Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus Clone 13 infection causes either persistence or acute death dependent on IFN-1, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs), and host genetics

Pathogenicity of tick-derived lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in BALB/c mice

BACKGROUND

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a zoonotic pathogen primarily transmitted by rodents. Recently, LCMV has been detected in ticks from northeastern China; however, the pathogenicity of this virus in murine models remains to be elucidated.

RESULTS

Here, we examined the tick-derived LCMV strain JX14 by inoculating BALB/c mice with 3.5 × 105 pfu of virus. The mice infected with LCMV displayed clinical manifestations including unkempt fur, anorexia, depression, and oliguria, which subsequently resolved by 10 days post infection (dpi) leading to survival of the infection. During the early phase of infection, low viral titers were detected in throat and anal swabs. The excreted virions demonstrated proliferation in Vero cells and were capable of inducing infection in mock-infected mice. Viral RNA was detected in the blood and organs, with detectable levels persisting for up to six months specifically in the heart. A total of 16 amino acid substitutions were identified in the L, Z, and GPC proteins between the original JX14 strain and the strain obtained after six months of infection in BALB/c mice. Pathological lesions were identified in most organs within 5 dpi except for the kidneys and testicles. Interferon gamma (IFN-γ) level was significantly elevated during the early stage of infection and returned to baseline levels within 10 days.

CONCLUSIONS

This study furnishes significant insights into the pathogenic traits of the tick-derived LCMV strain JX14, thereby potentially providing a valuable in vivo research model for examining the immunological responses elicited by chronic viral infections.

ISG15 Drives Immune Pathology and Respiratory Failure during Systemic Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection

ISG15, an IFN-stimulated gene, plays a crucial role in modulating immune responses during viral infections. Its upregulation is part of the host's defense mechanism against viruses, contributing to the antiviral state of cells. However, altered ISG15 expression can also lead to immune dysregulation and pathological outcomes, particularly during persistent viral infections. Understanding the balance of ISG15 in promoting antiviral immunity while avoiding immune-mediated pathology is essential for developing targeted therapeutic interventions against viral diseases. In this article, using Usp18-deficient, USP18 enzymatic-inactive and Isg15-deficient mouse models, we report that a lack of USP18 enzymatic function during persistent viral infection leads to severe immune pathology characterized by hematological disruptions described by reductions in platelets, total WBCs, and lymphocyte counts; pulmonary cytokine amplification; lung vascular leakage; and death. The lack of Usp18 in myeloid cells mimicked the pathological manifestations observed in Usp18-/- mice and required Isg15. Mechanistically, interrupting the enzymes that conjugate/deconjugate ISG15, using Uba7-/- or Usp18C61A mice, respectively, led to accumulation of ISG15 that was accompanied by inflammatory neutrophil accumulation, lung pathology, and death similar to that observed in Usp18-deficient mice. Moreover, myeloid cell depletion reversed pathological manifestations, morbidity, and mortality in Usp18C61A mice. Our results suggest that dysregulated ISG15 production and signaling during persistent lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection can produce lethal immune pathology and could serve as a therapeutic target during severe viral infections with pulmonary pathological manifestations.

Characterization of Collaborative Cross mouse founder strain CAST/EiJ as a novel model for lethal COVID-19

Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have expanded the viral host range beyond primates, and a few other mammals, to mice, affording the opportunity to exploit genetically diverse mouse panels to model the broad spectrum of responses to infection in patient populations. Here we surveyed responses to VOC infection in genetically diverse Collaborative Cross (CC) founder strains. Infection of wild-derived CC founder strains produced a broad range of viral burden, disease susceptibility and survival, whereas most other strains were resistant to disease despite measurable lung viral titers. In particular, CAST/EiJ, a wild-derived strain, developed high lung viral burdens, more severe lung pathology than seen in other CC strains, and a dysregulated cytokine profile resulting in morbidity and mortality. These inbred mouse strains may serve as a valuable platform to evaluate therapeutic countermeasures against severe COVID-19 and other coronavirus pandemics in the future.

Characterization of Collaborative Cross mouse founder strain CAST/EiJ as a novel model for lethal COVID-19

Mutations in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) have expanded the viral host range beyond primates, and a limited range of other mammals, to mice, affording the opportunity to exploit genetically diverse mouse panels to model the broad range of responses to infection in patient populations. Here we surveyed responses to VOC infection in genetically diverse Collaborative Cross (CC) founder strains. Infection of wild-derived CC founder strains produced a broad range of viral burden, disease susceptibility and survival, whereas most other strains were resistant to disease despite measurable lung viral titers. In particular, CAST/EiJ, a wild-derived strain, developed high lung viral burdens, more severe lung pathology than seen in other CC strains, and a dysregulated cytokine profile resulting in morbidity and mortality. These inbred mouse strains may serve as a valuable platform to evaluate therapeutic countermeasures against severe COVID-19 and other coronavirus pandemics in the future.

