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Briese T, Tokarz R, Bateman L, Che X, Guo C, Jain K, Kapoor V, Levine S, Hornig M, Oleynik A, Quan PL, Wong WH, Williams BL, Vernon SD, Klimas NG, Peterson DL, Montoya JG, Ian Lipkin W. A multicenter virome analysis of blood, feces, and saliva in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. J Med Virol 2023; 95:e28993. [PMID: 37526404 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.28993] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is estimated to affect 0.4%-2.5% of the global population. Most cases are unexplained; however, some patients describe an antecedent viral infection or response to antiviral medications. We report here a multicenter study for the presence of viral nucleic acid in blood, feces, and saliva of patients with ME/CFS using polymerase chain reaction and high-throughput sequencing. We found no consistent group-specific differences other than a lower prevalence of anelloviruses in cases compared to healthy controls. Our findings suggest that future investigations into viral infections in ME/CFS should focus on adaptive immune responses rather than surveillance for viral gene products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Briese
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Rafal Tokarz
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Xiaoyu Che
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Cheng Guo
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Komal Jain
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Vishal Kapoor
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Mady Hornig
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Alexandra Oleynik
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Phenix-Lan Quan
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Wai H Wong
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Brent L Williams
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Nancy G Klimas
- Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA
- Bruce W. Carter Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Geriatric Research Education and Research Center, Miami, Florida, USA
| | | | - Jose G Montoya
- Jack S. Remington Laboratory for Specialty Diagnostics of Toxoplasmosis, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Palo Alto, USA
| | - Walter Ian Lipkin
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Neurology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York, USA
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2
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Komaroff AL, Lipkin WI. ME/CFS and Long COVID share similar symptoms and biological abnormalities: road map to the literature. Front Med (Lausanne) 2023; 10:1187163. [PMID: 37342500 PMCID: PMC10278546 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1187163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 67.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Some patients remain unwell for months after "recovering" from acute COVID-19. They develop persistent fatigue, cognitive problems, headaches, disrupted sleep, myalgias and arthralgias, post-exertional malaise, orthostatic intolerance and other symptoms that greatly interfere with their ability to function and that can leave some people housebound and disabled. The illness (Long COVID) is similar to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) as well as to persisting illnesses that can follow a wide variety of other infectious agents and following major traumatic injury. Together, these illnesses are projected to cost the U.S. trillions of dollars. In this review, we first compare the symptoms of ME/CFS and Long COVID, noting the considerable similarities and the few differences. We then compare in extensive detail the underlying pathophysiology of these two conditions, focusing on abnormalities of the central and autonomic nervous system, lungs, heart, vasculature, immune system, gut microbiome, energy metabolism and redox balance. This comparison highlights how strong the evidence is for each abnormality, in each illness, and helps to set priorities for future investigation. The review provides a current road map to the extensive literature on the underlying biology of both illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony L. Komaroff
- Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - W. Ian Lipkin
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
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3
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Schulze H, Charles James J, Trampe N, Richter D, Pakeerathan T, Siems N, Ayzenberg I, Gold R, Faissner S. Cross-sectional analysis of clinical aspects in patients with long-COVID and post-COVID syndrome. Front Neurol 2022; 13:979152. [PMID: 36313487 PMCID: PMC9614029 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.979152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Regarding pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, at-risk individuals, and diagnostic methods for stratifying patients for therapeutic approaches, our understanding of post-COVID syndrome is limited. Here, we set out to assess sociodemographic and clinical aspects in patients with the long-COVID and post-COVID syndrome. Methods We performed a cross-sectional analysis of patients presenting at our specialized university hospital outpatient clinic. We assessed patients' clinical presentation, fatigue, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and impairment of smell. Results A total of 101 patients were included (73.3% female), of whom 78.2% had a mild course of COVID-19. At presentation, 93.1% suffered from fatigue, 82.2% from impaired concentration, and 79.2% from impaired memory, 53.5% had impaired sleep. The most common secondary diagnosis found in our cohort was thyroid disease. Fatigue analysis showed that 81.3% of female and 58.8% of male patients had severe combined fatigue. Female gender was an independent risk factor for severe fatigue (severe cognitive fatigue OR = 8.045, p = 0.010; severe motor fatigue OR = 7.698, p = 0.013). Males suffered from more depressive symptoms, which correlated positively with the duration of symptom onset. 70.3% of patients with anamnestic smell impairment had hyposmia, and 18.9% were anosmic. Interpretation Most long-COVID patients suffered from severe fatigue, with the female sex as an independent risk factor. Fatigue was not associated with symptoms of depression or anxiety. Patients with long-COVID symptoms should receive an interdisciplinary diagnostic and therapeutic approach depending on the clinical presentation.
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4
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Cox BS, Alharshawi K, Mena-Palomo I, Lafuse WP, Ariza ME. EBV/HHV-6A dUTPases contribute to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic-Fatigue-Syndrome pathophysiology by enhancing TFH cell differentiation and extrafollicular activities. JCI Insight 2022; 7:158193. [PMID: 35482424 PMCID: PMC9220958 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.158193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic, debilitating multisystem illness of unknown etiology for which there is no cure and no diagnostic tests available. Despite increasing evidence implicating EBV and human herpesvirus-6A (HHV-6A) as potential causative infectious agents in a subset of ME/CFS patients, there are few mechanistic studies to address a causal relationship. In this study we examined a large ME/CFS cohort (n=351) and 77 controls and demonstrate a significant increase in activin A and IL-21serum levels, which correlated with seropositivity for antibodies to the EBV and HHV-6 protein deoxyuridine-triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase), but not CXCL13. These cytokines are critical for T follicular helper (TFH) cell differentiation, generation of high-affinity antibodies and long-lived plasma cells. Notably, ME/CFS serum was sufficient to drive TFH cell differentiation via an activin A-dependent mechanism. The lack of simultaneous CXCL13 increase with IL-21 indicates impaired TFH-function in ME/CFS. In vitro studies revealed that virus-dUTPases strongly induced activin A secretion while in vivo, EBV-dUTPase induced the formation of splenic marginal zone B and invariant NKTFH cells. Altogether, our data indicate abnormal germinal center (GC) activity in ME/CFS subjects and highlight a mechanism by which EBV and HHV6-dUTPases may alter GC and extrafollicular Ab responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon S Cox
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, United States of America
| | - Khaled Alharshawi
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, United States of America
| | - Irene Mena-Palomo
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, United States of America
| | - William P Lafuse
- Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, United States of America
| | - Maria E Ariza
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, United States of America
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5
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Alharshawi K, Cox B, Ariza ME. Examination of control asymptomatic cohorts reveals heightened anti-EBV and HHV-6 A/B dUTPase antibodies in the aging populations. J Med Virol 2022; 94:3464-3468. [PMID: 35315111 PMCID: PMC9117428 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.27728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Members of the human Herpesviridae are found in high prevalence in the human virome. While these viruses are known to cause numerous disease pathologies in symptomatic individuals little is known concerning the role that these viruses may have in modulating the host immune system in asymptomatic “healthy” individuals, especially during the aging process. Examination of three cohorts of “healthy asymptomatic” individuals (n = 255) for the presence of antibodies against the herpesviruses deoxyuridine triphosphate nucleotidohydrolase (dUTPase) as a marker for lytic/abortive‐lytic replication demonstrated that all cohorts exhibited differential anti‐herpesvirus dUTPase antibodies positivity frequencies ranging from 40.4% to 84% with some individuals in these cohorts expressing antibodies to the dUTPases of multiple herpesviruses (17.2%–56%). Furthermore, our results demonstrate that there was a statistically significant difference in anti‐human herpesvirus 6 A and 6B (HHV‐6 A/B) dUTPase antibodies in Cohort 3 (age = 66.2 ± 15.02 years) versus Cohort 1 (age 46.88 ± 8.61 years), suggesting that reactivation of HHV‐6 A/B is not attenuated by aging. It is well established/documented that herpesvirus dUTPases induce immune dysfunction, as such it is of critical importance that additional studies be performed to determine how these viral proteins alter immune responses in asymptomatic individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khaled Alharshawi
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Brandon Cox
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Maria E Ariza
- Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA.,Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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6
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Insights from myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome may help unravel the pathogenesis of postacute COVID-19 syndrome. Trends Mol Med 2021; 27:895-906. [PMID: 34175230 PMCID: PMC8180841 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2021.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 134] [Impact Index Per Article: 44.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) can cause chronic and acute disease. Postacute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) include injury to the lungs, heart, kidneys, and brain that may produce a variety of symptoms. PASC also includes a post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) syndrome ('long COVID') with features that can follow other acute infectious diseases and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Here we summarize what is known about the pathogenesis of ME/CFS and of 'acute' COVID-19, and we speculate that the pathogenesis of post-COVID-19 syndrome in some people may be similar to that of ME/CFS. We propose molecular mechanisms that might explain the fatigue and related symptoms in both illnesses, and we suggest a research agenda for both ME/CFS and post-COVID-19 syndrome.
