Glycoprotein of nonpathogenic rabies viruses is a major inducer of apoptosis in human jurkat T cells

Comparison of lncRNA and mRNA expression in mouse brains infected by a wild-type and a lab-attenuated Rabies lyssavirus

Rabies is a lethal disease caused by Rabies lyssavirus, commonly known as rabies virus (RABV), and results in nearly 100 % death once clinical symptoms occur in human and animals. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to be associated with viral infection. But the role of lncRNAs involved in RABV infection is still elusive. In this study, we performed global transcriptome analysis of both of lncRNA and mRNA expression profiles in wild-type (WT) and lab-attenuated RABV-infected mouse brains by using next-generation sequencing. The differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs were analysed by using the edgeR package. We identified 1422 differentially expressed lncRNAs and 4475 differentially expressed mRNAs by comparing WT and lab-attenuated RABV-infected brains. Then we predicted the enriched biological pathways by the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database based on the differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs. Our analysis revealed the relationships between lncRNAs and RABV-infection-associated immune response and ion transport-related pathways, which provide a fresh insight into the potential role of lncRNA in immune evasion and neuron injury induced by WT RABV.

Monosynaptic tracing: a step-by-step protocol

Monosynaptic tracing using deletion-mutant rabies virus allows whole-brain mapping of neurons that are directly presynaptic to a targeted population of neurons. The most common and robust way of implementing it is to use Cre mouse lines in combination with Cre-dependent adeno-associated viral vectors for expression of the required genes in the targeted neurons before subsequent injection of the rabies virus. Here we present a step-by-step protocol for performing such experiments using first-generation (ΔG) rabies viral vectors.

Phenotypic Consequence of Rearranging the N Gene of RABV HEP-Flury

Nucleoprotein (N) is a key element in rabies virus (RABV) replication. To further investigate the effect of N on RABV, we manipulated an infectious cDNA clone of the RABV HEP-Flury to rearrange the N gene from its wild-type position of 1 (N-P-M-G-L) to 2 (P-N-M-G-L), 3 (P-M-N-G-L), or 4 (P-M-G-N-L), using an approach that left the viral nucleotide sequence unaltered. Subsequently, viable viruses were recovered from each of the rearranged cDNA and examined for their gene expression levels, growth kinetics in cell culture, pathogenicity in suckling mice and protection in mice. The results showed that gene rearrangement decreased N mRNA transcription and vRNA replication. As a result, all viruses with rearranged genomes showed worse replication than that of rHEP-Flury in NA cells at a MOI of 0.01, but equivalent or slightly better replication levels at a MOI of 3. Consequently, the lethality in suckling mice infected with N4 was clearly attenuated compared with rHEP-Flury. However, the protection to mice was not enhanced. This study not only gives us insight into the understanding of the phenotype of RABV N gene rearrangement, but also helps with rabies vaccine candidate construction.

Phenotypic Consequences In vivo and In vitro of Rearranging the P Gene of RABV HEP-Flury

Phosphoprotein (P) of the Rabies virus (RABV) is critically required for viral replication and pathogenicity. Here we manipulated infectious cDNA clones of the RABV HEP-Flury to translocate the P gene from its wild-type position 2 to 1, 3, or 4 in gene order, using an approach which left the viral nucleotide sequence unaltered. The recovered viruses were evaluated for the levels of gene expression, growth kinetics in cell culture, lethality in suckling mice and protection of mice. The results showed that viral replication was affected by the absolute value of N protein which was regulated by P protein. Viral lethality in suckling mice was consistent with the ratio of P mRNA in one complete transcription. The protection of mice induced by viruses was related to the antibody titer 5 weeks post-infection which might be regulated by G protein. However, the ability to induce cell apoptosis and viral spread were not only related to the viral replication but also to the ratio of related gene which affected by the gene position. These findings might not only improve the understanding of phenotype of RABV and P gene rearrangement, but also help rabies vaccine candidate construction.

