Yunfeng Song

MicroRNA-15b Modulates Japanese Encephalitis Virus–Mediated Inflammation via Targeting RNF125

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) can target CNS and cause neuroinflammation that is characterized by profound neuronal damage and concomitant microgliosis/astrogliosis. Although microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as a major regulatory network with profound effects on inflammatory response, it is less clear how they regulate JEV-induced inflammation. In this study, we found that miR-15b is involved in modulating the JEV-induced inflammatory response. The data demonstrate that miR-15b is upregulated during JEV infection of glial cells and mouse brains. In vitro overexpression of miR-15b enhances the JEV-induced inflammatory response, whereas inhibition of miR-15b decreases it. Mechanistically, ring finger protein 125 (RNF125), a negative regulator of RIG-I signaling, is identified as a direct target of miR-15b in the context of JEV infection. Furthermore, inhibition of RNF125 by miR-15b results in an elevation in RIG-I levels, which, in turn, leads to a higher production of proinflammatory cytokines and type I IFN. In vivo knockdown of virus-induced miR-15b by antagomir-15b restores the expression of RNF125, reduces the production of inflammatory cytokines, attenuates glial activation and neuronal damage, decreases viral burden in the brain, and improves survival in the mouse model. Taken together, our results indicate that miR-15b modulates the inflammatory response during JEV infection by negative regulation of RNF125 expression. Therefore, miR-15b targeting may constitute an interesting and promising approach to control viral-induced neuroinflammation.

Etanercept Reduces Neuroinflammation and Lethality in Mouse Model of Japanese Encephalitis

BACKGROUND Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a neurotropic flavivirus that causes Japanese encephalitis (JE), which leads to high fatality rates in human. Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) is a key factor that mediates immunopathology in the central nervous system (CNS) during JE. Etanercept is a safe anti-TNF-α drug that has been commonly used in the treatment of various human autoimmune diseases. METHODS The effect of etanercept on JE was investigated with a JEV-infected mouse model. Four groups of mice were assigned to receive injections of phosphate-buffered saline, etanercept, JEV, or JEV plus etanercept. Inflammatory responses in mouse brains and mortality of mice were evaluated within 23 days post infection. RESULTS The in vitro assay with mouse neuron/glia cultures showed that etanercept treatment reduced the inflammatory response induced by JEV infection. In vivo experiments further demonstrated that administration of etanercept protected mice from JEV-induced lethality. Neuronal damage, glial activation, and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines were found to be markedly decreased in JEV-infected mice that received etanercept treatment. Additionally, etanercept treatment restored the integrity of the blood-brain barrier and reduced viral load in mouse brains. CONCLUSIONS Etanercept effectively reduces the inflammation and provides protection against acute encephalitis in a JEV-infected mouse model.

A latex agglutination test for the rapid detection of avian influenza virus subtype H5N1 and its clinical application

A rapid and simple latex agglutination test (LAT) for the detection of avian influenza virus (AIV) subtype H5N1 in chicken allantoic fluids, tracheal swabs, and tissues was developed. Monoclonal antibodies against the hemagglutinin glycoprotein of H5N1 were covalently coupled onto the surface of carboxylated latex bead using a water-soluble carbodiimide to obtain sensitized latex particles (SLP). These SLPs strongly agglutinated in the presence of allantoic fluid containing H5N1, but not fluids containing other AIV sub-types such as H1N1, H3N2, H4N6, and H9N2. Using this LAT, the virus was detectable in tracheal swabs 24 hours to 30 days after inoculating chickens with H5N1, with detection rates ranging from 45.5 to 79.2%. Much higher rates of detection were obtained from tissues collected postmortem from H5N1 experimentally infected chickens; lung tissue yielded the highest detection rate (96.7%), followed by kidney, spleen, brain, and liver tissues (90%). Lower detection rates were achieved with heart (41.7%) and cloacal tissues (26.8%). When the LAT was compared with other detection methods, the agreement with the viral isolation, H5 antigen immunochromatographic test, and H5 real-time RT-PCR test was 93.97, 95.18, and 87.95%, respectively. The test was highly specific for H5N1 in chickens and water fowls and had sensitivity comparable to other diagnostic tests evaluated.

