Interferon treatment inhibits pinocytosis

Early steps of the virus replication cycle are inhibited in prostate cancer cells resistant to oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is currently being studied as a candidate oncolytic virus for tumor therapies due to its potent tumoricidal activity. Previous studies have demonstrated that VSV selectively infects tumor cells due to defects in their antiviral pathways. These defects make them more susceptible to VSV-induced killing than normal cells. However, some cancer cells display differential sensitivity to VSV. Specifically, LNCaP prostate cancer cells are sensitive to infection with VSV, while PC3 prostate cancer cells are relatively resistant to VSV. This suggests that tumor cells vary in the extent to which they develop defects in antiviral pathways and, thus, permit virus replication. The goal of these studies was to identify the step(s) of the viral replication cycle that is inhibited in PC3 cells. Results showed that although attachment of VSV was not significantly different among cell types, penetration was delayed by 10 to 30 min in PC3 cells relative to LNCaP cells. Primary transcription was delayed by 6 to 8 h in PC3 cells relative to LNCaP cells. Similarly, both secondary transcription and viral protein synthesis rates were delayed by about 6 to 8 h. The progressively increasing delay suggests that more than one step is affected in PC3 cells. Analysis of cellular gene expression showed that in contrast to LNCaP cells, PC3 cells constitutively expressed numerous antiviral gene products, which may enhance their resistance to VSV. These data indicate that the use of VSV for oncolytic virus therapy for prostate tumors may require prescreening of tumors for their level of susceptibility.

Inhibition of vesicular stomatitis virus mRNA synthesis by human MxA protein

The interferon-induced human MxA protein inhibits the multiplication of influenza virus and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) by an unknown mechanism. Here we show that MxA protein interferes with VSV mRNA synthesis. Transfected Swiss 3T3 mouse cells constitutively expressing MxA protein and control cells were infected with VSV, and viral RNA and protein synthesis was monitored. Viral macromolecules were very abundant in control cells at 4 h postinfection, whereas the pools of VSV proteins and RNAs were more than 50-fold reduced in cells expressing MxA. To determine whether MxA inhibited VSV primary transcription, we infected the cells in the presence of the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide and measured the pools of the five viral mRNAs at 4 h postinfection. VSV L mRNA concentration was more than 20-fold reduced, VSV G mRNA concentration was about 10-fold reduced, and the other viral mRNAs were three- to fivefold less abundant in MxA-expressing cells than in control cells. Our results thus indicate that MxA interferes with normal VSV mRNA synthesis either directly by inhibiting the activity of the viral polymerase complex or indirectly by reducing the stability of the VSV mRNAs.

Interferon stimulates cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine synthesis but inhibits cholesterol ester synthesis in HeLa-S3 cells

Treatment of human HeLa-S3 cells (an epidermoid carcinoma line) with human beta-interferon (640 units/ml) selectively alters lipid metabolism by increasing cholesterol synthesis per mg of cell protein as measured by 1-hr pulse-labeling of cells with [3H]acetate. Cholesterol synthesis in interferon-treated cells is increased approximately equal to 60% at 24 hr after the beginning of treatment and approximately equal to 450% at 48 hr. Continuous labeling of interferon-treated cells with [14C]acetate shows increased accumulation of label in cholesterol when normalized per mg of cell protein, as well as an increase in the specific activity of cholesterol in the treated cells. In contrast, interferon treatment decreases the accumulation of [14C]acetate into cholesterol esters. The [14C]acetate labeling of sphingomyelin, phosphatidylethanolamine, and triglycerides shows no change compared to untreated controls. The labeling of phosphatidylcholine was moderately increased in treated cells. The interferon-induced changes in lipid metabolism are a part of a coordinated response of cells to interferon treatment, characterized by reduced cell proliferation and cell motility and an increase in cell size and mass. The increased cholesterol synthesis is consistent with a model in which beta-interferon treatment of HeLa cells inhibits the endocytosis of cholesterol-containing low density lipoprotein, which results in an increase in cholesterol synthesis.