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7
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Milivojevic M, Che X, Bateman L, Cheng A, Garcia BA, Hornig M, Huber M, Klimas NG, Lee B, Lee H, Levine S, Montoya JG, Peterson DL, Komaroff AL, Lipkin WI. Plasma proteomic profiling suggests an association between antigen driven clonal B cell expansion and ME/CFS. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0236148. [PMID: 32692761 PMCID: PMC7373296 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is an unexplained chronic, debilitating illness characterized by fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, orthostatic intolerance and gastrointestinal problems. Using ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS), we analyzed the plasma proteomes of 39 ME/CFS patients and 41 healthy controls. Logistic regression models, with both linear and quadratic terms of the protein levels as independent variables, revealed a significant association between ME/CFS and the immunoglobulin heavy variable (IGHV) region 3-23/30. Stratifying the ME/CFS group based on self-reported irritable bowel syndrome (sr-IBS) status revealed a significant quadratic effect of immunoglobulin lambda constant region 7 on its association with ME/CFS with sr-IBS whilst IGHV3-23/30 and immunoglobulin kappa variable region 3-11 were significantly associated with ME/CFS without sr-IBS. In addition, we were able to predict ME/CFS status with a high degree of accuracy (AUC = 0.774-0.838) using a panel of proteins selected by 3 different machine learning algorithms: Lasso, Random Forests, and XGBoost. These algorithms also identified proteomic profiles that predicted the status of ME/CFS patients with sr-IBS (AUC = 0.806-0.846) and ME/CFS without sr-IBS (AUC = 0.754-0.780). Our findings are consistent with a significant association of ME/CFS with immune dysregulation and highlight the potential use of the plasma proteome as a source of biomarkers for disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milica Milivojevic
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Xiaoyu Che
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States of America
- Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Lucinda Bateman
- Bateman Horne Center, Salt Lake City, UT, United States of America
| | - Aaron Cheng
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Benjamin A. Garcia
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Mady Hornig
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Manuel Huber
- German Research Center for Environmental Health, Institute for Health Economics and Health Care Management, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Nancy G. Klimas
- Institute for Neuro Immune Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States of America
- Miami VA Medical Center, Miami, FL, United States of America
| | - Bohyun Lee
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Hyoungjoo Lee
- Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States of America
| | - Susan Levine
- Levine Clinic, New York, NY, United States of America
| | - Jose G. Montoya
- Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Jack S. Remington Laboratory for Specialty Diagnostics of Toxoplasmosis, Palo Alto, CA, United States of America
| | - Daniel L. Peterson
- Sierra Internal Medicine at Incline Village, Incline Village, NV, United States of America
| | - Anthony L. Komaroff
- Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - W. Ian Lipkin
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, United States of America
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Neil SJ, Campbell EM. Fake Science: XMRV, COVID-19, and the Toxic Legacy of Dr. Judy Mikovits. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2020; 36:545-549. [PMID: 32414291 PMCID: PMC7398426 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2020.0095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
One cannot spend >5 min on social media at the moment without finding a link to some conspiracy theory or other regarding the origin of SARS-CoV2, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. From the virus being deliberately released as a bioweapon to pharmaceutical companies blocking the trials of natural remedies to boost their dangerous drugs and vaccines, the Internet is rife with far-fetched rumors. And predictably, now that the first immunization trials have started, the antivaccine lobby has latched on to most of them. In the last week, the trailer for a new "bombshell documentary" Plandemic has been doing the rounds, gaining notoriety for being repeatedly removed from YouTube and Facebook. We usually would not pay much heed to such things, but for retrovirologists like us, the name associated with these claims is unfortunately too familiar: Dr. Judy Mikovits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart J.D. Neil
- Department of Infectious Disease, School of Immunobiology and Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Edward M. Campbell
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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9
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Abstract
Phosphate is an essential nutrient for life and is a critical component of bone formation, a major signaling molecule, and structural component of cell walls. Phosphate is also a component of high-energy compounds (i.e., AMP, ADP, and ATP) and essential for nucleic acid helical structure (i.e., RNA and DNA). Phosphate plays a central role in the process of mineralization, normal serum levels being associated with appropriate bone mineralization, while high and low serum levels are associated with soft tissue calcification. The serum concentration of phosphate and the total body content of phosphate are highly regulated, a process that is accomplished by the coordinated effort of two families of sodium-dependent transporter proteins. The three isoforms of the SLC34 family (SLC34A1-A3) show very restricted tissue expression and regulate intestinal absorption and renal excretion of phosphate. SLC34A2 also regulates the phosphate concentration in multiple lumen fluids including milk, saliva, pancreatic fluid, and surfactant. Both isoforms of the SLC20 family exhibit ubiquitous expression (with some variation as to which one or both are expressed), are regulated by ambient phosphate, and likely serve the phosphate needs of the individual cell. These proteins exhibit similarities to phosphate transporters in nonmammalian organisms. The proteins are nonredundant as mutations in each yield unique clinical presentations. Further research is essential to understand the function, regulation, and coordination of the various phosphate transporters, both the ones described in this review and the phosphate transporters involved in intracellular transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nati Hernando
- University of Zurich-Irchel, Institute of Physiology, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky; and Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Kenneth Gagnon
- University of Zurich-Irchel, Institute of Physiology, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky; and Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky
| | - Eleanor Lederer
- University of Zurich-Irchel, Institute of Physiology, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Medicine, University of Louisville School of Medicine, Louisville, Kentucky; and Robley Rex VA Medical Center, Louisville, Kentucky
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10
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Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both the USA and the world. Recent research has demonstrated the involvement of the gut microbiota in CRC development and progression. Microbial biomarkers of disease have focused primarily on the bacterial component of the microbiome; however, the viral portion of the microbiome, consisting of both bacteriophages and eukaryotic viruses, together known as the virome, has been lesser studied. Here we review the recent advancements in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies and bioinformatics, which have enabled scientists to better understand how viruses might influence the development of colorectal cancer. We discuss the contemporary findings revealing modulations in the virome and their correlation with CRC development and progression. While a variety of challenges still face viral HTS detection in clinical specimens, we consider herein numerous next steps for future basic and clinical research. Clinicians need to move away from a single infectious agent model for disease etiology by grasping new, more encompassing etiological paradigms, in which communities of various microbial components interact with each other and the host. The reporting and indexing of patient health information, socioeconomic data, and other relevant metadata will enable identification of predictive variables and covariates of viral presence and CRC development. Altogether, the virome has a more profound role in carcinogenesis and cancer progression than once thought, and viruses, specific for either human cells or bacteria, are clinically relevant in understanding CRC pathology, patient prognosis, and treatment development.