Roles of TLR3 and RIG-I in Mediating the Inflammatory Response in Mouse Microglia following Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection can cause central nervous system disease with irreversible neurological damage in humans and animals. Evidence suggests that overactivation of microglia leads to greatly increased neuronal damage during JEV infection. However, the mechanism by which JEV induces the activation of microglia remains unclear. Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) can recognize double-stranded RNA, and their downstream signaling results in production of proinflammatory mediators. In this study, we investigated the roles of TLR3 and RIG-I in the inflammatory response caused by JEV infection in the mouse microglial cell line. JEV infection induced the expression of TLR3 and RIG-I and the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK). Knockdown of TLR3 and RIG-I attenuated activation of ERK, p38MAPK, activator protein 1 (AP-1), and nuclear factor κB (NF-κB). Secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, and CCL-2, which was induced by JEV, was reduced by TLR3 and RIG-I knockdown and inhibitors of phosphorylated ERK and p38MAPK. Furthermore, viral proliferation was increased following knockdown of TLR3 and RIG-I. Our findings suggest that the signaling pathways of TLR3 and RIG-I play important roles in the JEV-induced inflammatory response of microglia.

Generation and immunogenicity of Japanese encephalitis virus envelope protein expressed in transgenic rice.

Transgenic plants have become attractive as bioreactors to produce heterologous proteins that can be developed as edible vaccines. In the present study, transgenic rice expressing the envelope protein (E) of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), under the control of a dual cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV 35S) promoter, was generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Southern blot, Northern blot, Western blot and ELISA analyses confirmed that the E gene was integrated into transgenic rice and was expressed in the leaves at levels of 1.1-1.9 microg/mg of total soluble protein. After intraperitoneal immunization of mice with crude protein extracts from transgenic rice plants, JEV-specific neutralizing antibody could be detected. Moreover, E-specific mucosal immune responses could be detected in mice after oral immunization with protein extracts from transgenic rice plants. These results show the potential of using a transgenic rice-based expression system as an alternative bioreactor for JEV subunit vaccine.

MicroRNA-33a-5p Modulates Japanese Encephalitis Virus Replication by Targeting Eukaryotic Translation Elongation Factor 1A1

ABSTRACT Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a typical mosquito-borne flavivirus responsible for acute encephalitis and meningitis in humans. However, the molecular mechanism for JEV pathogenesis is still unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that act as gene regulators. They are directly or indirectly involved in many cellular functions owing to their ability to target mRNAs for degradation or translational repression. However, how cellular miRNAs are regulated and their functions during JEV infection are largely unknown. In the present study, we found that JEV infection downregulated the expression of endogenous cellular miR-33a-5p. Notably, artificially transfecting with miR-33a-5p mimics led to a significant decrease in viral replication, suggesting that miR-33a-5p acts as a negative regulator of JEV replication. A dual-luciferase reporter assay identified eukaryotic translation elongation factor 1A1 (EEF1A1) as one of the miR-33a-5p target genes. Our study further demonstrated that EEF1A1 can interact with the JEV proteins NS3 and NS5 in replicase complex. Through this interaction, EEF1A1 can stabilize the components of viral replicase complex and thus facilitates viral replication during JEV infection. Taken together, these results suggest that miR-33a-5p is downregulated during JEV infection, which contributes to viral replication by increasing the intracellular level of EEF1A1, an interaction partner of JEV NS3 and NS5. This study provides a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of JEV pathogenesis. IMPORTANCE MiRNAs are critical regulators of gene expression that utilize sequence complementarity to bind to and modulate the stability or translation efficiency of target mRNAs. Accumulating data suggest that miRNAs regulate a wide variety of molecular mechanisms in the host cells during viral infections. JEV, a neurotropic flavivirus, is one of the major causes of acute encephalitis in humans worldwide. The roles of cellular miRNAs during JEV infections are widely unexplored. The present study explores a novel role of miR-33a-5p as a negative regulator of JEV replication. We found EEF1A1 as a direct target of miR-33a-5p. We also demonstrated that EEF1A1 interacts with and stabilize the components of JEV replicase complex, which positively regulates JEV replication. These findings suggest a new insight into the molecular mechanism of JEV pathogenesis and provide a possible therapeutic entry point for viral encephalitis.

