Julie Bernard

Both STING and MAVS Fish Orthologs Contribute to the Induction of Interferon Mediated by RIG-I

Viral infections are detected in most cases by the host innate immune system through pattern-recognition receptors (PRR), the sensors for pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), which induce the production of cytokines, such as type I interferons (IFN). Recent identification in mammalian and teleost fish of cytoplasmic viral RNA sensors, RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs), and their mitochondrial adaptor: the mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) protein, also called IPS-1, highlight their important role in the induction of IFN at the early stage of a virus infection. More recently, an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) adaptor: the stimulator of interferon genes (STING) protein, also called MITA, ERIS and MPYS, has been shown to play a pivotal role in response to both non-self-cytosolic RNA and dsDNA. In this study, we cloned STING cDNAs from zebrafish and showed that it was an ortholog to mammalian STING. We demonstrated that overexpression of this ER protein in fish cells led to a constitutive induction of IFN and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). STING-overexpressing cells were almost fully protected against RNA virus infection with a strong inhibition of both DNA and RNA virus replication. In addition, we found that together with MAVS, STING was an important player in the RIG-I IFN-inducing pathway. This report provides the demonstration that teleost fish possess a functional RLR pathway in which MAVS and STING are downstream signaling molecules of RIG-I. The Sequences presented in this article have been submitted to GenBank under accession numbers: Zebrafish STING (HE856619); EPC STING (HE856620); EPC IRF3 (HE856621); EPC IFN promoter (HE856618).

Endogenous proteolytic cleavage of disease-associated prion protein to produce C2 fragments is strongly cell- and tissue-dependent

The abnormally folded form of the prion protein (PrPSc) accumulating in nervous and lymphoid tissues of prion-infected individuals can be naturally cleaved to generate a N-terminal-truncated fragment called C2. Information about the identity of the cellular proteases involved in this process and its possible role in prion biology has remained limited and controversial. We investigated PrPSc N-terminal trimming in different cell lines and primary cultured nerve cells, and in the brain and spleen tissue from transgenic mice infected by ovine and mouse prions. We found the following: (i) the full-length to C2 ratio varies considerably depending on the infected cell or tissue. Thus, in primary neurons and brain tissue, PrPSc accumulated predominantly as untrimmed species, whereas efficient trimming occurred in Rov and MovS cells, and in spleen tissue. (ii) Although C2 is generally considered to be the counterpart of the PrPSc proteinase K-resistant core, the N termini of the fragments cleaved in vivo and in vitro can actually differ, as evidenced by a different reactivity toward the Pc248 anti-octarepeat antibody. (iii) In lysosome-impaired cells, the ratio of full-length versus C2 species dramatically increased, yet efficient prion propagation could occur. Moreover, cathepsin but not calpain inhibitors markedly inhibited C2 formation, and in vitro cleavage by cathepsins B and L produced PrPSc fragments lacking the Pc248 epitope, strongly arguing for the primary involvement of acidic hydrolases of the endolysosomal compartment. These findings have implications on the molecular analysis of PrPSc and cell pathogenesis of prion infection.

The Respiratory Syncytial Virus M2-1 Protein Forms Tetramers and Interacts with RNA and P in a Competitive Manner

ABSTRACT The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) M2-1 protein is an essential cofactor of the viral RNA polymerase complex and functions as a transcriptional processivity and antitermination factor. M2-1, which exists in a phosphorylated or unphosphorylated form in infected cells, is an RNA-binding protein that also interacts with some of the other components of the viral polymerase complex. It contains a CCCH motif, a putative zinc-binding domain that is essential for M2-1 function, at the N terminus. To gain insight into its structural organization, M2-1 was produced as a recombinant protein in Escherichia coli and purified to >95% homogeneity by using a glutathione S-transferase (GST) tag. The GST-M2-1 fusion proteins were copurified with bacterial RNA, which could be eliminated by a high-salt wash. Circular dichroism analysis showed that M2-1 is largely α-helical. Chemical cross-linking, dynamic light scattering, sedimentation velocity, and electron microscopy analyses led to the conclusion that M2-1 forms a 5.4S tetramer of 89 kDa and ∼7.6 nm in diameter at micromolar concentrations. By using a series of deletion mutants, the oligomerization domain of M2-1 was mapped to a putative α-helix consisting of amino acid residues 32 to 63. When tested in an RSV minigenome replicon system using a luciferase gene as a reporter, an M2-1 deletion mutant lacking this region showed a significant reduction in RNA transcription compared to wild-type M2-1, indicating that M2-1 oligomerization is essential for the activity of the protein. We also show that the region encompassing amino acid residues 59 to 178 binds to P and RNA in a competitive manner that is independent of the phosphorylation status of M2-1.

