Project description:Receptor molecules play key roles in the cellular entry of picornaviruses, and TIM1 (HAVCR1) is widely accepted to be the receptor for hepatitis A virus (HAV), an unusual, hepatotropic human picornavirus. However, its identification as the hepatovirus receptor predated the discovery that hepatoviruses undergo nonlytic release from infected cells as membrane-cloaked, quasi-enveloped HAV (eHAV) virions that enter cells via a pathway distinct from naked, nonenveloped virions. We thus revisited the role of TIM1 in hepatovirus entry, examining both adherence and infection/replication in cells with clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/Cas9-engineered TIM1 knockout. Cell culture-derived, gradient-purified eHAV bound Huh-7.5 human hepatoma cells less efficiently than naked HAV at 4°C, but eliminating TIM1 expression caused no difference in adherence of either form of HAV, nor any impact on infection and replication in these cells. In contrast, TIM1-deficient Vero cells showed a modest reduction in quasi-enveloped eHAV (but not naked HAV) attachment and replication. Thus, TIM1 facilitates quasi-enveloped eHAV entry in Vero cells, most likely by binding phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) residues on the eHAV membrane. Both Tim1-/-Ifnar1-/- and Tim4-/-Ifnar1-/- double-knockout mice were susceptible to infection upon intravenous challenge with infected liver homogenate, with fecal HAV shedding and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations similar to those in Ifnar1-/- mice. However, intrahepatic HAV RNA and ALT elevations were modestly reduced in Tim1-/-Ifnar1-/- mice compared to Ifnar1-/- mice challenged with a lower titer of gradient-purified HAV or eHAV. We conclude that TIM1 is not an essential hepatovirus entry factor, although its PtdSer-binding activity may contribute to the spread of quasi-enveloped virus and liver injury in mice.IMPORTANCE T cell immunoglobulin and mucin-containing domain protein 1 (TIM1) was reported more than 2 decades ago to be an essential cellular receptor for hepatitis A virus (HAV), a picornavirus in the Hepatovirus genus, resulting in its designation as "hepatitis A virus cellular receptor 1" (HAVCR1) by the Human Genome Organization Gene Nomenclature Committee. However, recent studies have shown that HAV exists in nature as both naked, nonenveloped (HAV) virions and membrane-cloaked, quasi-enveloped infectious virus (eHAV), prompting us to revisit the role of TIM1 in viral entry. We show here that TIM1 (HAVCR1) is not an essential cellular receptor for HAV entry into cultured cells or required for viral replication and pathogenesis in permissive strains of mice, although it may facilitate early stages of infection by binding phosphatidylserine on the eHAV surface. This work thus corrects the published record and sets the stage for future efforts to identify specific hepatovirus entry factors.
Project description:The hepatitis A virus cellular receptor 1 (HAVCR1) gene is highly polymorphic, and several variants have been associated with susceptibility to allergic and autoimmune diseases. The HAVCR1 gene region was identified as a candidate for hepatitis C virus (HCV) natural clearance in a genotyping study of selected immune response genes in both European-American and African-American populations. The aim of the present study was to explore the influence of HAVCR1 in the outcome of HCV infection in the Spanish population. Three cohorts, consisting of 354 subjects with persistent HCV infection (285 with persistent HCV monoinfection and 69 with natural clearance), 182 coinfected HIV/HCV patients, and 320 controls, were included. Samples were genotyped in several polymorphic positions, insertion/deletion variants in exon 4 and tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), in order to define previously described HAVCR1 haplotypes (haplotypes A to D). No statistically significant differences were observed with spontaneous resolution of infection or with viral clearance after treatment. Nevertheless, different rates of infection by viral genotypes (G's) were observed among the HAVCR1 haplotypes. Individuals bearing haplotype C had the highest viral G1 infection rate when compared to individuals bearing other haplotypes (75.82% versus 57.72%, respectively; corrected P value [P(c)], 3.2 × 10(-4); odds ratio [OR], 2.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.51 to 3.47). Thus, HAVCR1 could be involved in susceptibility or resistance to infection by a particular HCV genotype.