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11
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Sfanos KS, Yegnasubramanian S, Nelson WG, Lotan TL, Kulac I, Hicks JL, Zheng Q, Bieberich CJ, Haffner MC, De Marzo AM. If this is true, what does it imply? How end-user antibody validation facilitates insights into biology and disease. Asian J Urol 2019; 6:10-25. [PMID: 30775245 PMCID: PMC6363603 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajur.2018.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 11/12/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Antibodies are employed ubiquitously in biomedical sciences, including for diagnostics and therapeutics. One of the most important uses is for immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, a process that has been improving and evolving over decades. IHC is useful when properly employed, yet misuse of the method is widespread and contributes to the "reproducibility crisis" in science. We report some of the common problems encountered with IHC assays, and direct readers to a wealth of literature documenting and providing some solutions to this problem. We also describe a series of vignettes that include our approach to analytical validation of antibodies and IHC assays that have facilitated a number of biological insights into prostate cancer and the refutation of a controversial association of a viral etiology in gliomas. We postulate that a great deal of the problem with lack of accuracy in IHC assays stems from the lack of awareness by researchers for the critical necessity for end-users to validate IHC antibodies and assays in their laboratories, regardless of manufacturer claims or past publications. We suggest that one reason for the pervasive lack of end-user validation for research antibodies is that researchers fail to realize that there are two general classes of antibodies employed in IHC. First, there are antibodies that are "clinical grade" reagents used by pathologists to help render diagnoses that influence patient treatment. Such diagnostic antibodies, which tend to be highly validated prior to clinical implementation, are in the vast minority (e.g. < 500). The other main class of antibodies are "research grade" antibodies (now numbering >3 800 000), which are often not extensively validated prior to commercialization. Given increased awareness of the problem, both the United States, National Institutes of Health and some journals are requiring investigators to provide evidence of specificity of their antibody-based assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen S. Sfanos
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - William G. Nelson
- Department of Oncology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Tamara L. Lotan
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ibrahim Kulac
- Department of Pathology, Koc Universitesi Tip Fakultesi, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Jessica L. Hicks
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Qizhi Zheng
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Charles J. Bieberich
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael C. Haffner
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Angelo M. De Marzo
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
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Rasa S, Nora-Krukle Z, Henning N, Eliassen E, Shikova E, Harrer T, Scheibenbogen C, Murovska M, Prusty BK. Chronic viral infections in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). J Transl Med 2018; 16:268. [PMID: 30285773 PMCID: PMC6167797 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-018-1644-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Accepted: 09/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background and main text Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a complex and controversial clinical condition without having established causative factors. Increasing numbers of cases during past decade have created awareness among patients as well as healthcare professionals. Chronic viral infection as a cause of ME/CFS has long been debated. However, lack of large studies involving well-designed patient groups and validated experimental set ups have hindered our knowledge about this disease. Moreover, recent developments regarding molecular mechanism of pathogenesis of various infectious agents cast doubts over validity of several of the past studies. Conclusions This review aims to compile all the studies done so far to investigate various viral agents that could be associated with ME/CFS. Furthermore, we suggest strategies to better design future studies on the role of viral infections in ME/CFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Santa Rasa
- Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Rīga Stradiņš University, Riga, Latvia
| | - Zaiga Nora-Krukle
- Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Rīga Stradiņš University, Riga, Latvia
| | - Nina Henning
- Biocenter, Chair of Microbiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Eva Eliassen
- Biocenter, Chair of Microbiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Evelina Shikova
- Department of Virology, National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Thomas Harrer
- Department of Internal Medicine 3, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Erlangen, Germany
| | - Carmen Scheibenbogen
- Institute for Medical Immunology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Virchow, Berlin, Germany
| | - Modra Murovska
- Institute of Microbiology and Virology, Rīga Stradiņš University, Riga, Latvia
| | - Bhupesh K Prusty
- Biocenter, Chair of Microbiology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. .,Institute for Virology and Immunobiology, Würzburg, Germany.
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13
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Insights into myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome phenotypes through comprehensive metabolomics. Sci Rep 2018; 8:10056. [PMID: 29968805 PMCID: PMC6030047 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28477-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 06/25/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The pathogenesis of ME/CFS, a disease characterized by fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, sleep disturbances, orthostatic intolerance, fever, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and lymphadenopathy, is poorly understood. We report biomarker discovery and topological analysis of plasma metabolomic, fecal bacterial metagenomic, and clinical data from 50 ME/CFS patients and 50 healthy controls. We confirm reports of altered plasma levels of choline, carnitine and complex lipid metabolites and demonstrate that patients with ME/CFS and IBS have increased plasma levels of ceramide. Integration of fecal metagenomic and plasma metabolomic data resulted in a stronger predictive model of ME/CFS (cross-validated AUC = 0.836) than either metagenomic (cross-validated AUC = 0.745) or metabolomic (cross-validated AUC = 0.820) analysis alone. Our findings may provide insights into the pathogenesis of ME/CFS and its subtypes and suggest pathways for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
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14
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The Human Virome: Implications for Clinical Practice in Transplantation Medicine. J Clin Microbiol 2017; 55:2884-2893. [PMID: 28724557 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00489-17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in DNA sequencing technology have provided an unprecedented opportunity to study the human virome. Transplant recipients and other immunocompromised hosts are at particular risk for developing virus-related pathology; thus, the impact of the virome on health and disease may be even more relevant in this population. Here, we discuss technical considerations in studying the human virome, the current literature on the virome in transplant recipients, and near-future applications of sequence-based findings that can further our understanding of viruses in transplantation medicine.
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15
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Panelli S, Lorusso L, Balestrieri A, Lupo G, Capelli E. XMRV and Public Health: The Retroviral Genome Is Not a Suitable Template for Diagnostic PCR, and Its Association with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Appears Unreliable. Front Public Health 2017; 5:108. [PMID: 28589117 PMCID: PMC5439170 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2016] [Accepted: 05/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A few years ago, a highly significant association between the xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), a complex debilitating disease of poorly understood etiology and no definite treatment, was reported in Science, raising concern for public welfare. Successively, the failure to reproduce these findings, and the suspect that the diagnostic PCR was vitiated by laboratory contaminations, led to the retraction of the paper. Notwithstanding, XMRV continued to be the subject of researches and public debates. Occasional positivity in humans was also detected recently, even if the data always appeared elusive and non-reproducible. In this study, we discuss the current status of this controversial association and propose that a major role in the unreliability of the results was played by the XMRV genomic composition in itself. In this regard, we present bioinformatic analyses that show: (i) aspecific, spurious annealings of the available primers in multiple homologous sites of the human genome; (ii) strict homologies between whole XMRV genome and interspersed repetitive elements widespread in mammalian genomes. To further detail this scenario, we screen several human and mammalian samples by using both published and newly designed primers. The experimental data confirm that available primers are far from being selective and specific. In conclusion, the occurrence of highly conserved, repeated DNA sequences in the XMRV genome deeply undermines the reliability of diagnostic PCRs by leading to artifactual and spurious amplifications. Together with all the other evidences, this makes the association between the XMRV retrovirus and CFS totally unreliable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simona Panelli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Section of Animal Biology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Centre for Health Technologies (C.H.T.), University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Lorusso
