scholarly journals In VitroCharacterization of Human Cytomegalovirus-Targeting Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies LJP538 and LJP539

2016 ◽  
Vol 60 (8) ◽  
pp. 4961-4971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hetalkumar D. Patel ◽  
Pavel Nikitin ◽  
Thomas Gesner ◽  
James J. Lin ◽  
David T. Barkan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is usually benign in healthy individuals but can cause life-threatening disease in those with compromised immune systems. Approved drugs available to treat HCMV disease, including ganciclovir, cidofovir, and foscarnet, have significant toxicities that limit their use in certain patient populations. LJP538 and LJP539 are human monoclonal antibodies that are being evaluated as immunoglobulin therapeutics. The antibodies target glycoproteins gB and the gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL131a pentameric complex, respectively. Here we present anin vitrocharacterization of these antibodies. We show that LJP538 and LJP539 are more potent than a marketed immunoglobulin at inhibiting HCMV infection of various cell lines relevant to pathogenesis. We find that LJP538 and LJP539 are active against a panel of clinical isolatesin vitroand demonstrate minor-to-moderate synergy in combination. Passage of HCMV in the presence of LJP538 or LJP539 alone resulted in resistance-associated mutations that mapped to the target genes. However, no loss of susceptibility to the combination of antibodies was observed for >400 days in culture. Finally, the binding regions of LJP538 and LJP539 are conserved among clinical isolates. Taken together, these data support the use of LJP538 and LJP539 in combination for clinical trials in HCMV patients.

Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Crapnell ◽  
Esmail D. Zanjani ◽  
Aniruddho Chaudhuri ◽  
Joao L. Ascensao ◽  
Stephen St. Jeor ◽  
...  

Apart from congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, manifest HCMV disease occurs primarily in immunocompromised patients. In allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, HCMV is frequently associated with graft failure and cytopenias involving all hematopoietic lineages, but thrombocytopenia is the most commonly reported hematologic complication. The authors hypothesized that megakaryocytes (MK) may be a specific target for HCMV. Although the susceptibility of immature hematopoietic progenitors cells to HCMV has been established, a productive viral life cycle has only been linked to myelomonocytic maturation. The authors investigated whether HCMV can also infect MK and impair their function. They demonstrated that HCMV did not affect the thrombopoietin (TPO)-driven proliferation of CD34+ cells until MK maturation occurred. MK challenged with HCMV showed a 50% more rapid loss of viability than mock-infected cells. MK and their early precursors were clearly shown to be susceptible to HCMV in vitro, as evidenced by the presence of HCMV in magnetic column-purified CD42+ MK and 2-color fluorescent staining with antibodies directed against CD42a and HCMV pp65 antigen. These findings were confirmed by the infection of MK with a laboratory strain of HCMV containing the β-galactosidase (β-gal) gene. Using chromogenic β-gal substrates, HCMV was detected during MK differentiation of infected CD34+ cells and after infection of fully differentiated MK. Production of infectious virus was observed in cultures infected MK, suggesting that HCMV can complete its life cycle. These results demonstrate that MK are susceptible to HCMV infection and that direct infection of these cells in vivo may contribute to the thrombocytopenia observed in patients infected with HCMV.


2018 ◽  
Vol 92 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Weng ◽  
Denis Lee ◽  
Christopher B. Gelbmann ◽  
Nicholas Van Sciver ◽  
Dhananjay M. Nawandar ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) productive replicationin vitrois most often studied in fibroblasts.In vivo, fibroblasts amplify viral titers, but transmission and pathogenesis require the infection of other cell types, most notably epithelial cells.In vitro, the study of HCMV infection of epithelial cells has been almost exclusively restricted to ocular epithelial cells. Here we present oral epithelial cells with relevance for viral interhost transmission as anin vitromodel system to study HCMV infection. We discovered that HCMV productively replicates in normal oral keratinocytes (NOKs) and telomerase-immortalized gingival cells (hGETs). Our work introduces oral epithelial cells for the study of HCMV productive infection, drug screening, and vaccine development.IMPORTANCEThe ocular epithelial cells currently used to study HCMV infectionsin vitrohave historical significance based upon their role in retinitis, an HCMV disease most often seen in AIDS patients. However, with the successful implementation of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) regimens, the incidence of HCMV retinitis has rapidly declined, and therefore, the relevance of studying ocular epithelial cell HCMV infection has decreased as well. Our introduction here of oral epithelial cells provides two alternativein vitromodels for the study of HCMV infection that complement and extend the physiologic relevance of the ocular system currently in use.