Project description:Classical swine fever virus (CSFV) is an important pathogen in the swine industry. Virion attachment is mediated by envelope proteins Erns and E2, and E2 is indispensable. Using a pull-down assay with soluble E2 as the bait, we demonstrated that ADAM17, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 17, is essential for CSFV entry. Loss of ADAM17 in a permissive cell line eliminated E2 binding and viral entry, but compensation with pig ADAM17 cDNA completely rescued these phenotypes. Similarly, ADAM17 silencing in primary porcine fibroblasts significantly impaired virus infection. In addition, human and mouse ADAM17, which is highly homologous to pig ADAM17, also mediated CSFV entry. The metalloproteinase domain of ADAM17 bound directly to E2 protein in a zinc-dependent manner. A surface exposed region within this domain was mapped and shown to be critical for CSFV entry. These findings clearly demonstrate that ADAM17 serves as an essential attachment factor for CSFV.
Project description:Cell-to-cell communication by exosomes controls normal and pathogenic processes1,2. Viruses can spread in exosomes and thereby avoid immune recognition3. While biogenesis, binding and uptake of exosomes are well characterized4,5, delivery of exosome cargo into the cytoplasm is poorly understood3. We report that the phosphatidylserine receptor HAVCR1 (refs. 6,7) and the cholesterol transporter NPC1 (ref. 8) participate in cargo delivery from exosomes of hepatitis A virus (HAV)-infected cells (exo-HAV) by clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Using CRISPR-Cas9 knockout technology, we show that these two lipid receptors, which interact in the late endosome9, are necessary for the membrane fusion and delivery of RNA from exo-HAV into the cytoplasm. The HAVCR1-NPC1 pathway, which Ebola virus exploits to infect cells9, mediates HAV infection by exo-HAV, which indicates that viral infection via this exosome mimicry mechanism does not require an envelope glycoprotein. The capsid-free viral RNA in the exosome lumen, but not the endosomal uncoating of HAV particles contained in the exosomes, is mainly responsible for exo-HAV infectivity as assessed by methylene blue inactivation of non-encapsidated RNA. In contrast to exo-HAV, infectivity of HAV particles is pH-independent and requires HAVCR1 or another as yet unidentified receptor(s) but not NPC1. Our findings show that envelope-glycoprotein-independent fusion mechanisms are shared by exosomes and viruses, and call for a reassessment of the role of envelope glycoproteins in infection.
Project description:Elucidation of the factors responsible for hepatitis B virus (HBV) is extremely important in order to understand the viral life cycle and pathogenesis, and thereby explore potential anti-HBV drugs. The recent determination that sodium taurocholate co-transporting peptide (NTCP) is an essential molecule for the HBV entry into cells led to the development of an HBV infection system in vitro using a human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell line expressing NTCP; however, the precise mechanism of HBV entry is still largely unknown, and thus it may be necessary to elucidate all the molecules involved. Here, we identified ATP5B as another essential factor for HBV entry. ATP5B was expressed on the cell surface of the HCC cell lines and bound with myristoylated but not with non-myristoylated preS1 2-47, which supported the notion that ATP5B is involved in the HBV entry process. Knockdown of ATP5B in NTCP-expressing HepG2 cells, which allowed HBV infection, reduced HBV infectivity with less cccDNA formation. Taken together, these results strongly suggested that ATP5B is an essential factor for HBV entry into the cells.
Project description:The cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) is a membrane protein related to lipid metabolism. We show that HCV infection in vitro increased CD36 expression in either surface or soluble form. HCV attachment was facilitated through a direct interaction between CD36 and HCV E1 protein, causing enhanced entry and replication. The HCV co-receptor effect of CD36 was independent of that of SR-BI. CD36 monoclonal antibodies neutralized the effect of CD36 and reduced HCV replication. CD36 inhibitor sulfo-N-succinimidyl oleate (SSO), which directly bound CD36 but not SR-BI, significantly interrupted HCV entry, and therefore inhibited HCV replication. SSO's antiviral effect was seen only in HCV but not in other viruses. SSO in combination with known anti-HCV drugs showed additional inhibition against HCV. SSO was considerably safe in mice. Conclusively, CD36 interacts with HCV E1 and might be a co-receptor specific for HCV entry; thus, CD36 could be a potential drug target against HCV.