- Neurology Unit, A.S.S.T. Franciacorta, Chiari (Brescia), Italy
| | | | - Giuseppe Lupo
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Section of Animal Biology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Centre for Health Technologies (C.H.T.), University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Enrica Capelli
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Section of Animal Biology, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Centre for Health Technologies (C.H.T.), University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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16
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Nagy-Szakal D, Williams BL, Mishra N, Che X, Lee B, Bateman L, Klimas NG, Komaroff AL, Levine S, Montoya JG, Peterson DL, Ramanan D, Jain K, Eddy ML, Hornig M, Lipkin WI. Fecal metagenomic profiles in subgroups of patients with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. MICROBIOME 2017; 5:44. [PMID: 28441964 PMCID: PMC5405467 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-017-0261-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Accepted: 04/04/2017] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is characterized by unexplained persistent fatigue, commonly accompanied by cognitive dysfunction, sleeping disturbances, orthostatic intolerance, fever, lymphadenopathy, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The extent to which the gastrointestinal microbiome and peripheral inflammation are associated with ME/CFS remains unclear. We pursued rigorous clinical characterization, fecal bacterial metagenomics, and plasma immune molecule analyses in 50 ME/CFS patients and 50 healthy controls frequency-matched for age, sex, race/ethnicity, geographic site, and season of sampling. RESULTS Topological analysis revealed associations between IBS co-morbidity, body mass index, fecal bacterial composition, and bacterial metabolic pathways but not plasma immune molecules. IBS co-morbidity was the strongest driving factor in the separation of topological networks based on bacterial profiles and metabolic pathways. Predictive selection models based on bacterial profiles supported findings from topological analyses indicating that ME/CFS subgroups, defined by IBS status, could be distinguished from control subjects with high predictive accuracy. Bacterial taxa predictive of ME/CFS patients with IBS were distinct from taxa associated with ME/CFS patients without IBS. Increased abundance of unclassified Alistipes and decreased Faecalibacterium emerged as the top biomarkers of ME/CFS with IBS; while increased unclassified Bacteroides abundance and decreased Bacteroides vulgatus were the top biomarkers of ME/CFS without IBS. Despite findings of differences in bacterial taxa and metabolic pathways defining ME/CFS subgroups, decreased metabolic pathways associated with unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and increased atrazine degradation pathways were independent of IBS co-morbidity. Increased vitamin B6 biosynthesis/salvage and pyrimidine ribonucleoside degradation were the top metabolic pathways in ME/CFS without IBS as well as in the total ME/CFS cohort. In ME/CFS subgroups, symptom severity measures including pain, fatigue, and reduced motivation were correlated with the abundance of distinct bacterial taxa and metabolic pathways. CONCLUSIONS Independent of IBS, ME/CFS is associated with dysbiosis and distinct bacterial metabolic disturbances that may influence disease severity. However, our findings indicate that dysbiotic features that are uniquely ME/CFS-associated may be masked by disturbances arising from the high prevalence of IBS co-morbidity in ME/CFS. These insights may enable more accurate diagnosis and lead to insights that inform the development of specific therapeutic strategies in ME/CFS subgroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorottya Nagy-Szakal
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street 17th Floor, New York,, NY 10032 USA
| | - Brent L. Williams
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street 17th Floor, New York,, NY 10032 USA
| | - Nischay Mishra
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street 17th Floor, New York,, NY 10032 USA
| | - Xiaoyu Che
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street 17th Floor, New York,, NY 10032 USA
| | - Bohyun Lee
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street 17th Floor, New York,, NY 10032 USA
| | | | - Nancy G. Klimas
- Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314 USA
- Miami VA Medical Center, Miami, FL 33125 USA
| | | | | | | | - Daniel L. Peterson
- Sierra Internal Medicine at Incline Village, Incline Village, NV 89451 USA
| | | | - Komal Jain
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street 17th Floor, New York,, NY 10032 USA
| | - Meredith L. Eddy
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street 17th Floor, New York,, NY 10032 USA
| | - Mady Hornig
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street 17th Floor, New York,, NY 10032 USA
| | - W. Ian Lipkin
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 W 168th Street 17th Floor, New York,, NY 10032 USA
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17
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Mitchell WM. Efficacy of rintatolimod in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol 2017; 9:755-70. [PMID: 27045557 PMCID: PMC4917909 DOI: 10.1586/17512433.2016.1172960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Chronic fatigue syndrome/ Myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is a poorly understood seriously debilitating disorder in which disabling fatigue is an universal symptom in combination with a variety of variable symptoms. The only drug in advanced clinical development is rintatolimod, a mismatched double stranded polymer of RNA (dsRNA). Rintatolimod is a restricted Toll-Like Receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist lacking activation of other primary cellular inducers of innate immunity (e.g.- cytosolic helicases). Rintatolimod also activates interferon induced proteins that require dsRNA for activity (e.g.- 2ʹ-5ʹ adenylate synthetase, protein kinase R). Rintatolimod has achieved statistically significant improvements in primary endpoints in Phase II and Phase III double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials with a generally well tolerated safety profile and supported by open-label trials in the United States and Europe. The chemistry, mechanism of action, clinical trial data, and current regulatory status of rintatolimod for CFS/ME including current evidence for etiology of the syndrome are reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- William M Mitchell
- a Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology , Vanderbilt University , Nashville , USA
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18
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Holdhoff M, Guner G, Rodriguez FJ, Hicks JL, Zheng Q, Forman MS, Ye X, Grossman SA, Meeker AK, Heaphy CM, Eberhart CG, De Marzo AM, Arav-Boger R. Absence of Cytomegalovirus in Glioblastoma and Other High-grade Gliomas by Real-time PCR, Immunohistochemistry, and In Situ Hybridization. Clin Cancer Res 2016; 23:3150-3157. [PMID: 28034905 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-16-1490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Purpose: Reports of cytomegalovirus (CMV) detection in high-grade gliomas (HGG)/glioblastoma have been conflicting. We undertook a comprehensive approach to determine the presence or absence of CMV in tissue, plasma, and serum of HGG patients.Experimental Design: In a retrospective arm, 25 fresh frozen tissues from glioblastoma patients were tested for CMV by real-time PCR. Tissue microarrays from 70 HGG patients were tested by IHC and 20 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) glioblastoma tissues by IHC and chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH), targeting CMV-encoded IE1/2 and pp65. In a prospective arm, 18 patients with newly diagnosed HGG provided tissue and blood samples.Results: All retrospectively collected tissues were negative for CMV by all methods. In the prospective cohort, 18 patients with newly diagnosed HGG provided blood samples at the time of diagnosis and during follow-up. Of 38 plasma specimens, CMV DNA was detected in 3 of 18 samples at baseline and 1 of 20 follow-up samples. Serum CMV IgG was positive in 8 of 15 (53%) of patients. Among the FFPE samples tested in the prospective arm, all were negative for CMV by IHC, CISH, and PCR.Conclusions: Utilizing 6 highly sensitive assays with three orthogonal technologies on multiple specimens and specimen types, no evidence for CMV in glioblastoma tissues was found. Our findings call for multicenter blinded analyses of samples collected from different geographical areas with agreed upon study designs and determination of causality or lack thereof of CMV in HGG/glioblastoma for future guidance on the necessary antiviral and/or CMV-based therapies. Clin Cancer Res; 23(12); 3150-7. ©2016 AACR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Holdhoff
- Brain Cancer Program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland. .,Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Gunes Guner
- Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Fausto J Rodriguez
- Brain Cancer Program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Jessica L Hicks
- Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Qizhi Zheng
- Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Michael S Forman
- Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Xiaobu Ye
- Brain Cancer Program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Neurosurgery, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Stuart A Grossman
- Brain Cancer Program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Alan K Meeker
- Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Christopher M Heaphy
- Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Charles G Eberhart
- Brain Cancer Program, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.,Department of Pathology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Angelo M De Marzo
- Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Ravit Arav-Boger
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.
