scholarly journals Human CytomegalovirusUL135andUL136Genes Are Required for Postentry Tropism in Endothelial Cells

2015 ◽  
Vol 89 (13) ◽  
pp. 6536-6550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farah Bughio ◽  
Mahadevaiah Umashankar ◽  
Jean Wilson ◽  
Felicia Goodrum

ABSTRACTEndothelial cells (ECs) are a critical target of viruses, and infection of the endothelium represents a defining point in viral pathogenesis. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), the prototypical betaherpesvirus, encodes proteins specialized for entry into ECs and delivery of the genome to the nuclei of ECs. Virus strains competent to enter ECs replicate with differing efficiencies, suggesting that the virus encodes genes for postentry tropism in ECs. We previously reported a specific requirement for theUL133/8locus of HCMV for replication in ECs. TheUL133/8locus harbors four genes:UL133,UL135,UL136, andUL138. In this study, we find that whileUL133andUL138are dispensable for replication in ECs, bothUL135andUL136are important. These genes are not required for virus entry or the expression of viral genes. The phenotypes associated with disruption of either gene reflect phenotypes observed for theUL133/8NULLvirus, which lacks the entireUL133/8locus, but are largely distinct from one another. Viruses lackingUL135fail to properly envelop capsids in the cytoplasm, produce fewer dense bodies (DB) than the wild-type (WT) virus, and are unable to incorporate viral products into multivesicular bodies (MVB). Viruses lackingUL136also fail to properly envelop virions and produce larger dense bodies than the WT virus. Our results indicate roles for theUL135andUL136proteins in commandeering host membrane-trafficking pathways for virus maturation.UL135andUL136represent the first HCMV genes crucial for early- to late-stage tropism in ECs.IMPORTANCEHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) persists in the majority of the world's population. While typically asymptomatic in healthy hosts, HCMV can cause significant morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised or naïve individuals, particularly transplant patients and patients with congenital infections, respectively. Lifelong persistence of the virus may also contribute to age-related pathologies, such as vascular disease. One aspect of HCMV infection contributing to complex and varied pathogenesis is the diverse array of cell types that this virus infects in the host. The vascular endothelium is a particularly important target of infection, contributing to viral dissemination and likely leading to CMV complications following transplantation. In this work, we identify two viral gene products required for postentry tropism in endothelial cells. Identifying tropism factors required for replication in critical cell targets of infection is important for the development of strategies to restrict virus replication.

2012 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 1046-1058 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C. Towler ◽  
Bahram Ebrahimi ◽  
Brian Lane ◽  
Andrew J. Davison ◽  
Derrick J. Dargan

Broad cell tropism contributes to the pathogenesis of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), but the extent to which cell type influences HCMV gene expression is unclear. A bespoke HCMV DNA microarray was used to monitor the transcriptome activity of the low passage Merlin strain of HCMV at 12, 24, 48 and 72 h post-infection, during a single round of replication in human fetal foreskin fibroblast cells (HFFF-2s), human retinal pigmented epithelial cells (RPE-1s) and human astrocytoma cells (U373MGs). In order to correlate transcriptome activity with concurrent biological responses, viral cytopathic effect, growth kinetics and genomic loads were examined in the three cell types. The temporal expression pattern of viral genes was broadly similar in HFFF-2s and RPE-1s, but dramatically different in U373MGs. Of the 165 known HCMV protein-coding genes, 41 and 48 were differentially regulated in RPE-1s and U373MGs, respectively, compared with HFFF-2s, and 22 of these were differentially regulated in both RPE-1s and U373MGs. In RPE-1s, all differentially regulated genes were downregulated, but, in U373MGs, some were down- and others upregulated. Differentially regulated genes were identified among the immediate-early, early, early late and true-late viral gene classes. Grouping of downregulated genes according to function at landmark stages of the replication cycle led to the identification of potential bottleneck stages (genome replication, virion assembly, and virion maturation and release) that may account for cell type-dependent viral growth kinetics. The possibility that cell type-specific differences in expressed cellular factors are responsible for modulation of viral gene expression is discussed.


