Carol H. Kim

Molecular and Functional Analysis of an Interferon Gene from the Zebrafish, Danio rerio

ABSTRACT The interferon (IFN) family consisting of alpha IFN (IFN-α), IFN-β, IFN-ω, IFN-δ, IFN-κ, and IFN-τ is a large group of cytokines involved in the innate immune response against various microorganisms. Genes for IFN have been cloned from a variety of mammalian and avian species; however, IFN genes from lower-order vertebrates have not been forthcoming. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of the IFN gene from the zebrafish, Danio rerio. Zebrafish IFN (zfIFN) is 185 amino acids in length, with the first 22 amino acids representing a putative signal peptide. Treatment with the known IFN inducer polyinosinic acid-polycytidylic acid (poly[I]-poly[C]) resulted in an increase in zfIFN mRNA transcripts. zfIFN was also able to activate the IFN-inducible Mx promoter when cotransfected with a plasmid containing the zebrafish Mx promoter upstream of a luciferase reporter gene. To demonstrate antiviral activity, zebrafish cells were transfected with zfIFN and challenged with a fish rhabdovirus. A 36% reduction in plaque number was seen in zfIFN-transfected cells, compared to cells transfected with a control vector. Phylogenetic analysis has shown zfIFN to be approximately equally divergent from avian and mammalian IFN, consistent with its origin from an IFN present in the most recent common ancestor of these divergent lineages. A putative IFN from puffer, Fugu rubripes, was also found when zfIFN was used to search the fugu genome database, demonstrating that zfIFN can be used to find additional fish IFN genes. These results demonstrate that zebrafish can be used as an effective model for studying innate immunity and immune response to infectious disease.

Zebrafish as a model for infectious disease and immune function.

The zebrafish, Danio rerio, has come to the forefront of biomedical research as a powerful model for the study of development, neurobiology, and genetics of humans. In recent years, use of the zebrafish system has extended into studies in behaviour, immunology and toxicology, retaining the concept that it will serve as a model for human disease. As one of the most thoroughly studied teleosts, with a wealth of genetic and genomic information available, the zebrafish is now being considered as a model for pathogen studies in finfishes. Its genome is currently being sequenced and annotated, and gene microarrays and insertional mutants are commercially available. The use of gene-specific knockdown of translation through morpholino oligonucleotides is widespread. As a result, several laboratories have developed bacterial and viral disease models with the zebrafish to study immune responses to infection. Although many of the zebrafish pathogen models were developed to address human infectious disease, the results of these studies should provide important clues for the development of effective vaccines and prophylactic measures against bacterial and viral pathogens in economically important fishes. In this review, the capabilities and potential of the zebrafish model system will be discussed and an overview of information on zebrafish infectious disease models will be presented.

DNA Vaccines Encoding Viral Glycoproteins Induce Nonspecific Immunity and Mx Protein Synthesis in Fish

ABSTRACT Protective immunity by vaccination with plasmid DNA encoding a viral glycoprotein (G) has long been assumed to result from the induction of a specific immune response. We report here that the initial protection may be due to the induction of alpha/beta interferon, with long-term protection due to a specific response to the encoded viral G. DNA vaccines encoding the Gs of three serologically unrelated fish rhabdoviruses were used to vaccinate rainbow trout against a lethal challenge with infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). All three vaccines, each encoding the G gene of either IHNV (IHNV-G), snakehead rhabdovirus (SHRV) (SHRV-G), or spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) (SVCV-G), elicited protective immunity against IHNV. Vaccinated fish were challenged at 30 or 70 days postvaccination with lethal doses of IHNV. At 30 days postvaccination, only 5% of fish that had received any of the G vaccines died, whereas more than 50% of the control fish succumbed to virus challenge. When fish were vaccinated and challenged at 70 days postvaccination, only 12% of the IHNV-G-vaccinated fish died compared to 68% for the SHRV-G- and 76% for the SVCV-G-vaccinated fish. Assays for trout Mx protein, an indicator of alpha/beta interferon induction, showed that only fish vaccinated with a G-containing plasmid produced high levels of Mx protein in the kidneys and liver. Interestingly, at day 7 after virus challenge, all of the fish vaccinated with the IHNV-G plasmid were negative for Mx, but the SHRV-G- and SVCV-G-vaccinated fish still showed detectable levels of Mx. These results suggest that DNA vaccines in fish induce an early, nonspecific antiviral protection mediated by an alpha/beta interferon and, later, a specific immune response.

Cell-specific mitotic defect and dyserythropoiesis associated with erythroid band 3 deficiency.

