Julia Spanier

cGAS Senses Human Cytomegalovirus and Induces Type I Interferon Responses in Human Monocyte-Derived Cells

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections of healthy individuals are mostly unnoticed and result in viral latency. However, HCMV can also cause devastating disease, e.g., upon reactivation in immunocompromised patients. Yet, little is known about human immune cell sensing of DNA-encoded HCMV. Recent studies indicated that during viral infection the cyclic GMP/AMP synthase (cGAS) senses cytosolic DNA and catalyzes formation of the cyclic di-nucleotide cGAMP, which triggers stimulator of interferon genes (STING) and thus induces antiviral type I interferon (IFN-I) responses. We found that plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) as well as monocyte-derived DC and macrophages constitutively expressed cGAS and STING. HCMV infection further induced cGAS, whereas STING expression was only moderately affected. Although pDC expressed particularly high levels of cGAS, and the cGAS/STING axis was functional down-stream of STING, as indicated by IFN-I induction upon synthetic cGAMP treatment, pDC were not susceptible to HCMV infection and mounted IFN-I responses in a TLR9-dependent manner. Conversely, HCMV infected monocyte-derived cells synthesized abundant cGAMP levels that preceded IFN-I production and that correlated with the extent of infection. CRISPR/Cas9- or siRNA-mediated cGAS ablation in monocytic THP-1 cells and primary monocyte-derived cells, respectively, impeded induction of IFN-I responses following HCMV infection. Thus, cGAS is a key sensor of HCMV for IFN-I induction in primary human monocyte-derived DC and macrophages.

Upon Intranasal Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Infection, Astrocytes in the Olfactory Bulb Are Important Interferon Beta Producers That Protect from Lethal Encephalitis

ABSTRACT Previously we found that following intranasal (i.n.) infection with neurotropic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) type I interferon receptor (IFNAR) triggering of neuroectodermal cells was critically required to constrain intracerebral virus spread. To address whether locally active IFN-β was induced proximally, we studied spatiotemporal conditions of VSV-mediated IFN-β induction. To this end, we performed infection studies with IFN-β reporter mice. One day after intravenous (i.v.) VSV infection, luciferase induction was detected in lymph nodes. Upon i.n. infection, luciferase induction was discovered at similar sites with delayed kinetics, whereas on days 3 and 4 postinfection enhanced luciferase expression additionally was detected in the foreheads of reporter mice. A detailed analysis of cell type-specific IFN-β reporter mice revealed that within the olfactory bulb IFN-β was expressed by neuroectodermal cells, primarily by astrocytes and to a lesser extent by neurons. Importantly, locally induced type I IFN triggered distal parts of the brain as indicated by the analysis of ISRE-eGFP mice which after i.n. VSV infection showed enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression throughout the brain. Compared to wild-type mice, IFN-β−/− mice showed increased mortality to i.n. VSV infection, whereas upon i.v. infection no such differences were detected highlighting the biological significance of intracerebrally expressed IFN-β. In conclusion, upon i.n. VSV instillation, IFN-β responses mounted by astrocytes within the olfactory bulb critically contribute to the antiviral defense by stimulating distal IFN-β-negative brain areas and thus arresting virus spread. IMPORTANCE The central nervous system has long been considered an immune privileged site. More recently, it became evident that specialized immune mechanisms are active within the brain to control pathogens. Previously, we showed that virus, which entered the brain via the olfactory route, was arrested within the olfactory bulb by a type I IFN-dependent mechanism. Since peripheral type I IFN would not readily cross the blood-brain barrier and within the brain thus far no abundant type I IFN responses have been detected, here we addressed from where locally active IFN originated from. We found that upon intranasal VSV instillation, primarily astrocytes, and to a lesser extent neurons, were stimulated within the olfactory bulb to mount IFN-β responses that also activated and protected distal brain areas. Our results are surprising because in other infection models astrocytes have not yet been identified as major type I IFN producers.

