Klara Valyi-Nagy

Herpes simplex virus type 1 infection induces oxidative stress and the release of bioactive lipid peroxidation by-products in mouse P19N neural cell cultures

To determine whether herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection causes oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation in cultured neural cells, mouse P19 embryonal carcinoma cells were differentiated into cells with neural phenotypes (P19N cells) by retinoic acid and were then infected with HSV-1. Cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the release of lipid peroxidation by-products into the tissue culture medium were then measured by the generation of fluorescent markers hydroxyphenyl fluorescein and a stable chromophore produced by lipid peroxidation products, malondialdehyde (MDA) and hydroxyalkenals (4-HAEs; predominantly 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal [HNE]), respectively. HSV-1 infection increased ROS levels in neural cells as early as 1 h post infection (p.i.) and ROS levels remained elevated at 24 h p.i. This viral effect required viral entry and replication as heat- and ultraviolet light-inactivated HSV-1 were ineffective. HSV-1 infection also was associated with increased levels of MDA/HAE in the culture medium at 2 and 4 h p.i., but MDA/HAE levels were not different from those detected in mock infected control cultures at 1, 6, and 24 h p.i. HSV-1 replication in P19N cells was inhibited by the antioxidant compound ebselen and high concentrations of HNE added to the cultures, but was increased by low concentrations of HNE. These findings indicate that HSV-1 infection of neural cells causes oxidative stress that is required for efficient viral replication. Furthermore, these observations raise the possibility that soluble, bioactive lipid peroxidation by-products generated in infected neural cells may be important regulators of HSV-1 pathogenesis in the nervous system.

Chromatin Organization Measured by AluI Restriction Enzyme Changes with Malignancy and Is Regulated by the Extracellular Matrix and the Cytoskeleton

Given that expression of many genes changes when cells become malignant or are placed in different microenvironments, we asked whether these changes were accompanied by global reorganization of chromatin. We reasoned that sequestration or exposure of chromatin-sensitive sites to restriction enzymes could be used to detect this reorganization. We found that AluI-sensitive sites of nonmalignant cells were relatively more exposed compared to their malignant counterparts in cultured cells and human tumor samples. Changes in exposure and sequestration of AluI-sensitive sites in normal fibroblasts versus fibrosarcoma or those transfected with oncogenes, nonmalignant breast cells versus carcinomas and poorly metastatic versus highly invasive melanoma were shown to be independent of the cell cycle and may be influenced by proteins rich in disulfide bonds. Remarkably, regardless of degree of malignancy, AluI-sensitive sites became profoundly sequestered when cells were incubated with laminin, Matrigel, or a circular RGD peptide (RGD-C), but became exposed when cells were placed on collagen I or in serum-containing medium. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton led to exposure, whereas disruption of microtubules or intermediate filaments exerted a sequestering effect. Thus, AluI-sensitive sites are more sequestered with increasing malignant behavior, but the sequestration and exposure of these sites is exquisitely sensitive to information conferred to the cell by molecules and biomechanical forces that regulate cellular and tissue architecture.

Authenticating Cell Lines in Ophthalmic Research Laboratories

Authentication of cell lines in biomedical research has been elevated to a very high priority. From a review of the literature, Lacroix1 reviewed the issue of cross-contamination of cell lines including the well known contamination of cell lines with HeLa cells,2 and the mis-identification of the ECV304 cell line as “immortalized endothelial cells” when these cells in fact originated from T24 bladder carcinoma cells.3 Lacroix 1 estimated that between 18 and 36% of cell lines have been misclassified. One survey at a large research institution suggested that fewer than 50% of researchers authenticate their cell lines.4 Nardone5 proposed recently that identification of cell lines be required of investigators before grants are awarded, and the National Institutes of Health subsequently called for researchers to authenticate cell lines as a prerequisite for grant funding.6