Limited Interference at the Early Stage of Infection between Two Recombinant Novirhabdoviruses: Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus and Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus

ABSTRACT The genome sequence of a hypervirulent novirhabdovirus, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) French strain 23-75, was determined. Compared to the genome of the prototype Fil3 strain, a number of substitutions, deletions, and insertions were observed. Following the establishment of a plasmid-based minigenome replication assay, recombinant VHSV (rVHSV) was successfully recovered. rVHSV exhibits wild-type-like growth properties in vitro as well as in vivo in rainbow trout. The dispensable role of NV for the novirhabdovirus replication was confirmed by generating rVHSV-ΔNV, in which the NV gene was deleted. This deletion mutant was shown to be as debilitated as that previously described for infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), a distantly related novirhabdovirus (S. Biacchesi, M. I. Thoulouze, M. Bearzotti, Y. X. Yu, and M. Bremont, J. Virol. 74:11247-11253, 2000). Recombinant VHSV and IHNV expressing tdTomato and GFPmax reporter genes, respectively, were generated, demonstrating the potential of these rhabdoviruses to serve as viral vectors. Interestingly, rIHNV-GFPmax could be recovered using the replicative complex proteins of either virus, whereas rVHSV-Tomato could be recovered only by using its own replicative complex, reflecting that the genome signal sequences of VHSV are relatively distant from those of IHNV and do not allow their cross-recognition. Moreover, the use of heterologous protein combinations underlined the importance of strong protein-protein interactions for the formation of a functional ribonucleoprotein complex. The rIHNV-GFPmax and rVHSV-Tomato viruses were used to simultaneously coinfect cell monolayers. It was observed that up to 74% of the cell monolayer was coinfected by both viruses, demonstrating that a limited interference phenomenon exists during the early stage of primary infection, and it was not mediated by a cellular antiviral protein or by some of the viral proteins.

A new subunit vaccine based on nucleoprotein nanoparticles confers partial clinical and virological protection in calves against bovine respiratory syncytial virus

Abstract Human and bovine respiratory syncytial viruses (HRSV and BRSV) are two closely related, worldwide prevalent viruses that are the leading cause of severe airway disease in children and calves, respectively. Efficacy of commercial bovine vaccines needs improvement and no human vaccine is licensed yet. We reported that nasal vaccination with the HRSV nucleoprotein produced as recombinant ring-shaped nanoparticles (NSRS) protects mice against a viral challenge with HRSV. The aim of this work was to evaluate this new vaccine that uses a conserved viral antigen, in calves, natural hosts for BRSV. Calves, free of colostral or natural anti-BRSV antibodies, were vaccinated with NSRS either intramuscularly, or both intramuscularly and intranasally using Montanide™ ISA71 and IMS4132 as adjuvants and challenged with BRSV. All vaccinated calves developed anti-N antibodies in blood and nasal secretions and N-specific cellular immunity in local lymph nodes. Clinical monitoring post-challenge demonstrated moderate respiratory pathology with local lung tissue consolidations for the non-vaccinated calves that were significantly reduced in the vaccinated calves. Vaccinated calves had lower viral loads than the non-vaccinated control calves. Thus NSRS vaccination in calves provided cross-protective immunity against BRSV infection without adverse inflammatory reaction.

