scholarly journals RIPK3-Dependent Necroptosis Is Induced and Restricts Viral Replication in Human Astrocytes Infected With Zika Virus

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunxia Wen ◽  
Yufeng Yu ◽  
Chengfeng Gao ◽  
Xian Qi ◽  
Carol J. Cardona ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Viral Replication ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Developmental Disorders ◽  
Viral Disease ◽  
Kinase Domain ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Mixed Lineage Kinase ◽  
Disease Outcomes ◽  
Human Astrocytes

Apoptosis, pyroptosis and necroptosis are regulated processes of cell death which can be crucial for viral disease outcomes in hosts because of their effects on viral pathogenicity and host resistance. Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus, which infects humans and can cause neurological disorders. Neural developmental disorders and microcephaly could occur in infected fetuses. Several types of nervous cells have been reported to be susceptible to ZIKV infection. Human astrocytes play important roles in the nutritional support and defense of neurons. In this study, we show that human astrocytes are susceptible to ZIKV infection and undergo progressive cell death after infection. In infected astrocytes we detected no cleavage or activation of pro-caspase-3 and pro-caspase-1. Apoptotic substrates and increased secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β or IL-18 were not detected, either. These ruled out the occurrence of apoptosis or pyroptosis in ZIKV-infected astrocytes. We detected, however, an increase of phosphorylated receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase (RIPK)1, RIPK3, and mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) protein, indicating that programmed necrosis, or necroptosis, was induced in infected astrocytes. The phosphorylation and cell death were inhibited in cells pre-treated with GSK’872, an inhibitor of RIPK3, while inhibition of RIPK1 with an inhibitor, Necrostatin-1, had no effect, suggesting that ZIKV-induced necroptosis was RIPK1-independent in astrocytes. Consistent with this finding, the inhibition of RIPK1 had no effect on the phosphorylation of MLKL. We showed evidence that MLKL phosphorylation was RIPK3-dependent and ZBP-1, which could stimulate RIPK3, was upregulated in ZIKV-infected astrocytes. Finally, we demonstrated that in GSK’872-pre-treated astrocytes, viral replication increased significantly, which indicates that necroptosis may be protective against viral replication in astrocytes. Our finding that astrocytes uniquely underwent necroptosis in response to ZIKV infection provides insight and helps us better understand the viral pathogenesis in the ZIKV-infected central nervous system.

scholarly journals Copper imbalance linked to oxidative stress and cell death during Zika virus infection in human astrocytes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teresa Puig-Pijuan ◽  
Leticia R. Q. Souza ◽  
Carolina da S. G. Pedrosa ◽  
Luiza M. Higa ◽  
Fabio Luis Monteiro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Copper Homeostasis ◽  
Neurological Complications ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Copper Chaperones ◽  
Copper Release ◽  
Human Astrocytes

The Zika virus (ZIKV) caused neurological abnormalities in more than 3500 Brazilian newborns between 2015 and 2020. Data have pointed to oxidative stress in astrocytes as well as to dysregulations in neural cell proliferation and cell cycle as important events accounting for the cell death and neurological complications observed in Congenital Zika Syndrome. Copper imbalance has been shown to induce similar alterations in other pathologies, and disturbances in copper homeostasis have already been described in viral infections. For this reason, we investigated copper homeostasis imbalance as a factor that could contribute to the cytotoxic effects of ZIKV infection in iPSC-derived human astrocytes. Our results show that ZIKV infection leads to a downregulation of one of the transporters mediating copper release, ATP7B protein. We also observed the activation of mechanisms that counteract high copper levels, including the synthesis of copper chaperones and the reduction of the copper importer protein CTR1. Finally, we show that chelator-mediated copper sequestration in ZIKV-infected astrocytes reduces the levels of reactive oxygen species and improves cell viability, but does not change the overall percentage of infected cells. In summary, our results show that copper homeostasis imbalance plays a role in the pathology of ZIKV in astrocytes, indicating that it may also be a factor accounting for the developmental abnormalities in the central nervous system following viral infection. Evaluating micronutrient levels and the use of copper chelators in pregnant women susceptible to ZIKV infection may be promising strategies to manage novel cases of congenital ZIKV syndrome.

scholarly journals Super Resolution Microscopy and Deep Learning Identify Zika Virus Reorganization of the Endoplasmic Reticulum

