Comparative growth of different rotavirus strains in differentiated cells (MA104, HepG2, and CaCo-2)

Current and Future Antiviral Strategies to Tackle Gastrointestinal Viral Infections

Acute gastroenteritis caused by virus has a major impact on public health worldwide in terms of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. The main culprits are rotaviruses, noroviruses, sapoviruses, astroviruses, and enteric adenoviruses. Currently, there are no antiviral drugs available for the prevention or treatment of viral gastroenteritis. Here, we describe the antivirals that were identified as having in vitro and/or in vivo activity against these viruses, originating from in silico design or library screening, natural sources or being repurposed drugs. We also highlight recent advances in model systems available for this (hard to cultivate) group of viruses, such as organoid technologies, and that will facilitate antiviral studies as well as fill some of current knowledge gaps that hamper the development of highly efficient therapies against gastroenteric viruses.

A Human 2D Primary Organoid-Derived Epithelial Monolayer Model to Study Host-Pathogen Interaction in the Small Intestine

Gut organoids are stem cell derived 3D models of the intestinal epithelium that are useful for studying interactions between enteric pathogens and their host. While the organoid model has been used for both bacterial and viral infections, this is a closed system with the luminal side being inaccessible without microinjection or disruption of the organoid polarization. In order to overcome this and simplify their applicability for transepithelial studies, permeable membrane based monolayer approaches are needed. In this paper, we demonstrate a method for generating a monolayer model of the human fetal intestinal polarized epithelium that is fully characterized and validated. Proximal and distal small intestinal organoids were used to generate 2D monolayer cultures, which were characterized with respect to epithelial cell types, polarization, barrier function, and gene expression. In addition, viral replication and bacterial translocation after apical infection with enteric pathogens Enterovirus A71 and Listeria monocytogenes were evaluated, with subsequent monitoring of the pro-inflammatory host response. This human 2D fetal intestinal monolayer model will be a valuable tool to study host-pathogen interactions and potentially reduce the use of animals in research.

Human VP8* mAbs neutralize rotavirus selectively in human intestinal epithelial cells

We previously generated 32 rotavirus-specific (RV-specific) recombinant monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) derived from B cells isolated from human intestinal resections. Twenty-four of these mAbs were specific for the VP8* fragment of RV VP4, and most (20 of 24) were non-neutralizing when tested in the conventional MA104 cell-based assay. We reexamined the ability of these mAbs to neutralize RVs in human intestinal epithelial cells including ileal enteroids and HT-29 cells. Most (18 of 20) of the "non-neutralizing" VP8* mAbs efficiently neutralized human RV in HT-29 cells or enteroids. Serum RV neutralization titers in adults and infants were significantly higher in HT-29 than MA104 cells and adsorption of these sera with recombinant VP8* lowered the neutralization titers in HT-29 but not MA104 cells. VP8* mAbs also protected suckling mice from diarrhea in an in vivo challenge model. X-ray crystallographic analysis of one VP8* mAb (mAb9) in complex with human RV VP8* revealed that the mAb interaction site was distinct from the human histo-blood group antigen binding site. Since MA104 cells are the most commonly used cell line to detect anti-RV neutralization activity, these findings suggest that prior vaccine and other studies of human RV neutralization responses may have underestimated the contribution of VP8* antibodies to the overall neutralization titer.

Organoid as a culture system for viral vaccine strains

Organoid is an in vitro multicellular form mimicking in vivo organ. Its similarity to human organ including cellular organization, molecular expression patterns, as well as genetic signatures enables to study the characteristics of infectious agents and host-pathogen interaction. For the features of organoid, this system also can be potentially used to cultivate currently uncultivable viruses of vaccine candidates. This paper will briefly describe problems in the current culture system for virus production and the possibility of organoid as culture system for viral vaccine and their current limitations that should be solved to meet the goal.

Quantifying rotavirus kinetics in the REH tumor cell line using in vitro data

Globally, rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhea in children younger than 5 years of age, however, a quantitative understanding of the infection dynamics is still lacking. In this paper, we present the first study to extract viral kinetic parameters for in vitro rotavirus infections in the REH cell tumor line. We use a mathematical model of viral kinetics to extract parameter values by fitting the model to data from rotavirus infection of REH cells. While accurate results for some of the parameters of the mathematical model were not achievable due to its global non-identifiability, we are able to quantify approximately the time course of the infection for the first time. We also find that the basic reproductive number of rotavirus, which gives the number of secondary infections from a single infected cell, is much greater than one. Quantifying the kinetics of rotavirus leads not only to a better understanding of the infection process, but also provides a method for quantitative comparison of kinetics of different strains or for quantifying the effectiveness of antiviral treatment.

A paradox of transcriptional and functional innate interferon responses of human intestinal enteroids to enteric virus infection

The intestinal epithelium can limit enteric pathogens by producing antiviral cytokines, such as IFNs. Type I IFN (IFN-α/β) and type III IFN (IFN-λ) function at the epithelial level, and their respective efficacies depend on the specific pathogen and site of infection. However, the roles of type I and type III IFN in restricting human enteric viruses are poorly characterized as a result of the difficulties in cultivating these viruses in vitro and directly obtaining control and infected small intestinal human tissue. We infected nontransformed human intestinal enteroid cultures from multiple individuals with human rotavirus (HRV) and assessed the host epithelial response by using RNA-sequencing and functional assays. The dominant transcriptional pathway induced by HRV infection is a type III IFN-regulated response. Early after HRV infection, low levels of type III IFN protein activate IFN-stimulated genes. However, this endogenous response does not restrict HRV replication because replication-competent HRV antagonizes the type III IFN response at pre- and posttranscriptional levels. In contrast, exogenous IFN treatment restricts HRV replication, with type I IFN being more potent than type III IFN, suggesting that extraepithelial sources of type I IFN may be the critical IFN for limiting enteric virus replication in the human intestine.