Distinguishing Fibrovascular Septa From Vasculogenic Mimicry Patterns

CONTEXT Molecular analyses indicate that periodic acid-Schiff (PAS)-positive (laminin-rich) patterns in melanomas are generated by invasive tumor cells by vasculogenic mimicry. Some observers, however, consider these patterns to be fibrovascular septa, generated by a stromal host response. OBJECTIVE To delineate differences between vasculogenic mimicry patterns and fibrovascular septa in primary uveal melanomas. DESIGN Frequency distributions, associations with outcome, and thicknesses of trichrome-positive and PAS-positive looping patterns were determined in 234 primary uveal melanomas. Sequential sections of 13 additional primary uveal melanomas that contained PAS-positive/trichrome-negative looping patterns were stained for type I and type IV collagens, laminin, and fibronectin. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was performed on RNA from cultured uveal melanoma cells for the expression of COL1A1, COL4A2, and fibronectin. RESULTS Trichrome-positive loops were encountered less frequently than PAS-positive loops (10% vs 56%, respectively). Death from metastatic melanoma was strongly associated with PAS-positive (P < .001) but not with trichrome-positive (P = .57) loops. Trichrome-positive loops were significantly thicker than PAS-positive loops (P < .001). The PAS-positive patterns stained positive for laminin, type I and type IV collagens, and fibronectin. Type I collagen was detected within melanoma cells and focally within some PAS-positive patterns. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction revealed 3-fold, 25-fold, and 97-fold increases, respectively, in expression of COL4A2, fibronectin, and COL1A1 by invasive pattern-forming primary melanoma cells compared with poorly invasive non-pattern-forming cells. CONCLUSIONS Fibrovascular septa are rare and prognostically insignificant in uveal melanomas, whereas vasculogenic mimicry patterns are associated with increased mortality. Type I collagen, seen focally in some vasculogenic mimicry patterns, may be synthesized by tumor cells, independent of a host stromal response.

Assays for Qualification and Quality Stratification of Clinical Biospecimens Used in Research: A Technical Report from the ISBER Biospecimen Science Working Group

This technical report presents quality control (QC) assays that can be performed in order to qualify clinical biospecimens that have been biobanked for use in research. Some QC assays are specific to a disease area. Some QC assays are specific to a particular downstream analytical platform. When such a qualification is not possible, QC assays are presented that can be performed to stratify clinical biospecimens according to their biomolecular quality.

The Assembly of Hepatic Very Low Density Lipoproteins: Evidence of a Role for the Golgi Apparatus

Previous studies from our laboratory have suggested that the assembly of lipoproteins by the liver is not completed in the rough endoplasmic reticulum but continues while the particles are en route to or within the Golgi apparatus. To investigate further the role of the Golgi apparatus in lipoprotein assembly, mice were injected with [3H]glycerol and killed 7.5 to 45 min after injection. Microsomes and Golgi apparatus-rich fractions were isolated from the livers and separated into membrane and content fractions. TG within microsomal and Golgi membranes were labeled, rapidly reaching peak specific activity within 7.5 min of isotope injection. The specific activity of TG in microsomal membranes decreased to approximately 40% of peak values by 45 min, whereas the specific activity of TG in the Golgi membranes decreased to approximately 30% of peak values by 45 min. To determine whether the turnover of the Golgi membrane TG pool was dependent on microsomal TG transfer protein (MTP), mice were gavaged with an MTP inhibitor, and the labeling experiments were repeated. Inhibition of MTP attenuated the turnover of newly synthesized Golgi membrane TG by approximately 50% and the turnover of microsomal membrane TG by approximately 40%. Based on the rapid turnover of the Golgi membrane TG pool and the attenuation of the turnover of this pool by MTP inhibitor, we propose that lipid is transferred from the Golgi membrane to luminal lipoproteins in an MTP-dependent manner. The results support our hypothesis that assembly of VLDL continues within the Golgi apparatus.

Expression of Herpes Virus Entry Mediator (HVEM) in the Cornea and Trigeminal Ganglia of Normal and HSV-1 Infected Mice

Purpose: Herpes virus entry mediator (HVEM) plays a critical role in the regulation of inflammation through interaction with its natural ligands LIGHT and lymphotoxin alpha and also serves as one of the entry receptors of herpes simplex virus (HSV). The purpose of this study was to better understand the expression of HVEM in the cornea and trigeminal ganglia (TG), which are important targets of HSV infection. Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to define HVEM expression in the cornea and TG of normal and HSV-1 infected mice euthanized 2 to 5 days or 7 months following corneal inoculation of virus. Results: We found that HVEM is widely expressed in the normal corneal epithelium and endothelium, is weakly and focally expressed in the corneal stroma, and is expressed in a portion of neurons and non-neuronal cells in the TG. Acute HSV-1 keratitis and ganglionitis were associated with increased HVEM expression in the corneal epithelium and stroma and in neurons and non-neuronal cells of TG, and many inflammatory cells in these tissues also expressed HVEM. TG derived from mice 7 months after virus inoculation demonstrated latent HSV-1 infection that was associated with increased HVEM expression in neurons and non-neuronal cells relative to uninfected control tissues. Latent TG also contained focal infiltrates of mononuclear inflammatory cells, many of which expressed HVEM. Corneas derived from latently infected mice demonstrated chronic keratitis, with no evidence of virus replication or increased HVEM expression in the corneal epithelium, and inflammatory cells present showed only weak HVEM expression. Conclusions: HVEM is expressed in the cornea and TG and therefore may serve as an HSV entry receptor in these tissues. Furthermore, these findings raise the possibility that changes in HVEM expression following ocular HSV-1 infection can modulate HSV spread and infection-induced inflammation in the cornea and TG.

