Jun-Lei Zhang

Roles of small GTPase Rac1 in the regulation of actin cytoskeleton during dengue virus infection.

Background Increased vascular permeability is a hallmark feature in severe dengue virus (DV) infection, and dysfunction of endothelial cells has been speculated to contribute in the pathogenesis of dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome (DHF/DSS). Rho-family GTPase Rac1 is a significant element of endothelial barrier function regulation and has been implicated in the regulation of actin remodeling and intercellular junction formation. Yet there is little evidence linking Rac1 GTPase to alteration in endothelial cell function induced by DV infection. Methods and Findings Here, we showed that actin is essential for DV serotype 2 (DV2) entry into and release from ECV304 cells, and Rac1 signaling is involved these processes. At early infection, actin cytoskeleton rearranged significantly during 1 hour post infection, and disrupting actin filament dynamics with jasplakinolide or cytochalasin D reduced DV2 entry. DV2 entry induced reduction of Rac1 activity within 1 hour post infection. The expression of dominant-negative forms of Rac1 established that DV2 entry is negatively regulated by Rac1. At late infection, actin drugs also inhibited the DV2 release and induced accumulation of viral proteins in the cytoplasm. Meanwhile, the activity of Rac1 increased significantly with the progression of DV2 infection and was up-regulated in transfected cells expressing E protein. Confocal microscopy showed that DV2 E protein was closely associated with either actin or Rac1 in DV2-infected cells. The interaction between E protein and actin was further confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation assay. Conclusions These results defined roles for actin integrity in DV2 entry and release, and indicated evidence for the participation of Rac1 signaling pathways in DV2-induced actin reorganizations and E-actin interaction. Our results may provide further insight into the pathogenesis of DHF/DSS.

Inhibitory effects of glutathione on dengue virus production.

Reduced glutathione (GSH) is the most powerful intracellular antioxidant and also involved in viral infections. The pathogenesis of dengue virus (DV) infection has not been completely clarified. This study investigated the relationship between DV serotype 2 (DV2) infections and host intracellular GSH content. Results showed infection with DV2 resulted in a decrease in intracellular GSH, which caused NF-kappaB activation and increased DV2 production. Supplemental GSH significantly inhibited activation of NF-kappaB, resulting in a decreased production of DV2 in HepG2 cells. Furthermore, high activity of NF-kappaB and increased production of DV2 was observed in HepG2 cells treated with buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), an inhibitor of GSH synthesis. In conclusion, DV2 infection could reduce host intracellular GSH concentration and benefited from this process. Supplemental GSH could inhibit viral production, indicating GSH might be valuable in the prevention and treatment of DV2 infection.

Inhibitory Effect of Glutathione on Oxidative Liver Injury Induced by Dengue Virus Serotype 2 Infections in Mice

The pathogenesis of dengue virus (DV) infection has not been completely defined and change of redox status mediated by depletion of glutathione (GSH) in host cell is a common result of viral infection. Our previous study has demonstrated that DV serotype 2 (DV2) infection alters host intracellular GSH levels, and exogenous GSH inhibits viral production by modulating the activity of NF-κB in HepG2 cells. GSH is the most powerful intracellular antioxidant and involved in viral infections. Thus, this study was to investigate whether DV2 infection can induce alteration in redox balance and effect of GSH on the disease in HepG2 xenografts SCID mice. Our results revealed that mice infected with DV2 showed alterations in oxidative stress by increasing the level of malondialdehyde (MDA), an end product of lipid peroxidation, and GSSG/GSH ratio. DV2-infected mice also showed a decrease in the activity of catalase (CAT) and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) in the serum and/or observed organs, especially the liver. Moreover, DV2 infection resulted in elevated serum levels of the cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α and interlukin-6 and obvious histopathological changes in the liver. The administration of exogenous GSH significantly reversed all of the aforementioned pathological changes and prevented significant liver damage. Furthermore, in vitro treatment of HepG2 cells with antioxidants such as GSH inhibited viral entry as well as the production of reactive oxygen species in HepG2 cells. These results suggest that GSH prevents DV2-induced oxidative stress and liver injury in mice by inhibiting proinflammatory cytokine production, and GSH and may be a promising therapeutic agent for prevention of oxidative liver damage during DV infection.

Co-expression of Japanese encephalitis virus prM–E–NS1 antigen with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor enhances humoral and anti-virus immunity after DNA vaccination

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is an agent of Japanese encephalitis, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is an attractive DNA vaccine adjuvant for its antigen presentation. In the present study, we have constructed DNA vaccines that carried JEV prM-E-NS1 genes with or without the GM-CSF gene. Immunization with the bicistronic plasmid pCAG-JEGM that co-expresses GM-CSF and viral prM-E-NS1, resulted in the highest IgG response and sufficient protection against virus-challenged BALB/c mice. However, much to our surprise, co-inoculation of the GM-CSF plasmid with the pCAG-JE plasmid expressing viral prM-E-NS1 lead to a low antibody titer and a relatively low survival rate. Moreover, anamnestic antibody-mediated protection played a dominant role in the mice JEV challenge model, according to the enhancement of post-challenge neutralizing antibody titers and further adoptive transfer experiments. Taken together, this study should encourage further development of JEV DNA vaccine strategies and caution against the use of cytokines as an adjuvant.

