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Cox RM, Wolf JD, Lieberman NA, Lieber CM, Kang HJ, Sticher ZM, Yoon JJ, Andrews MK, Govindarajan M, Krueger RE, Sobolik EB, Natchus MG, Gewirtz AT, deSwart RL, Kolykhalov AA, Hekmatyar K, Sakamoto K, Greninger AL, Plemper RK. Therapeutic mitigation of measles-like immune amnesia and exacerbated disease after prior respiratory virus infections in ferrets. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1189. [PMID: 38331906 PMCID: PMC10853234 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45418-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Measles cases have surged pre-COVID-19 and the pandemic has aggravated the problem. Most measles-associated morbidity and mortality arises from destruction of pre-existing immune memory by measles virus (MeV), a paramyxovirus of the morbillivirus genus. Therapeutic measles vaccination lacks efficacy, but little is known about preserving immune memory through antivirals and the effect of respiratory disease history on measles severity. We use a canine distemper virus (CDV)-ferret model as surrogate for measles and employ an orally efficacious paramyxovirus polymerase inhibitor to address these questions. A receptor tropism-intact recombinant CDV with low lethality reveals an 8-day advantage of antiviral treatment versus therapeutic vaccination in maintaining immune memory. Infection of female ferrets with influenza A virus (IAV) A/CA/07/2009 (H1N1) or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) four weeks pre-CDV causes fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia with lung onslaught by commensal bacteria. RNAseq identifies CDV-induced overexpression of trefoil factor (TFF) peptides in the respiratory tract, which is absent in animals pre-infected with IAV. Severe outcomes of consecutive IAV/CDV infections are mitigated by oral antivirals even when initiated late. These findings validate the morbillivirus immune amnesia hypothesis, define measles treatment paradigms, and identify priming of the TFF axis through prior respiratory infections as risk factor for exacerbated morbillivirus disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Cox
- Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Georgia State University Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Josef D Wolf
- Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Georgia State University Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Nicole A Lieberman
- Virology Division, Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Carolin M Lieber
- Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Georgia State University Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Hae-Ji Kang
- Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Georgia State University Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Zachary M Sticher
- Emory Institute for Drug Development, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Jeong-Joong Yoon
- Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Georgia State University Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Meghan K Andrews
- Emory Institute for Drug Development, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | | | - Rebecca E Krueger
- Emory Institute for Drug Development, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Elizabeth B Sobolik
- Virology Division, Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Michael G Natchus
- Emory Institute for Drug Development, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Andrew T Gewirtz
- Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Georgia State University Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Rik L deSwart
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Khan Hekmatyar
- Advanced Translational Imaging Facility, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA
| | - Kaori Sakamoto
- Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Alexander L Greninger
- Virology Division, Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Richard K Plemper
- Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Georgia State University Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA.
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Cox RM, Plemper RK. Design and Execution of In Vitro Polymerase Assays for Measles Virus and Related Mononegaviruses. Methods Mol Biol 2024; 2808:19-33. [PMID: 38743360 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-3870-5_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2024]
Abstract
Morbilliviruses such as measles virus (MeV) are responsible for major morbidity and mortality worldwide, despite the availability of an effective vaccine and global vaccination campaigns. MeV belongs to the mononegavirus order of viral pathogens that store their genetic information in non-segmented negative polarity RNA genomes. Genome replication and viral gene expression are carried out by a virus-encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) complex that has no immediate host cell analog. To better understand the organization and regulation of the viral RdRP and mechanistically characterize antiviral candidates, biochemical RdRP assays have been developed that employ purified recombinant polymerase complexes and synthetic RNA templates to monitor the initiation of RNA synthesis and RNA elongation in vitro. In this article, we will discuss strategies for the efficient expression and preparation of mononegavirus polymerase complexes, provide detailed protocols for the execution and optimization of RdRP assays, evaluate alternative options for the choice of template and detection system, and describe the application of the assay for the characterization of inhibitor candidates. Although MeV RdRP assays are the focus of this article, the general strategies and experimental approaches are readily transferable to related viruses in the mononegavirus order.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert M Cox
- Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Richard K Plemper
- Center for Translational Antiviral Research, Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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Peart Akindele NA, Katamoni LD, Brockhurst J, Ghimire S, Suwanmanee S, Pieterse L, Metcalf Pate KA, Bunyan E, Bannister R, Cihlar T, Porter DP, Griffin DE. Effect of remdesivir post-exposure prophylaxis and treatment on pathogenesis of measles in rhesus macaques. Sci Rep 2023; 13:6463. [PMID: 37081035 PMCID: PMC10116456 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33572-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Measles is a systemic disease initiated in the respiratory tract with widespread measles virus (MeV) infection of lymphoid tissue. Mortality can be substantial, but no licensed antiviral therapy is available. We evaluated both post-exposure prophylaxis and treatment with remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral, using a well-characterized rhesus macaque model of measles. Animals were treated with intravenous remdesivir for 12 days beginning either 3 days after intratracheal infection (post-exposure prophylaxis, PEP) or 11 days after infection at the onset of disease (late treatment, LT). As PEP, remdesivir lowered levels of viral RNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, but RNA rebounded at the end of the treatment period and infectious virus was continuously recoverable. MeV RNA was cleared more rapidly from lymphoid tissue, was variably detected in the respiratory tract, and not detected in urine. PEP did not improve clinical disease nor lymphopenia and reduced the antibody response to infection. In contrast, LT had little effect on levels of viral RNA or the antibody response but also did not decrease clinical disease. Therefore, remdesivir transiently suppressed expression of viral RNA and limited dissemination when provided as PEP, but virus was not cleared and resumed replication without improvement in the clinical disease parameters evaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine A Peart Akindele
- Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Rm E5636, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- United States Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, MD, 20993, USA
| | - Laharika Dasharath Katamoni
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Rm E5636, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- BioCheck, Inc., South San Francisco, CA, 94080, USA
| | - Jacqueline Brockhurst
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Rm E5636, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Shristi Ghimire
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Rm E5636, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - San Suwanmanee
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Rm E5636, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Lisa Pieterse
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Rm E5636, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Kelly A Metcalf Pate
- Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
- Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | | | | | - Tomas Cihlar
- Gilead Sciences Inc., Foster City, CA, 94404, USA
| | | | - Diane E Griffin
- W. Harry Feinstone Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N. Wolfe St, Rm E5636, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
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Schmitz KS, Lange MV, Gommers L, Handrejk K, Porter DP, Alabi CA, Moscona A, Porotto M, de Vries RD, de Swart RL. Repurposing an In Vitro Measles Virus Dissemination Assay for Screening of Antiviral Compounds. Viruses 2022; 14:v14061186. [PMID: 35746658 PMCID: PMC9230603 DOI: 10.3390/v14061186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Measles virus (MV) is a highly contagious respiratory virus responsible for outbreaks associated with significant morbidity and mortality among children and young adults. Although safe and effective measles vaccines are available, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in vaccination coverage gaps that may lead to the resurgence of measles when restrictions are lifted. This puts individuals who cannot be vaccinated, such as young infants and immunocompromised individuals, at risk. Therapeutic interventions are complicated by the long incubation time of measles, resulting in a narrow treatment window. At present, the only available WHO-advised option is treatment with intravenous immunoglobulins, although this is not approved as standard of care. Antivirals against measles may contribute to intervention strategies to limit the impact of future outbreaks. Here, we review previously described antivirals and antiviral assays, evaluate the antiviral efficacy of a number of compounds to inhibit MV dissemination in vitro, and discuss potential application in specific target populations. We conclude that broadly reactive antivirals could strengthen existing intervention strategies to limit the impact of measles outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina S. Schmitz
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (K.S.S.); (M.V.L.); (L.G.); (K.H.); (R.D.d.V.)
| | - Mona V. Lange
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (K.S.S.); (M.V.L.); (L.G.); (K.H.); (R.D.d.V.)
| | - Lennert Gommers
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (K.S.S.); (M.V.L.); (L.G.); (K.H.); (R.D.d.V.)
| | - Kim Handrejk
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (K.S.S.); (M.V.L.); (L.G.); (K.H.); (R.D.d.V.)
| | | | - Christopher A. Alabi
- Robert Frederick Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA;
| | - Anne Moscona
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; (A.M.); (M.P.)
