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Unravelling the immune signature of herpes zoster: Insights into pathophysiology and the HLA risk profile

ABSTRACT: The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infects over 95% of the population and establishes latency afterwards. Reactivation of VZV causes herpes zoster (HZ), commonly known as shingles, which presents as a painful rash in mostly the elderly and people with a weakened immune system. However, HZ might occur in otherwise healthy individuals too. In this study, we have analyzed the immune signature of HZ to better understand HZ’s pathophysiology. We provide a general overview of the antiviral state and the activation of innate and adaptive immune responses during HZ. An extensive exome-wide association study of HZ, incorporating UK Biobank data across white, black and Asian cohorts highlights the MHC locus as a risk factor for HZ development. Therefore, we conducted one of the largest human leukocyte antigen (HLA) association studies on HZ to date (n=138,701 participants) using Fisher’s exact test and identified five protective and four risk HLA alleles associated with the development of HZ. Additionally, differential gene expression and gene ontology analyses revealed upregulation of several genes and host immune pathways during herpes zoster, especially related to type I interferon response but also involved with adaptive immune responses. Intriguingly, no differences in gene expression were noted during convalescence between HZ patients and controls. Our research reveals that HZ susceptibility is largely governed by a complex pattern of variations in the major histocompatibility complex, resulting in modified antigen recognition in HZ patients. Further, we identified key genes and pathways involved in the host immune response to symptomatic VZV reactivation and provided new molecular insights into the development of HZ and its associated risk factors.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE242252 | GEO | 2023/09/08

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) encephalitis and meningitis are potential central nervous system (CNS) complications following primary VZV infection or reactivation. With innate immune signalling, and more specifically type I interferon (IFN) signalling, being an important first line cellular defence mechanism against VZV infection, we here investigated the triggering of innate immune responses in a human CNS-like environment. For this, we established and characterised a 5-month matured hiPSC-derived neurospheroid (NSPH) model containing TuJ1+ MAP2+ NeuN+ neurons and GFAP+ S100b+ AQP4+ CD49f+ astrocytes. Immune competence of these NSPHs was demonstrated by secretion of IL-6 and CXCL10 following stimulation with a cocktail of pro-inflammatory stimuli. Subsequently, NSPHs were infected with reporter strains of VZV (eGFP-ORF23 VZV) and Sendai virus (eGFP SeV). Live cell and immunocytochemical analyses demonstrated VZV infection within NSPHs, while SeV infection was limited to the outer NSPH border. Next, a transcript-level immune profiling was performed using NanoString technology to explore innate immune signatures of virus-infected NSPHs. While SeV-infected NSPHs displayed a clear Type I IFN response, in VZV-infected NSPHs no Type I IFN response was activated. Even more, in the latter a strong suppression of genes related to IFN signalling and antigen presentation was noted. Validating these opposite immune signatures in VZV- and SeV-infected NSPHs, cytokine profiling of NSPH supernatant revealed increased secretion of IL6 and CXCL10 by SeV-infected NSPHs, but not by VZV-infected NSPHs. Similarly, immunocytochemical analysis demonstrated upregulation of type I IFN activated anti-viral proteins Mx1, IFIT2 and ISG15 in SeV-infected NSPHs, but not in VZV-infected NSPHs. Furthermore, CD74, a key part of the MHC class II antigen presentation pathway was found to be suppressed in VZV-infected NSPHs. Finally, even though VZV-infection seems to be immunologically ignored in NSPHs, its presence does result in the formation of stress granules throughout the entire NSPH. Concluding, in this study we demonstrate that 5-month matured hiPSC-derived NSPHs display functional innate immune reactivity towards SeV infection, as well as their capability to recapitulate the strong immune evasive behaviour of VZV. Subsequently, this NSPH model has the potential to study viral neuro-immune responses and evasion strategies in a human CNS-like environment.

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Unravelling the immune signature of herpes zoster: Insights into pathophysiology and the HLA risk profile

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