An mRNA-LNP-based Lassa virus vaccine induces protective immunity in mice

The mammarenavirus Lassa virus (LASV) causes the life-threatening hemorrhagic fever disease, Lassa fever. The lack of licensed medical countermeasures against LASV underscores the urgent need for the development of novel LASV vaccines, which has been hampered by the requirement for a biosafety level 4 facility to handle live LASV. Here, we investigated the efficacy of mRNA-lipid nanoparticle (mRNA-LNP)-based vaccines expressing the LASV glycoprotein precursor (LASgpc) or nucleoprotein (LCMnp) of the prototypic mammarenavirus, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), in mice. Two doses of LASgpc- or LCMnp-mRNA-LNP administered intravenously (i.v.) protected C57BL/6 mice from a lethal challenge with a recombinant (r) LCMV expressing a modified LASgpc (rLCMV/LASgpc2m) inoculated intracranially. Intramuscular (i.m.) immunization with two doses of LASgpc- or LCMnp-mRNA-LNP significantly reduced the viral load in C57BL/6 mice inoculated i.v. with rLCMV/LASgpc2m. High levels of viremia and lethality were observed in CBA mice inoculated i.v. with rLCMV/LASgpc2m, which were abrogated by i.m. immunization with two doses of LASgpc-mRNA-LNP. The protective efficacy of two i.m. doses of LCMnp-mRNA-LNP was confirmed in a lethal hemorrhagic disease model of FVB mice i.v. inoculated with wild-type rLCMV. In all conditions tested, negligible and high levels of LASgpc- and LCMnp-specific antibodies were detected in mRNA-LNP-immunized mice, respectively, but robust LASgpc- and LCMnp-specific CD8+ T cell responses were induced. Accordingly, plasma from LASgpc-mRNA-LNP-immunized mice did not exhibit neutralizing activity. Our findings and surrogate mouse models of LASV infection, which can be studied at a reduced biocontainment level, provide a critical foundation for the rapid development of mRNA-LNP-based LASV vaccines.IMPORTANCELassa virus (LASV) is a highly pathogenic mammarenavirus responsible for several hundred thousand infections annually in West African countries, causing a high number of lethal Lassa fever (LF) cases. Despite its significant impact on human health, clinically approved, safe, and effective medical countermeasures against LF are not available. The requirement of a biosafety level 4 facility to handle live LASV has been one of the main obstacles to the research and development of LASV countermeasures. Here, we report that two doses of mRNA-lipid nanoparticle-based vaccines expressing the LASV glycoprotein precursor (LASgpc) or nucleoprotein (LCMnp) of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), a mammarenavirus genetically closely related to LASV, conferred protection to recombinant LCMV-based surrogate mouse models of lethal LASV infection. Notably, robust LASgpc- and LCMnp-specific CD8+ T cell responses were detected in mRNA-LNP-immunized mice, whereas no virus-neutralizing activity was observed.

Type I interferons induce an epigenetically distinct memory B cell subset in chronic viral infection

Memory B cells (MBCs) are key providers of long-lived immunity against infectious disease, yet in chronic viral infection, they do not produce effective protection. How chronic viral infection disrupts MBC development and whether such changes are reversible remain unknown. Through single-cell (sc)ATAC-seq and scRNA-seq during acute versus chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis viral infection, we identified a memory subset enriched for interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs) during chronic infection that was distinct from the T-bet+ subset normally associated with chronic infection. Blockade of IFNAR-1 early in infection transformed the chromatin landscape of chronic MBCs, decreasing accessibility at ISG-inducing transcription factor binding motifs and inducing phenotypic changes in the dominating MBC subset, with a decrease in the ISG subset and an increase in CD11c+CD80+ cells. However, timing was critical, with MBCs resistant to intervention at 4 weeks post-infection. Together, our research identifies a key mechanism to instruct MBC identity during viral infection.

Dynamical Modeling and Qualitative Analysis of a Delayed Model for CD8 T Cells in Response to Viral Antigens

Although the immune effector CD8 T cells play a crucial role in clearance of viruses, the mechanisms underlying the dynamics of how CD8 T cells respond to viral infection remain largely unexplored. Here, we develop a delayed model that incorporates CD8 T cells and infected cells to investigate the functional role of CD8 T cells in persistent virus infection. Bifurcation analysis reveals that the model has four steady states that can finely divide the progressions of viral infection into four states, and endows the model with bistability that has ability to achieve the switch from one state to another. Furthermore, analytical and numerical methods find that the time delay resulting from incubation period of virus can induce a stable low-infection steady state to be oscillatory, coexisting with a stable high-infection steady state in phase space. In particular, a novel mechanism to achieve the switch between two stable steady states, time-delay-based switch, is proposed, where the initial conditions and other parameters of the model remain unchanged. Moreover, our model predicts that, for a certain range of initial antigen load: 1) under a longer incubation period, the lower the initial antigen load, the easier the virus infection will evolve into severe state; while the higher the initial antigen load, the easier it is for the virus infection to be effectively controlled and 2) only when the incubation period is small, the lower the initial antigen load, the easier it is to effectively control the infection progression. Our results are consistent with multiple experimental observations, which may facilitate the understanding of the dynamical and physiological mechanisms of CD8 T cells in response to viral infections.

Complementary HLH susceptibility factors converge on CD8 T-cell hyperactivation

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) are life-threatening hyperinflammatory syndromes. Familial HLH is caused by genetic impairment of granule-mediated cytotoxicity (eg, perforin deficiency). MAS is linked to excess activity of the inflammasome-activated cytokine interleukin-18 (IL-18). Though individually tolerated, mice with dual susceptibility (Prf1⁻/⁻Il18tg; DS) succumb to spontaneous, lethal hyperinflammation. We hypothesized that understanding how these susceptibility factors synergize would uncover key pathomechanisms in the activation, function, and persistence of hyperactivated CD8 T cells. In IL-18 transgenic (Il18tg) mice, IL-18 effects on CD8 T cells drove MAS after a viral (lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus), but not innate (toll like receptor 9), trigger. In vitro, CD8 T cells also required T-cell receptor (TCR) stimulation to fully respond to IL-18. IL-18 induced but perforin deficiency impaired immunoregulatory restimulation-induced cell death (RICD). Paralleling hyperinflammation, DS mice displayed massive postthymic oligoclonal CD8 T-cell hyperactivation in their spleens, livers, and bone marrow as early as 3 weeks. These cells increased proliferation and interferon gamma production, which contrasted with increased expression of receptors and transcription factors associated with exhaustion. Broad-spectrum antibiotics and antiretrovirals failed to ameliorate the disease. Attempting to genetically "fix" TCR antigen-specificity instead demonstrated the persistence of spontaneous HLH and hyperactivation, chiefly on T cells that had evaded TCR fixation. Thus, drivers of HLH may preferentially act on CD8 T cells: IL-18 amplifies activation and demand for RICD, whereas perforin supplies critical immunoregulation. Together, these factors promote a terminal CD8 T-cell activation state, combining features of exhaustion and effector function. Therefore, susceptibility to hyperinflammation may converge on a unique, unrelenting, and antigen-dependent state of CD8 T-cell hyperactivation.