Human Intestinal Enteroids: a New Model To Study Human Rotavirus Infection, Host Restriction, and Pathophysiology

Human gastrointestinal tract research is limited by the paucity of in vitro intestinal cell models that recapitulate the cellular diversity and complex functions of human physiology and disease pathology. Human intestinal enteroid (HIE) cultures contain multiple intestinal epithelial cell types that comprise the intestinal epithelium (enterocytes and goblet, enteroendocrine, and Paneth cells) and are physiologically active based on responses to agonists. We evaluated these nontransformed, three-dimensional HIE cultures as models for pathogenic infections in the small intestine by examining whether HIEs from different regions of the small intestine from different patients are susceptible to human rotavirus (HRV) infection. Little is known about HRVs, as they generally replicate poorly in transformed cell lines, and host range restriction prevents their replication in many animal models, whereas many animal rotaviruses (ARVs) exhibit a broader host range and replicate in mice. Using HRVs, including the Rotarix RV1 vaccine strain, and ARVs, we evaluated host susceptibility, virus production, and cellular responses of HIEs. HRVs infect at higher rates and grow to higher titers than do ARVs. HRVs infect differentiated enterocytes and enteroendocrine cells, and viroplasms and lipid droplets are induced. Heterogeneity in replication was seen in HIEs from different patients. HRV infection and RV enterotoxin treatment of HIEs caused physiological lumenal expansion detected by time-lapse microscopy, recapitulating one of the hallmarks of rotavirus-induced diarrhea. These results demonstrate that HIEs are a novel pathophysiological model that will allow the study of HRV biology, including host restriction, cell type restriction, and virus-induced fluid secretion.

IMPORTANCE

Our research establishes HIEs as nontransformed cell culture models to understand human intestinal physiology and pathophysiology and the epithelial response, including host restriction of gastrointestinal infections such as HRV infection. HRVs remain a major worldwide cause of diarrhea-associated morbidity and mortality in children ≤5 years of age. Current in vitro models of rotavirus infection rely primarily on the use of animal rotaviruses because HRV growth is limited in most transformed cell lines and animal models. We demonstrate that HIEs are novel, cellularly diverse, and physiologically relevant epithelial cell cultures that recapitulate in vivo properties of HRV infection. HIEs will allow the study of HRV biology, including human host-pathogen and live, attenuated vaccine interactions; host and cell type restriction; virus-induced fluid secretion; cell-cell communication within the epithelium; and the epithelial response to infection in cultures from genetically diverse individuals. Finally, drug therapies to prevent/treat diarrheal disease can be tested in these physiologically active cultures.

Investigation of Stilbenoids as Potential Therapeutic Agents for Rotavirus Gastroenteritis

Rotavirus (RV) infections cause severe diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Vaccines are available but cost prohibitive for many countries and only reduce severe symptoms. Vaccinated infants continue to shed infectious particles, and studies show decreased efficacy of the RV vaccines in tropical and subtropical countries where they are needed most. Continuing surveillance for new RV strains, assessment of vaccine efficacy, and development of cost effective antiviral drugs remain an important aspect of RV studies. This study was to determine the efficacy of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory stilbenoids to inhibit RV replication. Peanut (A. hypogaea) hairy root cultures were induced to produce stilbenoids, which were purified by high performance countercurrent chromatography (HPCCC) and analyzed by HPLC. HT29.f8 cells were infected with RV in the presence stilbenoids. Cell viability counts showed no cytotoxic effects on HT29.f8 cells. Viral infectivity titers were calculated and comparatively assessed to determine the effects of stilbenoid treatments. Two stilbenoids, trans-arachidin-1 and trans-arachidin-3, show a significant decrease in RV infectivity titers. Western blot analyses performed on the infected cell lysates complemented the infectivity titrations and indicated a significant decrease in viral replication. These studies show the therapeutic potential of the stilbenoids against RV replication.

Prevalence of groups A and C rotavirus antibodies in infants with biliary atresia and cholestatic controls

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the prevalence of acute asymptomatic group A and C rotavirus (RV-A and RV-C) infection in neonates with cholestasis.

STUDY DESIGN

Participants were infants <180 days of age with cholestasis (serum direct or conjugated bilirubin >20% of total and ≥2 mg/dL) enrolled in the Childhood Liver Disease Research and Education Network during RV season (December-May). Forty infants with biliary atresia (BA), age 62 ± 29 days (range, 4.7-13 weeks) and 38 infants with cholestasis, age 67 ± 44 days (range, 3-15.8 weeks) were enrolled.

RESULTS

At enrollment, RV-A IgM positivity rates did not differ between infants with BA (10%) vs those without (18%) (P = .349). RV-C IgM was positive in 0% of infants with BA vs 3% in those without BA (P = .49). RV-A IgG was lower in infants with BA: 51 ± 39 vs 56 ± 44 enzyme-linked immunoassay unit, P = .045 but this difference may lack biological relevance as maternal RV-A IgG titers were similar between groups. Infant RV-A IgM titers at 2-6 months follow-up increased markedly vs at presentation in both infants with BA (50 ± 30 vs 9 ± 9) and those without (43 ± 18 vs 16 ± 20 enzyme-linked immunoassay unit) (P < .0001), without differences between groups.

CONCLUSIONS

RV-A infection in the first 6 months of life is common in infants with cholestasis of any cause. RV-A could have different pathogenetic effects by initiating different hepatic immune responses in infants with vs without BA or could lack pathogenetic significance.

Rotavirus NSP4: Cell type-dependent transport kinetics to the exofacial plasma membrane and release from intact infected cells

Background

Rotavirus NSP4 localizes to multiple intracellular sites and is multifunctional, contributing to RV morphogenesis, replication and pathogenesis. One function of NSP4 is the induction of early secretory diarrhea by binding surface receptors to initiate signaling events. The aims of this study were to determine the transport kinetics of NSP4 to the exofacial plasma membrane (PM), the subsequent release from intact infected cells, and rebinding to naïve and/or neighboring cells in two cell types.