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19
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Le Y, Toyofuku WM, Scott MD. Immunogenicity of murine mPEG-red blood cells and the risk of anti-PEG antibodies in human blood donors. Exp Hematol 2016; 47:36-47.e2. [PMID: 27864153 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2016.11.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2016] [Revised: 10/20/2016] [Accepted: 11/06/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The immunocamouflage of non-ABO blood group antigens by membrane-grafted methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG) may attenuate the risk of red blood cell (RBC) alloimmunization. However, concerns have been raised over the immunogenic risk of PEG and PEG-RBCs. To assess this risk, murine and human studies were performed. Mice were exposed to soluble PEG prior to, or between, multiple transfusions (∼60-day intervals) of control or mPEG-RBCs, and cell survival was determined by flow cytometry. In some studies, the control and mPEG-RBC groups were reversed after one or more transfusions. Furthermore, human blood donors and commercial intravenous immunoglobulin products were examined to detect anti-PEG antibodies and to assess the risk for false positives. Naïve mice receiving chronic mPEG-RBC transfusions had normal RBC survival curves with no evidence of anti-PEG antibodies. Similarly, challenge with soluble PEG did not elicit anti-PEG antibodies in mice. Studies in humans revealed no evidence of a high prevalence of anti-PEG antibodies in either blood donors or commercial intravenous immunoglobulin. However, by use of the methods employed by studies identifying high levels of anti-PEG antibodies, a significant level (∼15%) of "false positives" were detected in commercial antibodies of known (non-PEG) specificities. These findings suggest that methodologic problems yielded a high rate of false positives in these earlier studies. These data continue to support the clinical utility of cellular PEGylation and the low immunogenic risk of grafted mPEG.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yevgeniya Le
- Canadian Blood Services, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, Chalk River, ON, Canada
| | - Wendy M Toyofuku
- Canadian Blood Services, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mark D Scott
- Canadian Blood Services, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Centre for Blood Research, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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20
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Rimbaut S, Van Gutte C, Van Brabander L, Vanden Bossche L. Chronic fatigue syndrome - an update. Acta Clin Belg 2016; 71:273-280. [PMID: 27362742 DOI: 10.1080/17843286.2016.1196862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic fatigue syndrome is a widespread condition with a huge impact not only on a patient's life, but also on society as evidenced by substantial losses of productivity, informal costs, and medical expenses. The high prevalence rates (0.2-6.4%) and the low employment rates (27-41%) are responsible for the enormous burden imposed on society, with loss of productivity representing the highest cost. The objective of this review is to systematically review the recent literature on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis. METHODS The published literature between 1 January 1990 and 1 April 2015 was searched using the MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Sciences databases. The reference lists of the selected articles were screened for other relevant articles. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Despite extensive research, none of the proposed etiological factors have shown strong, reproducible scientific evidence. Over the years, the biopsychosocial model integrating many of the proposed hypotheses has been gaining popularity over the biomedical model, where the focus is on one physical cause. Since the etiological mechanism underlying chronic fatigue syndrome is currently unknown, disease-specific treatments do not exist. Various treatments have been investigated but only cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and graded exercise therapy (GET) have shown moderate effectiveness.
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21
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Navaneetharaja N, Griffiths V, Wileman T, Carding SR. A Role for the Intestinal Microbiota and Virome in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)? J Clin Med 2016; 5:E55. [PMID: 27275835 PMCID: PMC4929410 DOI: 10.3390/jcm5060055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2016] [Revised: 05/23/2016] [Accepted: 05/31/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a heterogeneous disorder of significant societal impact that is proposed to involve both host and environmentally derived aetiologies that may be autoimmune in nature. Immune-related symptoms of at least moderate severity persisting for prolonged periods of time are common in ME/CFS patients and B cell depletion therapy is of significant therapeutic benefit. The origin of these symptoms and whether it is infectious or inflammatory in nature is not clear, with seeking evidence of acute or chronic virus infections contributing to the induction of autoimmune processes in ME/CFS being an area of recent interest. This article provides a comprehensive review of the current evidence supporting an infectious aetiology for ME/CFS leading us to propose the novel concept that the intestinal microbiota and in particular members of the virome are a source of the "infectious" trigger of the disease. Such an approach has the potential to identify disease biomarkers and influence therapeutics, providing much-needed approaches in preventing and managing a disease desperately in need of confronting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Navena Navaneetharaja
- The Gut Health and Food Safety Research Programme, The Institute of Food Research, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7UA, UK.
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Verity Griffiths
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Tom Wileman
- The Gut Health and Food Safety Research Programme, The Institute of Food Research, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7UA, UK.
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Simon R Carding
- The Gut Health and Food Safety Research Programme, The Institute of Food Research, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7UA, UK.
- Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
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22
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Lawson N, Hsieh CH, March D, Wang X. Elevated Energy Production in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients. JOURNAL OF NATURE AND SCIENCE 2016; 2:e221. [PMID: 27747291 PMCID: PMC5065105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating disease characterized by physical and mental exhaustion. The underlying pathogenesis is unknown, but impairments in certain mitochondrial functions have been found in some CFS patients. To thoroughly reveal mitochondrial deficiencies in CFS patients, here we examine the key aspects of mitochondrial function in blood cells from a paired CFS patient-control series. Surprisingly, we discover that in patients the ATP levels are higher and mitochondrial cristae are more condensed compared to their paired controls, while the mitochondrial crista length, mitochondrial size, shape, density, membrane potential, and enzymatic activities of the complexes in the electron transport chain remain intact. We further show that the increased ATP largely comes from non-mitochondrial sources. Our results indicate that the fatigue symptom in this cohort of patients is unlikely caused by lack of ATP and severe mitochondrial malfunction. On the contrary, it might be linked to a pathological mechanism by which more ATP is produced by non-mitochondrial sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick Lawson
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Chung-Han Hsieh
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Dana March
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Xinnan Wang
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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23
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Lipkin WI. A Vision for Investigating the Microbiology of Health and Disease. J Infect Dis 2015; 212 Suppl 1:S26-30. [PMID: 26116727 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiu649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The fields of microbial surveillance, discovery, and pathogenesis are evolving rapidly with introduction of cultivation-independent molecular diagnostic assays and highly multiplexed serologic analyses, as well as the development of animal models and prospective birth cohorts that can provide insights into host and microbial determinants of health and disease. Here, past, present, and future perspectives on these fields are provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Ian Lipkin
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University, New York, New York
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24
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Phan TG, Desnues C, Switzer WM, Djoko CF, Schneider BS, Deng X, Delwart E. Absence of giant blood Marseille-like virus DNA detection by polymerase chain reaction in plasma from healthy US blood donors and serum from multiply transfused patients from Cameroon. Transfusion 2015; 55:1256-62. [PMID: 25645088 DOI: 10.1111/trf.12997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2014] [Revised: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 11/28/2014] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A new Marseilleviridae virus family member, giant blood Marseille-like (GBM) virus, was recently reported in persons from France in the serum of an infant with adenitis, in the blood of 4% of healthy blood donors, and in 9% of multiply transfused thalassemia patients. These results suggested the presence of a nucleocytoplasmic large DNA virus potentially transmissible by blood product transfusion. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS To investigate this possibility we tested the plasma from 113 US blood donors and 74 multiply transfused Cameroon patients for GBM viral DNA using highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays. RESULTS GBM DNA was not detected by nested PCR in any of these 187 human specimens. CONCLUSIONS Further testing is required to confirm the occurrence of human GBM virus infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tung Gia Phan
- Blood Systems Research Institute.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Christelle Desnues
- Aix Marseille Université, URMITE, UM63, CNRS 7278, IRD 198, Inserm 1095, Marseille, France
| | - William M Switzer
- Laboratory Branch, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia
| | | | | | - Xutao Deng
- Blood Systems Research Institute.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California
| | - Eric Delwart
- Blood Systems Research Institute.,Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California
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25