Most eukaryotic cell types use a common program to regulate the process of cell division. During mitosis, successful partitioning of the genetic material depends on spatially coordinated chromosome movement and cell cleavage. Here we characterize a zebrafish mutant, retsina (ret), that exhibits an erythroid-specific defect in cell division with marked dyserythropoiesis similar to human congenital dyserythropoietic anemia. Erythroblasts from ret fish show binuclearity and undergo apoptosis due to a failure in the completion of chromosome segregation and cytokinesis. Through positional cloning, we show that the ret mutation is in a gene (slc4a1) encoding the anion exchanger 1 (also called band 3 and AE1), an erythroid-specific cytoskeletal protein. We further show an association between deficiency in Slc4a1 and mitotic defects in the mouse. Rescue experiments in ret zebrafish embryos expressing transgenic slc4a1 with a variety of mutations show that the requirement for band 3 in normal erythroid mitosis is mediated through its protein 4.1R–binding domains. Our report establishes an evolutionarily conserved role for band 3 in erythroid-specific cell division and illustrates the concept of cell-specific adaptation for mitosis.

The gene history of zebrafish tlr4a and tlr4b is predictive of their divergent functions

Mammalian immune responses to LPS exposure are typified by the robust induction of NF-κB and IFN-β responses largely mediated by TLR4 signal transduction pathways. In contrast to mammals, Tlr4 signal transduction pathways in nontetrapods are not well understood. Comprehensive syntenic and phylogenetic analyses support our hypothesis that zebrafish tlr4a and tlr4b genes are paralogous rather than orthologous to human TLR4. Furthermore, we provide evidence to support our assertion that the in vivo responsiveness of zebrafish to LPS exposure is not mediated by Tlr4a and Tlr4b paralogs because they fail to respond to LPS stimulation in vitro. Zebrafish Tlr4a and Tlr4b paralogs were also unresponsive to heat-killed Escherichia coli and Legionella pneumophila. Using chimeric molecules in which portions of the zebrafish Tlr4 proteins were fused to portions of the mouse TLR4 protein, we show that the lack of responsiveness to LPS was most likely due to the inability of the extracellular portions of zebrafish Tlr4a and Tlr4b to recognize the molecule, rather than to changes in their capacities to transduce signals through their Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domains. Taken together, these findings strongly support the notion that zebrafish tlr4a and tlr4b paralogs have evolved to provide alternative ligand specificities to the Tlr immune defense system in this species. These data demonstrate that intensive examination of gene histories when describing the Tlr proteins of basally diverging vertebrates is required to obtain fuller appreciation of the evolution of their function. These studies provide the first evidence for the functional evolution of a novel Tlr.

Characterization of Snakehead Rhabdovirus Infection in Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

ABSTRACT The zebrafish, Danio rerio, has become recognized as a valuable model for the study of development, genetics, and toxicology. Recently, the zebrafish has been recognized as a useful model for infectious disease and immunity. In this study, the pathogenesis and antiviral immune response of zebrafish to experimental snakehead rhabdovirus (SHRV) infection was characterized. Zebrafish 24 h postfertilization to 30 days postfertilization were susceptible to infection by immersion in 106 50% tissue culture infective doses (TCID50) of SHRV/ml, and adult zebrafish were susceptible to infection by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of 105 TCID50 of SHRV/ml. Mortalities exceeded 40% in infected fish, and clinical presentation of infection included petechial hemorrhaging, redness of the abdomen, and erratic swim behavior. Virus reisolation and reverse transcription-PCR analysis of the viral nucleocapsid gene confirmed the presence of SHRV. Histological sections of moribund embryonic and juvenile fish revealed necrosis of the pharyngeal epithelium and liver, in addition to congestion of the swim bladder by cell debris. Histopathology in adult fish injected i.p. was confined to the site of injection. The antiviral response in zebrafish was monitored by quantitative real-time PCR analysis of zebrafish interferon (IFN) and Mx expression. IFN and Mx levels were elevated in zebrafish exposed to SHRV, although expression and intensity differed with age and route of infection. This study is the first to examine the pathogenesis of SHRV infection in zebrafish. Furthermore, this study is the first to describe experimental infection of zebrafish embryos with a viral pathogen, which will be important for future experiments involving targeted gene disruption and forward genetic screens.