Mice with FVB-derived sequence on chromosome 17 succumb to disseminated virus infection due to aberrant NK cell and T cell responses

Zoonotic arenavirus infections can result in viral hemorrhagic disease, characterized by platelet loss, petechia, and multi-organ injury. The mechanisms governing these outcomes are likely impacted by virus strain and infection dose, as well as an individual's genetic background and immune constitution. To better understand the processes leading to severe pathogenesis, we compared two strains of inbred mice, C57BL/6J (B6) and FVB/NJ (FVB), that have diametrically opposed outcomes during disseminated lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection. Infection caused minimal pathogenesis in B6 mice, whereas FVB mice developed acute hepatitis and perished due, in part, to aberrant NK cell and T cell responses. Susceptible mice showed an outgrowth of cytolytic CD4+ T cells and loss of Treg cells. B6 congenic mice with the FVB allele at a 25Mb locus on chromosome 17 recapitulated FVB pathogenesis upon infection. A locus containing a limited number of variants in immune-related genes greatly impacts survival during infection.

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Clone 13 Infection Results in CD8 T Cell-Mediated Host Mortality in Diacylglycerol Kinase α-Deficient Mice

Diacylglycerol is a potent element of intracellular secondary signaling cascades whose production is enhanced by cell-surface receptor agonism and function is regulated by enzymatic degradation by diacylglycerol kinases (DGKs). In T cells, stringent regulation of the activity of this second messenger maintains an appropriate balance between effector function and anergy. In this article, we demonstrate that DGKα is an indispensable regulator of TCR-mediated activation of CD8 T cells in lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus Clone 13 viral infection. In the absence of DGKα, Clone 13 infection in a murine model results in a pathologic, proinflammatory state and a multicellular immunopathologic host death that is predominantly driven by CD8 effector T cells.

Genetic Mapping of Behavioral Traits Using the Collaborative Cross Resource

The complicated interactions between genetic background, environment and lifestyle factors make it difficult to study the genetic basis of complex phenotypes, such as cognition and anxiety levels, in humans. However, environmental and other factors can be tightly controlled in mouse studies. The Collaborative Cross (CC) is a mouse genetic reference population whose common genetic and phenotypic diversity is on par with that of humans. Therefore, we leveraged the power of the CC to assess 52 behavioral measures associated with locomotor activity, anxiety level, learning and memory. This is the first application of the CC in novel object recognition tests, Morris water maze tasks, and fear conditioning tests. We found substantial continuous behavioral variations across the CC strains tested, and mapped six quantitative trait loci (QTLs) which influenced these traits, defining candidate genetic variants underlying these QTLs. Overall, our findings highlight the potential of the CC population in behavioral genetic research, while the identified genomic loci and genes driving the variation of relevant behavioral traits provide a foundation for further studies.

Inflammatory platelet production stimulated by tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase mimicking viral infection

Platelets play a role not only in hemostasis and thrombosis, but also in inflammation and innate immunity. We previously reported that an activated form of tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase (YRSACT) has an extratranslational activity that enhances megakaryopoiesis and platelet production in mice. Here, we report that YRSACT mimics inflammatory stress inducing a unique megakaryocyte (MK) population with stem cell (Sca1) and myeloid (F4/80) markers through a mechanism dependent on Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation and type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling. This mimicry of inflammatory stress by YRSACT was studied in mice infected by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Using Sca1/EGFP transgenic mice, we demonstrated that IFN-I induced by YRSACT or LCMV infection suppressed normal hematopoiesis while activating an alternative pathway of thrombopoiesis. Platelets of inflammatory origin (Sca1/EGFP+) were a relevant proportion of those circulating during recovery from thrombocytopenia. Analysis of these "inflammatory" MKs and platelets suggested their origin in myeloid/MK-biased hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that bypassed the classical MK-erythroid progenitor (MEP) pathway to replenish platelets and promote recovery from thrombocytopenia. Notably, inflammatory platelets displayed enhanced agonist-induced activation and procoagulant activities. Moreover, myeloid/MK-biased progenitors and MKs were mobilized from the bone marrow, as evidenced by their presence in the lung microvasculature within fibrin-containing microthrombi. Our results define the function of YRSACT in platelet generation and contribute to elucidate platelet alterations in number and function during viral infection.