Project description:During infection with the hepatitis A virus (HAV), most patients develop mild or asymptomatic disease. However, a small number of patients develop serious, life-threatening hepatitis. We investigated this variability in disease severity by examining 30 Argentinean patients with HAV-induced acute liver failure in a case-control, cross-sectional, observational study. We found that HAV-induced severe liver disease was associated with a 6-amino-acid insertion in TIM1/HAVCR1 (157insMTTTVP), the gene encoding the HAV receptor. This polymorphism was previously shown to be associated with protection against asthma and allergic diseases and with HIV progression. In binding assays, the TIM-1 protein containing the 157insMTTTVP insertion polymorphism bound HAV more efficiently. When expressed by human natural killer T (NKT) cells, this long form resulted in greater NKT cell cytolytic activity against HAV-infected liver cells, compared with the shorter TIM-1 protein without the polymorphism. To our knowledge, the 157insMTTTVP polymorphism in TIM1 is the first genetic susceptibility factor shown to predispose to HAV-induced acute liver failure. Furthermore, these results suggest that HAV infection has driven the natural selection of shorter forms of the TIM-1 protein, which binds HAV less efficiently, thereby protecting against severe HAV-induced disease, but which may predispose toward inflammation associated with asthma and allergy.
Project description:BackgroundInitial studies suggested that polymorphisms in Tim1 and Tim3 contribute to the development of airway hyperreactivity (AHR) in an acute mouse model of asthma. This was also mirrored in human genetic studies where polymorphisms in Tim1 and Tim3 have been associated with atopic populations.ObjectiveFurther studies using anti-Tim1 or -Tim3 antibodies, or Tim fusion proteins, have also suggested that these molecules may function as regulators of type-1 and type-2 immunity. However, their role in the development of AHR and airway inflammation remains unclear. Given the proposed roles for Tim1 and Tim3 in type-1 and type-2 responses, we sought to determine whether these molecules were important in regulating antigen-driven lung allergy and inflammation.MethodWe used Tim1- and Tim3-deficient mice and determined how the development of allergic lung inflammation was affected.ResultsAHR was induced normally in the absence of both Tim1 and Tim3, although Tim1-deficient mice did show a small but significant decrease in cell infiltration in the lung and blood eosinophilia. Although Tim3 was expressed on CD4(+) T cells in the allergic lung, Tim1 expression was restricted to CD86(+) B cells.Conclusions and clinical relevanceThus, Tim1 and Tim3 are not essential for the induction of the type-2 response in lung allergy. This is contrary to what was proposed in a number of other studies using neutralizing and activating antibodies and questions the clinical relevance of Tim1 and Tim3 for novel allergy therapies.
Project description:Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a liver tropic pathogen that affects ?170 million people worldwide and causes liver pathologies including fibrosis, cirrhosis, steatosis, iron overload, and hepatocellular carcinoma. As part of a project initially directed at understanding how HCV may disrupt cellular iron homeostasis, we found that HCV alters expression of the iron uptake receptor transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1). After further investigation, we found that TfR1 mediates HCV entry. Specifically, functional studies showed that TfR1 knockdown and antibody blocking inhibit HCV cell culture (HCVcc) infection. Blocking cell surface TfR1 also inhibited HCV pseudoparticle (HCVpp) infection, demonstrating that TfR1 acts at the level of HCV glycoprotein-dependent entry. Likewise, a TfR1 small-molecule inhibitor that causes internalization of surface TfR1 resulted in a decrease in HCVcc and HCVpp infection. In kinetic studies, TfR1 antibody blocking lost its inhibitory activity after anti-CD81 blocking, suggesting that TfR1 acts during HCV entry at a postbinding step after CD81. In contrast, viral spread assays indicated that HCV cell-to-cell spread is less dependent on TfR1. Interestingly, silencing of the TfR1 trafficking protein, a TfR-1 specific adaptor protein required for TfR1 internalization, also inhibited HCVcc infection. On the basis of these results, we conclude that TfR1 plays a role in HCV infection at the level of glycoprotein-mediated entry, acts after CD81, and possibly is involved in HCV particle internalization.
Project description:To confirm previously identified polymorphisms in HAVCR1 that were associated with persistent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in individuals of African and of European descent, we studied 165 subjects of African descent and 635 subjects of European descent. Because the association was only confirmed in subjects of African descent (rs6880859; odds ratio, 2.42; P = .01), we then used 379 subjects of African descent (142 with spontaneous HCV clearance) to fine-map HAVCR1. rs111511318 was strongly associated with HCV persistence after adjusting for IL28B and HLA (adjusted P = 8.8 × 10(-4)), as was one 81-kb haplotype (adjusted P = .0006). The HAVCR1 genomic region is an independent genetic determinant of HCV persistence in individuals of African descent.