- Center for Host–Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Matteo Porotto
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA; (A.M.); (M.P.)
- Center for Host–Pathogen Interaction, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
| | - Rory D. de Vries
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (K.S.S.); (M.V.L.); (L.G.); (K.H.); (R.D.d.V.)
| | - Rik L. de Swart
- Department of Viroscience, Erasmus MC, 3015 GD Rotterdam, The Netherlands; (K.S.S.); (M.V.L.); (L.G.); (K.H.); (R.D.d.V.)
- Correspondence:
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Chithelen J, Franke H, Länder N, Grafen A, Schneider-Schaulies J. The Sphingolipid Inhibitors Ceranib-2 and SKI-II Reduce Measles Virus Replication in Primary Human Lymphocytes: Effects on mTORC1 Downstream Signaling. Front Physiol 2022; 13:856143. [PMID: 35370781 PMCID: PMC8968423 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.856143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The bioactive sphingolipids ceramide and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) are involved in the regulation of cell homeostasis and activity ranging from apoptosis to proliferation. We recently described that the two compounds ceranib-2 (inhibiting acid ceramidase) and SKI-II [inhibiting the sphingosine kinases 1 and − 2 (SphK1/2)] reduce mTORC1 activity and measles virus (MV) replication in human primary peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) by about one log step. We now further investigated whether mTORC1 downstream signaling and viral protein expression may be affected by ceranib-2 and/or SKI-II. Western blot analyses showed that in uninfected cells the phosphorylation of the eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) was reduced by both inhibitors. Interestingly, MV infection led to an increase of rpS6 protein levels and phosphorylation of eIF4E. Treatment with both inhibitors reduced the rpS6 protein expression, and in addition, SKI-II reduced rpS6 phosphorylation. The phosphorylation of eIF4E was slightly reduced by both inhibitors. In addition, SKI-II led to reduced levels of IKK in MV-infected cells. Both inhibitors reduced the expression of viral proteins and the titers of newly synthesized MV by approximately one log step. As expected, SKI-II and rapamycin reduced also the virally encoded GFP expression; however, ceranib-2 astonishingly led to increased levels of GFP fluorescence. Our findings suggest that the inhibitors ceranib-2 and SKI-II act via differential mechanisms on MV replication. The observed effects on mTORC1 downstream signaling, predominantly the reduction of rpS6 levels by both inhibitors, may affect the translational capacity of the cells and contribute to the antiviral effect in human primary PBL.
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Groaz E, De Clercq E, Herdewijn P. Anno 2021: Which antivirals for the coming decade? ANNUAL REPORTS IN MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY 2021; 57:49-107. [PMID: 34744210 PMCID: PMC8563371 DOI: 10.1016/bs.armc.2021.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Despite considerable progress in the development of antiviral drugs, among which anti-immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) medications can be considered real success stories, many viral infections remain without an effective treatment. This not only applies to infectious outbreaks caused by zoonotic viruses that have recently spilled over into humans such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but also ancient viral diseases that have been brought under control by vaccination such as variola (smallpox), poliomyelitis, measles, and rabies. A largely unsolved problem are endemic respiratory infections due to influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and rhinoviruses, whose associated morbidity will likely worsen with increasing air pollution. Furthermore, climate changes will expose industrialized countries to a dangerous resurgence of viral hemorrhagic fevers, which might also become global infections. Herein, we summarize the recent progress that has been made in the search for new antivirals against these different threats that the world population will need to confront with increasing frequency in the next decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabetta Groaz
- Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium,Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy,Corresponding author:
| | - Erik De Clercq
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Piet Herdewijn
- Medicinal Chemistry, Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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