Early endonuclease-mediated evasion of RNA sensing ensures efficient coronavirus replication

Coronaviruses are of veterinary and medical importance and include highly pathogenic zoonotic viruses, such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. They are known to efficiently evade early innate immune responses, manifesting in almost negligible expression of type-I interferons (IFN-I). This evasion strategy suggests an evolutionary conserved viral function that has evolved to prevent RNA-based sensing of infection in vertebrate hosts. Here we show that the coronavirus endonuclease (EndoU) activity is key to prevent early induction of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) host cell responses. Replication of EndoU-deficient coronaviruses is greatly attenuated in vivo and severely restricted in primary cells even during the early phase of the infection. In macrophages we found immediate induction of IFN-I expression and RNase L-mediated breakdown of ribosomal RNA. Accordingly, EndoU-deficient viruses can retain replication only in cells that are deficient in IFN-I expression or sensing, and in cells lacking both RNase L and PKR. Collectively our results demonstrate that the coronavirus EndoU efficiently prevents simultaneous activation of host cell dsRNA sensors, such as Mda5, OAS and PKR. The localization of the EndoU activity at the site of viral RNA synthesis–within the replicase complex—suggests that coronaviruses have evolved a viral RNA decay pathway to evade early innate and intrinsic antiviral host cell responses.

Abortively Infected Astrocytes Appear To Represent the Main Source of Interferon Beta in the Virus-Infected Brain

ABSTRACT Interferon beta (IFN-β) is a key component of cellular innate immunity in mammals, and it constitutes the first line of defense during viral infection. Studies with cultured cells previously showed that almost all nucleated cells are able to produce IFN-β to various extents, but information about the in vivo sources of IFN-β remains incomplete. By applying immunohistochemistry and employing conditional-reporter mice that express firefly luciferase under the control of the IFN-β promoter in either all or only distinct cell types, we found that astrocytes are the main producers of IFN-β after infection of the brain with diverse neurotropic viruses, including rabies virus, Theilers murine encephalomyelitis virus, and vesicular stomatitis virus. Analysis of a panel of knockout mouse strains revealed that sensing of viral components via both RIG-I-like helicases and Toll-like receptors contributes to IFN induction in the infected brain. A genetic approach to permanently mark rabies virus-infected cells in the brain showed that a substantial number of astrocytes became labeled and, therefore, must have been infected by the virus at least transiently. Thus, our results strongly indicate that abortive viral infection of astrocytes can trigger pattern recognition receptor signaling events which result in secretion of IFN-β that confers antiviral protection. IMPORTANCE Previous work indicated that astrocytes are the main producers of IFN after viral infection of the central nervous system (CNS), but it remained unclear how astrocytes might sense those viruses which preferentially replicate in neurons. We have now shown that virus sensing by both RIG-I-like helicases and Toll-like receptors is involved. Our results further demonstrate that astrocytes get infected in a nonproductive manner under these conditions, indicating that abortive infection of astrocytes plays a previously unappreciated role in the innate antiviral defenses of the CNS.

Type I Interferon response in olfactory bulb, the site of tick-borne flavivirus accumulation, is primarily regulated by IPS-1

BackgroundAlthough type I interferons (IFNs)—key effectors of antiviral innate immunity are known to be induced via different pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), the cellular source and the relative contribution of different PRRs in host protection against viral infection is often unclear. IPS-1 is a downstream adaptor for retinoid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptor signaling. In this study, we investigate the relative contribution of IPS-1 in the innate immune response in the different brain regions during infection with tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), a flavivirus that causes a variety of severe symptoms like hemorrhagic fevers, encephalitis, and meningitis in the human host.MethodsIPS-1 knockout mice were infected with TBEV/Langat virus (LGTV), and viral burden in the peripheral and the central nervous systems, type I IFN induction, brain infiltrating cells, and inflammatory response was analyzed.ResultsWe show that IPS-1 is indispensable for controlling TBEV and LGTV infections in the peripheral and central nervous system. Our data indicate that IPS-1 regulates neuropathogenicity in mice. IFN response is differentially regulated in distinct regions of the central nervous system (CNS) influencing viral tropism, as LGTV replication was mainly restricted to olfactory bulb in wild-type (WT) mice. In contrast to the other brain regions, IFN upregulation in the olfactory bulb was dependent on IPS-1 signaling. IPS-1 regulates basal levels of antiviral interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) like viperin and IRF-1 which contributes to the establishment of early viral replication which inhibits STAT1 activation. This diminishes the antiviral response even in the presence of high IFN-β levels. Consequently, the absence of IPS-1 causes uncontrolled virus replication, in turn resulting in apoptosis, activation of microglia and astrocytes, elevated proinflammatory response, and recruitment of inflammatory cells into the CNS.ConclusionsWe show that LGTV replication is restricted to the olfactory bulb and that IPS-1 is a very important player in the olfactory bulb in shaping the innate immune response by inhibiting early viral replication and viral spread throughout the central nervous system. In the absence of IPS-1, higher viral replication leads to the evasion of antiviral response by inhibiting interferon signaling. Our data suggest that the local microenvironment of distinct brain regions is critical to determine virus permissiveness.