Author(s):  
Samina Momtaz ◽  
Belen Molina ◽  
Luwanika Mlera ◽  
Felicia Goodrum ◽  
Jean M. Wilson

AbstractHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV), while highly restricted for the human species, infects an unlimited array of cell types in the host. Patterns of infection are dictated by the cell type infected, but cell type-specific factors and how they impact tropism for specific cell types is poorly understood. Previous studies in primary endothelial cells showed that HCMV infection induces large multivesicular-like bodies that incorporate viral products including dense bodies and virions. Here we define the nature of these large vesicles using a recombinant virus where UL32, encoding the pp150 tegument protein, is fused in frame with green fluorescent protein (GFP, TB40/E-UL32-GFP). Cells were fixed and labeled with antibodies against subcellular compartment markers and imaged using confocal and super-resolution microscopy. In fibroblasts, UL32-GFP-positive vesicles were marked with classical markers of MVBs, including CD63 and lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA), both classical MVB markers, as well as the clathrin and LAMP1. Unexpectedly, UL32-GFP-positive vesicles in endothelial cells were not labeled by CD63, and LBPA was completely lost from infected cells. We defined these UL32-positive vesicles in endothelial cells using markers for the cis-Golgi (GM130), lysosome (LAMP1), and autophagy (LC3B). These findings suggest that virus-containing MVBs in fibroblasts are derived from the canonical endocytic pathway and takeover classical exosomal release pathway. Virus containing MVBs in HMVECs are derived from the early biosynthetic pathway and exploit a less characterized early Golgi-LAMP1-associated non-canonical secretory autophagy pathway. These results reveal striking cell-type specific membrane trafficking differences in host pathways that are exploited by HCMV.ImportanceHuman cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a herpesvirus that, like all herpesvirus, that establishes a life long infection. HCMV remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the immunocompromised and HCMV seropositivity is associated with increased risk vascular disease. HCMV infects many cells in the human and the biology underlying the different patterns of infection in different cell types is poorly understood. Endothelial cells are important target of infection that contribute to hematogenous spread of the virus to tissues. Here we define striking differences in the biogenesis of large vesicles that incorporate virions in fibroblasts and endothelial cells. In fibroblasts, HCMV is incorporated into canonical MVBs derived from an endocytic pathway, whereas HCMV matures through vesicles derived from the biosynthetic pathway in endothelial cells. This work defines basic biological differences between these cell types that may impact the outcome of infection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (17) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Lehmann ◽  
Jessica Julia Falk ◽  
Nicole Büscher ◽  
Inessa Penner ◽  
Christine Zimmermann ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe development of a vaccine against human cytomegalovirus infection (HCMV) is a high-priority medical goal. The viral pentameric protein complex consisting of glycoprotein H (gH)/gL/UL128-131A (PC) is considered to be an important vaccine component. Its relevance to the induction of a protective antibody response is, however, still a matter of debate. We addressed this issue by using subviral dense bodies (DBs) of HCMV. DBs are exceptionally immunogenic. Laboratory HCMV strain DBs harbor important neutralizing antibody targets, like the glycoproteins B, H, L, M, and N, but they are devoid of the PC. To be able to directly compare the impact of the PC on the levels of neutralizing antibody (NT-abs) responses, a PC-positive variant of the HCMV laboratory strain Towne was established by bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) mutagenesis (Towne-UL130rep). This strain synthesized PC-positive DBs upon infection of fibroblasts. These DBs were used in side-by-side immunizations with PC-negative Towne DBs. Mouse and rabbit sera were tested to address the impact of the PC on DB immunogenicity. The neutralizing antibody response to PC-positive DBs was superior to that of PC-negative DBs, as tested on fibroblasts, epithelial cells, and endothelial cells and for both animal species used. The experiments revealed the potential of the PC to enhance the antibody response against HCMV. Of particular interest was the finding that PC-positive DBs induced an antibody response that blocked the infection of fibroblasts by a PC-positive viral strain more efficiently than sera following immunizations with PC-negative particles.IMPORTANCEInfections with the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) may cause severe and even life-threatening disease manifestations in newborns and immunosuppressed individuals. Several strategies for the development of a vaccine against this virus are currently pursued. A critical question in this respect refers to the antigenic composition of a successful vaccine. Using a subviral particle vaccine candidate, we show here that one protein complex of HCMV, termed the pentameric complex (PC), enhances the neutralizing antibody response against viral infection of different cell types. We further show for the first time that this not only relates to the infection of epithelial or endothelial cells; the presence of the PC in the particles also enhanced the neutralizing antibody response against the infection of fibroblasts by HCMV. Together, these findings argue in favor of including the PC in strategies for HCMV vaccine development.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (18) ◽  
pp. 9551-9555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Hahn ◽  
Hanna Khan ◽  
Fausto Baldanti ◽  
Ulrich H. Koszinowski ◽  
M. Grazia Revello ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT An endothelial cell-tropic and leukotropic human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) clinical isolate was cloned as a fusion-inducing factor X-bacterial artificial chromosome in Escherichia coli, and the ribonucleotide reductase homolog UL45 was deleted. Reconstituted virus RVFIX and RVΔUL45 grew equally well in human fibroblasts and human endothelial cells. Thus, UL45 is dispensable for growth of HCMV in both cell types.