Myosin Vc, a Member of the Actin Motor Family Associated with Rab8, Is Involved in the Release of DV2 from HepG2 Cells

Objective: The pathogenesis of the dengue virus (DV) infection has not been well defined. We have reported that actin and Rab8 are involved in DV2 infection. Myosin Vc (Myo5c) is a novel member of the class V myosins and regulates the actin-mediated membrane trafficking associated with Rab8. In this study, the involvement of Myo5c in the release of DV2 was investigated in HpeG2 cells. Methods: Distributions of actin, Myo5c, DV2 and Rab8 were revealed by fluorescent staining. HepG2Myo5c-tail cells expressing a dominant-negative mutant of Myo5c were constructed by transfection and were assessed by Western blotting. The viral titers were detected by plaque assay, and the expression of Rab8 was analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: DV2 infection altered the distribution pattern of Myo5c, which might be associated with the depolymerization of actin, though colocalization rates of Myo5c with DV2 or actin were low. Furthermore, the release of DV2, but not the intracellular viral production, was reduced from HepG2Myo5c-tail cells. Moreover, Myo5c colocalized with Rab8 and an increase of Rab8 was associated with the decrease of the viral release caused by the Myo5c tail.Conclusions: Our data suggest that Myo5c associated with Rab8 is involved in the release of DV2 from HepG2 cells.

ROCK is Involved in Vimentin Phosphorylation and Rearrangement Induced by Dengue Virus

Our previous study showed that dengue virus 2 (DENV2) infection induces rearrangement of vimentin into dense structures at the perinuclear area. However, the underlying mechanism of this phenomenon is poorly characterized. In the present work, we found that vimentin and Ser71 phosphorylated vimentin display similar distributions in DENV2-infected cells. DENV2 infection also induced ROCK activation and phosphorylation of vimentin at Ser71 as the DENV2 infection progressed. Furthermore, Ser71 phosphorylation and vimentin rearrangement induced by DENV2 infection were blocked by the ROCK inhibitor Y-27632. In addition, DENV2 led to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) redistribution in the perinuclear region of the host cells, which was partially blocked by pretreatment with Y-27632. Together, these data support indicate that ROCK may have a role in governing regulating vimentin and ER rearrangement during DENV2 infection. We hypothesize that DENV2 infection, via ROCK activation, induces both vimentin rearrangement and ER redistribution around the perinuclear region, which may play a structural role in anchoring DENV2 to replication sites.

Identification of B cell epitopes of dengue virus 2 NS3 protein by monoclonal antibody.

Dengue virus is a major international public health concern, and there is a lack of available effective vaccines. Virus-specific epitopes could help in developing epitope peptide vaccine. Previously, a neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) 4F5 against nonstructural protein 3 (NS3) of dengue virus 2 (DV2) was developed in our lab. In this work, the B cell epitope recognized by mAb 4F5 was identified using the phage-displayed peptide library. The results of the binding assay and competitive inhibition assay indicated that the peptides, residues 460–469 (U460-469 RVGRNPKNEN) of DV2 NS3 protein, were the B cell epitopes recognized by mAb 4F5. Furthermore, the epitope peptides and a control peptide were synthesized and then immunized female BALB/c mice. ELISA analysis showed that immunization with synthesized epitope peptide elicited a high level of antibody in mice, and immunofluorescent staining showed that the antisera from fusion epitope-immunized mice also responded to DV2 NS3 protein, which further characterized the specific response of the present epitope peptide. Therefore, the present work revealed the specificity of the newly identified epitope (U460-469) of DV2 NS3 protein, which may shed light on dengue virus (DV) vaccine design, DV pathogenesis study, and even DV diagnostic reagent development.

Rab8, a Vesicular Traffic Regulator, Is Involved in Dengue Virus Infection in HepG2 Cells

Objective: The pathogenesis of dengue virus (DV) has not been completely clarified. Rab8 regulates vesicular traffic from Golgi to plasma membrane where DV is matured and then delivered by exocytosis. In this study, involvement of Rab8 in DV serotype 2 (DV2) infection was investigated in HpeG2 cells. Methods: Distributions of Rab8 and DV2, and the number of infection cells were observed by immunostaining. HepG2Rab8AM and HepG2Rab8DN cells were constructed to stably express a constitutively active mutant of Rab8 and a dominant negative mutant, respectively, which were assessed by flow cytometry. Production of infectious virions and the amounts of DV2 entry were detected by standard plaque assay. Viral RNA replication was detected by real-time RT-PCR. Results: Rab8 showed high co-localization with DV2 in HpeG2 cells and the amount of DV antigen-positive cells decreased in HepG2Rab8AM and HepG2Rab8DN cells. Also, progeny virus released from those cells was drastically reduced. Infectious virions produced in cells were also significantly reduced, while the viral RNA replication was down-regulated by a different level. Furthermore, viral entry into those cells was reduced by about 80%. Conclusions: Our data suggest that the function of Rab8 is important for DV2 infection, and Rab8 may be involved in DV2 infection.

Passive protection assay of monoclonal antibodies against dengue virus in suckling mice.

Dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever/dengue shock syndrome are highly infectious diseases caused by dengue virus (DV). Specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against DV are vital for diagnosis, pathological studies, and passive immune therapy. In this study, purified DV serotype 2 (DV2) was used as antigen and BALB/c mice were immunized to induce specific antibodies. We established five hybridoma cell lines, called 78#, 1E7, 7F7, 8F12, and 8H1, respectively, and evaluated them by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, indirect immunofluorescence assay, Western blot, plaque reduction neutralization test, and suckling mice protection assay. Lines 78#, 1E7, 7F7, and 8F12 showed a neutralizing effect, and lines 78#, 1E7, 8F12, and 8H1 recognized envelope glycoprotein of DV2. Among them, lines 78# and 8F12 had stronger neutralizing ability in vitro and could protect some suckling mice from virus challenge. Our results demonstrate that immunization with purified virion is efficient for the production of specific neutralizing mAbs against DV2, and these mAbs could be useful tools for studying or treating DV infection.