Antibodies may act synergistically or additively with interferon to inhibit poliovirus

Caspase-3 and -7 mediate apoptosis of human Chang's conjunctival cells induced by enterovirus 70

Enterovirus 70 (EV70) is the major etiological agent of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC). EV70 m.o.i.- (multiplicity of infection) and time-dependently induced apoptosis in human Chang's conjunctival (HCC) cells. UV- or heat-inactivated EV70 did not induce apoptosis. EV70-induced apoptosis was inhibited by cycloheximide and methoxysuccinyl-Ala-Ala-Pro-Val-chloromethylketone (MPCMK), but not actinomycin D and guanidine.HCl (although guanidine.HCl inhibited the apoptosis induced by EV70 infection at 0.5 PFU/cell for 18 h). EV70 infection induced activation of caspase-3 and -7 and degradation of the constitutively activated caspase-6. EV70-induced apoptotic DNA ladders and activated caspase-3 and -7, correlated with virus release. Caspase inhibitor IX (Z-VD-FMK) inhibited EV70-induced apoptosis and virus release, but not intracellular viral production. The results suggest that infectious virus and the syntheses of viral proteins especially EV70 proteases, but not viral genome RNA, are required for caspase-3 and -7-mediated EV70-induced apoptosis, and that apoptosis through cell lysis promotes EV70 release from HCC cells.

Picornavirus receptor down-regulation by plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2

Therapeutic interference with virus-cell surface receptor interactions represents a viable antiviral strategy. Here we demonstrate that cytoplasmic expression of the serine protease inhibitor (serpin), plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2), affords a high level of protection from lytic infection by multiple human picornaviruses. The antiviral action of PAI-2 was mediated primarily through transcriptional down-regulation of the following virus receptors: intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1, a cellular receptor for the major group of rhinoviruses), decay-accelerating factor (a cellular receptor for echoviruses and coxsackieviruses), and to a lesser extent the coxsackie-adenovirus receptor protein (a cellular receptor for group B coxsackieviruses and group C adenoviruses). Expression of related cell surface receptors, including membrane cofactor protein and the poliovirus receptor, remained unaffected. These findings suggest that PAI-2 and/or related serpins may form the basis of novel antiviral strategies against picornavirus infections and also therapeutic interventions against ICAM-1-mediated respiratory inflammation.