Microbial Metabolite 3-Indolepropionic Acid Mediates Immunosuppression

The microbial-derived metabolite, 3-indolepropionic acid (3-IPA), has been intensely studied since its origins were discovered in 2009; however, 3-IPA's role in immunosuppression has had limited attention. Untargeted metabolomic analyses of T-cell exhaustion and immunosuppression, represented by dysfunctional under-responsive CD8⁺ T cells, reveal a potential role of 3-IPA in these responses. T-cell exhaustion was examined via infection of two genetically related mouse strains, DBA/1J and DBA/2J, with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) Clone 13 (Cl13). The different mouse strains produced disparate outcomes driven by their T-cell responses. Infected DBA/2J presented with exhausted T cells and persistent infection, and DBA/1J mice died one week after infection from cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs)-mediated pulmonary failure. Metabolomics revealed over 70 metabolites were altered between the DBA/1J and DBA/2J models over the course of the infection, most of them in mice with a fatal outcome. Cognitive-driven prioritization combined with statistical significance and fold change were used to prioritize the metabolites. 3-IPA, a tryptophan-derived metabolite, was identified as a high-priority candidate for testing. To test its activity 3-IPA was added to the drinking water of the mouse models during LCMV Cl13 infection, with the results showing that 3-IPA allowed the mice to survive longer. This negative immune-modulation effect might be of interest for the modulation of CTL responses in events such as autoimmune diseases, type I diabetes or even COVID-19. Moreover, 3-IPA's bacterial origin raises the possibility of targeting the microbiome to enhance CTL responses in diseases such as cancer and chronic infection.

IFN-α blockade during ART-treated SIV infection lowers tissue vDNA, rescues immune function, and improves overall health

Type I IFNs (TI-IFNs) drive immune effector functions during acute viral infections and regulate cell cycling and systemic metabolism. That said, chronic TI-IFN signaling in the context of HIV infection treated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) also facilitates viral persistence, in part by promoting immunosuppressive responses and CD8+ T cell exhaustion. To determine whether inhibition of IFN-α might provide benefit in the setting of chronic, ART-treated SIV infection of rhesus macaques, we administered an anti-IFN-α antibody followed by an analytical treatment interruption (ATI). IFN-α blockade was well-tolerated and associated with lower expression of TI-IFN-inducible genes (including those that are antiviral) and reduced tissue viral DNA (vDNA). The reduction in vDNA was further accompanied by higher innate proinflammatory plasma cytokines, expression of monocyte activation genes, IL-12-induced effector CD8+ T cell genes, increased heme/metabolic activity, and lower plasma TGF-β levels. Upon ATI, SIV-infected, ART-suppressed nonhuman primates treated with anti-IFN-α displayed lower levels of weight loss and improved erythroid function relative to untreated controls. Overall, these data demonstrated that IFN-α blockade during ART-treated SIV infection was safe and associated with the induction of immune/erythroid pathways that reduced viral persistence during ART while mitigating the weight loss and anemia that typically ensue after ART interruption.

Restriction of viral replication, rather than T cell immunopathology, drives lethality in MNV CR6-infected STAT1-deficient mice

Recent evidence indicates that viral components of the microbiota can contribute to intestinal homeostasis and protection from local inflammatory or infectious insults. However, host-derived mechanisms that regulate the virome remain largely unknown. Here, we use colonization with the model commensal murine norovirus (MNV CR6) to interrogate host-directed mechanisms of viral regulation, and show that STAT1 is a central coordinator of both viral replication and antiviral T cell responses. In addition to restricting CR6 replication to the intestinal tract, we show that STAT1 regulates antiviral CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell responses, and prevents systemic viral-induced tissue damage and disease. Despite altered T cell responses that resemble those that mediate lethal immunopathology in systemic viral infections in STAT1-deficient mice, depletion of adaptive immune cells and their associated effector functions had no effect on CR6-induced disease. However, therapeutic administration of an antiviral compound limited viral replication, preventing viral-induced tissue damage and death without impacting the generation of inflammatory antiviral T cell responses. Collectively, our data show that STAT1 restricts MNV CR6 replication within the intestinal mucosa, and that uncontrolled viral replication mediates disease rather than the concomitant development of dysregulated antiviral T cell responses in STAT1-deficient mice. Importance The intestinal microbiota is a collection of bacteria, archaea, fungi and viruses that colonize the mammalian gut. Co-evolution of the host and microbiota has required development of immunological tolerance to prevent ongoing inflammatory responses against intestinal microbes. Breakdown of tolerance to bacterial components of the microbiota can contribute to immune activation and inflammatory disease. However, the mechanisms that are necessary to maintain tolerance to viral components of the microbiome, and the consequences of loss of tolerance, are less well understood. Here, we show that STAT1 is integral for preventing escape of a commensal-like virus, murine norovirus CR6 (MNV CR6) from the gut, and that in the absence of STAT1, mice succumb to infection-induced disease. In contrast to other systemic viral infections, mortality of STAT1-deficient mice is not driven by immune-mediated pathology. Our data demonstrates the importance of host-mediated geographical restriction of commensal-like viruses.

MEK/ERK MAP kinase limits poly I:C-induced antiviral gene expression in RAW264.7 macrophages by reducing interferon-beta expression

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) recognizes viral double-stranded RNA (or the synthetic dsRNA analog poly I:C) and induces a signal transduction pathway that results in activation of transcription factors that induce expression of antiviral genes including type I interferon (IFN-I). Secreted IFN-I positively feeds back to amplify antiviral gene expression. In this report, we study the role of MEK/ERK MAP kinase in modulating antiviral gene expression downstream of TLR3. We find MEK/ERK is a negative regulator of antiviral gene expression by limiting expression of IFN-β. However, MEK/ERK does not limit antiviral responses downstream of the type I interferon receptor. These findings provide insights into regulatory mechanisms of antiviral gene expression and reveal potential targets for modulating antiviral immunity.

