1
|
Bragazzi Cunha J, Leix K, Sherman EJ, Mirabelli C, Frum T, Zhang CJ, Kennedy AA, Lauring AS, Tai AW, Sexton JZ, Spence JR, Wobus CE, Emmer BT. Type I interferon signaling induces a delayed antiproliferative response in respiratory epithelial cells during SARS-CoV-2 infection. J Virol 2023; 97:e0127623. [PMID: 37975674 PMCID: PMC10734423 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.01276-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/22/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Disease progression during SARS-CoV-2 infection is tightly linked to the fate of lung epithelial cells, with severe cases of COVID-19 characterized by direct injury of the alveolar epithelium and an impairment in its regeneration from progenitor cells. The molecular pathways that govern respiratory epithelial cell death and proliferation during SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, remain unclear. We now report a high-throughput CRISPR screen for host genetic modifiers of the survival and proliferation of SARS-CoV-2-infected Calu-3 respiratory epithelial cells. The top four genes identified in our screen encode components of the same type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling complex—IFNAR1, IFNAR2, JAK1, and TYK2. The fifth gene, ACE2, was an expected control encoding the SARS-CoV-2 viral receptor. Surprisingly, despite the antiviral properties of IFN-I signaling, its disruption in our screen was associated with an increase in Calu-3 cell fitness. We validated this effect and found that IFN-I signaling did not sensitize SARS-CoV-2-infected cultures to cell death but rather inhibited the proliferation of surviving cells after the early peak of viral replication and cytopathic effect. We also found that IFN-I signaling alone, in the absence of viral infection, was sufficient to induce this delayed antiproliferative response in both Calu-3 cells and iPSC-derived type 2 alveolar epithelial cells. Together, these findings highlight a cell autonomous antiproliferative response by respiratory epithelial cells to persistent IFN-I signaling during SARS-CoV-2 infection. This response may contribute to the deficient alveolar regeneration that has been associated with COVID-19 lung injury and represents a promising area for host-targeted therapeutic development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juliana Bragazzi Cunha
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Kyle Leix
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Emily J. Sherman
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Carmen Mirabelli
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Tristan Frum
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Charles J. Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Andrew A. Kennedy
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Adam S. Lauring
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Andrew W. Tai
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jonathan Z. Sexton
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Jason R. Spence
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan College of Engineering, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Christiane E. Wobus
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Brian T. Emmer
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| |
Collapse
|