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rory K. M. Long ◽  
Kathleen P. Moriarty ◽  
Ben Cardoen ◽  
Guang Gao ◽  
A. Wayne Vogl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Endoplasmic Reticulum ◽  
Deep Learning ◽  
Viral Replication ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Deep Neural Networks ◽  
Super Resolution ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Subcellular Organelle ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
Super Resolution Microscopy

AbstractThe endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a complex subcellular organelle composed of diverse structures such as tubules, sheets and tubular matrices. Flaviviruses such as Zika virus (ZIKV) induce reorganization of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes to facilitate viral replication. Here, using 3D super resolution microscopy, ZIKV infection is shown to induce the formation of dense tubular matrices associated with viral replication in the central ER. Viral non-structural proteins NS4B and NS2B associate with replication complexes within the ZIKV-induced tubular matrix and exhibit distinct ER distributions outside this central ER region. Deep neural networks trained to identify ZIKV-infected versus mock-infected cells successfully identified ZIKV-induced central ER tubular matrices as a determinant of viral infection. Super resolution microscopy and deep learning are therefore able to identify and localize morphological features of the ER and may be of use to screen for inhibitors of infection by ER-reorganizing viruses.

scholarly journals Autophagy in Zika Virus Infection: A Possible Therapeutic Target to Counteract Viral Replication

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 1048 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rossella Gratton ◽  
Almerinda Agrelli ◽  
Paola Tricarico ◽  
Lucas Brandão ◽  
Sergio Crovella
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Viral Replication ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Mtor Signaling Pathway ◽  
Catabolic Pathway ◽  
Public Health Concern ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Fundamental Process

Zika virus (ZIKV) still constitutes a public health concern, however, no vaccines or therapies are currently approved for treatment. A fundamental process involved in ZIKV infection is autophagy, a cellular catabolic pathway delivering cytoplasmic cargo to the lysosome for degradation—considered as a primordial form of innate immunity against invading microorganisms. ZIKV is thought to inhibit the Akt-mTOR signaling pathway, which causes aberrant activation of autophagy promoting viral replication and propagation. It is therefore appealing to study the role of autophagic molecular effectors during viral infection to identify potential targets for anti-ZIKV therapeutic intervention.

scholarly journals Atovaquone Inhibits Arbovirus Replication through the Depletion of Intracellular Nucleotides

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelica Cifuentes Kottkamp ◽  
Elfie De Jesus ◽  
Rebecca Grande ◽  
Julia A. Brown ◽  
Adam R. Jacobs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Replication ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Pyrimidine Biosynthesis ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Antiviral Therapies ◽  
Virion Production ◽  
Women And Children

ABSTRACT Arthropod-borne viruses represent a significant public health threat worldwide, yet there are few antiviral therapies or prophylaxes targeting these pathogens. In particular, the development of novel antivirals for high-risk populations such as pregnant women is essential to prevent devastating disease such as that which was experienced with the recent outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas. One potential avenue to identify new and pregnancy-acceptable antiviral compounds is to repurpose well-known and widely used FDA-approved drugs. In this study, we addressed the antiviral role of atovaquone, an FDA Pregnancy Category C drug and pyrimidine biosynthesis inhibitor used for the prevention and treatment of parasitic infections. We found that atovaquone was able to inhibit ZIKV and chikungunya virus virion production in human cells and that this antiviral effect occurred early during infection at the initial steps of viral RNA replication. Moreover, we were able to complement viral replication and virion production with the addition of exogenous pyrimidine nucleosides, indicating that atovaquone functions through the inhibition of the pyrimidine biosynthesis pathway to inhibit viral replication. Finally, using an ex vivo human placental tissue model, we found that atovaquone could limit ZIKV infection in a dose-dependent manner, providing evidence that atovaquone may function as an antiviral in humans. Taken together, these studies suggest that atovaquone could be a broad-spectrum antiviral drug and a potential attractive candidate for the prophylaxis or treatment of arbovirus infection in vulnerable populations, such as pregnant women and children. IMPORTANCE The ability to protect vulnerable populations such as pregnant women and children from Zika virus and other arbovirus infections is essential to preventing the devastating complications induced by these viruses. One class of antiviral therapies may lie in known pregnancy-acceptable drugs that have the potential to mitigate arbovirus infections and disease, yet this has not been explored in detail. In this study, we show that the common antiparasitic drug atovaquone inhibits arbovirus replication through intracellular nucleotide depletion and can impair ZIKV infection in an ex vivo human placental explant model. Our study provides a novel function for atovaquone and highlights that the rediscovery of pregnancy-acceptable drugs with potential antiviral effects can be the key to better addressing the immediate need for treating viral infections and preventing potential birth complications and future disease.