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Hornig M, Montoya JG, Klimas NG, Levine S, Felsenstein D, Bateman L, Peterson DL, Gottschalk CG, Schultz AF, Che X, Eddy ML, Komaroff AL, Lipkin WI. Distinct plasma immune signatures in ME/CFS are present early in the course of illness. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2015; 1:e1400121. [PMID: 26079000 PMCID: PMC4465185 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1400121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 176] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2014] [Accepted: 02/06/2015] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is an unexplained incapacitating illness that may affect up to 4 million people in the United States alone. There are no validated laboratory tests for diagnosis or management despite global efforts to find biomarkers of disease. We considered the possibility that inability to identify such biomarkers reflected variations in diagnostic criteria and laboratory methods as well as the timing of sample collection during the course of the illness. Accordingly, we leveraged two large, multicenter cohort studies of ME/CFS to assess the relationship of immune signatures with diagnosis, illness duration, and other clinical variables. Controls were frequency-matched on key variables known to affect immune status, including season of sampling and geographic site, in addition to age and sex. We report here distinct alterations in plasma immune signatures early in the course of ME/CFS (n = 52) relative to healthy controls (n = 348) that are not present in subjects with longer duration of illness (n = 246). Analyses based on disease duration revealed that early ME/CFS cases had a prominent activation of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines as well as dissociation of intercytokine regulatory networks. We found a stronger correlation of cytokine alterations with illness duration than with measures of illness severity, suggesting that the immunopathology of ME/CFS is not static. These findings have critical implications for discovery of interventional strategies and early diagnosis of ME/CFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mady Hornig
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | | | - Nancy G. Klimas
- Institute for Neuro-Immune Medicine, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314, USA, and Miami VA Medical Center, Miami, FL 33125, USA
| | | | - Donna Felsenstein
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Daniel L. Peterson
- Sierra Internal Medicine at Incline Village, Incline Village, NV 89451, USA
| | | | - Andrew F. Schultz
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Xiaoyu Che
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | - Meredith L. Eddy
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | | | - W. Ian Lipkin
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY 10032, USA
- Departments of Neurology and Pathology, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA
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Gomes STM, Imbiriba L, Burbano RR, Silva ALDC, Feitosa RNM, Cayres-Vallinoto IMV, Ishak MDOG, Ishak R, Vallinoto ACR. Lack of evidence for human infection with Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus in the Brazilian Amazon basin. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop 2014; 47:302-6. [PMID: 25075480 DOI: 10.1590/0037-8682-0075-2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This study confirmed the absence of natural infection with Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) or XMRV-related disease in human populations of the Brazilian Amazon basin. We demonstrated that 803 individuals of both sexes, who were residents of Belem in the Brazilian State of Pará, were not infected with XMRV. METHODS Individuals were divided into 4 subgroups: healthy individuals, individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus, type 1 (HIV-1), individuals infected with human T-lymphotrophic virus, types 1 or 2 (HTLV-1/2), and individuals with prostate cancer. XMRV infection was investigated by nested PCR to detect the viral gag gene and by quantitative PCR to detect pol. RESULTS There was no amplification of either gag or pol segments from XRMV in any of the samples examined. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the conclusions of the studies that eventually led to the retraction of the original study reporting the association between XMRV and human diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Luciana Imbiriba
- Laboratório de Virologia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Rommel Rodriguéz Burbano
- Laboratório de Citogenética Humana, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Artur Luiz da Costa Silva
- Laboratório de Polimorfismo de DNA, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Ricardo Ishak
- Laboratório de Virologia, Universidade Federal do Pará, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belém, PA, Brazil
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Irlbeck DM, Vernon SD, McCleary KK, Bateman L, Klimas NG, Lapp CW, Peterson DL, Brown JR, Remlinger KS, Wilfret DA, Gerondelis P. No association found between the detection of either xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus or polytropic murine leukemia virus and chronic fatigue syndrome in a blinded, multi-site, prospective study by the establishment and use of the SolveCFS BioBank. BMC Res Notes 2014; 7:461. [PMID: 25092471 PMCID: PMC4236736 DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-7-461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2014] [Accepted: 07/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In 2009, a retrospective study reported the detection of xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) in clinical isolates derived from individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS). While many efforts to confirm this observation failed, one report detected polytropic murine leukemia virus (pMLV), instead of XMRV. In both studies, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based methods were employed which could provide the basis for the development of a practical diagnostic tool. To confirm these studies, we hypothesized that the ability to detect these viruses will not only depend upon the technical details of the methods employed but also on the criteria used to diagnose CFS and the availability of well characterized clinical isolates. Methods A repository of clinical isolates from geographically distinct sites was generated by the collection of fresh blood samples from well characterized CFS and healthy subjects. Molecular techniques were used to generate assay positive controls and to determine the lower limit of detection (LLOD) for murine retroviral and Intracisternal A particle (Cell 12(4):963-72, 1977) detection methods. Results We report the establishment of a repository of well-defined, clinical isolates from five, geographically distinct regions of the US, the comparative determination of the LLODs and validation efforts for the previously reported detection methods and the results of an effort to confirm the association of these retroviral signatures in isolates from individuals with CFS in a blinded, multi-site, prospective study. We detected various, murine retroviral DNA signatures but were unable to resolve a difference in the incidence of their detection between isolates from CFS (5/72; 6.7%) and healthy (2/37; 5.4%) subjects (Fisher’s Exact Test, p-value = 1). The observed sequences appeared to reflect the detection of endogenous murine retroviral DNA, which was not identical to either XMRV or pMLV. Conclusions We were unable to confirm a previously reported association between the detection of XMRV or pMLV sequences and CFS in a prospective, multi-site study. Murine retroviral sequences were detected at a low frequency that did not differ between CFS and control subjects. The nature of these sequences appeared to reflect the detection of pre-existing, endogenous, murine retroviral DNA in the PCR reagents employed.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Peter Gerondelis
- Division of Infectious Diseases, GlaxoSmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.
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Chevillet JR, Lee I, Briggs HA, He Y, Wang K. Issues and prospects of microRNA-based biomarkers in blood and other body fluids. Molecules 2014; 19:6080-105. [PMID: 24830712 PMCID: PMC6271291 DOI: 10.3390/molecules19056080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2014] [Revised: 05/07/2014] [Accepted: 05/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell-free circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in the blood are good diagnostic biomarker candidates for various physiopathological conditions, including cancer, neurodegeneration, diabetes and other diseases. Since their discovery in 2008 as blood biomarkers, the field has expanded rapidly with a number of important findings. Despite the initial optimistic views of their potential for clinical application, there are currently no circulating miRNA-based diagnostics in use. In this article, we review the status of circulating miRNAs, examine different analytical approaches, and address some of the challenges and opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Inyoul Lee
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Hilary A Briggs
- Laboratory of the Biology of Addictive Diseases, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Yuqing He
- Institute of Medical Systems Biology, Guangdong Medical College, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China.
| | - Kai Wang
- Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
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The saga of XMRV: a virus that infects human cells but is not a human virus. Emerg Microbes Infect 2014; 3:e. [PMID: 26038516 PMCID: PMC4008767 DOI: 10.1038/emi.2014.25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2014] [Revised: 02/12/2014] [Accepted: 02/14/2014] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) was discovered in 2006 in a search for a viral etiology of human prostate cancer (PC). Substantial interest in XMRV as a potentially new pathogenic human retrovirus was driven by reports that XMRV could be detected in a significant percentage of PC samples, and also in tissues from patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). After considerable controversy, etiologic links between XMRV and these two diseases were disproven. XMRV was determined to have arisen during passage of a human PC tumor in immunocompromised nude mice, by activation and recombination between two endogenous murine leukemia viruses from cells of the mouse. The resulting XMRV had a xentropic host range, which allowed it replicate in the human tumor cells in the xenograft. This review describes the discovery of XMRV, and the molecular and virological events leading to its formation, XMRV infection in animal models and biological effects on infected cells. Lessons from XMRV for other searches of viral etiologies of cancer are discussed, as well as cautions for researchers working on human tumors or cell lines that have been passed through nude mice, includingpotential biohazards associated with XMRV or other similar xenotropic murine leukemia viruses (MLVs).