2010 ◽  
Vol 84 (19) ◽  
pp. 9853-9863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhiannon R. Penkert ◽  
Robert F. Kalejta

ABSTRACT Herpesviral virions contain a tegument layer that consists primarily of viral proteins. The delivery of fully functional proteins to infected cells upon virion envelope fusion to the plasma membrane allows herpesviruses to modulate cellular activities prior to viral gene expression. Certain tegument proteins can also regulate viral processes. For example, the pp71 tegument protein encoded by the UL82 gene of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) stimulates viral immediate early (IE) gene expression and thus acts to initiate the productive lytic infectious cycle. In terminally differentiated fibroblasts infected with HCMV, tegument-delivered pp71 traffics to the nucleus and degrades the cellular transcriptional corepressor Daxx to initiate viral IE gene expression and lytic replication. However, when HCMV infects incompletely differentiated cells, tegument-delivered pp71 remains in the cytoplasm, allowing the nucleus-localized Daxx protein to silence viral IE gene expression and promote the establishment of a latent infection in certain cell types. We sought to determine whether undifferentiated cells block the trafficking of tegument-delivered pp71 to the nucleus or whether differentiated cells facilitate the nuclear transport of tegument-delivered pp71. Heterogenous cell fusion experiments demonstrated that tegument-delivered pp71 found in the cytoplasm of undifferentiated NT2 cells could be driven into the nucleus by one or more factors provided by fully differentiated fibroblasts. Our data raise the intriguing possibility that latency is the default program launched by HCMV upon viral entry into cells and that lytic infection is initiated only in certain (differentiated) cells that can facilitate the delivery of incoming pp71 to the nucleus.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samina Momtaz ◽  
Belen Molina ◽  
Luwanika Mlera ◽  
Felicia Goodrum ◽  
Jean M. Wilson