scholarly journals Zika virus is transmitted in neural progenitor cells via cell-to-cell spread and infection is inhibited by the autophagy inducer trehalose

2020 ◽  
pp. JVI.02024-20
Author(s):  
Alex E Clark ◽  
Zhe Zhu ◽  
Florian Krach ◽  
Jeremy N Rich ◽  
Gene W. Yeo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Replication ◽  
Progenitor Cells ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Neural Progenitor Cells ◽  
Neutralizing Antibody ◽  
Neural Progenitor ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Free Virus ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Infected Cells

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne human pathogen that causes congenital Zika syndrome and neurological symptoms in some adults. There are currently no approved treatments or vaccines for ZIKV, and exploration of therapies targeting host processes could avoid viral development of drug resistance. The purpose of our study was to determine if the non-toxic and widely used disaccharide trehalose, which showed antiviral activity against Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in our previous work, could restrict ZIKV infection in clinically relevant neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Trehalose is known to induce autophagy, the degradation and recycling of cellular components. Whether autophagy is proviral or antiviral for ZIKV is controversial and depends on cell type and specific conditions used to activate or inhibit autophagy. We show here that trehalose treatment of NPCs infected with recent ZIKV isolates from Panama and Puerto Rico significantly reduces viral replication and spread. In addition, we demonstrate that ZIKV infection in NPCs spreads primarily cell-to-cell as an expanding infectious center, and NPCs are infected via contact with infected cells far more efficiently than by cell-free virus. Importantly, ZIKV was able to spread in NPCs in the presence of neutralizing antibody.Importance Zika virus causes birth defects and can lead to neurological disease in adults. While infection rates are currently low, ZIKV remains a public health concern with no treatment or vaccine available. Targeting a cellular pathway to inhibit viral replication is a potential treatment strategy that avoids development of antiviral resistance. We demonstrate in this study that the non-toxic autophagy-inducing disaccharide trehalose reduces spread and output of ZIKV in infected neural progenitor cells (NPCs), the major cells infected in the fetus. We show that ZIKV spreads cell-to-cell in NPCs as an infectious center and that NPCs are more permissive to infection by contact with infected cells than by cell-free virus. We find that neutralizing antibody does not prevent the spread of the infection in NPCs. These results are significant in demonstrating anti-ZIKV activity of trehalose and in clarifying the primary means of Zika virus spread in clinically relevant target cells.

scholarly journals A Genome-Wide CRISPR Activation Screen Identifies Genes Involved in Protection from Zika Virus Infection

Proceedings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 149
Author(s):  
Anna Dukhovny ◽  
Kevin Lamkiewicz ◽  
Qian Chen ◽  
Markus Fricke ◽  
Nabila Jabrane-Ferrat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Specific Treatment ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Neurological Complications ◽  
Host Factors ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Crispr Activation

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an arthropod-borne emerging pathogen causing febrile illness. ZIKV is associated with the Guillain–Barré syndrome and other neurological complications. The vertical transmission of ZIKV can cause fetus demise, stillbirths or severe congenital abnormalities and neurological complications. There is still no vaccine or specific treatment for ZIKV infection. To identify the host factors that can rescue cells from ZIKV infection, we used a genome-scale CRISPR activation screen. Our highly ranking hits included a short list of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) previously reported to have antiviral activity. Validation of the screen results highlighted interferon lambda 2 (IFN-lamda2) and interferon alpha-inducible protein 6 (IFI6) as genes providing high levels of protection from ZIKV infection. The activation of these genes had an effect at an early stage in the viral infection. In addition, infected cells expressing single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) for both of these genes displayed lower levels of cell death than did the controls. Furthermore, the identified genes were significantly induced in ZIKV-infected placenta explants. These results highlighted a set of ISGs directly relevant for rescuing cells from ZIKV infection or its associated cell death, thus substantiating CRISPR activation screens as a valid tool for identifying host factors impeding pathogen infection.