2021 ◽  
pp. 135965352110640
Author(s):  
D Andouard ◽  
R Gueye ◽  
S Hantz ◽  
C Fagnère ◽  
B Liagre ◽  
...  

Background Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is involved in complications on immunocompromised patients. Current therapeutics are associated with several drawbacks, such as nephrotoxicity. Purpose: As HCMV infection affects inflammation pathways, especially prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production via cyclooxygenase 2 enzyme (COX-2), we designed 2'-hydroxychalcone compounds to inhibit human cytomegalovirus. Study design We first selected the most efficient new synthetic chalcones for their effect against COX-2-catalyzed PGE2. Study sample Among the selected compounds, we assessed the antiviral efficacy against different HCMV strains, such as the laboratory strain AD169 and clinical strains (naïve or multi-resistant to conventional drugs) and toxicity on human cells. Results The most efficient and less toxic compound (chalcone 7) was tested against HCMV in combination with other antiviral molecules: artesunate (ART), baicalein (BAI), maribavir (MBV), ganciclovir (GCV), and quercetin (QUER) using Compusyn software. Association of chalcone 7 with MBV and BAI is synergistic, antagonistic with QUER, and additive with GCV and ART. Conclusion These results provide a promising search path for potential bitherapies against HCMV.


2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. 111-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Gribaldo

Haematopoietic tissues are the targets of numerous xenobiotics. The purpose of in vitro haematotoxicology is the prediction of adverse haematological effects from toxicants on human haematopoietic targets under controlled experimental conditions in the laboratory. Building on its foundations in experimental haematology and the wealth of haematotoxicological data found in experimental oncology, this field of alternatives toxicology has developed rapidly during the past decade. Preclinical and clinical drug development for anti-cancer drugs differs from that for other pharmaceuticals, because of the life-threatening nature of the disease. Treatment with anti-cancer drugs at clinically efficacious doses usually induces serious side-effects. The design of preclinical toxicology studies for anti-cancer drugs is intended to identify a safe clinical starting dose, characterise toxicities that could be encountered in human clinical trials, and determine whether these toxicities are reversible, manageable, and predictable. Although the myeloid colony-forming unit (CFU-GM) progenitor is most frequently evaluated, other defined progenitors and stem cells, as well as cell types found in the bone-marrow stroma, can now be evaluated in vitro. Genetic damage to haematopoietic cells can occur in the absence of any overt haematological signs. The development of tissue-specific screening systems that are able to give information about the toxic effects of chemicals, drugs and environmental hazards on target genes is needed, in order to make preliminary decisions or to set priorities for selection among large groups of chemicals and possible drugs.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 1087
Author(s):  
Manuela Donalisio ◽  
Simona Cirrincione ◽  
Massimo Rittà ◽  
Cristina Lamberti ◽  
Andrea Civra ◽  
...  

Breast milk is a complex biofluid that nourishes infants, supports their growth and protects them from diseases. However, at the same time, breastfeeding is a transmission route for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), with preterm infants being at a great risk of congenital disease. The discrepancy between high HCMV transmission rates and the few reported cases of infants with severe clinical illness is likely due to the protective effect of breast milk. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-HCMV activity of human preterm colostrum and clarify the role of colostrum-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). Preterm colostrum samples were collected and the EVs were purified and characterized. The in vitro anti-HCMV activity of both colostrum and EVs was tested against HCMV, and the viral replication step inhibited by colostrum-purified EVs was examined. We investigated the putative role EV surface proteins play in impairing HCMV infection using shaving experiments and proteomic analysis. The obtained results confirmed the antiviral action of colostrum against HCMV and demonstrated a remarkable antiviral activity of colostrum-derived EVs. Furthermore, we demonstrated that EVs impair the attachment of HCMV to cells, with EV surface proteins playing a role in mediating this action. These findings contribute to clarifying the mechanisms that underlie the protective role of human colostrum against HCMV infection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pallab Ghosh ◽  
Yan Zhou ◽  
Quentin Richardson ◽  
Darren E. Higgins