Type I Interferon Induction and Exhaustion during Viral Infection: Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells and Emerging COVID-19 Findings

Type I Interferons (IFN-I) are a family of potent antiviral cytokines that act through the direct restriction of viral replication and by enhancing antiviral immunity. However, these powerful cytokines are a caged lion, as excessive and sustained IFN-I production can drive immunopathology during infection, and aberrant IFN-I production is a feature of several types of autoimmunity. As specialized producers of IFN-I plasmacytoid (p), dendritic cells (DCs) can secrete superb quantities and a wide breadth of IFN-I isoforms immediately after infection or stimulation, and are the focus of this review. Notably, a few days after viral infection pDCs tune down their capacity for IFN-I production, producing less cytokines in response to both the ongoing infection and unrelated secondary stimulations. This process, hereby referred to as "pDC exhaustion", favors viral persistence and associates with reduced innate responses and increased susceptibility to secondary opportunistic infections. On the other hand, pDC exhaustion may be a compromise to avoid IFN-I driven immunopathology. In this review we reflect on the mechanisms that initially induce IFN-I and subsequently silence their production by pDCs during a viral infection. While these processes have been long studied across numerous viral infection models, the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has brought their discussion back to the fore, and so we also discuss emerging results related to pDC-IFN-I production in the context of COVID-19.

Virulent infection of outbred Hartley guinea pigs with recombinant Pichinde virus as a surrogate small animal model for human Lassa fever

Arenaviruses, such as Lassa virus (LASV), can cause severe and fatal hemorrhagic fevers (e.g., Lassa fever, LF) in humans with no vaccines or therapeutics. Research on arenavirus-induced hemorrhagic fevers (AHFs) has been hampered by the highly virulent nature of these viral pathogens, which require high biocontainment laboratory, and the lack of an immune-competent small animal model that can recapitulate AHF disease and pathological features. Guinea pig infected with Pichinde virus (PICV), an arenavirus that does not cause disease in humans, has been established as a convenient surrogate animal model for AHFs as it can be handled in a conventional laboratory. The PICV strain P18, derived from sequential passaging of the virus 18 times in strain 13 inbred guinea pigs, causes severe febrile illness in guinea pigs that is reminiscent of lethal LF in humans. As inbred guinea pigs are not readily available and are difficult to maintain, outbred Hartley guinea pigs have been used but they show a high degree of disease heterogeneity upon virulent P18 PICV infection. Here, we describe an improved outbred guinea-pig infection model using recombinant rP18 PICV generated by reverse genetics technique followed by plaque purification, which consistently shows >90% mortality and virulent infection. Comprehensive virological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analyses of the rP18-virus infected animals show similar features of human LASV infection. Our data demonstrate that this improved animal model can serve as a safe, affordable, and convenient surrogate small animal model for studying human LF pathogenesis and for evaluating efficacy of preventative or therapeutic approaches.

Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Alters the Expression of Male Mouse Scent Proteins

Mature male mice produce a particularly high concentration of major urinary proteins (MUPs) in their scent marks that provide identity and status information to conspecifics. Darcin (MUP20) is inherently attractive to females and, by inducing rapid associative learning, leads to specific attraction to the individual male’s odour and location. Other polymorphic central MUPs, produced at much higher abundance, bind volatile ligands that are slowly released from a male’s scent marks, forming the male’s individual odour that females learn. Here, we show that infection of C57BL/6 males with LCMV WE variants (v2.2 or v54) alters MUP expression according to a male’s infection status and ability to clear the virus. MUP output is substantially reduced during acute adult infection with LCMV WE v2.2 and when males are persistently infected with LCMV WE v2.2 or v54. Infection differentially alters expression of darcin and, particularly, suppresses expression of a male’s central MUP signature. However, following clearance of acute v2.2 infection through a robust virus-specific CD8 cytotoxic T cell response that leads to immunity to the virus, males regain their normal mature male MUP pattern and exhibit enhanced MUP output by 30 days post-infection relative to uninfected controls. We discuss the likely impact of these changes in male MUP signals on female attraction and mate selection. As LCMV infection during pregnancy can substantially reduce embryo survival and lead to lifelong infection in surviving offspring, we speculate that females use LCMV-induced changes in MUP expression both to avoid direct infection from a male and to select mates able to develop immunity to local variants that will be inherited by their offspring.

Norovirus evolution in immunodeficient mice reveals potentiated pathogenicity via a single nucleotide change in the viral capsid

Interferons (IFNs) are key controllers of viral replication, with intact IFN responses suppressing virus growth and spread. Using the murine norovirus (MNoV) system, we show that IFNs exert selective pressure to limit the pathogenic evolutionary potential of this enteric virus. In animals lacking type I IFN signaling, the nonlethal MNoV strain CR6 rapidly acquired enhanced virulence via conversion of a single nucleotide. This nucleotide change resulted in amino acid substitution F514I in the viral capsid, which led to >10,000-fold higher replication in systemic organs including the brain. Pathogenicity was mediated by enhanced recruitment and infection of intestinal myeloid cells and increased extraintestinal dissemination of virus. Interestingly, the trade-off for this mutation was reduced fitness in an IFN-competent host, in which CR6 bearing F514I exhibited decreased intestinal replication and shedding. In an immunodeficient context, a spontaneous amino acid change can thus convert a relatively avirulent viral strain into a lethal pathogen.

High levels of soluble CD25 in COVID-19 severity suggest a divergence between anti-viral and pro-inflammatory T-cell responses

Objectives

We aimed to gain an understanding of the paradox of the immunity in COVID-19 patients with T cells showing both functional defects and hyperactivation and enhanced proliferation.

Methods

A total of 280 hospitalised patients with COVID-19 were evaluated for cytokine profiles and clinical features including viral shedding. A mouse model of acute infection by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) was applied to dissect the relationship between immunological, virological and pathological features. The results from the mouse model were validated by published data set of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of immune cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of COVID-19 patients.

