César Muñoz-Fontela

Transcriptional role of p53 in interferon-mediated antiviral immunity

Tumor suppressor p53 is activated by several stimuli, including DNA damage and oncogenic stress. Previous studies (Takaoka, A., S. Hayakawa, H. Yanai, D. Stoiber, H. Negishi, H. Kikuchi, S. Sasaki, K. Imai, T. Shibue, K. Honda, and T. Taniguchi. 2003. Nature. 424:516–523) have shown that p53 is also induced in response to viral infections as a downstream transcriptional target of type I interferon (IFN) signaling. Moreover, many viruses, including SV40, human papillomavirus, Kaposis sarcoma herpesvirus, adenoviruses, and even RNA viruses such as polioviruses, have evolved mechanisms designated to abrogate p53 responses. We describe a novel p53 function in the activation of the IFN pathway. We observed that infected mouse and human cells with functional p53 exhibited markedly decreased viral replication early after infection. This early inhibition of viral replication was mediated both in vitro and in vivo by a p53-dependent enhancement of IFN signaling, specifically the induction of genes containing IFN-stimulated response elements. Of note, p53 also contributed to an increase in IFN release from infected cells. We established that this p53-dependent enhancement of IFN signaling is dependent to a great extent on the ability of p53 to activate the transcription of IFN regulatory factor 9, a central component of the IFN-stimulated gene factor 3 complex. Our results demonstrate that p53 contributes to innate immunity by enhancing IFN-dependent antiviral activity independent of its functions as a proapoptotic and tumor suppressor gene.

Resistance to viral infection of super p53 mice

Induction of expression of the tumor suppressor p53 after interferon treatment has been recently demonstrated (Takaoka et al., 2003), suggesting an antiviral activity of the protein. In addition, a direct correlation between p53 levels and tumor resistance has been addressed by generating mice with an extra copy of p53 (‘super p53’ mice) (Garcia-Cao et al., 2002). Here, we show that vesicular stomatitis virus replication in mouse embryo fibroblasts derived from ‘super p53’ mice is impaired as a result of apoptosis induction via p53 activation. These findings unequivocally demonstrate an antiviral activity of p53, a process that may contribute to inhibit the spread of the virus in vivo.

Dual role of p53 in innate antiviral immunity

Tumor suppressor p53 is widely known as ‘the guardian of the genome’ due to its ability to prevent the emergence of transformed cells by the induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, recent studies indicate that p53 is also a direct transcriptional target of type I interferons (IFNs) and thus, it is activated by these cytokines upon viral infection. p53 has been shown to contribute to virus-induced apoptosis, therefore dampening the ability of a wide range of viruses to replicate and spread. Interestingly, recent studies also indicate that several IFN-inducible genes such as interferon regulatory factor 9 (IRF9), IRF5, IFN-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) and toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) are in fact, p53 direct transcriptional targets. These findings indicate that p53 may play a key role in antiviral innate immunity by both inducing apoptosis in response to viral infection, and enforcing the type I IFN response, and provide a new insight into the evolutionary reasons why many viruses encode p53 antagonistic proteins.

Antiviral action of the tumor suppressor ARF

Oncogenic viruses frequently target the pathways controlled by tumor suppressor genes, suggesting an extra function for these proteins as antiviral factors. The control exerted by the tumor suppressor Arf on cellular proliferation is crucial to restrict tumor development; however, a potential contribution of Arf to prevent viral infectivity has remained unexplored. In the present study, we investigated the consequences of loss or increased expression of Arf on viral infection. Our results reveal that ARF expression is induced by interferon and after viral infection. Furthermore, we show that ARF protects against viral infection in a gene dosage‐dependent manner, and that this antiviral action is mediated in part by PKR through a mechanism that involves ARF‐induced release of PKR from nucleophosmin complexes. Finally, Arf‐null mice were hypersensitive to viral infection compared to wild‐type mice. Together, our results reveal a novel and unexpected role for the tumor suppressor ARF in viral infection surveillance.