Systems Biomedicine of Rabies Delineates the Affected Signaling Pathways

The prototypical neurotropic virus, rabies, is a member of the Rhabdoviridae family that causes lethal encephalomyelitis. Although there have been a plethora of studies investigating the etiological mechanism of the rabies virus and many precautionary methods have been implemented to avert the disease outbreak over the last century, the disease has surprisingly no definite remedy at its late stages. The psychological symptoms and the underlying etiology, as well as the rare survival rate from rabies encephalitis, has still remained a mystery. We, therefore, undertook a systems biomedicine approach to identify the network of gene products implicated in rabies. This was done by meta-analyzing whole-transcriptome microarray datasets of the CNS infected by strain CVS-11, and integrating them with interactome data using computational and statistical methods. We first determined the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in each study and horizontally integrated the results at the mRNA and microRNA levels separately. A total of 61 seed genes involved in signal propagation system were obtained by means of unifying mRNA and microRNA detected integrated DEGs. We then reconstructed a refined protein–protein interaction network (PPIN) of infected cells to elucidate the rabies-implicated signal transduction network (RISN). To validate our findings, we confirmed differential expression of randomly selected genes in the network using Real-time PCR. In conclusion, the identification of seed genes and their network neighborhood within the refined PPIN can be useful for demonstrating signaling pathways including interferon circumvent, toward proliferation and survival, and neuropathological clue, explaining the intricate underlying molecular neuropathology of rabies infection and thus rendered a molecular framework for predicting potential drug targets.

Autophagy is involved in recombinant Newcastle disease virus (rL-RVG)-induced cell death of stomach adenocarcinoma cells in vitro

Oncolytic viruses can kill malignant cells while sparing normal cells. Multiple pathways are involved in this action. The antitumor effects of viral infection on SGC-7901 and AGS cells were investigated. We measured endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy caused by the recombinant avirulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) LaSota strain expressing the rabies virus glycoprotein (rL-RVG) and the NDV wild-type strain. The dose-response curves were analyzed using the MTT assay. The expression of RVG was detected by western blotting, RT-PCR and immunofluorescence analyses. Cell death and autophagy were observed using transmission electron microscopy, TUNEL and western blotting. Endoplasmic reticulum stress and the mitochondrial transmembrane potential were detected by western blotting and immunofluorescence, respectively. Immunofluorescence, western blot and RT-PCR analyses indicated that RVG gene and protein were expressed in SGC-7901 and AGS cells infected by rL-RVG. MTT and TUNEL analyses showed that the growth of SGC-7901 and AGS cells in the rL-RVG-infected group was significantly inhibited compared with the wild-type NDV-infected group (p<0.05). Western blot analysis indicated that rL-RVG and NDV induced increases in apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and autophagy in the SGC-7901 and AGS cells. However, apoptosis and autophagy decreased in these cells after the application of the autophagy pathway inhibitor 3-MA or ATG-5-specific siRNA. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that the mitochondrial membrane potential collapsed. Taken together, these results indicate that the rL-RVG virus group is much more powerful compared with the NDV-infected group (p<0.05). rL-RVG and NDV are potent antitumor agents that induce autophagy.

A recombinant rabies virus encoding two copies of the glycoprotein gene confers protection in dogs against a virulent challenge

The rabies virus (RABV) glycoprotein (G) is the principal antigen responsible for the induction of virus neutralizing antibodies (VNA) and is the major modality of protective immunity in animals. A recombinant RABV HEP-Flury strain was generated by reverse genetics to encode two copies of the G-gene (referred to as HEP-dG). The biological properties of HEP-dG were compared to those of the parental virus (HEP-Flury strain). The HEP-dG recombinant virus grew 100 times more efficiently in BHK-21 cell than the parental virus, yet the virulence of the dG recombinant virus in suckling mice was lower than the parental virus. The HEP-dG virus can improve the expression of G-gene mRNA and the G protein and produce more offspring viruses in cells. The amount of G protein revealed a positive relationship with immunogenicity in mice and dogs. The inactivated HEP-dG recombinant virus induced higher levels of VNA and conferred better protection against virulent RABV in mice and dogs than the inactivated parental virus and a commercial vaccine. The protective antibody persisted for at least 12 months. These data demonstrate that the HEP-dG is stable, induces a strong VNA response and confers protective immunity more effectively than the RABV HEP-Flury strain. HEP-dG could be a potential candidate in the development of novel inactivated rabies vaccines.

Role of apoptosis in rabies viral encephalitis: a comparative study in mice, canine, and human brain with a review of literature

To evaluate the role of apoptosis in rabies encephalitis in humans and canines infected with wild-type street virus, in comparison with rodent model infected with street and laboratory passaged CVS strain, we studied postmortem brain tissue from nine humans, six canines infected with street rabies virus, and Swiss albino mice inoculated intramuscularly (IM) and intracerebrally (IC) with street and CVS strains. Encephalitis and high rabies antigen load were prominent in canine and human brains compared to rodents inoculated with street virus. Neuronal apoptosis was detectable only in sucking mice inoculated with CVS strain and minimal in street virus inoculated mice. In a time point study in suckling mice, DNA laddering was noted only terminally (7 days p.i.) following IC inoculation with CVS strain but not with street virus. In weanling and adult mice, apoptosis was restricted to inflammatory cells and absent in neurons similar to human and canine rabies-infected brains. Absence of neuronal apoptosis in wild-type rabies may facilitate intraneuronal survival and replication while apoptosis in inflammatory cells prevents elimination of the virus by abrogation of host inflammatory response.

