Project description:<p>The overall purpose of this study is to investigate the host genetic factors in response to influenza virus infection, with the focus on influenza vaccination in the first substudy "Adult Influenza Vaccine Genetics" and with the focus on influenza natural infection and other acute respiratory infections (ARIs) in the second substudy "Acute Viral Respiratory Infection Genetics". In the first substudy, healthy adults were enrolled in 2008 (male cohort) and 2010 (female cohort) and immunized with seasonal influenza vaccine. In the second substudy, healthy adults were invited to enroll to be followed for acute respiratory illness through two consecutive influenza seasons 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. Peripheral blood genomic DNA samples were collected from all the subjects, and time-series RNA and serum samples were obtained pre- and post- immunization/infection. Genotyping was carried out on peripheral blood genomic DNA samples using Illumina HumanOmniExpress-12 v1 arrays. Peripheral blood RNA samples obtained at each visit were analyzed using Illumina Human HT-12 (for all the samples) and HiSeq 2000 (for 130 samples in the "Acute Viral Respiratory Infection Genetics" study). Serum specimens were tested using hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) antibody assay for Influenza H1N1, H3N2, and Influenza B strains.</p> <p>A detailed description of each substudy is provided under their own pages below and via the grouping tool in the right-hand box: <ul> <li><a href="./study.cgi?study_id=phs000635">phs000635</a> Adult Influenza Vaccine Genetics</li> <li><a href="./study.cgi?study_id=phs001031">phs001031</a> Acute Viral Respiratory Infection Genetics</li> </ul> </p>
Project description:Acute respiratory tract viral infections (ARTI) cause significant morbidity and mortality. While CD8 T cells are fundamental to the host response, the transcriptional alterations underlying anti-viral mechanisms within these cells, and the links to clinical characteristics, remain unclear. The transcriptional circuitry in CD8 T cells from acutely ill pediatric patients with influenza-like illness was distinct for different viral pathogens. We used microarray analysis to profile sorted CD8 T cells from PBMCs of various influenza-like illness patients.
Project description:To study the transcriptional profile of patients with acute RSV or Influenza infection,children of median age 2.4 months (range 1.5-8.6) hospitalized with acute RSV and influenza virus infection were offered study enrollment after microbiologic confirmation of the diagnosis. Blood samples were collected from them within 42-72 hours of hospitalization. We excluded children with suspected or proven polymicrobial infections, with underlying chronic medical conditions (i.e congenital heart disease, renal insufficiency), with immunodeficiency, or those who received systemic steroids or other immunomodulatory therapies. The RSV cohort consisted of 51 patients with median age of 2 months (range 1.5-3.9) and the influenza cohort had 28 patients with median age of 5.5 months (range 1.4-21). Control samples were obtained from healthy children undergoing elective surgical procedures or at outpatient clinic visits. To exclude viral co-infections we performed nasopharyngeal viral cultures of all subjects. We recruited 10 control patients for the RSV cohort with median age of 6.7 months (range 5-10), and 12 control patients for the influenza cohort with median age of18.5 months (range 10.5-26). We used microarrays to obtain the transcriptional profile of PBMCs from patients with acute RSV or Influenza infection and compared these signatures with the transcriptional profile of primary airway epithelial cells infected with RSV or Influenza.
Project description:To study the transcriptional profile of patients with acute RSV or Influenza infection,children of median age 2.4 months (range 1.5-8.6) hospitalized with acute RSV and influenza virus infection were offered study enrollment after microbiologic confirmation of the diagnosis. Blood samples were collected from them within 42-72 hours of hospitalization. We excluded children with suspected or proven polymicrobial infections, with underlying chronic medical conditions (i.e congenital heart disease, renal insufficiency), with immunodeficiency, or those who received systemic steroids or other immunomodulatory therapies. The RSV cohort consisted of 51 patients with median age of 2 months (range 1.5-3.9) and the influenza cohort had 28 patients with median age of 5.5 months (range 1.4-21). Control samples were obtained from healthy children undergoing elective surgical procedures or at outpatient clinic visits. To exclude viral co-infections we performed nasopharyngeal viral cultures of all subjects. We recruited 10 control patients for the RSV cohort with median age of 6.7 months (range 5-10), and 12 control patients for the influenza cohort with median age of18.5 months (range 10.5-26).
Project description:Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is associated with lung inflammation and respiratory failure. In a prospective multi-country cohort of Covid19 patients, we found that increased Notch4 expression on circulating Treg cells was associated with increased disease severity, predicted mortality, and declined upon recovery. Deletion of Notch4 in Treg cells or therapy with anti-Notch4 antibodies in conventional and humanized mice suppressed the dysregulated innate immune response and rescued disease morbidity and mortality induced by a synthetic analogue of viral RNA or by the influenza H1N1 virus in an amphiregulin-dependent manner. Notably, amphiregulin production declined in Covid19 subjects as a function of disease severity and Notch4 expression. These results identify Notch4 as an immune regulatory switch that licenses virus-induced lung inflammation by altering Treg cell-mediated tissue repair. They also suggest Notch4 as a therapeutic target in Covid19 and other respiratory viral infections.