Topoisomerase 1 inhibition suppresses inflammatory genes and protects from death by inflammation

Unwinding DNA and unleasing inflammation Fighting infections often comes with collateral damage, which sometimes can be deadly. For instance, in septic shock, the overwhelming release of inflammatory mediators drives multi-organ failure. Rialdi et al. now report a potential new therapeutic target for controlling excessive inflammation: the DNA unwinding enzyme topoisomerase I (Top1) (see the Perspective by Pope and Medzhitov). Upon infection, Top1 specifically localizes to the promoters of pathogen-induced genes and promotes their transcription by helping to recruit RNA polymerase II. Pharmacological inhibition of Top1 in a therapeutic setting increased survival in several mouse models of severe microbially induced inflammation. Science, this issue p. 10.1126/science.aad7993; see also p. 1058 Depletion or chemical inhibition of Top1 suppresses the host response against influenza and Ebola viruses, as well as bacterial products. INTRODUCTION Infection causes inflammation, which contributes to pathogen clearance and organismal survival. The balance between the intensity and resolution of an inflammatory response is key for the fitness of the organism. Sepsis, for example, is a life-threatening condition caused by an excessive host response to infection, which in turn leads to multi-organ failure and death. Worldwide, millions of people each year succumb to sepsis. With an overall mortality rate of 20 to 50%, sepsis is the 10th leading cause of death (more than HIV and breast cancer) in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Estimates indicate that 250,000 to 500,000 people die from sepsis annually in the United States. Children and the elderly are especially vulnerable to sepsis; it is the most common cause of death in infants and children. Childhood pneumonia, often caused by virus-bacteria co-infection, leads to septic shock and lung destruction. This occurs after bacterial invasion even in the presence of an appropriate antibiotic therapy. Finding remedies to treat sepsis and diseases associated with detrimental acute inflammatory reactions is thus pivotal for humankind. RATIONALE We reasoned that if excessive inflammation in response to infection leads to lethal consequences, dampening inflammation could be advantageous for the host. At least two strategies could be used to suppress inflammatory responses associated with infection. One is indirect and targets the pathogen (antibiotics). The second one, which we used, directly acts on the host response itself. In such a strategy, the suppression of acute inflammation would bypass the fatal outcome associated with overt inflammation and would “buy time” to allow the host immune response to eliminate the pathogen. After microbial invasion, many steps could be targeted between the early phases of the cellular response (sensing of the pathogen and signal transduction) and the information flow from DNA to RNA to proteins that act as inflammatory mediators (i.e., cytokines). We decided to identify and chemically inhibit cellular factors that act at the DNA (chromatin) level and play a primary role in activating the expression of inflammatory genes. RESULTS We found that chemical inhibition of topoisomerase 1 (Top1), an enzyme that unwinds DNA, suppresses the expression of infection-induced genes with little to no effect on housekeeping gene expression and without cellular damage. In vitro, depletion or chemical inhibition of Top1 in epithelial cells and macrophages suppresses the host response against influenza and Ebola viruses as well as bacterial products. At the mechanistic level, as shown by chemical genetics and epigenetic approaches, Top1 inhibition primarily suppresses RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) activity at pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)–induced genes. These genes require SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling for activation and display unique genetic and epigenetic features, such as the presence of IRF3 binding sites, low basal levels of RNAPII, histone H3 Lys27 acetylation marks, DNA hypersensitivity, and CpG islands. This gene “signature” of specificity was also validated using public data sets. In vivo, Top1 inhibition therapy rescued 70 to 90% mortality caused by exacerbated inflammation in three mouse models: acute bacteria infection, liver failure, and virus-bacteria co-infection. Strikingly, one to three doses of inhibitors were sufficient for the protective effect in all models, without overt side effects. CONCLUSION The inflammatory immune response against microbes is essential in protecting us against infections. In some cases, such as highly pathogenic and pandemic infections, the organism turns against itself and responds too acutely, with an excessive inflammation that can have fatal consequences. Our results suggest that a therapy based on Top1 inhibition could save millions of people affected by sepsis, pandemics, and many congenital deficiencies associated with acute inflammatory episodes and “cytokine storms.” CREDIT: RYGER/SHUTTERSTOCK The host innate immune response is the first line of defense against pathogens and is orchestrated by the concerted expression of genes induced by microbial stimuli. Deregulated expression of these genes is linked to the initiation and progression of diseases associated with exacerbated inflammation. We identified topoisomerase 1 (Top1) as a positive regulator of RNA polymerase II transcriptional activity at pathogen-induced genes. Depletion or chemical inhibition of Top1 suppresses the host response against influenza and Ebola viruses as well as bacterial products. Therapeutic pharmacological inhibition of Top1 protected mice from death in experimental models of lethal inflammation. Our results indicate that Top1 inhibition could be used as therapy against life-threatening infections characterized by an acutely exacerbated immune response.