M27 Expressed by Cytomegalovirus Counteracts Effective Type I Interferon Induction of Myeloid Cells but Not of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells

ABSTRACT In healthy individuals, the functional immune system effectively confines human cytomegalovirus (CMV) replication, while viral immune evasion and persistence preclude sterile immunity. Mouse CMV (MCMV) is a well-established model to study the delicate CMV-host balance. Effective control of MCMV infection depends on the induction of protective type I interferon (IFN-I) responses. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether in professional antigen-presenting cell subsets MCMV-encoded evasins inhibit the induction of IFN-I responses. Upon MCMV treatment, enhanced expression of MCMV immediate-early and early proteins was detected in bone marrow cultures of macrophages and myeloid dendritic cells compared with plasmacytoid dendritic cell cultures, whereas plasmacytoid dendritic cells mounted more vigorous IFN-I responses. Experiments with Toll-like receptor (TLR)- and/or RIG-I like helicase (RLH)-deficient cell subsets revealed that upon MCMV treatment of myeloid cells, IFN-I responses were triggered independently of TLR and RLH signaling, whereas in plasmacytoid dendritic cells, IFN-I induction was strictly TLR dependent. Macrophages and myeloid dendritic cells treated with either UV-inactivated MCMV or live MCMV that lacked the STAT2 antagonist M27 mounted significantly higher IFN-I responses than cells treated with live wild-type MCMV. In contrast, plasmacytoid dendritic cells responded similarly to UV-inactivated and live MCMV. These experiments illustrated that M27 not only inhibited IFN-I-mediated receptor signaling, but also evaded the induction of IFN responses in myeloid dendritic cells. Furthermore, we found that additional MCMV-encoded evasins were needed to efficiently shut off IFN-I responses of macrophages, but not of myeloid dendritic cells, thus further elucidating the subtle adjustment of the host-pathogen balance. IMPORTANCE MCMV may induce IFN-I responses in fibroblasts and epithelial cells, as well as in antigen-presenting cell subsets. We focused on the analysis of IFN-I responses of antigen-presenting cell subsets, including plasmacytoid dendritic cells, myeloid dendritic cells, and macrophages, which are all triggered by MCMV to mount IFN-I responses. Interestingly, myeloid dendritic cells and macrophages, but not plasmacytoid dendritic cells, are readily MCMV infected and support viral gene expression. As expected from previous studies, plasmacytoid dendritic cells sense MCMV Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) dependently, whereas in myeloid cells, IFN-I induction is entirely TLR and RLH independent. MCMV-encoded M27 does not impair the IFN-I induction of plasmacytoid dendritic cells, while in myeloid dendritic cells, it reduces IFN-I responses. In macrophages, M27 plus other, not yet identified evasins profoundly inhibit the induction of IFN-I responses. Collectively, these results illustrate that MCMV has evolved diverse mechanisms to differentially modulate IFN-I responses in single immune cell subsets.

Concomitant TLR/RLH Signaling of Radioresistant and Radiosensitive Cells Is Essential for Protection against Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Infection

Several studies indicated that TLR as well as retinoic acid–inducible gene I–like helicase (RLH) signaling contribute to vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)–mediated triggering of type I IFN (IFN-I) responses. Nevertheless, TLR-deficient MyD88−/−Trif−/− mice and RLH-deficient caspase activation and recruitment domain adaptor inducing IFN-β (Cardif)−/− mice showed only marginally enhanced susceptibility to lethal VSV i.v. infection. Therefore, we addressed whether concomitant TLR and RLH signaling, or some other additional mechanism, played a role. To this end, we generated MyD88−/−Trif−/−Cardif−/− (MyTrCa−/−) mice that succumbed to low-dose i.v. VSV infection with similar kinetics as IFN-I receptor–deficient mice. Three independent approaches (i.e., analysis of IFN-α/β serum levels, experiments with IFN-β reporter mice, and investigation of local IFN-stimulated gene induction) revealed that MyTrCa−/− mice did not mount IFN-I responses following VSV infection. Of note, treatment with rIFN-α protected the animals, qualifying MyTrCa−/− mice as a model to study the contribution of different immune cell subsets to the production of antiviral IFN-I. Upon adoptive transfer of wild-type plasmacytoid dendritic cells and subsequent VSV infection, MyTrCa−/− mice displayed significantly reduced viral loads in peripheral organs and showed prolonged survival. On the contrary, adoptive transfer of wild-type myeloid dendritic cells did not have such effects. Analysis of bone marrow chimeric mice revealed that TLR and RLH signaling of radioresistant and radiosensitive cells was required for efficient protection. Thus, upon VSV infection, plasmacytoid dendritic cell–derived IFN-I primarily protects peripheral organs, whereas concomitant TLR and RLH signaling of radioresistant stroma cells as well as of radiosensitive immune cells is needed to effectively protect against lethal disease.