AbstractListeria monocytogenes is an intracellular pathogen responsible for listeriosis, a foodborne disease that can lead to life-threatening meningitis. The 2011 L. monocytogenes cantaloupe outbreak was among the deadliest foodborne outbreaks in the United States. We conducted in vitro and in vivo infection analyses to determine whether strains LS741 and LS743, two clinical isolates from the cantaloupe outbreak, differ significantly from the common laboratory strain 10403S. We showed that LS741 and LS743 exhibited increased virulence, characterized by higher colonization of the brain and other organs in mice. Assessment of cellular immune responses to known CD8+ T cell antigens was comparable between all strains. However, pre-existing immunity to 10403S did not confer protection in the brain against challenge with LS741. These studies provide insights into the pathogenesis of clinical isolates linked to the 2011 cantaloupe outbreak and also indicate that currently utilized laboratory strains are imperfect models for studying L. monocytogenes pathogenesis.


2006 ◽  
Vol 50 (8) ◽  
pp. 2806-2813 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Ueno ◽  
Y. Eizuru ◽  
H. Katano ◽  
T. Kurata ◽  
T. Sata ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) bodies are discrete nuclear foci that are intimately associated with many DNA viruses. In human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection, the IE1 (for “immediate-early 1”) protein has a marked effect on PML bodies via de-SUMOylation of PML protein. Here, we report a novel real-time monitoring system for HCMV-infected cells using a newly established cell line (SE/15) that stably expresses green fluorescent protein (GFP)-PML protein. In SE/15 cells, HCMV infection causes specific and efficient dispersion of GFP-PML bodies in an IE1-dependent manner, allowing the infected cells to be monitored by fluorescence microscopy without immunostaining. Since a specific change in the detergent solubility of GFP-PML occurs upon infection, the infected cells can be quantified by GFP fluorescence measurement after extraction. With this assay, the inhibitory effects of heparin and neutralizing antibodies were determined in small-scale cultures, indicating its usefulness for screening inhibitory reagents for laboratory virus strains. Furthermore, we established a sensitive imaging assay by counting the number of nuclei containing dispersed GFP-PML, which is applicable for titration of slow-growing clinical isolates. In all strains tested, the virus titers estimated by the GFP-PML imaging assay were well correlated with the plaque-forming cell numbers determined in human embryonic lung cells. Coculture of SE/15 cells and HCMV-infected fibroblasts permitted a rapid and reliable method for estimating the 50% inhibitory concentration values of drugs for clinical isolates in susceptibility testing. Taken together, these results demonstrate the development of a rapid, sensitive, quantitative, and specific detection system for HCMV-infected cells involving a simple procedure that can be used for titration of low-titer clinical isolates.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 096368972092505
Author(s):  
Yuan Qiao ◽  
Helena Kolibaba ◽  
Yukiko Mori ◽  
Tao Liu ◽  
Huijun Chen ◽  
...  

This paper aimed to evaluate whether human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection in extravillous cytotrophoblasts (EVT) could shift the balance between regulatory T (Treg) and T-helper type 17 (Th17) cells in vitro. In this study, primary EVT isolated from first trimester placental tissues were infected with HCMV, and conditional media were harvested after cultivation for 72 h. T lymphocytes were cultured in the presence or absence of HCMV-infected conditional media. The frequencies of Th17 or Treg cells from HCMV group were significantly lower or higher than those from the control group, with the expression of corresponding key cytokines at both messenger ribonucleic acid and secretion levels, respectively. The ratio of Treg to Th17 cells was significantly lower in HCMV group than that in control group ( P < 0.01). In conclusion, tiled Th17/Treg balance at maternal–fetal interface exists after HCMV infection.