Immune modulating effect by a phosphoprotein-deleted rabies virus vaccine vector expressing two copies of the rabies virus glycoprotein gene

The type of immune response induced by a vaccine is a critical factor that determines its effectiveness in preventing infection or disease. Inactivated and live rabies virus (RV) vaccine strains elicit an IgG1-biased and IgG1/IgG2a-balanced antibody response, respectively. However, IgG2a antibodies are potent inducers of anti-viral effector functions, and therefore, a viral vaccine vector that can elicit an IgG2a-biased antibody response may be more effective against RV infection. Here we describe the humoral immune response of a live replication-deficient phosphoprotein (P)-deleted RV vector (SPBN-DeltaP), or a recombinant P-deleted virus that expresses two copies of the RV glycoprotein (G) gene (SPBN-DeltaP-RVG), and compare it to a UV-inactivated RV. Mice inoculated with UV-inactivated RV induced predominantly an IgG1-specific antibody response, while live recombinant SPBN-DeltaP exhibited a mixed IgG1/IgG2a antibody response, which is consistent with the isotype profiles from the replication-competent parental viruses. Survivorship in mice after pathogenic RV challenge indicates a 10-fold higher efficiency of live SPBN-DeltaP compared to UV-inactivated SPBN-DeltaP. In addition, SPBN-DeltaP-RVG induced a more rapid and robust IgG2a response that protected mice more effectively than SPBN-DeltaP. Of note, 10(3)ffu of SPBN-DeltaP-RVG-induced anti-RV antibodies that were 100% protective in mice against pathogenic RV challenge. The increased immune response was directed not only against RV G but also against the ribonucleoprotein (RNP), indicating that the expression of two RV G genes from SPBN-DeltaP-RVG enhances the immune response to other RV antigens as well. In addition, Rag2 mice inoculated intramuscularly with 10(5)ffu/mouse of SPBN-DeltaP showed no clinical signs of rabies, and no viral RNA was detected in the spinal cord or brain of inoculated mice. Therefore, the safety of the P-deleted vectors along with the onset and magnitude of the IgG2a-induced immune response by SPBN-DeltaP-RVG indicate that this vector holds great promise as either a therapeutic or preventative vaccine against RV or other infectious diseases.

Modulation of the immune response in the nervous system by rabies virus

Rabies virus (RABV) is a pathogen well-adapted to the nervous system, where it infects neurons. RABV is transmitted by the bite of an infected animal. It enters the nervous system via a motor neuron through the neuromuscular junction, or via a sensory nerve through nerve spindles. It then travels from one neuron to the next, along the spinal cord to the brain and the salivary glands. The virions are then excreted in the saliva of the animal and can be transmitted to another host by bite. Thus preservation of neuronal network integrity is crucial for the virus to be transmitted. Successful invasion of the nervous system by RABV seems to be the result of a subversive strategy based on the survival of infected neurons. This strategy includes protection against virus-mediated apoptosis and destruction of T cells that invade the CNS in response to infection.

Immunopotentiation of the antibody response against influenza HA with apoptotic bodies generated by rabies virus G-ERA protein-driven apoptosis

Apoptosis is considered to be a way of eliminating unwanted cells without causing major inflammation. Nevertheless, several lines of evidence show that apoptotic cell-derived antigens can be strong immunogens. The rabies virus glycoprotein G-ERA is an apoptotic molecule. We tested the ability of G-ERA to potentiate a B cell response against an exogenous antigen (influenza hemagglutinin, HA). We found that co-expression of G-ERA and HA in apoptotic bodies increased both the primary and memory HA-specific immune responses. The immunopotentiation of G-ERA is apoptosis-mediated but not necrosis-mediated. Our data indicate that G-ERA-mediated apoptosis might be useful to improve the immunogenicity of live vaccines.

Neuronal dysfunction and death in rabies virus infection

Because morphologic changes in natural rabies are usually relatively mild, it is thought that the severe clinical disease with a fatal outcome must be due to neuronal dysfunction of rabies virus-infected neurons. The precise bases of this functional impairment are unknown, and current knowledge on electro-physiological alterations, effects on ion channels and neurotransmission, and neurotoxicity are reviewed. Rabies virus may induce neuronal death, possibly through apoptotic mechanisms. Neuronal apoptosis has been observed in vitro and also in vivo under particular experimental conditions. The relevance of neuronal apoptosis in these situations to natural rabies has not yet been fully elucidated.