Results

The levels of soluble CD25 (sCD25), IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 and TNF-α were higher in severe COVID-19 patients than non-severe cases, but only sCD25 was identified as an independent risk factor for disease severity by multivariable binary logistic regression analysis and showed a positive association with the duration of viral shedding. In agreement with the clinical observation, LCMV-infected mice with high levels of sCD25 demonstrated insufficient anti-viral response and delayed viral clearance. The elevation of sCD25 in mice was mainly contributed by the expansion of CD25⁺CD8⁺ T cells that also expressed the highest level of PD-1 with pro-inflammatory potential. The counterpart human CD25⁺PD-1⁺ T cells were expanded in BALF of COVID-19 patients with severe disease compared to those with modest disease.

Conclusion

These results suggest that high levels of sCD25 in COVID-19 patients probably result from insufficient anti-viral immunity and indicate an expansion of pro-inflammatory T cells that contribute to disease severity.

Dynamic adoption of anergy by antigen-exhausted CD4+ T cells

Exhausted immune responses to chronic diseases represent a major challenge to global health. We study CD4⁺ T cells in a mouse model with regulatable antigen presentation. When the cells are driven through the effector phase and are then exposed to different levels of persistent antigen, they lose their T helper 1 (Th1) functions, upregulate exhaustion markers, resemble naturally anergic cells, and modulate their MAPK, mTORC1, and Ca²⁺/calcineurin signaling pathways with increasing dose and time. They also become unable to help B cells and, at the highest dose, undergo apoptosis. Transcriptomic analyses show the dynamic adjustment of gene expression and the accumulation of T cell receptor (TCR) signals over a period of weeks. Upon antigen removal, the cells recover their functionality while losing exhaustion and anergy markers. Our data suggest an adjustable response of CD4⁺ T cells to different levels of persisting antigen and contribute to a better understanding of chronic disease.

Context Is Key: Delineating the Unique Functions of IFNα and IFNβ in Disease

Type I interferons (IFNs) are critical effector cytokines of the immune system and were originally known for their important role in protecting against viral infections; however, they have more recently been shown to play protective or detrimental roles in many disease states. Type I IFNs consist of IFNα, IFNβ, IFNϵ, IFNκ, IFNω, and a few others, and they all signal through a shared receptor to exert a wide range of biological activities, including antiviral, antiproliferative, proapoptotic, and immunomodulatory effects. Though the individual type I IFN subtypes possess overlapping functions, there is growing appreciation that they also have unique properties. In this review, we summarize some of the mechanisms underlying differential expression of and signaling by type I IFNs, and we discuss examples of differential functions of IFNα and IFNβ in models of infectious disease, cancer, and autoimmunity.

Endotheliopathy and Platelet Dysfunction as Hallmarks of Fatal Lassa Fever

Lassa fever (LF) causes multisystem disease and has a fatality rate <70%. Severe cases exhibit abnormal coagulation, endothelial barrier disruption, and dysfunctional platelet aggregation but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. In Sierra Leone during 2015-2018, we assessed LF patients' day-of-admission plasma samples for levels of proteins necessary for coagulation, fibrinolysis, and platelet function. P-selectin, soluble endothelial protein C receptor, soluble thrombomodulin, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, ADAMTS-13, von Willebrand factor, tissue factor, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1, and vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 were more elevated in LF patients than in controls. Endothelial protein C receptor, thrombomodulin, intercellular adhesion molecule 1, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, D-dimer, and hepatocyte growth factor were higher in fatal than nonfatal LF cases. Platelet disaggregation occurred only in samples from fatal LF cases. The impaired homeostasis and platelet dysfunction implicate alterations in the protein C pathway, which might contribute to the loss of endothelial barrier function in fatal infections.

PD-1 Signaling Promotes Control of Chronic Viral Infection by Restricting Type-I-Interferon-Mediated Tissue Damage

Immune responses are essential for pathogen elimination but also cause tissue damage, leading to disease or death. However, it is unclear how the host immune system balances control of infection and protection from the collateral tissue damage. Here, we show that PD-1-mediated restriction of immune responses is essential for durable control of chronic LCMV infection in mice. In contrast to responses in the chronic phase, PD-1 blockade in the subacute phase of infection paradoxically results in viral persistence. This effect is associated with damage to lymphoid architecture and subsequently decreases adaptive immune responses. Moreover, this tissue damage is type I interferon dependent, as sequential blockade of the interferon receptor and PD-1 pathways prevents immunopathology and enhances control of infection. We conclude that PD-1-mediated suppression is required as an immunoregulatory mechanism for sustained responses to chronic viral infection by antagonizing type-I interferon-dependent immunopathology.

Using stage-specific PD-1 blockade in LCMV-infected mice, Raju et al. uncover the requirement for PD-1-mediated suppression of CD8 T cells for durable immune response to chronic viral infection, as well as the requirement for IFNAR signaling in programming of CD8 T cells toward effectors that cause immunopathology.