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), while highly restricted for the human species, infects an diverse array of cell types in the host. Patterns of infection are dictated by the cell type infected, but cell type-specific factors and how they impact tropism for specific cell types is poorly understood. Previous studies in primary endothelial cells showed that HCMV infection induces large multivesicular-like bodies (MVBs) that incorporate viral products, including dense bodies (DBs) and virions. Here we define the nature of these large vesicles using a recombinant virus where UL32, encoding the pp150 tegument protein, is fused in frame with green fluorescent protein (GFP, TB40/E-UL32-GFP). In fibroblasts, UL32-GFP-positive vesicles were marked with classical markers of MVBs, including CD63 and lysobisphosphatidic acid (LBPA), both classical MVB markers, as well as the clathrin and LAMP1. Unexpectedly, UL32-GFP-positive vesicles in primary human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVECs) were not labeled by CD63, and LBPA was completely lost from infected cells. We defined these UL32-positive vesicles in endothelial cells using markers for the cis-Golgi (GM130), lysosome (LAMP1), and autophagy (LC3B). These findings suggest that UL32-GFP containing MVBs in fibroblasts are derived from the canonical endocytic pathway and takeover classical exosomal release pathway. However, UL32-GFP containing MVBs in HMVECs are derived from the early biosynthetic pathway and exploit a less characterized early Golgi-LAMP1-associated non- canonical secretory autophagy pathway. These results reveal striking cell-type specific membrane trafficking differences in host pathways that are exploited by HCMV, which may reflect distinct pathways for virus egress. Importance Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a herpesvirus that, like all herpesvirus, that establishes a life-long infection. HCMV remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the immunocompromised and HCMV seropositivity is associated with age-related pathology. HCMV infects many cells in the human host and the biology underlying the different patterns of infection in different cell types is poorly understood. Endothelial cells are important target of infection that contribute to hematogenous spread of the virus to tissues. Here we define striking differences in the biogenesis of large vesicles that incorporate virions in fibroblasts and endothelial cells. In fibroblasts, HCMV is incorporated into canonical MVBs derived from an endocytic pathway, whereas HCMV matures through vesicles derived from the biosynthetic pathway in endothelial cells. This work defines basic biological differences between these cell types that may impact how progeny virus is trafficked out of infected cells.


2006 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 710-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent J. Ryckman ◽  
Michael A Jarvis ◽  
Derek D. Drummond ◽  
Jay A. Nelson ◽  
David C. Johnson

ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) replication in epithelial and endothelial cells appears to be important in virus spread, disease, and persistence. It has been difficult to study infection of these cell types because HCMV laboratory strains (e.g., AD169 and Towne) have lost their ability to infect cultured epithelial and endothelial cells during extensive propagation in fibroblasts. Clinical strains of HCMV (e.g., TR and FIX) possess a cluster of genes (UL128 to UL150) that are largely mutated in laboratory strains, and recent studies have indicated that these genes facilitate replication in epithelial and endothelial cells. The mechanisms by which these genes promote infection of these two cell types are unclear. We derived an HCMV UL128-to-UL150 deletion mutant from strain TR, TRΔ4, and studied early events in HCMV infection of epithelial and endothelial cells, and the role of genes UL128 to UL150. Analysis of wild-type TR indicated that HCMV enters epithelial and endothelial cells by endocytosis followed by low-pH-dependent fusion, which is different from the pH-independent fusion with the plasma membrane observed with human fibroblasts. TRΔ4 displayed a number of defects in early infection processes. Adsorption and entry of TRΔ4 on epithelial cells were poor compared with those of TR, but these defects could be overcome with higher doses of virus and the use of polyethylene glycol (PEG) to promote fusion between virion and cellular membranes. High multiplicity and PEG treatment did not promote infection of endothelial cells by TRΔ4, yet virus particles were internalized. Together, these data indicate that genes UL128 to UL150 are required for HCMV adsorption and penetration of epithelial cells and to promote some early stage of virus replication, subsequent to virus entry, in endothelial cells.


2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (12) ◽  
pp. 1057-1063 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Sinzger ◽  
Barbara Adler

SummaryEndothelial cells (EC) are assumed to play a central role in the spread of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) throughout the body. Results from in-situ analyses of infected tissues and data from cell culture systems together strongly suggest that vascular EC can support productive replication of HCMV and thus contribute to its haematogeneous dissemination. By inducing an angiogenic response, HCMV may even promote growth of its own habitat. The particular role of EC is further supported by the fact that entry of HCMV into EC is dependent on a complex of the envelope glycoproteins gH and gL with a set of proteins (UL128–131A) which is dispensable for HCMV entry into most other cell types. These molecular requirements may also be reflected by cell type-dependent differences in entry routes, i.e. endocytosis versus fusion at the plasma membrane. An animal model with trackable murine CMV is now available to clarify the pathogenetic role of EC during haematogeneous dissemination of this virus.


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