Identification of virus resistant tumor cell subpopulations in three-dimensional uveal melanoma cultures

To better understand melanoma resistance to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)-mediated oncolysis, traditional two-dimensional (2D) cultures and extracellular matrix (ECM) containing three-dimensional (3D) cultures of OCM1 and C918 uveal melanoma cells were infected with an HSV-1 strain that expresses the green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker during replication. Although 2D cultures were completely destroyed within a few days of HSV-1 inoculation, viable GFP-negative tumor cells remained detectable in 3D cultures for several weeks. Tumor cells with increased resistance to HSV-1 included cells that formed vasculogenic mimicry patterns and multicellular spheroids and cells that invaded Matrigel individually. Mechanisms of tumor resistance against HSV-1 in the 3D environment included impaired virus spread in the ECM and ECM-mediated inhibition of viral replication after viral entry into tumor cells. Observations also suggested that HSV-1 established quiescent infection in some tumor cells present in multicellular spheroids and that this could revert to productive viral infection when the tumor growth pattern changed. These findings indicate that 3D tumor cell cultures can be used to identify distinct tumor cell populations with increased resistance to HSV-1 and to explore mechanisms of ECM-mediated tumor resistance to oncolytic virotherapy.

Decreased oligodendrocyte nuclear diameter in Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia.

To better understand the pathogenesis of dementia, it is important to understand histopathologic changes in neurodegenerative diseases because they might highlight key aspects of the degenerative process. In this study, the nuclear diameter of neurons and oligodendrocytes in selected temporal lobe areas were determined in autopsy tissue sections from patients with Alzheimers disease (AD), Lewy body dementia (LBD) and controls. Our morphometric studies targeted neurons in the CA4 region of the pyramidal cell layer of the hippocampus, neurons in the granular layer of the dentate gyrus and oligodendrocytes in parahippocampal white matter. Mean neuronal nuclear diameters were not different among the studied groups. However, our studies revealed a statistically significant reduction of mean oligodendrocyte nuclear diameter in AD and LBD relative to controls. The reduction of the mean nucleus diameter of oligodendrocytes in LBD was independent of the presence of associated AD pathology in LBD. These findings for the first time identify decreased oligodendrocyte nucleus diameter as a morphologic feature of AD and LBD and may lead to a better understanding of the role of oligodendrocytes in AD and LBD pathogenesis.

Chronic progressive deficits in neuron size, density, and number in the trigeminal ganglia of mice latently infected with herpes simplex virus

Numerous epidemiological studies have proposed a link between herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection and several common chronic neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases. Experimental HSV infection of mice can lead to chronic behavioral and neurological deficits and chronic pain. While neuron injury and loss are well‐documented consequences of the acute phase of infection, the pathologic consequences of latent HSV infection are poorly understood. To determine whether latent HSV infection can cause neuronal injury in mice, trigeminal ganglia (TG) derived from adult BALB/c mice 1, 12 and 31 weeks after corneal HSV type 1 (HSV‐1) inoculation were analyzed for evidence of productive or latent HSV‐1 infection, inflammation and changes in neuron size, density and number. We found that latent HSV‐1 infection between 12 and 31 weeks after corneal virus inoculation was associated with inflammation and progressive deficits in mean neuron diameter, neuronal nucleus diameter, neuron density and neuron number in the TG relative to mock‐infected controls. The extent of neuronal injury during latent infection correlated with the extent of inflammation. These studies demonstrate that latent HSV infection is associated with progressive neuronal pathology and may lead to a better understanding of the role of HSV infections in chronic neurological diseases.