Development and evaluation of an immunochromatographic strip for detection of Streptococcus suis type 2 antibody

In this study, an immunochromatographic strip (ICS) was developed for the detection of antibody against Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (SS2). Colloidal gold particles labeled with staphylococcal protein A (SPA), which can bind to the FC fragment of mammalian immunoglobulin, were used as the detector reagent. The capsular polysaccharide (CPS) of SS2 and affinity-purified IgG from a healthy naive pig were immobilized on test and control regions of a nitrocellulose membrane, respectively. The ICS was used to 1) detect anti-CPS antibody in 14 sera taken from 4 SS2-infected pigs, 24 sera from pigs hyperimmunized with SS2, and 68 sera from pigs inoculated or infected with bacteria other than SS2; 2) determine anti-CPS antibody titers of 20 positive sera for comparison with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); and 3) detect anti-CPS antibody in 226 clinical sera taken from diseased pigs also for comparison with ELISA. An ELISA used as a reference test determined the specificity and sensitivity of the ICS to be 97.1% and 86.3%, respectively. There was excellent agreement between the results obtained by ELISA and the ICS (kappa = 0.843). Additionally, there was strong agreement between the results of bacterial isolation from pig tonsils and ICS test (kappa = 0.658). Because it is rapid and easy to use, the test is suitable for the serological surveillance of SS2 at farms.

Avian Influenza (H5N1) Virus in Waterfowl and Chickens, Central China

In 2004, 3 and 4 strains of avian influenza virus (subtype H5N1) were isolated from waterfowl and chickens, respectively, in central People’s Republic of China. Viral replication and pathogenicity were evaluated in chickens, quails, pigeons, and mice. We analyzed the sequences of the hemagglutinin and neuraminidase genes of the isolates and found broad diversity among them.

Identification of three antiviral inhibitors against Japanese encephalitis virus from library of pharmacologically active compounds 1280.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) can cause severe central nervous disease with a high mortality rate. There is no antiviral drug available for JEV-specific treatment. In this study, a cytopathic-effect-based, high-throughput screening assay was developed and applied to screen JEV inhibitors from Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds 1280. The antiviral effects of three hit compounds including FGIN-1-27, cilnidipine, and niclosamide were evaluated in cells by western blotting, indirect immunofluorescence assay, and plaque reduction assay. A time-of-addition assay proved that all three compounds inhibited JEV at the stage of replication. The EC50s of FGIN-1-27, cilnidipine, and niclosamide were 3.21, 6.52, and 5.80 µM, respectively, while the selectivity indexes were 38.79, 30.67, and 7.49. FGIN-1-27 and cilnidipine have high efficiency and selectivity against JEV. This study provided two JEV antiviral inhibitors as candidates for treatment of JEV infection.

Immunogenicity of foot-and-mouth disease virus structural polyprotein P1 expressed in transgenic rice.

Transgenic plants have become developed as bioreactors for producing heterologous proteins and may even form edible vaccines. In the present study, a transgenic rice expressing the capsid precursor polypeptide (P1) gene of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV), under the control of a dual cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV 35S) promoter, was generated by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Southern blot, northern blot, western blot, and ELISA analyses confirmed that the P1 gene was integrated into the transgenic rice and the protein was expressed specifically in the leaves at levels of 0.6-1.3 μg/mg of total soluble protein. After intraperitoneal immunization of mice with crude protein extracts from transgenic rice plants, FMDV-specific neutralizing antibodies were detected. The immunized mice could clear virus from their sera after FMDV challenge. In addition, FMDV-specific mucosal immune responses were detected in mice after oral immunization with protein extracts from transgenic rice plants. Partial virus clearance was obtained after FMDV challenge. These results indicate the potential of using a transgenic rice-based expression system as an alternative bioreactor for FMDV subunit vaccines.