CD8 T cells drive anorexia, dysbiosis, and blooms of a commensal with immunosuppressive potential after viral infection

Infections elicit immune adaptations to enable pathogen resistance and/or tolerance and are associated with compositional shifts of the intestinal microbiome. However, a comprehensive understanding of how infections with pathogens that exhibit distinct capability to spread and/or persist differentially change the microbiome, the underlying mechanisms, and the relative contribution of individual commensal species to immune cell adaptations is still lacking. Here, we discovered that mouse infection with a fast-spreading and persistent (but not a slow-spreading acute) isolate of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus induced large-scale microbiome shifts characterized by increased Verrucomicrobia and reduced Firmicute/Bacteroidetes ratio. Remarkably, the most profound microbiome changes occurred transiently after infection with the fast-spreading persistent isolate, were uncoupled from sustained viral loads, and were instead largely caused by CD8 T cell responses and/or CD8 T cell-induced anorexia. Among the taxa enriched by infection with the fast-spreading virus, Akkermansia muciniphila, broadly regarded as a beneficial commensal, bloomed upon starvation and in a CD8 T cell-dependent manner. Strikingly, oral administration of A. muciniphila suppressed selected effector features of CD8 T cells in the context of both infections. Our findings define unique microbiome differences after chronic versus acute viral infections and identify CD8 T cell responses and downstream anorexia as driver mechanisms of microbial dysbiosis after infection with a fast-spreading virus. Our data also highlight potential context-dependent effects of probiotics and suggest a model in which changes in host behavior and downstream microbiome dysbiosis may constitute a previously unrecognized negative feedback loop that contributes to CD8 T cell adaptations after infections with fast-spreading and/or persistent pathogens.

Identification of a Locus in Mice that Regulates the Collateral Damage and Lethality of Virus Infection

Arenaviruses can cause severe hemorrhagic disease in humans, which can progress to organ failure and death. The underlying mechanisms causing lethality and person-to-person variation in outcome remain incompletely explained. Herein, we characterize a mouse model that recapitulates many features of pathogenesis observed in humans with arenavirus-induced hemorrhagic disease, including thrombocytopenia, severe vascular leakage, lung edema, and lethality. The susceptibility of congenic B6.PL mice to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection is associated with increased antiviral T cell responses in B6.PL mice compared with C57BL/6 mice and is T cell dependent. Pathogenesis imparted by the causative locus is inherited in a semi-dominant manner in F1 crosses. The locus includes PL-derived sequence variants in both poorly annotated genes and genes known to contribute to immune responses. This model can be used to further interrogate how limited genetic differences in the host can remarkably alter the disease course of viral infection.

Type I interferon underlies severe disease associated with Junín virus infection in mice

Junín virus (JUNV) is one of five New World mammarenaviruses (NWMs) that causes fatal hemorrhagic disease in humans and is the etiological agent of Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF). The pathogenesis underlying AHF is poorly understood; however, a prolonged, elevated interferon-α (IFN-α) response is associated with a negative disease outcome. A feature of all NWMs that cause viral hemorrhagic fever is the use of human transferrin receptor 1 (hTfR1) for cellular entry. Here, we show that mice expressing hTfR1 develop a lethal disease course marked by an increase in serum IFN-α concentration when challenged with JUNV. Further, we provide evidence that the type I IFN response is central to the development of severe JUNV disease in hTfR1 mice. Our findings identify hTfR1-mediated entry and the type I IFN response as key factors in the pathogenesis of JUNV infection in mice.

Retinoic Acid Modulates Hyperactive T Cell Responses and Protects Vitamin A-Deficient Mice against Persistent Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus Infection

Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major public health problem and is associated with increased host susceptibility to infection; however, how VAD influences viral infection remains unclear. Using a persistent lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection model, we showed in this study that although VAD did not alter innate type I IFN production, infected VAD mice had hyperactive, virus-specific T cell responses at both the acute and contraction stages, showing significantly decreased PD-1 but increased cytokine (IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2) expression by T cells. Compared with control mice, VAD mice displayed excessive inflammation and more severe liver pathology, with increased death during persistent infection. Of note, supplements of all-trans retinoic acid (RA), one of the important metabolites of vitamin A, downregulated hyperactive T cell responses and rescued the persistently infected VAD mice. By using adoptive transfer of splenocytes, we found that the environmental vitamin A or its metabolites acted as rheostats modulating antiviral T cells. The analyses of T cell transcriptional factors and signaling pathways revealed the possible mechanisms of RA, as its supplements inhibited the abundance of NFATc1 (NFAT 1), a key regulator for T cell activation. Also, following CD3/CD28 cross-linking stimulation, RA negatively regulated the TCR-proximal signaling in T cells, via decreased phosphorylation of Zap70 and its downstream signals, including phosphorylated AKT, p38, ERK, and S6, respectively. Together, our data reveal VAD-mediated alterations in antiviral T cell responses and highlight the potential utility of RA for modulating excessive immune responses and tissue injury in infectious diseases.

High crossreactivity of human T cell responses between Lassa virus lineages

Lassa virus infects hundreds of thousands of people each year across rural West Africa, resulting in a high number of cases of Lassa fever (LF), a febrile disease associated with high morbidity and significant mortality. The lack of approved treatments or interventions underscores the need for an effective vaccine. At least four viral lineages circulate in defined regions throughout West Africa with substantial interlineage nucleotide and amino acid diversity. An effective vaccine should be designed to elicit Lassa virus specific humoral and cell mediated immunity across all lineages. Most current vaccine candidates use only lineage IV antigens encoded by Lassa viruses circulating around Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea but not Nigeria where lineages I-III are found. As previous infection is known to protect against disease from subsequent exposure, we sought to determine whether LF survivors from Nigeria and Sierra Leone harbor memory T cells that respond to lineage IV antigens. Our results indicate a high degree of cross-reactivity of CD8+ T cells from Nigerian LF survivors to lineage IV antigens. In addition, we identified regions within the Lassa virus glycoprotein complex and nucleoprotein that contributed to these responses while T cell epitopes were not widely conserved across our study group. These data are important for current efforts to design effective and efficient vaccine candidates that can elicit protective immunity across all Lassa virus lineages.