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Oltra E, García-Escudero M, Mena-Durán AV, Monsalve V, Cerdá-Olmedo G. Lack of evidence for retroviral infections formerly related to chronic fatigue in Spanish fibromyalgia patients. Virol J 2013; 10:332. [PMID: 24216038 PMCID: PMC4226024 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-10-332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2013] [Accepted: 10/17/2013] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The etiology of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (FM/CFS) is currently unknown. A recurrent viral infection is an attractive hypothesis repeatedly found in the literature since it would explain the persistent pain and tiredness these patients suffer from. The initial striking link of two distinct orphan retroviruses: the gamma retroviruses murine leukemia virus (MLV)-related virus and the delta retrovirus T-lymphotropic virus type 2 (HTLV-2) to chronic fatigue have not been confirmed to date. Results Genomic DNA (gDNA) from 75 fibromyalgia patients suffering from chronic fatigue and 79 age-matched local healthy controls were screened for the presence of MLV-related and HTLV-2 related proviral sequences. The XMRV env gene was amplified in 20% of samples tested (24% patients/15% healthy controls). Unexpectedly, no PCR amplifications from independent gDNA preparations of the same individuals were obtained. None of the positive samples showed presence of contaminating murine sequences previously reported by other investigators, neither contained additional regions of the virus making us conclude that the initial env amplification came from spurious air-driven amplicon contaminants. No specific HTLV-2 sequences were obtained at any time from any of the 154 quality-controlled gDNA preparations screened. Conclusions Previous associations between MLV-related or HTLV-2 retrovirus infection with chronic fatigue must be discarded. Thus, studies showing positive amplification of HTLV-2 sequences from chronic fatigue participants should be revised for possible undetected technical problems. To avoid false positives of viral infection, not only extreme precautions should be taken when nested-PCR reactions are prepared and exhaustive foreign DNA contamination controls performed, but also consistent amplification of diverse regions of the virus in independent preparations from the same individual must be demanded. The fact that our cohort of patients did not present evidence of any of the two types of retroviral infection formerly associated to chronic fatigue does not rule out the possibility that other viruses are involved in inciting or maintaining fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Oltra
- Facultad de Medicina, C/Quevedo, 2, 46001 Valencia, Spain.
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Halligan BD, Sun HY, Kushnaryov VM, Grossberg SE. Partial molecular cloning of the JHK retrovirus using gammaretrovirus consensus PCR primers. Future Virol 2013; 8:507-520. [PMID: 24159361 DOI: 10.2217/fvl.13.25] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The JHK virus (JHKV) was previously described as a type C retrovirus that has some distinctive ultrastructural features and replicates constitutively in a human B-lymphoblastoid cell line, JHK-3. In order to facilitate the cloning of sequences from JHKV, a series of partially degenerate consensus retroviral PCR primers were created by a data-driven design approach based on an alignment of 14 diverse gammaretroviral genomes. These primers were used in the PCR amplification of purified JHK virion cDNA, and ana lysis of the resulting amplified sequence indicates that the JHKV is in the murine leukemia virus (MLV) family. The JHK sequence is nearly identical to the corresponding region of the Bxv-1 endogenous mouse retrovirus (GenBank accession AC115959) and distinct from XMRV. JHKV gag-specific amplification was demonstrated with nucleic acids from uncultivated, frozen, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of the index patient, but not in PBMCs from nine healthy blood donors. Unlike earlier reports, in which MLV-like sequences were identified in human source material, which may have been due to murine contamination, budding retrovirions were demonstrated repeatedly by electron microscopy in uncultivated lymphocytes of the index patient that were morphologically identical in their development to the virions in the JHK-3 cells, and immunological evidence was obtained that the index patient produced IgG antibodies that bound to the budding viral particles in patient PBMCs and in the JHK-3 cells. These data indicate that the patient had been infected by JHKV, lending significance to the demonstration of JHKV amplicons in nucleic acids of the patient's PBMCs. In future studies, the PCR primer sets described herein may expand the detection of an amplifiable subset of viruses related to MLV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian D Halligan
- Biotechnology & Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
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Ciregia F, Giusti L, Da Valle Y, Donadio E, Consensi A, Giacomelli C, Sernissi F, Scarpellini P, Maggi F, Lucacchini A, Bazzichi L. A multidisciplinary approach to study a couple of monozygotic twins discordant for the chronic fatigue syndrome: a focus on potential salivary biomarkers. J Transl Med 2013; 11:243. [PMID: 24088505 PMCID: PMC3850462 DOI: 10.1186/1479-5876-11-243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2013] [Accepted: 09/30/2013] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a severe, systemic illness characterized by persistent, debilitating and medically unexplained fatigue. The etiology and pathophysiology of CFS remains obscure, and diagnosis is formulated through the patient's history and exclusion of other medical causes. Thereby, the availability of biomarkers for CFS could be useful for clinical research. In the present study, we used a proteomic approach to evaluate the global changes in the salivary profile in a couple of monozygotic twins who were discordant for CFS. The aim was to evaluate differences of salivary protein expression in the CFS patient in respect to his healthy twin. METHODS Saliva samples were submitted to two-dimensional electrophoresis (2DE). The gels were stained with Sypro, and a comparison between CFS subject and the healthy one was performed by the software Progenesis Same Spot including the Analysis of variance (ANOVA test). The proteins spot found with a ≥2-fold spot quantity change and p<0.05 were identified by Nano-liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. To validate the expression changes found with 2DE of 5 proteins (14-3-3 protein zeta/delta, cyclophilin A, Cystatin-C, Protein S100-A7, and zinc-alpha-2-glycoprotein), we used the western blot analysis. Moreover, proteins differentially expressed were functionally analyzed using the Ingenuity Pathways Analysis software with the aim to determine the predominant canonical pathways and the interaction network involved. RESULTS The analysis of the protein profiles allowed us to find 13 proteins with a different expression in CFS in respect to control. Nine spots were up-regulated in CFS and 4 down-regulated. These proteins belong to different functional classes, such as inflammatory response, immune system and metabolism. In particular, as shown by the pathway analysis, the network built with our proteins highlights the involvement of inflammatory response in CFS pathogenesis. CONCLUSIONS This study shows the presence of differentially expressed proteins in the saliva of the couple of monozygotic twins discordant for CFS, probably related to the disease. Consequently, we believe the proteomic approach could be useful both to define a panel of potential diagnostic biomarkers and to shed new light on the comprehension of the pathogenetic pathways of CFS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Ciregia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Pisa, Via Bonanno 6, Pisa, 56126, Italy.
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Epstein JS, Jaffe HW, Alter HJ, Klein HG. Blood system changes since recognition of transfusion-associated AIDS. Transfusion 2013; 53:2365-74. [PMID: 24032622 PMCID: PMC7169854 DOI: 10.1111/trf.12373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2012] [Accepted: 07/07/2013] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jay S. Epstein
- Center for Biologics Evaluation and ResearchFDARockvilleMaryland
| | - Harold W. Jaffe
- Office of the Associate Director for ScienceCDCAtlantaGeorgia
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The perils of pathogen discovery: origin of a novel parvovirus-like hybrid genome traced to nucleic acid extraction spin columns. J Virol 2013; 87:11966-77. [PMID: 24027301 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.02323-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 185] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Next-generation sequencing was used for discovery and de novo assembly of a novel, highly divergent DNA virus at the interface between the Parvoviridae and Circoviridae. The virus, provisionally named parvovirus-like hybrid virus (PHV), is nearly identical by sequence to another DNA virus, NIH-CQV, previously detected in Chinese patients with seronegative (non-A-E) hepatitis. Although we initially detected PHV in a wide range of clinical samples, with all strains sharing ∼99% nucleotide and amino acid identity with each other and with NIH-CQV, the exact origin of the virus was eventually traced to contaminated silica-binding spin columns used for nucleic acid extraction. Definitive confirmation of the origin of PHV, and presumably NIH-CQV, was obtained by in-depth analyses of water eluted through contaminated spin columns. Analysis of environmental metagenome libraries detected PHV sequences in coastal marine waters of North America, suggesting that a potential association between PHV and diatoms (algae) that generate the silica matrix used in the spin columns may have resulted in inadvertent viral contamination during manufacture. The confirmation of PHV/NIH-CQV as laboratory reagent contaminants and not bona fide infectious agents of humans underscores the rigorous approach needed to establish the validity of new viral genomes discovered by next-generation sequencing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cadhla Firth
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032; ,
| | - W. Ian Lipkin
- Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032; ,
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Generation of multiple replication-competent retroviruses through recombination between PreXMRV-1 and PreXMRV-2. J Virol 2013; 87:11525-37. [PMID: 23966380 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01787-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously identified two novel endogenous murine leukemia virus proviruses, PreXMRV-1 and PreXMRV-2, and showed that they most likely recombined during xenograft passaging of a human prostate tumor in mice to generate xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV). To determine the recombination potential of PreXMRV-1 and PreXMRV-2, we examined the generation of replication-competent retroviruses (RCRs) over time in a cell culture system. We observed that either virus alone was noninfectious and the RNA transcripts of the viruses were undetectable in the blood and spleen of nude mice that carry them. To determine their potential to generate RCRs through recombination, we transfected PreXMRV-1 and PreXMRV-2 into 293T cells and used the virus produced to infect fresh cells; the presence of reverse transcriptase activity at 10 days postinfection indicated the presence of RCRs. Population sequencing of proviral DNA indicated that all RCRs contained the gag and 5' half of pol from PreXMRV-2 and the long terminal repeat, 3' half of pol (including integrase), and env from PreXMRV-1. All crossovers were within sequences of at least 9 identical nucleotides, and crossovers within each of two selected recombination zones of 415 nucleotides (nt) in the 5' untranslated region and 982 nt in pol were required to generate RCRs. A recombinant with the same genotype as XMRV was not detected, and our analysis indicates that the probability of generating an identical RCR is vanishingly small. In addition, the studies indicate that the process of RCR formation is primarily driven by selection for viable cis and trans elements from the parental proviruses.
