Effect of recombinant murine interferon-beta on the replication of murine cytomegalovirus

A Comparison of Pyrimidinone Analogue Immunomodulators for Treatment of Phlebovirus Infections in Mice

The substituted pyrimidinone immunomodulators 5-bromo-2,3-dihydro-2-imino-6-phenyl-4(1H)-pyrimidinone (ABPP), 5-iodo-2,3-dihydro-2-imino-6-phenyl-4(1H)-pyrimidinone (AIPP), 5-bromo-2,3-dihydro-2-imino-6-methyl-4(1H)-pyrimidinone (ABMP), 5-chloro-2,3-dihydro-2-imino-6-phenyl-4(1H)-pyrimidinone (ACPP), 5-bromo-2,3-dihydro-2-iminp-6-(3-fluorophenyl)-4(1H)-pyrimidinone (ABmFPP) and 5-chloro-2,3-dihydro-2-imino-6-(2,3-difluorophenyl)-4(1H)-pyrimidinone (AComF2PP) were evaluated against the hepatotropic and immunosuppressive infection of mice induced by Punta Toro virus, a Phlebovirus related to Rift Valley fever virus. Using intraperitoneal (i.p.) treatments once daily for 3 days beginning 1 day prior to virus exposure, the order of efficacy was ABPP > ABmFPP > AComF2PP > AIPP > ABMP > ACPP, with prevention of death as end-point. Using single i.p. treatment 1 day prior to virus exposure, antiviral activity was seen in the order ABPP > ABmFPP > ABMP > AIPP > ACPP > AComF2PP. Three active pyrimidonones, ABPP, ABMP and AIPP, were given by gavage (p.o.) using the above 3-day treatment schedule. In this experiment, expanded parameters were used, with prevention of death seen as well as decreased hepatic icterus, as evidenced by lowered liver scores and serum glutamic oxalacetic and pyruvic transaminases. In addition, recoverable virus titres were reduced in the livers and sera of the mice. Greatest activity was seen using ABPP, followed by ABMP and then by AIPP. ABPP in doses of 100–800 mg kg−1 was markedly effective when administered p.o. in single treatments given as late as 24 hr after virus inoculation; a single dose, 400 mg kg−1, prevented death when given as late as 48 hr after virus exposure. In comparison of three once-daily, every-other-day, or every 2-day p.o. treatments, ABPP was most effective using the every-other-day regimen.

VSV replication in neurons is inhibited by type I IFN at multiple stages of infection

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is a rhabdovirus which causes acute encephalitis in mice after intranasal infection. Because type I interferon (IFN) has been shown to be a potent inhibitor of VSV, we investigated the role of type I IFN in viral replication in neurons in culture. Pre-treatment of NB41A3 neuroblastoma cells or primary neuron cultures with IFN-beta or IFN-alpha strongly inhibits virus replication, with 1000-fold inhibition of infectious virus release occurring at 7 h post-infection, and maximum inhibition of 14,000-fold occurring at 14 h. Type I IFN inhibited both viral protein and RNA synthesis, but not enough to account for the inhibition of infectious virus yield. The influenza virus protein NS1 binds dsRNA and antagonizes induction of PKR activity, an IFN-inducible antiviral protein which phosphorylates and inactivates the elongation factor eIF-2alpha, resulting in cessation of translation. In NS1-expressing neuroblastoma cells, VSV replication was inhibited by IFN-beta as well as in control NB41A3 cells, and eIF-2alpha phosphorylation was blocked, suggesting that PKR activity was not involved in inhibition of viral protein synthesis. Similarly, inhibition of VSV by IFN-beta was not affected by addition of inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase, indicating that IFN-beta activity is not mediated by nitric oxide or superoxide. This contrasts with the essential role of NOS-1 in inhibition of VSV replication when neurons are treated with IFN-gamma. Analysis of cell culture supernatants revealed suppression of release of VSV particles from both NB41A3 cells and primary neurons treated with IFN. The inhibition of virion release closely matched the overall suppression of infectious VSV particle release, suggesting that type I IFN plays a role in inhibition of VSV assembly.

Role of interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) in the control of the infection of monocyte-like cells with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)

The role of cytokines in the control of HCMV infection has been studied in THP-1 cells, a macrophage-like cell model and in MRC-5 cells. HCMV replication was studied by immune detection of viral immediate-early antigens (IEA) and virus yield was evaluated in MRC-5 cells by immunoperoxidase staining. Pretreatment of MRC-5 and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-treated THP-1 cells with IFN-alpha or IFN-gamma for 24 hr prior to the infection reduced the number of infected cells and virus yield. A synergistic anti-CMV activity in synthesis of early proteins was obtained with these cytokines in combination with TNF-alpha in differentiated THP-1 cells only. Treatment of HCMV-infected differentiated THP-1 cells or MRC-5 cells with IFN-alpha or IFN-gamma alone had no inhibitory effect on virus replication, however the virus yield was reduced with ganciclovir. A synergistic anti-CMV activity in virus yield was obtained only when infected differentiated THP-1 cells were treated with ganciclovir in combination with IFN-gamma. The current study shows that IFN-alpha and IFN-gamma can play a role in the reduction of HCMV replication in macrophage-like cells and in the efficiency of therapies with ganciclovir in this cell type and that the anti-CMV effect of cytokines may be different in fibroblasts and in macrophage-like cells.