Methods

Transport kinetics was evaluated using surface-specific biotinylation/streptavidin pull-downs and exofacial exposure of NSP4 was confirmed by antibody binding to intact cells, and fluorescent resonant energy transfer. Transfected cells similarly were monitored to discern NSP4 movement in the absence of infection or other viral proteins. Endoglycosidase H digestions, preparation of CY3- or CY5- labeled F(ab)₂ fragments, confocal imaging, and determination of preferential polarized transport employed standard laboratory techniques. Mock-infected, mock-biotinylated and non-specific antibodies served as controls.

Results

Only full-length (FL), endoglycosidase-sensitive NSP4 was detected on the exofacial surface of two cell types, whereas the corresponding cell lysates showed multiple glycosylated forms. The C-terminus of FL NSP4 was detected on exofacial-membrane surfaces at different times in different cell types prior to its release into culture media. Transport to the PM was rapid and distinct yet FL NSP4 was secreted from both cell types at a time similar to the release of virus. NSP4-containing, clarified media from both cells bound surface molecules of naïve cells, and imaging showed secreted NSP4 from one or more infected cells bound neighboring cell membranes in culture. Preferential sorting to apical or basolateral membranes also was distinct in different polarized cells.

Conclusions

The intracellular transport of NSP4 to the PM, translocation across the PM, exposure of the C-terminus on the cell surface and subsequent secretion occurs via an unusual, complex and likely cell-dependent process. The exofacial exposure of the C-terminus poses several questions and suggests an atypical mechanism by which NSP4 traverses the PM and interacts with membrane lipids. Mechanistic details of the unconventional trafficking of NSP4, interactions with host-cell specific molecules and subsequent release require additional study.

Viral contaminants of molluscan shellfish: detection and characterisation

Environmental virology started with the detection of poliovirus in water. Since then other enteric viruses responsible for gastroenteritis and hepatitis have replaced enteroviruses as the main target for detection. Most shellfish-borne viral outbreaks are restricted to norovirus and hepatitis A virus, making them the main targets for bivalve virological analysis. The inclusion of virus analysis in regulatory standards for viruses in molluscan bivalve samples must overcome several shortcomings such as the technical difficulties and high costs of virus monitoring, the lack of harmonised and standardised assays and the challenge posed by the ever-changing nature of viruses. Nowadays methods are available to detect, quantify and characterise viral pathogens in molluscan shellfish to reduce the risks of shellfish-borne virus diseases.

Rotavirus replication in intestinal cells differentially regulates integrin expression by a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-dependent pathway, resulting in increased cell adhesion and virus yield

Changes in the interactions between intestinal cells and their surrounding environment during virus infection have not been well documented. The growth and survival of intestinal epithelial cells, the main targets of rotavirus infection, are largely dependent on the interaction of cell surface integrins with the extracellular matrix. In this study, we detected alterations in cellular integrin expression following rotavirus infection, identified the signaling components required, and analyzed the subsequent effects on cell binding to the matrix component collagen. After rotavirus infection of intestinal cells, expression of alpha2beta1 and beta2 integrins was up-regulated, whereas that of alphaVbeta3, alphaVbeta5, and alpha5beta1 integrins, if present, was down-regulated. This differential regulation of integrins was reflected at the transcriptional level. It was unrelated to the use of integrins as rotavirus receptors, as both integrin-using and integrin-independent viruses induced integrin regulation. Using pharmacological agents that inhibit kinase activity, integrin regulation was shown to be dependent on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) but independent of the activities of the mitogen-activated protein kinases p38 and ERK1/2, and cyclooxygenase-2. Replication-dependent activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway was observed following infection of intestinal and nonintestinal cell lines. Rotavirus activation of PI3K was important for regulation of alpha2beta1 expression. Blockade of integrin regulation by PI3K inhibition led to decreased adherence of infected intestinal cells to collagen and a concomitant decrease in virus titer. These findings indicate that rotavirus-induced PI3K activation causes regulation of integrin expression in intestinal cells, leading to prolonged adherence of infected cells to collagen and increased virus production.

Amino acid domains 280–297 of VP6 and 531–554 of VP4 are implicated in heat shock cognate protein hsc70-mediated rotavirus infection

The rotavirus infection mechanism seems to be a multi-step process which is still not fully understood. The heat shock cognate protein hsc70 has been proposed as being a co-receptor molecule for rotavirus entry into susceptible cells. In this work, an attempt was made to determine the existence of possible domains for VP4 and VP6 binding to hsc70. We selected amino acid sequences 531-554 from VP4 and 280-297 from VP6 on the basis of already recognized sequences for binding to hsc70. This study determined that DLPs and synthetic peptides from VP6 (aa 280-297) and VP4 (aa 531-554), individually or in combination, inhibited rotavirus RRV, YM and WA entry into MA104 and Caco-2 cells in an additive and dose-dependent manner. Hyperimmune sera against these synthetic peptides blocked infection by infectious TLPs. Capture ELISA results showed that DLPs interact with hsc70, probably through VP6 as the specific interaction between hcs70 and DLPs was disrupted by a VP6 peptide. These results suggest that VP6 takes part during rotavirus cell entry by binding to hsc70. This, as well as previous work, provides insight concerning the function of hsc70 within a multi-step model of rotavirus entry.