scholarly journals Japanese encephalitis virus–primed CD8+ T cells prevent antibody-dependent enhancement of Zika virus pathogenesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 217 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Chen ◽  
Zhiliang Duan ◽  
Wenhua Zhou ◽  
Weiwei Zou ◽  
Shengwei Jin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
T Cells ◽  
Viral Replication ◽  
Japanese Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Japanese Encephalitis ◽  
Cd8 T Cells ◽  
Zika Virus ◽  
Encephalitis Virus ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Zikv Infection ◽  
Lethal Effects

Cross-reactive anti-flaviviral immunity can influence the outcome of infections with heterologous flaviviruses. However, it is unclear how the interplay between cross-reactive antibodies and T cells tilts the balance toward pathogenesis versus protection during secondary Zika virus (ZIKV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infections. We show that sera and IgG from JEV-vaccinated humans and JEV-inoculated mice cross-reacted with ZIKV, exacerbated lethal ZIKV infection upon transfer to mice, and promoted viral replication and mortality upon ZIKV infection of the neonates born to immune mothers. In contrast, transfer of CD8+ T cells from JEV-exposed mice was protective, reducing the viral burden and mortality of ZIKV-infected mice and abrogating the lethal effects of antibody-mediated enhancement of ZIKV infection in mice. Conversely, cross-reactive anti-ZIKV antibodies or CD8+ T cells displayed the same pathogenic or protective effects upon JEV infection, with the exception that maternally acquired anti-ZIKV antibodies had no effect on JEV infection of the neonates. These results provide clues for developing safe anti-JEV/ZIKV vaccines.

scholarly journals Analysis of the N-terminal region of human MLKL, as well as two distinct MLKL isoforms, reveals new insights into necroptotic cell death

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Hrovat Arnež ◽  
Michaela Kindlova ◽  
Nilesh J. Bokil ◽  
James M. Murphy ◽  
Matthew J. Sweet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Human Monocyte ◽  
Kinase Domain ◽  
Terminal Region ◽  
Activation Loop ◽  
Phosphorylation Sites ◽  
Mixed Lineage Kinase

We show that mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) isoform 2, which lacks the pseudokinase domain and activation loop phosphorylation sites, is a more potent activator of cell death compared with MLKL isoform 1. Both MLKL isoforms are expressed in human monocyte-derived macrophages.

scholarly journals Translocation of mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein to plasma membrane leads to necrotic cell death

Cell Research ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Chen ◽  
Wenjuan Li ◽  
Junming Ren ◽  
Deli Huang ◽  
Wan-ting He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Kinase Domain ◽  
Necrotic Cell Death ◽  
Necrotic Cell ◽  
Mixed Lineage Kinase

scholarly journals Elevated Serum Levels of Mixed Lineage Kinase Domain-Like Protein Predict Survival of Patients during Intensive Care Unit Treatment

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihael Vucur ◽  
Christoph Roderburg ◽  
Lukas Kaiser ◽  
Anne Theres Schneider ◽  
Sanchari Roy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Intensive Care Unit ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Critical Illness ◽  
Critically Ill Patients ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Kinase Domain ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Mixed Lineage Kinase ◽  
Icu Treatment

Mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL), a crucial regulator of necroptotic cell death, was shown to play a role in inflammatory diseases. However, its role as a biomarker in critical illness and sepsis is currently unknown. We analyzed serum levels of MLKL in 136 critically ill patients at admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and after three days of ICU treatment. Results were compared with 36 healthy controls and correlated with clinical and laboratory patients’ data. MLKL serum levels of critically ill patients at admission to the ICU were similar compared to healthy controls. At ICU admission, MLKL serum concentrations were independent of disease severity, presence of sepsis, and etiology of critical illness. In contrast, median serum levels of MLKL after three days of ICU treatment were significantly lower compared to those at admission to the ICU. While serum levels of MLKL at admission were not predictive for short-term survival during ICU treatment, elevated MLKL concentrations at day three were an independent negative predictor of patients’ ICU survival. Thus, elevated MLKL levels after three days of ICU treatment were predictive for patients’ mortality, indicating that sustained deregulated cell death is associated with an adverse prognosis in critical illness.

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