Growing tumors induce a local STING dependent Type I IFN response in dendritic cells

The importance of endogenous Type I IFNs in cancer immune surveillance is well established by now. Their role in polarization of tumor‐associated neutrophilic granulocytes into anti‐tumor effector cells has been recently demonstrated. Yet, the cellular source of Type I IFNs as well as the mode of induction is not clearly defined. Here, we demonstrate that IFN‐β is induced by growing murine tumors. Induction is mainly mediated via STING‐dependent signaling pathways, suggesting tumor derived DNA as trigger. Transcription factors IRF3 and IRF5 were activated under these conditions which is consistent with tumor infiltrating dendritic cells (DCs) being the major cellular source of IFN‐β at the tumor site. Besides DCs, tumor cells themselves are induced to contribute to the production of IFN‐β. Taken together, our data provide further information on immune surveillance by Type I IFNs and suggest novel potent cellular targets for future cancer therapy.

cGAS-STING-TBK1-IRF3/7 induced interferon-β contributes to the clearing of non tuberculous mycobacterial infection in mice

Abstract Type I interferons (IFN-I), such as IFN-α and IFN-β are important messengers in the host response against bacterial infections. Knowledge about the role of IFN-I in infections by nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is limited. Here we show that macrophages infected with pathogens of the Mycobacterium avium complex produced significantly lower amounts of IFN-β than macrophages infected with the opportunistic pathogen M. smegmatis. To dissect the molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon, we focused on the obligate pathogen Mycobacterium avium ssp paratuberculosis (MAP) and the opportunistic M. smegmatis. Viability of both bacteria was required for induction of IFN-β in macrophages. Both bacteria induced IFN-β via the cGAS-STING-TBK1-IRF3/7-pathway of IFN-β activation. Stronger phosphorylation of TBK1 and higher amounts of extracellular bacterial DNA in the macrophage cytosol were found in M. smegmatis infected macrophages than in MAP infected macrophages. After intraperitoneal infection of mice, a strong Ifnb induction by M. smegmatis correlated with clearance of the bacteria. In contrast, MAP only induced weak Ifnb expression which correlated with bacterial persistence and increased number of granulomas in the liver. In mice lacking the type I interferon receptor we observed improved survival of M. smegmatis while survival of MAP was similar to that in wildtype mice. On the other hand, treatment of MAP infected wildtype mice with the IFN-I inducer poly(I:C) or recombinant IFN-β impaired the survival of MAP. This indicates an essential role of IFN-I in clearing infections by MAP and M. smegmatis. The expression level of IFN-I is decisive for transient versus persistent NTM infection.

Application of light sheet microscopy for qualitative and quantitative analysis of bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue in mice.

Bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) develops at unpredictable locations around lung bronchi following pulmonary inflammation. The formation and composition of BALT have primarily been investigated by immunohistology that, due to the size of the invested organ, is usually restricted to a limited number of histological sections. To assess the entire BALT of the lung, other approaches are urgently needed. Here, we introduce a novel light sheet microscopy-based approach for assessing lymphoid tissue in the lung. Using antibody staining of whole lung lobes and optical clearing by organic solvents, we present a method that allows in-depth visualization of the entire bronchial tree, the lymphatic vasculature and the immune cell composition of the induced BALT. Furthermore, three-dimensional analysis of the entire lung allows the qualitative and quantitative enumeration of the induced BALT. Using this approach, we show that a single intranasal application of the replication-deficient poxvirus MVA induces BALT that constitutes up to 8% of the entire lung volume in mice deficient in CCR7, in contrast to wild type mice (WT). Furthermore, BALT induced by heat-inactivated E. coli is dominated by a pronounced T cell infiltration in Cxcr5-deficient mice, in contrast to WT mice.