Systemic immune response after rotavirus inoculation of neonatal mice depends on source and level of purification of the virus: implications for the use of heterologous vaccine candidates

Rotavirus is an important cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and vaccines are currently under development, with clinical trails conducted in humans worldwide. The immune responses in infant BALB/c mice were examined following oral inoculation with murine rotavirus EDIM (2 x 10(4) focus-forming units) and with three CsCl gradient-purified fractions of heterologous simian rotavirus SA11 (standardized at 2 x 10(6) CCID(50)) that differed in antigen composition: fraction 1 was enriched for double-layered rotavirus particles, fraction 2 for triple-layered particles and fraction 3 consisted mainly of cell components. Diarrhoea and high IgG responses, but marginal IgA responses, were observed after inoculation with all three SA11 fractions. Virus shedding was observed in all EDIM-inoculated mice, but in none of the SA11-inoculated mice. Rotavirus-specific IgG1 : 2a ratios were similar in mice inoculated with EDIM and SA11 fraction 1, but higher for SA11 fraction 3- and lower for SA11 fraction 2-inoculated mice. A higher IgG1 : 2a ratio indicates a more Th2-like immune response. This undesirable response is apparently mostly induced by inoculation with heterologous rotavirus in the presence of abundant cell-associated and soluble rotavirus proteins, compared with infection with a more purified preparation or with homologous virus. These data show that, following inoculation with a standardized amount of infectious virus, the composition of the fraction influences the outcome of the immune responses significantly.

Dissecting rotavirus particle-raft interaction with small interfering RNAs: insights into rotavirus transit through the secretory pathway

Studies of rotavirus morphogenesis, transport, and release have shown that although these viruses are released from the apical surface of polarized intestinal cells before cellular lysis, they do not follow the classic exocytic pathway. Furthermore, increasing evidence suggests that lipid rafts actively participate in the exit of rotavirus from the infected cell. In this study, we silenced the expression of VP4, VP7, and NSP4 by using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and evaluated the effect of shutting down the expression of these proteins on rotavirus-raft interactions. Silencing of VP4 and NSP4 reduced the association of rotavirus particles with rafts; in contrast, inhibition of VP7 synthesis slightly affected the migration of virions into rafts. We found that inhibition of rotavirus migration into lipid rafts, by either siRNAs or tunicamycin, also specifically blocked the targeting of VP4 to rafts, suggesting that the association of VP4 with rafts is mostly mediated by the formation of viral particles in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). We showed that two populations of VP4 exist, one small population that is independently targeted to rafts and a second large pool of VP4 whose association with rafts is mediated by particle formation in the ER. We also present evidence to support the hypothesis that assembly of VP4 into mature virions takes place in the late stages of transit through the ER. Finally, we analyzed the progression of rotavirus proteins in the exocytic pathway and found that VP4 and virion-assembled VP7 colocalized with ERGIC-53, suggesting that rotavirus particles transit through the intermediate compartment between the ER and the Golgi complex.

Evaluation of specificity and effects of monoclonal antibodies submitted to the Eighth Human Leucocyte Differentiation Antigen Workshop on rotavirus-cell attachment and entry

Rotavirus infection of permissive cells is a multi-step process that requires interaction with several cell surface receptors. Integrins alpha2beta1, alpha4beta1, alphaXbeta2, and alphavbeta3 are involved in the attachment and entry into permissive cells for many rotavirus strains. However, possible roles of known partners of these integrins in this process have not been studied. Here, the specificities of new monoclonal antibodies directed to beta1 and beta2 integrins were determined using integrin-transfected cells. The ability of monoclonal antibodies to integrin partners CD82, CD151, CD321, and CD322 to bind rotavirus-permissive cell lines (MA104, Caco-2, and RD) and K562 cells expressing or lacking alpha4beta1 also was investigated. CD82 and CD151 were expressed on K562, alpha4-K562, and RD cells. CD321-specific antibodies bound K562, alpha4-K562, MA104, and Caco-2 cells. CD322 expression was detected on MA104 but not Caco-2 cells. Antibodies to CD82, CD151, CD321, and CD322 that bound these cells were investigated for their ability to inhibit cellular attachment and entry by rotaviruses. Antibody blockade of these integrin-associated proteins did not affect cell attachment or entry of the integrin-using rhesus rotavirus RRV or porcine rotavirus CRW-8, which uses alpha4beta1 integrin for infection. Antibody blockade of CD322 did not alter cell attachment or infectivity by human rotavirus strain RV-3, so RV-3 infection was independent of CD322. Overall, these studies indicate that CD82, CD151, CD321, and CD322 are unlikely to play a role in rotavirus-cell binding or entry.

A human vaccine strain of lamb rotavirus (Chinese) NSP4 gene: complete nucleotide sequence and phylogenetic analyses

A lamb strain of rotavirus has recently been licensed for use in China as a live vaccine to prevent rotavirus diarrhea in children. As rotavirus NSP4, especially the cytotoxic domain alone is considered to be associated with diarrhea, we sequenced gene segment 10, which encodes NSP4, of lamb rotavirus. Comparative analyses was performed to identify differences from human rotavirus strains, that might be associated with attenuation, and to ascertain whether the lamb rotavirus gene fits among the NSP4 of other sequenced rotavirus strains. Our comparative nucleotide sequence analysis suggests its close identity (91.17% homology) with that of group-A equine rotavirus (strain HI23). Multiple alignment of the deduced amino acid sequence of lamb NSP4 with that of other group A rotaviruses demonstrated homology ranging from 63.42% with that of porcine YM strain to 93.71% with equine HI23 strain of rotavirus. A group A-specific NSP4 monoclonal antibody recognized the glycosylated and unglycosylated forms of the protein from virus-infected lysates, suggesting a well-conserved group-specificity of the lamb NSP4. Phylogenetic analysis of the lamb rotavirus gene, with 60 other NSP4 gene sequences of human and animal rotavirus strains, demonstrated that the lamb rotavirus strain belongs to genotype A. Comparative analysis also revealed that although it is a vaccine strain, the NSP4 cytotoxic domain of lamb strain demonstrated an overall amino acid conservation similar to that of other strains, whose NSP4 alone causes diarrhea in animal models. These results taken together with our previous observations clearly reaffirm the idea that the attenuation phenotype of rotaviruses does not involve NSP4 cytotoxic domain, perhaps due to the suppression of NSP4 cytotoxic activity by other rotaviral proteins.