Project description:Diagnosis of acute respiratory viral infection is currently based on clinical symptoms and pathogen detection. Use of host peripheral blood gene expression data to classify individuals with viral respiratory infection represents a novel means of infection diagnosis. We used microarrays to capture peripheral blood gene expression at baseline and time of peak symptoms in healthy volunteers infected intranasally with influenza A H3N2, respiratory syncytial virus or rhinovirus. We determined groups of coexpressed genes that accurately classified symptomatic versus asymptomatic individuals. We experimentally inoculated healthy volunteers with intranasal influenza, respiratory syncytial virus or rhinovirus. Symptoms were documented and peripheral blood samples drawn into PAXgene tubes for RNA isolation.
Project description:The impact of viral infections, on host microbiota composition and dynamics is poorly understood. Influenza A viruses (IAV) are common respiratory pathogens causing acute infections. In this study, we show dynamic changes in respiratory and intestinal microbiota over the course of a sublethal IAV infection in a mouse model. Using a combination of 16S rRNA gene specific next generation sequencing and qPCR as well as culturing of bacterial organ content, we found body site specific and transient microbiota responses to influenza infection. In the lower respiratory tract, we observed only minor qualitative changes in microbiota composition. In the small intestine, IAV induced robust depletion of bacterial content, disruption of mucus layer integrity and higher levels of antimicrobial peptides in Paneth cells. By RNAseq approach, we tried to analyze changes in transcriptomics of lung, and small intestine on the day of maximum changes to dissect possible causal players leading to the phentype observed.
Project description:Human rhinovirus and influenza virus infections of the upper airway lead to colds and the flu and can trigger exacerbations of lower airway diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Despite modest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of infections by these viruses, novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets are still needed to differentiate between the cold and the flu, since the clinical course of influenza can be severe while that of rhinovirus is usually more mild. In our investigation of influenza and rhinovirus infection of human respiratory epithelial cells, we used a systems approach to identify the temporally changing patterns of host gene expression from these viruses. After infection of human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) with rhinovirus, influenza virus or co-infection with both viruses, we studied the time-course of host gene expression changes over three days. From these data, we constructed a transcriptional regulatory network model that revealed shared and unique host responses to these viral infections such that after a lag of 4-8 hours, most cell host responses were similar for both viruses, while divergent host cell responses appeared after 24-48 hours. The similarities and differences in gene expression after epithelial infection of rhinovirus, influenza virus, or both viruses together revealed qualitative and quantitative differences in innate immune activation and regulation. These differences help explain the generally mild outcome of rhinovirus infections compared to influenza infections which can be much more severe. Human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were infected with rhinovirus, influenza virus or both viruses and RNAs were then profiled at 10 time points (2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, 26, 48, 60 and 72hrs)
Project description:Viral infections facilitate bacterial trafficking to the lower respiratory tract resulting in bacterial viral co infections. Bacterial dissemination to the lower respiratory tract is enhanced by influenza A virus induced epithelial cell damage and dysregulation of immune responses. Epithelial cells act as the first line of defense and detect pathogens by a high variety of pattern recognition receptors. The post translational modification ubiquitin is involved in almost every cellular process. Moreover, ubiquitination contributes to the regulation of host immune responses, influenza A virus uncoating and transport within host cells. We applied proteomics with a special focus on ubiquitination to assess the impact of single bacterial and viral as well as bacterial viral co-infections on bronchial epithelial cells. We used Tandem Ubiquitin Binding Entities to enrich polyubiquitinated proteins and assess changes in the ubiquitinome. Infecting 16HBE cells with Streptococcus pyogenes led to an increased abundance of proteins related to mitochondrial translation and energy metabolism in proteome and ubiquitinome. In contrast, influenza A virus infection mainly altered the ubiquitinome. Co-infections had no additional impact on protein abundances or affected pathways. Changes in protein abundance and enriched pathways were assigned to imprints of both infecting pathogens.
Project description:The objective of this study was to understand the shared and unique elements of the host transcriptional response to different viral pathogens. We identified 162 subjects in the US and Sri Lanka with infections due to influenza, enterovirus/rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, dengue virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr Virus, or adenovirus. Our dataset allowed us to identify common pathways at the molecular level as well as virus-specific differences in the host immune response. Conserved elements of the host response to these viral infections high-lighted the importance of interferon pathway activation. However, the magnitude of the re-sponses varied between pathogens. We also identified virus-specific responses to influenza, enterovirus/rhinovirus, and dengue infections.