Evidence for Evolving Toll-IL-1 Receptor-Containing Adaptor Molecule Function in Vertebrates

In mammals, Toll-IL-1R-containing adaptor molecule 1 (TICAM1)-dependent TLR pathways induce NF-κB and IFN-β responses. TICAM1 activates NF-κB through two different pathways involving its interactions with TNFR-associated factor 6 and receptor-interacting protein 1. It also activates IFN regulatory factor 3/7 through its interaction with TANK-binding kinase-1, leading to the robust up-regulation of IFN-β. In this study, we describe the role of zebrafish (Danio rerio) TICAM1 in activating NF-κB and zebrafish type I IFN. Zebrafish IFN is unique in that it cannot be categorized as being α- or β-like. Through comprehensive sequence, phylogenetic, and syntenic analyses, we fully describe the identification of a zebrafish TICAM1 ortholog. Zebrafish TICAM1 exhibits sequence divergence from its mammalian orthologs and our data demonstrate that these sequence differences have functional consequences. Zebrafish TICAM1 activates zebrafish IFN; however, it does so in an apparently IFN regulatory factor 3/7-independent manner. Furthermore, zebrafish TICAM1 does not interact with zebrafish TNFR-associated factor 6, thus NF-κB activation is dependent upon its interaction with receptor-interacting protein 1. Comparative genome analysis suggests that TICAM1 and TICAM2 evolved from a common vertebrate TICAM ancestor following a gene duplication event and that TICAM2 was lost in teleosts following the divergence of the rayfin and lobefin fishes 450 million years ago. These studies provide evidence, for the first time, of the evolving function of a vertebrate TLR pathway.

Effects of arsenic on zebrafish innate immune system.

The innate immune response, the first line of defense against invading pathogens, can be perturbed by environmental toxicants such as arsenic. This study reports the effects of arsenic on innate immunity of zebrafish. Respiratory burst activity, messenger RNA expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), a primer of the respiratory burst response, and mRNA expression of the antiviral cytokines interferon (IFN) and Mx, before and after viral infection, were examined in arsenic-exposed zebrafish larvae. Respiratory burst activity and TNF-α expression were decreased upon arsenic exposure, indicating inhibition of TNF-α priming of the respiratory burst response. Arsenic enhanced IFN expression slightly over time, but reduced Mx expression. In zebrafish infected with snakehead rhabdovirus, arsenic decreased induction and altered the kinetics of IFN and Mx upon infection. Differences in IFN and Mx expression in arsenic-exposed larvae point toward an interruption of the Janus kinase–signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway.

Actin Mediates the Nanoscale Membrane Organization of the Clustered Membrane Protein Influenza Hemagglutinin

The influenza viral membrane protein hemagglutinin (HA) is required at high concentrations on virion and host-cell membranes for infectivity. Because the role of actin in membrane organization is not completely understood, we quantified the relationship between HA and host-cell actin at the nanoscale. Results obtained using superresolution fluorescence photoactivation localization microscopy (FPALM) in nonpolarized cells show that HA clusters colocalize with actin-rich membrane regions (ARMRs). Individual molecular trajectories in live cells indicate restricted HA mobility in ARMRs, and actin disruption caused specific changes to HA clustering. Surprisingly, the actin-binding protein cofilin was excluded from some regions within several hundred nanometers of HA clusters, suggesting that HA clusters or adjacent proteins within the same clusters influence local actin structure. Thus, with the use of imaging, we demonstrate a dynamic relationship between glycoprotein membrane organization and the actin cytoskeleton at the nanoscale.

Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus Matrix Protein Inhibits Host-Directed Gene Expression and Induces Morphological Changes of Apoptosis in Cell Cultures

ABSTRACT Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) infection in tissue culture cells has previously been shown to result in the shutdown of host protein synthesis, cell rounding, and cell death. We report here an investigation of the cytopathogenicity of the viral phosphoprotein (P or M1), matrix (M or M2), and nonvirion (NV) proteins in cultured fish cells. The expression of M alone potently inhibited reporter gene expression from a viral and an interferon (IFN)-inducible promoter, whereas P and NV did not produce a similar effect. Northern blot analysis further revealed a reduction in the steady-state level of reporter mRNA when the M gene was cotransfected into cells; conversely, M mRNA was not drastically reduced in the same cells. By immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, fragmented nuclei were found in some cells expressing M protein but not in cells expressing P, NV, or β-galactosidase protein. Electron microscopy revealed the morphological changes associated with apoptosis in the M-transfected cells. Furthermore, IHNV infection was shown to produce DNA “laddering” in cultured cells. Taken together, these data suggested at least two functions for M protein in an IHNV infection: down regulation of host transcription and the induction of programmed cell death. In the course of these experiments, we also discovered that NV expression was associated with cell rounding, the first biological effect on cells to be attributed to the NV gene.