Growth of rotaviruses in primary pancreatic cells

Rotavirus infection in children at risk of developing type 1 diabetes has been temporally associated with development of pancreatic islet autoantibodies. In this study, nonobese diabetic mice were shown to be susceptible to rhesus rotavirus infection and pancreatic islets from nonobese diabetic mice, nonobese diabetes-resistant mice, fetal pigs, and macaque monkeys supported various degrees of rotavirus growth. Human rotaviruses replicated in monkey islets only. This islet susceptibility shows that rotavirus infection of the pancreas in vivo might be possible.

Gene expression pattern in Caco-2 cells following rotavirus infection

Rotaviruses are recognized as the leading cause of severe dehydrating diarrhea in infants and young children worldwide. Preventive and therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to fight this pathogen. In tissue culture and in vivo, rotavirus induces structural and functional alterations in the host cell. In order to better understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the events after rotavirus infection, we identified host cellular genes whose mRNA levels changed after infection. For this analysis, we used microarrays containing more than 38,000 human cDNAs to study the transcriptional response of the human intestinal cell line Caco-2 to rotavirus infection. We found that 508 genes were differentially regulated >2-fold at 16 h after rotavirus infection, and only one gene was similarly regulated at 1 h postinfection. Of these transcriptional changes, 73% corresponded to the upregulation of genes, with the majority of them occurring late, at 12 or more hours postinfection. Some of the regulated genes were classified according to known biological function and included genes encoding integral membrane proteins, interferon-regulated genes, transcriptional and translational regulators, and calcium metabolism-related genes. A new picture of global transcriptional regulation in the infected cell is presented and families of genes which may be involved in viral pathogenesis are discussed.

VLA-2 (alpha2beta1) integrin promotes rotavirus entry into cells but is not necessary for rotavirus attachment

In an attempt to identify the rotavirus receptor, we tested 46 cell lines of different species and tissue origins for susceptibility to infection by three N-acetyl-neuraminic (sialic) acid (SA)-dependent and five SA-independent rotavirus strains. Susceptibility to SA-dependent or SA-independent rotavirus infection varied depending on the cell line tested and the multiplicity of infection (MOI) used. Cells of renal or intestinal origin and transformed cell lines derived from breast, stomach, bone, or lung were all susceptible to rotavirus infection, indicating a wider host tissue range than previously appreciated. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO), baby hamster kidney (BHK-21), guinea pig colon (GPC-16), rat small intestine (Rie1), and mouse duodenum (MODE-K) cells were found to support only limited rotavirus replication even at MOIs of 100 or 500, but delivery of rotavirus particles into the cytoplasm by lipofection resulted in efficient rotavirus replication. The rotavirus cell attachment protein, the outer capsid spike protein VP4, contains the sequence GDE(A) recognized by the VLA-2 (alpha2beta1) integrin, and to test if VLA-2 is involved in rotavirus attachment and entry, we measured infection in CHO cells that lack VLA-2 and CHO cells transfected with the human alpha2 subunit (CHOalpha2) or with both the human alpha2 and beta1 subunits (CHOalpha2beta1) of VLA-2. Infection by SA-dependent or SA-independent rotavirus strains was 2- to 10-fold more productive in VLA-2-expressing CHO cells than in parental CHO cells, and the increased susceptibility to infection was blocked with anti-VLA-2 antibody. However, the levels of binding of rotavirus to CHO, CHOalpha2, and CHOalpha2beta1 cells were equivalent and were not increased over binding to susceptible monkey kidney (MA104) cells or human colonic adenocarcinoma (Caco-2, HT-29, and T-84) cells, and binding was not blocked by antibody to the human alpha2 subunit. Although the VLA-2 integrin promotes rotavirus infection in CHO cells, it is clear that the VLA-2 integrin alone is not responsible for rotavirus cell attachment and entry. Therefore, VLA-2 is not involved in the initial attachment of rotavirus to cells but may play a role at a postattachment level.

Differential infection of polarized epithelial cell lines by sialic acid-dependent and sialic acid-independent rotavirus strains

Infection of epithelial cells by some animal rotaviruses, but not human or most animal rotaviruses, requires the presence of N-acetylneuraminic (sialic) acid (SA) on the cell surface for efficient infectivity. To further understand how rotaviruses enter susceptible cells, six different polarized epithelial cell lines, grown on permeable filter membrane supports containing 0.4-microm pores, were infected apically or basolaterally with SA-independent or SA-dependent rotaviruses. SA-independent rotaviruses applied apically or basolaterally were capable of efficiently infecting both sides of the epithelium of all six polarized cell lines tested, while SA-dependent rotaviruses only infected efficiently through the apical surface of five of the polarized cell lines tested. Regardless of the route of virus entry, SA-dependent and SA-independent rotaviruses were released almost exclusively from the apical domain of the plasma membrane of polarized cells before monolayer disruption or cell lysis. The transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) of cells decreased at the same time, irrespective of whether infection with SA-independent rotaviruses occurred apically or basolaterally. The TER of cells infected apically with SA-dependent rotaviruses decreased earlier than that of cells infected basolaterally. Rotavirus infection decreased TER before the appearance of cytopathic effect and cell death and resulted in an increase in the paracellular permeability to [(3)H]inulin as a function of loss of TER. The presence of SA residues on either the apical or basolateral side was determined using a Texas Red-conjugated lectin, wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), which binds SA residues. WGA bound exclusively to SA residues on the apical surface of the cells, confirming the requirement for SA residues on the apical cell membrane for efficient infectivity of SA-dependent rotaviruses. These results indicate that the rotavirus SA-independent cellular receptor is present on both sides of the epithelium, but SA-dependent and SA-independent rotavirus strains infect polarized epithelial cells by different mechanisms, which may be relevant for pathogenesis and selection of vaccine strains. Finally, rotavirus-induced alterations of the epithelial barrier and paracellular permeability suggest that common mechanisms of pathogenesis may exist between viral and bacterial pathogens of the intestinal tract.

