistence of the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), which is responsible for HTLV-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). A major determinant of disease progression is increased peripheral blood proviral load (PVL), possibly via the accumulation of infected cells in the central nervous system (CNS) creating a damaging inflammatory response. Current therapeutic approaches that focus on reducing either cell proliferation, viral replication, or tissue invasion are still unsatisfactory. Contrasting with these inhibitory strategies, we evaluated the efficacy of a novel approach aimed, paradoxically, at activating viral gene expression to expose virus-positive cells to the host immune response. We used valproate (VPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor that has been used for decades as a chronic, safe treatment for epileptic disorders. Based on in vitro and in vivo data, we provide evidence that transient activation of the latent viral reservoir causes its collapse, a process that may alleviate the condition of HAM/TSP. This represents the first such approach to treating HAM/TSP, using gene activation therapy to tilt the host-pathogen balance in favor of an existing antiviral response. This trial is registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov/as no. NCT00519181.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Courtney ◽  
Andrea Chalem ◽  
Hal P. Bogerd ◽  
Brittany A. Law ◽  
Edward M. Kennedy ◽  
...  

AbstractWhile it has been known for several years that viral RNAs are subject to the addition of several distinct covalent modifications to individual nucleotides, collectively referred to as epitranscriptomic modifications, the effect of these editing events on viral gene expression has been controversial. Here, we report the purification of murine leukemia virus (MLV) genomic RNA to homogeneity and show that this viral RNA contains levels ofN6-methyladenosine (m6A), 5-methylcytosine (m5C) and 2’O-methylated (Nm) ribonucleotides that are an order of magnitude higher than detected on bulk cellular mRNAs. Mapping of m6A and m5C residues on MLV transcripts identified multiple discrete editing sites and allowed the construction of MLV variants bearing silent mutations that removed a subset of these sites. Analysis of the replication potential of these mutants revealed a modest but significant attenuation in viral replication in 3T3 cells in culture. Consistent with a positive role for m6A and m5C in viral replication, we also demonstrate that overexpression of the key m6A reader protein YTHDF2 enhances MLV replication, while downregulation of the m5C writer NSUN2 inhibits MLV replication.ImportanceThe data presented in this manuscript demonstrate that MLV RNAs bear an exceptionally high level of the epitranscriptomic modifications m6A, m5C and Nm, thus suggesting that these each facilitate some aspect of the viral replication cycle. Consistent with this hypothesis, we demonstrate that mutational removal of a subset of these m6A or m5C modifications from MLV transcripts inhibits MLV replication incisand a similar result was also observed upon manipulation of the level of expression of key cellular epitranscriptomic cofactors intrans. Together, these results argue that the addition of several different epitranscriptomic modifications to viral transcripts stimulates viral gene expression and suggest that MLV has therefore evolved to maximize the level of these modifications that are added to viral RNAs.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document