2002 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 680-715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Grazia Revello ◽  
Giuseppe Gerna

SUMMARY Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the leading cause of congenital viral infection and mental retardation. HCMV infection, while causing asymptomatic infections in most immunocompetent subjects, can be transmitted during pregnancy from the mother with primary (and also recurrent) infection to the fetus. Hence, careful diagnosis of primary infection is required in the pregnant woman based on the most sensitive serologic assays (immunoglobulin M [IgM] and IgG avidity assays) and conventional virologic and molecular procedures for virus detection in blood. Maternal prognostic markers of fetal infection are still under investigation. If primary infection is diagnosed in a timely manner, prenatal diagnosis can be offered, including the search for virus and virus components in fetal blood and amniotic fluid, with fetal prognostic markers of HCMV disease still to be defined. However, the final step for definite diagnosis of congenital HCMV infection is detection of virus in the blood or urine in the first 1 to 2 weeks of life. To date, treatment of congenital infection with antiviral drugs is only palliative both prior to and after birth, whereas the only efficacious preventive measure seems to be the development of a safe and immunogenic vaccine, including recombinant, subunit, DNA, and peptide-based vaccines now under investigation. The following controversial issues are discussed in the light of the most recent advances in the field: the actual perception of the problem; universal serologic screening before pregnancy; the impact of correct counseling on decision making by the couple involved; the role of prenatal diagnosis in ascertaining transmission of virus to the fetus; the impact of preconceptional and periconceptional infections on the prevalence of congenital infection; and the prevalence of congenitally infected babies born to mothers who were immune prior to pregnancy compared to the number born to mothers undergoing primary infection during pregnancy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dasol Han ◽  
Sung-Hyun Byun ◽  
Juwan Kim ◽  
Mookwang Kwon ◽  
Samuel J. Pleasure ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Despite the high incidence of severe defects in the central nervous system caused by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) congenital infection, the mechanism of HCMV neuropathogenesis and the roles of individual viral genes have not yet been fully determined. In this study, we show that the immediate-early 2 (IE2) protein may play a key role in HCMV-caused neurodevelopmental disorders. IE2-transduced neural progenitor cells gave rise to neurospheres with a lower frequency and produced smaller neurospheres than control cells in vitro, indicating reduction of self-renewal and expansion of neural progenitors by IE2. At 2 days after in utero electroporation into the ventricle of the developing brain, a dramatically lower percentage of IE2-expressing cells was detected in the ventricular zone (VZ) and cortical plate (CP) compared to control cells, suggesting that IE2 concurrently dysregulates neural stem cell maintenance in the VZ and neuronal migration to the CP. In addition, most IE2+ cells in the lower intermediate zone either showed multipolar morphology with short neurites or possessed nonradially oriented processes, whereas control cells had long, radially oriented monopolar or bipolar neurites. IE2+ callosal axons also failed to cross the midline to form the corpus callosum. Furthermore, we provide molecular evidence that the cell cycle arrest and DNA binding activities of IE2 appear to be responsible for the increased neural stem cell exit from the VZ and cortical migrational defects, respectively. Collectively, our results demonstrate that IE2 disrupts the orderly process of brain development in a stepwise manner to further our understanding of neurodevelopmental HCMV pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE HCMV brain pathogenesis has been studied in limited experimental settings, such as in vitro HCMV infection of neural progenitor cells or in vivo murine CMV infection of the mouse brain. Here, we show that IE2 is a pivotal factor that contributes to HCMV-induced abnormalities in the context of the embryonic brain using an in utero gene transfer tool. Surprisingly, IE2, but not HCMV IE1 or murine CMV ie3, interferes pleiotropically with key neurodevelopmental processes, including neural stem cell regulation, proper positioning of migrating neurons, and the callosal axon projections important for communication between the hemispheres. Our data suggest that the wide spectrum of clinical outcomes, ranging from mental retardation to microcephaly, caused by congenital HCMV infection can be sufficiently explained in terms of IE2 action alone.


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