Rotavirus infection induces cytoskeleton disorganization in human intestinal epithelial cells: implication of an increase in intracellular calcium concentration

Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe infantile gastroenteritis worldwide. In vivo, rotavirus exhibits a marked tropism for the differentiated enterocytes of the intestinal epithelium. In vitro, differentiated and undifferentiated intestinal cells can be infected. We observed that rotavirus infection of the human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells induces cytoskeleton alterations as a function of cell differentiation. The vimentin network disorganization detected in undifferentiated Caco-2 cells was not found in fully differentiated cells. In contrast, differentiated Caco-2 cells presented Ca(2+)-dependent microtubule disassembly and Ca(2+)-independent cytokeratin 18 rearrangement, which both require viral replication. We propose that these structural alterations could represent the first manifestations of rotavirus-infected enterocyte injury leading to functional perturbations and then to diarrhea.

Growth of rotaviruses in continuous human and monkey cell lines that vary in their expression of integrins

Rotavirus replication occurs in vivo in intestinal epithelial cells. Cell lines fully permissive to rotavirus include kidney epithelial (MA104), colonic (Caco-2) and hepatic (HepG2) types. Previously, it has been shown that cellular integrins alpha 2 beta 1, alpha 4 beta 1 and alpha X beta 2 are involved in rotavirus cell entry. As receptor usage is a major determinant of virus tropism, the levels of cell surface expression of these integrins have now been investigated by flow cytometry on cell lines of human (Caco-2, HepG2, RD, K562) and monkey (MA104, COS-7) origin in relation to cellular susceptibility to infection with monkey and human rotaviruses. Cells supporting any replication of human rotaviruses (RD, HepG2, Caco-2, COS-7 and MA104) expressed alpha 2 beta 1 and (when tested) alpha X beta 2, whereas the non-permissive K562 cells did not express alpha 2 beta 1, alpha 4 beta 1 or alpha X beta 2. Only RD cells expressed alpha 4 beta 1. Although SA11 grew to higher titres in RD, HepG2, Caco-2, COS-7 and MA104 cells, this virus still replicated at a low level in K562 cells. In all cell lines tested, SA11 replicated to higher titres than did human strains, consistent with the ability of SA11 to use sialic acids as alternative receptors. Levels of cell surface alpha 2 integrin correlated with levels of rotavirus growth. The alpha 2 integrin relative linear median fluorescence intensity on K562, RD, COS-7, MA104 and Caco-2 cells correlated linearly with the titre of SA11 produced in these cells at 20 h after infection at a multiplicity of 0.1, and the data best fitted a sigmoidal dose-response curve (r(2)=1.00, P=0.005). Thus, growth of rotaviruses in these cell lines correlates with their surface expression of alpha 2 beta 1 integrin and is consistent with their expression of alpha X beta 2 and alpha 4 beta 1 integrins.

Primary murine small intestinal epithelial cells, maintained in long-term culture, are susceptible to rotavirus infection

We describe a method for long-term culture of primary small intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) from suckling mice. IEC were digested from intestinal fragments as small intact units of epithelium (organoids) by using collagenase and dispase. IEC proliferated from organoids on a basement-membrane-coated culture surface and remained viable for 3 weeks. Cultured IEC had the morphologic and functional characteristics of immature enterocytes, notably sustained expression of cytokeratin and alkaline phosphatase. Few mesenchymal cells were present in the IEC cultures. IEC were also cultured from adult BALB/c mice and expressed major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II antigens for at least 48 h in vitro. Primary IEC supported the growth of rhesus rotavirus (RRV) to a greater extent than a murine small intestinal cell line, m-IC(cl2). Cell-culture-adapted murine rotavirus strain EDIM infected primary IEC and m-IC(cl2) cells to a lesser extent than RRV. Wild-type EDIM did not infect either cell type. Long-term culture of primary murine small intestinal epithelial cells provides a method to study (i) virus-cell interactions, (ii) the capacity of IEC to act as antigen-presenting cells using a wide variety of MHC haplotypes, and (iii) IEC biology.

Flow cytometry detection of infectious rotaviruses in environmental and clinical samples

A method for the detection of infectious human rotaviruses based on infection of CaCo-2 cells and detection of infected cells by indirect immunofluorescence and flow cytometry (IIF-FC) has been developed. The technique was validated by performing a seminested reverse transcription-PCR assay with sorted cell populations. The efficiency of the procedure has been compared with that of the standard method of infection of MA104 cells and ulterior detection by IIF and optical microscopy (IIF-OM) and with that of infection of MA104 cells and detection by IIF-FC. The limit of sensitivity for the detection of the cell-adapted strain Ito(r) P13, expressed as the most probable number of cytopathogenic units, was established as 200 and 2 for MA104 and CaCo-2 cells, respectively, by the IIF-FC method. The ratio of infectious virus particles to total virus particles for a wild-type rotavirus was determined to be 1/2 x 10(6) and 1/2 x 10(4) for IIF-OM with MA104 cells and IIF-FC with CaCo-2 cells, respectively. The use of IIF-FC with CaCo-2 cells was tested with fecal and water samples and proved to be more effective than the standard procedure for rotavirus detection.