Acetylation is indispensable for p53 antiviral activity.

Tumor suppressor p53 is known to be a direct transcriptional target of type I interferons (IFNs), contributing to virus-induced apoptosis, and in turn activating itself the interferon pathway. Acetylation, among many other post-translational modifications of p53, is thought to exert a crucial role regulating p53 activity. Here, we examined the contribution of this modification on the antiviral activity mediated by p53. Our results show that virus infection induces p53 acetylation at lysine 379, and that this modification is absolutely required for p53-dependent transcriptional transactivation of both, pro-apoptotic and IFN-stimulated genes induced by virus infection, and for p53-mediated control of virus replication. Thus, our study identifies p53 acetylation as an indispensable event that enables the p53-mediated antiviral response.

Mucosal Polyinosinic-Polycytidylic Acid Improves Protection Elicited by Replicating Influenza Vaccines via Enhanced Dendritic Cell Function and T Cell Immunity

Live-attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) have the potential to generate CD8 T cell immunity that may limit the virulence of an antigenically shifted influenza strain in a population lacking protective Abs. However, current LAIVs exert limited T cell immunity restricted to the vaccine strains. One approach to improve LAIV-induced T cell responses is the use of specific adjuvants to enhance T cell priming by respiratory dendritic cells, but this hypothesis has not been addressed. In this study, we assessed the effect of the TLR3 ligand polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly IC) on CD8 T cell immunity and protection elicited by LAIVs. Mucosal treatment with poly IC shortly after vaccination enhanced respiratory dendritic cell function, CD8 T cell formation, and production of neutralizing Abs. This adjuvant effect of poly IC was dependent on amplification of TLR3 signaling by nonhematopoietic radioresistant cells and enhanced mouse protection to homosubtypic, as well as heterosubtypic, virus challenge. Our findings indicate that mucosal TLR3 ligation may be used to improve CD8 T cell responses to replicating vaccines, which has implications for protection in the absence of pre-existing Ab immunity.

Direct Visualization of the Microtubular Cytoskeleton of Ciliated Protozoa with a Fluorescent Taxoid

Abstract Visualization of the infraciliature, which is an essential tool for the identification of ciliate species, has traditionally been obtained with silver proteinate methods. Since infraciliature is mainly composed of microtubules, we used the synthetic fluorescent taxoid FLUTAX as a method for ciliate identification. The main advantages of this method are the facility and rapidity of its application and the fact that no previous fixation and permeabilization processes are required. FLUTAX may also be used as a probe to follow morphogenetical changes in the microtubular cytoskeleton during the ciliate life cycle.

SUMOylation of p53 mediates interferon activities

There is growing evidence that many host proteins involved in innate and intrinsic immunity are regulated by SUMOylation, and that SUMO contributes to the regulatory process that governs the initiation of the type I interferon (IFN) response. The tumor suppressor p53 is a modulator of the IFN response that plays a role in virus-induced apoptosis and in IFN-induced senescence. Here we demonstrate that IFN treatment increases the levels of SUMOylated p53 and induces cellular senescence through a process that is partially dependent upon SUMOylation of p53. Similarly, we show that vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection induces p53 SUMOylation, and that this modification favors the control of VSV replication. Thus, our study provides evidence that IFN signaling induces p53 SUMOylation, which results in the activation of a cellular senescence program and contributes to the antiviral functions of interferon.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus lana2 protein interacts with the pocket proteins and inhibits their sumoylation.

The pocket proteins retinoblastoma protein (pRb), p107 and p130 are the key targets of oncoproteins expressed by DNA tumor viruses. Some of these viral proteins contain an LXCXE motif that mediates the interaction with the three pocket proteins and the inhibition of the pRb SUMOylation. Kaposi’s sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) contains at least two proteins that can regulate pRb function but, so far, a KSHV-encoded protein targeting p107 and p130 has not been identified. Here, we show that the KSHV latent protein LANA2 binds to pRb, p107 and p130. LANA2 contains an LXCXE motif that is required for bypassing pRb-mediated cell-cycle arrest and for inhibiting pRb SUMOylation. Finally, we demonstrate that, in addition to pRb, both p107 and p130 can be SUMOylated, and this modification is also inhibited by LANA2 in an LXCXE-dependent manner. These results demonstrate, for the first time, the SUMOylation of p107 or p130 and, so far, they represent the first example of a KSHV protein able to interact with the three pocket proteins and to inhibit their conjugation to SUMO.