Lassa virus (LASV), the causative agent of the hemorrhagic illness Lassa fever (LF), is found throughout West Africa. Humans are usually infected after contact with infected rodent excreta or aerosolized virus. The mortality rate among hospitalized LF cases is high and no effective treatments or vaccines exist. A vaccine effective against the four main lineages of LASV is needed to protect susceptible individuals across West Africa. To understand how this protection could occur, we examined the immune responses of LF survivors from two different regions of West Africa. As previous infection with Lassa virus protects from disease after subsequent exposure, the immune response of LF survivors provides a model of protective immunity that could be induced after vaccination. We found that LASV strains from lineages different from those that infected the LF survivors efficiently activated memory CD8+ T cell responses. We identified regions within LASV proteins that elicit memory responses in the majority of individuals. From these data, we propose that an effective vaccine that protects against lineages across West Africa should be designed to elicit memory CD8+ T cell responses in addition to antibody responses.

Endogenous n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Are Beneficial to Dampen CD8+ T Cell-Mediated Inflammatory Response upon the Viral Infection in Mice

Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been known to exert anti-inflammatory effects on various disease states. However, its effect on CD8⁺ T cell-mediated immunopathology upon viral infection has not been well elucidated yet. In this study, we investigated the possible implication of n-3 PUFAs in CD8⁺ T cell responses against an acute viral infection. Infection of FAT-1 transgenic mice that are capable of synthesizing n-3 PUFAs from n-6 PUFAs with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) resulted in significant reduction of anti-viral CD8⁺ T cell responses. Interestingly, expansion of adoptively transferred wild-type (WT) LCMV-specific T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic CD8⁺ (P14) T cells into FAT-1 mice was significantly decreased. Also, activation of anti-viral CD4⁺ helper T cells was reduced in FAT-1 mice. Importantly, P14 cells carrying the fat-1 gene that were adoptively transferred into WT mice exhibited a substantially decreased ability to proliferate and produce cytokines against LCMV infection. Together, n-3 PUFAs attenuated anti-viral CD8⁺ T cell responses against an acute viral infection and thus could be used to alleviate immunopathology mediated by the viral infection.

A dynamical motif comprising the interactions between antigens and CD8 T cells may underlie the outcomes of viral infections

Some viral infections culminate in very different outcomes in different individuals. They can be rapidly cleared in some, cause persistent infection in others, and cause mortality from immunopathology in yet others. The conventional view is that the different outcomes arise as a consequence of the complex interactions between a large number of different factors (virus, different immune cells, and cytokines). Here, we identify a simple dynamical motif comprising the essential interactions between antigens and CD8 T cells and posit it as predominantly determining the outcomes. Viral antigen can activate CD8 T cells, which in turn, can kill infected cells. Sustained antigen stimulation, however, can cause CD8 T-cell exhaustion, compromising effector function. Using mathematical modeling, we show that the motif comprising these interactions recapitulates all of the outcomes observed. The motif presents a conceptual framework to understand the variable outcomes of infection. It also explains a number of confounding experimental observations, including the variation in outcomes with the viral inoculum size, the evolutionary advantage of exhaustion in preventing lethal pathology, the ability of natural killer (NK) cells to act as rheostats tuning outcomes, and the role of the innate immune response in the spontaneous clearance of hepatitis C. Interventions that modulate the interactions in the motif may present routes to clear persistent infections or limit immunopathology.

Enhancing immunity prevents virus-induced T-cell-mediated immunopathology in B cell-deficient mice

Hyper-activated or deviated immune responses can result in immunopathological diseases. Paradoxically, immunodeficiency represents a frequent cause of such immune-mediated pathologies. Immunopathological manifestations are commonly treated by immunosuppression, but in situations in which immunodeficiency is the basis of disease development, enhancing immunity may represent an alternative treatment option. Here, we tested this counterintuitive concept in a preclinical model using infection of mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Firstly, we demonstrate that infection of B-cell-deficient (B^-/- ) but not of wild-type (WT) mice with the LCMV strain Docile induced a rapid and fatal CD8⁺ T-cell-mediated immunopathological disease. Similar to WT mice, LCMV-infected B^-/- mice generated a potent, functional LCMV-specific CD8⁺ T-cell response but exhibited prolonged viral antigen presentation and increased vascular leakage in liver and lungs. Secondly, we were able to prevent this virus-induced immunopathology in B^-/- mice by active or passive T-cell immunizations or by treatment with LCMV-specific virus neutralizing or non-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAb). Thus, boosting antiviral immunity did not aggravate immunopathology in this model, but prevented it by decreasing the formation of target structures for damage-causing CD8⁺ T cells.

Complexities of Type I Interferon Biology: Lessons from LCMV

Over the past decades, infection of mice with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) has provided an invaluable insight into our understanding of immune responses to viruses. In particular, this model has clarified the central roles that type I interferons play in initiating and regulating host responses. The use of different strains of LCMV and routes of infection has allowed us to understand how type I interferons are critical in controlling virus replication and fostering effective antiviral immunity, but also how they promote virus persistence and functional exhaustion of the immune response. Accordingly, these discoveries have formed the foundation for the development of novel treatments for acute and chronic viral infections and even extend into the management of malignant tumors. Here we review the fundamental insights into type I interferon biology gained using LCMV as a model and how the diversity of LCMV strains, dose, and route of administration have been used to dissect the molecular mechanisms underpinning acute versus persistent infection. We also identify gaps in the knowledge regarding LCMV regulation of antiviral immunity. Due to its unique properties, LCMV will continue to remain a vital part of the immunologists' toolbox.