Rotavirus is released from the apical surface of cultured human intestinal cells through nonconventional vesicular transport that bypasses the Golgi apparatus

Rotaviruses are nonenveloped viruses that infect enterocytes of the small intestine and cause severe infantile gastroenteritis. It was previously thought that rotavirus exits cells by lysis, but this behavior does not match the local pathogenesis of the virus. In this study, we have investigated the release of the simian rotavirus strain (RRV) from the polarized intestinal Caco-2 cells. We found that RRV is released almost exclusively from the apical pole of Caco-2 cells before any cells lyse. Using confocal laser scanning microscopy and drugs that inhibit vesicular transport, we studied the RRV transport route from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the apical side of intestinal cells. We demonstrated that RRV exits from the ER through a carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone-sensitive vesicular transport. RRV staining was never found within the Golgi apparatus or lysosomes, suggesting that the RRV intracellular pathway does not involve these organelles. This finding was confirmed by treatment with monensin or NH4Cl, which do not affect release of RRV. Electron microscopic analysis revealed RRV containing small smooth vesicles in the apical area and free virions outside the cell in the brush border, consistent with a vesicular vectorial transport of virus. These results may provide, for the first time, a cellular explanation of the pathogenesis of rotavirus.

Rotavirus contains integrin ligand sequences and a disintegrin-like domain that are implicated in virus entry into cells

Rotavirus contains two outer capsid viral proteins, the spike protein VP4 and major capsid component VP7, both of which are implicated in cell entry. We show that VP4 and VP7 contain tripeptide sequences previously shown to act as recognition sites for integrins in extracellular matrix proteins. VP4 contains the alpha2beta1 integrin ligand site DGE. In VP7, the alphaxbeta2 integrin ligand site GPR and the alpha4beta1 integrin ligand site LDV are embedded in a novel disintegrin-like domain that also shows sequence similarity to fibronectin and the tie receptor tyrosine kinase. Microorganism sequence homology to these ligand motifs and to disintegrins has not been reported previously. In our experiments, peptides including these rotaviral tripeptides and mAbs directed to these integrins specifically blocked rotavirus infection of cells shown to express alpha2beta1 and beta2 integrins. Rotavirus VP4-mediated cell entry may involve the alpha2beta1 integrin, whereas VP7 appears to interact with alphaxbeta2 and alpha4beta1 integrins.

Human serum immunoglobulin counteracts rotaviral infection in Caco-2 cells

Oral administration of human serum immunoglobulin reduces the duration of diarrhea and of rotaviral excretion in children. To investigate the in vitro effects of immunoglobulin on virus-enterocyte interaction, Caco-2 cells were infected with Rotavirus strain SA11. Immunoglobulin was added prior to and at various times postinfection. Indirect immunofluorescence was performed with an antibody against VP-6 rotaviral antigen. Cell viability and monolayer transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) were monitored. Immunofluorescence showed a perinuclear distribution in 90% of cells. Rotavirus infection induced a progressive decrease in TEER and a parallel reduction in cell viability, depending on viral load. Preincubation of the virus with immunoglobulin prevented cell infection as judged by immunofluorescence. Immunoglobulin addition to infected cells partially prevented the decrease in TEER and induced a later shift of TEER toward increasing values, suggesting restoration of monolayer's integrity. The efficacy of immunoglobulin depended on its concentration and on the time of its addition. These results indicate that immunoglobulin is effective in preventing infection and in reducing cell damage, through a direct anti-Rotavirus action and may indicate that immunoglobulin should be administered in the early phase of diarrhea, to reduce the severity of Rotavirus infection.

Infection of cultured human intestinal cells by monkey RRV and human Wa rotavirus as a function of intestinal epithelial cell differentiation

Rotaviruses display in vivo a specific tropism for enterocytes of the small intestine. We examined here the infection of cultured human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells by rhesus monkey rotavirus (RRV) and human Wa rotavirus. The maximal infection of these cells was obtained when trypsin was present both in the viral inoculum before adsorption to the cells and in the culture medium during the course of cell infection. Since the differentiation process of Caco-2 cells in culture closely mimics in vivo differentiation of enterocytes along the crypt-villus axis, cell infection by RRV and Wa rotavirus was examined as a function of cell differentiation. We showed that RRV and Wa rotavirus can infect equally well both undifferentiated and differentiated Caco-2 cells.

Use of the colonic carcinoma cell line CaCo-2 for in vivo amplification and detection of enteric viruses

The use of the continuous cell line CaCo-2 as an in vivo amplification system for the detection of fastidious human enteric viruses is reported. CaCo-2 cells showed an increased sensitivity to laboratory strains of group A rotavirus 3, reovirus 3, astrovirus 1, poliovirus 1, coxsackievirus A 24, enterovirus 70, and adenovirus 5, 40 and 41, when compared to a routine host cell line for each virus. Nucleic acids from wild-type infectious rotavirus, astrovirus, and adenovirus 40 in stool samples of patients with acute gastroenteritis could be amplified after infection of CaCo-2 cells with trypsin-pre-treated virus inocula. Virus diagnosis was carried out subsequently by dot-blot hybridisation with specific cDNA probes. An amplification factor between 10 and 1,000x was obtained by infection of CaCo-2 cells, thus enabling specific detection of low numbers of a wide range of enteric viruses, and the differentiation between infectious and noninfectious particles.

Assessment of epitope-blocking assays for measuring antibody to rotavirus

Criteria for determining the presence of antibody and of a response to infection in the epitope-blocking assay for anti-rotavirus antibody were evaluated using 222 sera from children younger than 30 months of age. The children were monitored for rotavirus diarrhea by means of daily symptom records and weekly stool specimen collection, whether or not symptoms occurred. Sera were collected at 6-month intervals. Forty-three serum pairs were collected before and after documented rotavirus infections. The remaining 136 sera were collected from children with no identified infections in the monitoring interval. Use of a 50% cutoff-point, as in prior reports, was too stringent a criterion for determining the presence of blocking antibody. The absolute percent blocking at the 1:10 serum dilution was a better measure of antibody content than end-point titration using the 50% cutoff-point.