Sub-Nucleocapsid Nanoparticles: A Nasal Vaccine against Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Background Bronchiolitis caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants less than two years old is a growing public health concern worldwide, and there is currently no safe and effective vaccine. A major component of RSV nucleocapsid, the nucleoprotein (N), has been so far poorly explored as a potential vaccine antigen, even though it is a target of protective anti-viral T cell responses and is remarkably conserved between human RSV A and B serotypes. We recently reported a method to produce recombinant N assembling in homogenous rings composed of 10–11 N subunits enclosing a bacterial RNA. These nanoparticles were named sub-nucleocapsid ring structure (N SRS). Methodology and Principal Findings The vaccine potential of N SRS was evaluated in a well-characterized and widely acknowledged mouse model of RSV infection. BALB/c adult mice were immunized intranasally with N SRS adjuvanted with the detoxified E. coli enterotoxin LT(R192G). Upon RSV challenge, vaccinated mice were largely protected against virus replication in the lungs, with a mild inflammatory lymphocytic and neutrophilic reaction in their airways. Mucosal immunization with N SRS elicited strong local and systemic immunity characterized by high titers of IgG1, IgG2a and IgA anti-N antibodies, antigen-specific CD8+ T cells and IFN-γ-producing CD4+ T cells. Conclusions/Significance This is the first report of using nanoparticles formed by the recombinant nucleocapsid protein as an efficient and safe intra-nasal vaccine against RSV.

A Fully Attenuated Recombinant Salmonid Alphavirus Becomes Pathogenic through a Single Amino Acid Change in the E2 Glycoprotein

ABSTRACT A recombinant sleeping disease virus (rSDV) was previously shown to be totally attenuated and provide long-term protection in trout (C. Moriette, M. Leberre, A. Lamoureux, T. L. Lai, M. Brémont, J. Virol. 80:4088–4098, 2006). Sequence comparison of the rSDV to wild-type genomes exhibited a number of nucleotide changes. In the current study, we demonstrate that the virulent phenotype of SDV was essentially associated with two amino acid changes, V8A and M136T, in the E2 glycoprotein, with the V8A change mostly being involved in the acquisition of the virulent phenotype.

Glycan chains modulate prion protein binding to immobilized metal ions

PrP(c) is the normal isoform of the prion protein which can be converted into PrP(Sc), the pathology-associated conformer in prion diseases. It contains two N-linked glycan chains attached to the C-proximal globular domain. While the biological functions of PrP(c) are still unknown, its ability to bind Cu(2+) is well documented. The main Cu(2+)-binding sites are located in the N-proximal, unstructured region of the molecule. Here we report that PrP(c) glycans influence the capacity of PrP(c) from sheep brain or cultured Rov cells to bind IMAC columns loaded with Cu(2+) or Co(2+). Using different anti-PrP antibodies and PrP(c) glycosylation mutants, we show that the full length non-glycosylated form of PrP(c) has a higher binding efficiency for column-bound Cu(2+) and Co(2+) than the corresponding glycosylated form. Our findings raise the possibility that the accessibility of the PrP(c) metal ion-binding sites might be controlled by the glycan chains.

NV Proteins of Fish Novirhabdovirus Recruit Cellular PPM1Bb Protein Phosphatase and Antagonize RIG-I-Mediated IFN Induction

Non virion (NV) protein expression is critical for fish Novirhabdovirus, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) and infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), in vivo pathogenesis. However, the mechanism by which NV promotes the viral replication is still unclear. We developed an approach based on reverse genetics and interactomic and identified several NV-associated cellular partners underlying cellular pathways as potential viral targets. Among these cell partners, we showed that NV proteins specifically interact with a protein phosphatase, Mg2+/Mn2+-dependent, 1Bb (PPM1Bb) and recruit it in the close vicinity of mitochondria, a subcellular compartment important for retinoic acid-inducible gene-I- (RIG-I)-mediated interferon induction pathway. PPM1B proteins belong to the PP2C family of serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) protein phosphatase and have recently been shown to negatively regulate the host antiviral response via dephosphorylating Traf family member-associated NF-κB activator (TANK)-binding kinase 1 (TBK1). We demonstrated that NV proteins and PPM1Bb counteract RIG-I- and TBK1-dependent interferon (IFN) and IFN-stimulated gene promoter induction in fish cells and, hence, the establishment of an antiviral state. Furthermore, the expression of VHSV NV strongly reduced TBK1 phosphorylation and thus its activation. Our findings provide evidence for a previously undescribed mechanism by which a viral protein recruits PPM1Bb protein phosphatase to subvert innate immune recognition.