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Identification of a new cyclovirus in cerebrospinal fluid of patients with acute central nervous system infections. mBio 2013; 4:e00231-13. [PMID: 23781068 PMCID: PMC3684831 DOI: 10.1128/mbio.00231-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute central nervous system (CNS) infections cause substantial morbidity and mortality, but the etiology remains unknown in a large proportion of cases. We identified and characterized the full genome of a novel cyclovirus (tentatively named cyclovirus-Vietnam [CyCV-VN]) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens of two Vietnamese patients with CNS infections of unknown etiology. CyCV-VN was subsequently detected in 4% of 642 CSF specimens from Vietnamese patients with suspected CNS infections and none of 122 CSFs from patients with noninfectious neurological disorders. Detection rates were similar in patients with CNS infections of unknown etiology and those in whom other pathogens were detected. A similar detection rate in feces from healthy children suggested food-borne or orofecal transmission routes, while high detection rates in feces from pigs and poultry (average, 58%) suggested the existence of animal reservoirs for such transmission. Further research is needed to address the epidemiology and pathogenicity of this novel, potentially zoonotic virus.
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Hempel HA, Burns KH, De Marzo AM, Sfanos KS. Infection of Xenotransplanted Human Cell Lines by Murine Retroviruses: A Lesson Brought Back to Light by XMRV. Front Oncol 2013; 3:156. [PMID: 23785669 PMCID: PMC3683812 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2013.00156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Infection of xenotransplanted human cells by xenotropic retroviruses is a known phenomenon in the scientific literature, with examples cited since the early 1970s. However, arguably, until recently, the importance of this phenomenon had not been largely recognized. The emergence and subsequent debunking of Xenotropic Murine leukemia virus-Related Virus (XMRV) as a cell culture contaminant as opposed to a potential pathogen in several human diseases, notably prostate cancer and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, highlighted a potential problem of murine endogenous gammaretroviruses infecting commonly used human cell lines. Subsequent to the discovery of XMRV, many additional cell lines that underwent xenotransplantation in mice have been shown to harbor murine gammaretroviruses. Such retroviral infection poses the threat of not only confounding experiments performed in these cell lines via virus-induced changes in cellular behavior but also the potential infection of other cell lines cultured in the same laboratory. Thus, the possibility of xenotropic retroviral infection of cell lines may warrant additional precautions, such as periodic testing for retroviral sequences in cell lines cultured in the laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi A Hempel
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine , Baltimore, MD , USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Delwart
- Blood Systems Research Institute, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
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Rezaei SD, Hearps AC, Mills J, Pedersen J, Tachedjian G. No association between XMRV or related gammaretroviruses in Australian prostate cancer patients. Virol J 2013; 10:20. [PMID: 23305518 PMCID: PMC3560155 DOI: 10.1186/1743-422x-10-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2012] [Accepted: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) is a gammaretrovirus reported to be associated with prostate cancer (PC) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). While the association of XMRV with CFS and PC has recently been discredited, no studies have been performed in Australian patients to investigate the association between PC and XMRV or related murine leukemia virus (MLV) in matched PC and normal tissue. METHODS Genomic DNA (gDNA) was purified from matched normal and cancer formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) prostate tissue from 35 Australian PC patients with Gleason scores ranging from 7 - 10. The presence of the ribonuclease L (RNase L) polymorphism R462Q was determined by allele specific PCR. Samples were screened for XMRV and related murine leukemia virus (MLV) variants by qPCR. Contaminating mouse DNA was detected using qPCR targeting mouse intracisternal A particle long terminal repeat DNA. RESULTS gDNA was successfully purified from 94% (66/70) of normal and cancer FFPE prostate tissues. RNase L typing revealed 8% were homozygous (QQ), 60% were heterozygous (RQ) and 32% were wild-type (RR) for the RNase L mutation. None of the 66 samples tested were positive for XMRV or related MLV sequences using broad MLV or XMRV specific primers with detection sensitivities of 1 viral copy of MLV/XMRV and XMRV DNA, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Using highly sensitive qPCR we found no evidence of XMRV or related gammaretroviruses in prostate tissues from 35 Australian PC patients. Our findings are consistent with other studies demonstrating that XMRV is a laboratory contaminant that has no role in the aetiology of PC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simin D Rezaei
- Retroviral Biology and Antivirals Laboratory, Centre for Virology, Burnet Institute, 85 Commercial Road, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia
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Lloyd AR. Fatigue after infection: aetiology and pathophysiology. MICROBIOLOGY AUSTRALIA 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/ma13047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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Stürzel CM, Palesch D, Khalid M, Wissing S, Fischer N, Münch J. Utilization of replication-competent XMRV reporter-viruses reveals severe viral restriction in primary human cells. PLoS One 2013; 8:e74427. [PMID: 24058563 PMCID: PMC3772927 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2013] [Accepted: 08/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The gammaretrovirus termed xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) was described to be isolated from prostate cancer tissue biopsies and from blood of patients suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. However, many studies failed to detect XMRV and to verify these disease associations. Data suggesting the contamination of specimens in particular by PCR-based methods and recent reports demonstrating XMRV generation via recombination of two murine leukemia virus precursors raised serious doubts about XMRV being a genuine human pathogen. To elucidate cell tropism of XMRV, we generated replication competent XMRV reporter viruses encoding a green fluorescent protein or a secretable luciferase as tools to analyze virus infection of human cell lines or primary human cells. Transfection of proviral DNAs into LNCaP prostate cancer cells resulted in readily detectably reporter gene expression and production of progeny virus. Inoculation of known XMRV susceptible target cells revealed that these virions were infectious and expressed the reporter gene, allowing for a fast and highly sensitive quantification of XMRV infection. Both reporter viruses were capable of establishing a spreading infection in LNCaP and Raji B cells and could be easily passaged. However, after inoculation of primary human blood cells such as CD4 T cells, macrophages or dendritic cells, infection rates were very low, and a spreading infection was never established. In line with these results we found that supernatants derived from these XMRV infected primary cell types did not contain infectious virus. Thus, although XMRV efficiently replicated in some human cell lines, all tested primary cells were largely refractory to XMRV infection and did not support viral spread. Our results provide further evidence that XMRV is not a human pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Palesch
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Centre, Ulm, Germany
| | - Mohammad Khalid
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Centre, Ulm, Germany
| | - Silke Wissing
- Gladstone Institute of Virology and Immunology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Nicole Fischer
- Institute for Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jan Münch
- Institute of Molecular Virology, Ulm University Medical Centre, Ulm, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Redaction, retraction and reaction. Nat Rev Microbiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro2928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Callaway E. The scientist who put the nail in XMRV's coffin. Nature 2012. [DOI: 10.1038/nature.2012.11444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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