Rotavirus vaccines and vaccination potential

The development of a successful rotavirus vaccine is a complex problem. Our review of rotavirus vaccine development shows that many challenges remain, and priorities for future studies need to be established. For example, the evaluation of administration of a vaccine with OPV or breast milk might receive less emphasis until a vaccine is made that shows clear efficacy against all virus serotypes. Samples remaining from previous trials should be analyzed to determine epitope-specific serum and coproantibody responses to clarify why only some trials were successful. Detailed evaluation of the antigenic properties of the viruses circulating and causing illness in vaccinated children also should be performed for comparisons with the vaccine strains. In future trials, sample collection should include monitoring for asymptomatic infections and cellular immune responses should be analyzed. The diversity of rotavirus serotype distribution must be monitored before, during, and after a trial in the study population and placebo recipients must be matched carefully to vaccine recipients. Epidemiologic and molecular studies should be expanded to document, or disprove, the possibility of animal to human rotavirus transmission, because, if this occurs, vaccine protection may be more difficult in those areas of the world where cohabitation with animals occurs. We also need to have an accurate assessment of the rate of protection that follows natural infections. Is it realistic to try to achieve 90% protective efficacy with a vaccine if natural infections with these enteric pathogens only provide 60% or 70% protection? Subunit vaccines should be considered to be part of vaccine strategies, especially if maternal antibody interferes with the take of live vaccines. The constraints on development of new vaccines are not likely to come from molecular biology. The challenge remains whether the biology and immunology of rotavirus infections can be understood and exploited to permit effective vaccination. Recent advances in developing small animal models for evaluation of vaccine efficacy should facilitate future vaccine development and understanding of the protective immune response(s) (Ward et al. 1990b; Conner et al. 1993).

Immunogens of rotaviruses

Rotaviruses cause gastroenteritis in neonates of many animal species including cattle, swine, horses, dogs, cats, chickens and turkeys. Rotavirions are nonenveloped, are about 75 nm in diameter, have a double capsid, and contain 11 double-stranded RNA segments as their genome. Several antigenically distinct groups of rotaviruses have been identified and have been alphabetically designated as A through G. Group A rotaviruses were the first group of rotaviruses isolated and are the most commonly detected rotaviruses in diarrheic animals. Group A rotaviruses have two surface proteins, VP4 and VP7, both of which are important in serotype determination and in inducing neutralizing antibodies and protective immunity. Multiple serotypes of group A rotavirus based on glycoprotein VP7 (designated as G types) and based on VP4 (P types) have been identified. The immune response to rotaviruses is essentially serotype specific, however, cross-reactive or heterotypic epitopes have also been identified. Currently acceptable methods for immunogen quantitation include the induction of neutralizing antibody in host or laboratory animals. The in vivo efficacy of vaccines against rotavirus-associated gastroenteritis remains the standard method against which in vitro methods must be compared. Several animal models have been developed which could potentially be used in evaluating the efficacy of candidate vaccines. Monoclonal antibodies to rotavirus immunogens are also currently available and serve as valuable reagents for in vitro quantitation of rotaviral immunogens.

Alterations in the sequence of the gene 4 from a human rotavirus after multiple passages in HepG2 liver cells

The human Wa strain of rotaviruses, initially unable to grow in liver cells, was adapted by multiple passages to grow in HepG2 cells. The genome segment 4 of both the parental and passaged strains was cloned and sequenced. Five amino acid differences (residues 38, 120, 421, 525, and 618) were found in the HepG2-passaged variant compared to the parental Wa strain. Our results support the hypothesis that viral variants that have improved capabilities for infecting liver cells can be generated during infection.

Extraintestinal rotavirus infections in children with immunodeficiency

Some rotavirus strains, including vaccine candidates, have been demonstrated to cause hepatitis in immunodeficient and malnourished mice and to grow in human liver cells. To determine whether rotavirus spreads outside the intestine in naturally infected children, we examined tissues from four immunodeficient children affected with severe combined immunodeficiency disease, acquired immunodeficiency disease syndrome, or DiGeorge syndrome. Chronic rotavirus-related diarrhea, which persisted until death, had also developed in each child. Using indirect immunoperoxidase techniques, we identified rotavirus antigen in the liver and kidney with a hyperimmune guinea pig antiserum prepared to double-shelled rotavirus particles. Similar immunostaining with an antiserum to a rotavirus nonstructural protein (NS26) provided evidence of active virus replication. The observed reactivity was eliminated specifically when serial sections were immunostained with the same antiserum that had been absorbed with either double-shelled rotavirus particles or NS26. Immunostaining was not observed in the liver of children with other diseases (alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency, inspissated bile syndrome, and acute rejection of a transplanted liver). These findings demonstrate that rotavirus infections in children can extend beyond the intestinal tract. Further studies are warranted to determine whether extraintestinal rotavirus replication occurs in children without severe immunodeficiency, such as malnourished children.

Comparisons of rotavirus VP7-typing monoclonal antibodies by competition binding assay

Three sets of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) used to type the outer capsid protein VP7 of four group A rotavirus serotypes (1 through 4) were compared in competition immunoassays. Reciprocal competition was observed for each of the VP7 type 2-, 3-, and 4-specific MAbs. The VP7 type 1 MAbs exhibited variable competition patterns with other VP7 type 1 MAbs. MAb RV4:3, which has been used to recognize antigenic variants within VP7 type 1 strains, showed reciprocal competition with the four VP7 type 3 MAbs (RV3:1, YO-1E2, 4F8, and 159) using a VP7 type 3 virus (SA11) as antigen. MAb 2C9, also prepared against VP7 type 1, reacted with VP7 type 3 strains and competed with a VP7 type 3 MAb, 159, using RRV as antigen. Use of the different sets of VP7 type-specific MAbs in the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay permitted the recognition of six antigenic variants within VP7 types 1, 2, and 3 among specimens whose VP7 type could not be determined previously with only one set of typing MAbs. These results demonstrate differences of typing ability among these VP7-specific MAbs and emphasize the need to improve the sensitivity of typing systems by incorporating panels of MAbs reacting with several neutralizing epitopes.