Upregulation of galectin-3 in influenza A virus infection promotes viral RNA synthesis through its association with viral PA protein.

BACKGROUND: Influenza is one of the most important viral infections globally. Viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) consists of the PA, PB1, and PB2 subunits, and the amino acid residues of each subunit are highly conserved among influenza A virus (IAV) strains. Due to the high mutation rate and emergence of drug resistance, new antiviral strategies are needed. Host cell factors are involved in the transcription and replication of influenza virus. Here, we investigated the role of galectin-3, a member of the ß-galactoside-binding animal lectin family, in the life cycle of IAV infection in vitro and in mice. METHODS: We used galectin-3 knockout and wild-type mice and cells to study the intracellular role of galectin-3 in influenza pathogenesis. Body weight and survival time of IAV-infected mice were analyzed, and viral production in mouse macrophages and lung fibroblasts was examined. Overexpression and knockdown of galectin-3 in A549 human lung epithelial cells were exploited to assess viral entry, viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) import/export, transcription, replication, virion production, as well as interactions between galectin-3 and viral proteins by immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, co-immunoprecipitation, RT-qPCR, minireplicon, and plaque assays. We also employed recombinant galectin-3 proteins to identify specific step(s) of the viral life cycle that was affected by exogenously added galectin-3 in A549 cells. RESULTS: Galectin-3 levels were increased in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lungs of IAV-infected mice. There was a positive correlation between galectin-3 levels and viral loads. Notably, galectin-3 knockout mice were resistant to IAV infection. Knockdown of galectin-3 significantly reduced the production of viral proteins and virions in A549 cells. While intracellular galectin-3 did not affect viral entry, it increased vRNP nuclear import, RdRp activity, and viral transcription and replication, which were associated with the interaction of galectin-3 with viral PA subunit. Galectin-3 enhanced the interaction between viral PA and PB1 proteins. Moreover, exogenously added recombinant galectin-3 proteins also enhanced viral adsorption and promoted IAV infection in A549 cells. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that galectin-3 enhances viral infection through increases in vRNP nuclear import and RdRp activity, thereby facilitating viral transcription and replication. Our findings also identify galectin-3 as a potential therapeutic target for influenza.

IL-6 ameliorates acute lung injury in influenza virus infection.

Interleukin 6 (IL-6) is involved in innate and adaptive immune responses to defend against pathogens. It also participates in the process of influenza infection by affecting viral clearance and immune cell responses. However, whether IL-6 impacts lung repair in influenza pathogenesis remains unclear. Here, we studied the role of IL-6 in acute influenza infection in mice. IL-6-deficient mice infected with influenza virus exhibited higher lethality, lost more body weight and had higher fibroblast accumulation and lower extracellular matrix (ECM) turnover in the lung than their wild-type counterparts. Deficiency in IL-6 enhanced proliferation, migration and survival of lung fibroblasts, as well as increased virus-induced apoptosis of lung epithelial cells. IL-6-deficient lung fibroblasts produced elevated levels of TGF-ß, which may contribute to their survival. Furthermore, macrophage recruitment to the lung and phagocytic activities of macrophages during influenza infection were reduced in IL-6-deficient mice. Collectively, our results indicate that IL-6 is crucial for lung repair after influenza-induced lung injury through reducing fibroblast accumulation, promoting epithelial cell survival, increasing macrophage recruitment to the lung and enhancing phagocytosis of viruses by macrophages. This study suggests that IL-6 may be exploited for lung repair during influenza infection.

Kallistatin ameliorates influenza virus pathogenesis by inhibition of kallikrein-related peptidase 1-mediated cleavage of viral hemagglutinin.

Proteolytic cleavage of the hemagglutinin (HA) of influenza virus by host trypsin-like proteases is required for viral infectivity. Some serine proteases are capable of cleaving influenza virus HA, whereas some serine protease inhibitors (serpins) inhibit the HA cleavage in various cell types. Kallikrein-related peptidase 1 (KLK1, also known as tissue kallikrein) is a widely distributed serine protease. Kallistatin, a serpin synthesized mainly in the liver and rapidly secreted into the circulation, forms complexes with KLK1 and inhibits its activity. Here, we investigated the roles of KLK1 and kallistatin in influenza virus infection. We show that the levels of KLK1 increased, whereas those of kallistatin decreased, in the lungs of mice during influenza virus infection. KLK1 cleaved H1, H2, and H3 HA molecules and consequently enhanced viral production. In contrast, kallistatin inhibited KLK1-mediated HA cleavage and reduced viral production. Cells transduced with the kallistatin gene secreted kallistatin extracellularly, which rendered them more resistant to influenza virus infection. Furthermore, lentivirus-mediated kallistatin gene delivery protected mice against lethal influenza virus challenge by reducing the viral load, inflammation, and injury in the lung. Taking the data together, we determined that KLK1 and kallistatin contribute to the pathogenesis of influenza virus by affecting the cleavage of the HA peptide and inflammatory responses. This study provides a proof of principle for the potential therapeutic application of kallistatin or other KLK1 inhibitors for influenza. Since proteolytic activation also enhances the infectivity of some other viruses, kallistatin and other kallikrein inhibitors may be explored as antiviral agents against these viruses.

Multivalent structure of galectin-1-nanogold complex serves as potential therapeutics for rheumatoid arthritis by enhancing receptor clustering.

Cellular behaviour is controlled by numerous processes, including intracellular signalling pathways that are triggered by the binding of ligands with cell surface receptors. Multivalent ligands have multiple copies of a recognition element that binds to receptors and influences downstream signals. Nanoparticle-ligand complexes may form multivalent structures to crosslink receptors with high avidity and specificity. After conjugation onto gold nanoparticles, galectin-1 (Au-Gal1) bound with higher affinity to Jurkat cells to promote CD45 clustering and inhibition of its phosphatase activity, resulting in enhancement of apoptosis via caspase-dependent pathways. Au-Gal1 injected intra-articularly into rats with collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) promoted apoptosis of CD4+ T cells and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in the ankle joints as well as ameliorated clinical symptoms of arthritis. These observed therapeutic effects indicate that the multivalent structure of nanoparticle-ligands can regulate the distribution of cell surface receptors and subsequent intracellular signalling, and this may provide new insights into nanoparticle applications.

Galectin-1 binds to influenza virus and ameliorates influenza virus pathogenesis.

Innate immune response is important for viral clearance during influenza virus infection. Galectin-1, which belongs to S-type lectins, contains a conserved carbohydrate recognition domain that recognizes galactose-containing oligosaccharides. Since the envelope proteins of influenza virus are highly glycosylated, we studied the role of galectin-1 in influenza virus infection in vitro and in mice. We found that galectin-1 was upregulated in the lungs of mice during influenza virus infection. There was a positive correlation between galectin-1 levels and viral loads during the acute phase of viral infection. Cells treated with recombinant human galectin-1 generated lower viral yields after influenza virus infection. Galectin-1 could directly bind to the envelope glycoproteins of influenza A/WSN/33 virus and inhibit its hemagglutination activity and infectivity. It also bound to different subtypes of influenza A virus with micromolar dissociation constant (K(d)) values and protected cells against influenza virus-induced cell death. We used nanoparticle, surface plasmon resonance analysis and transmission electron microscopy to further demonstrate the direct binding of galectin-1 to influenza virus. More importantly, we show for the first time that intranasal treatment of galectin-1 could enhance survival of mice against lethal challenge with influenza virus by reducing viral load, inflammation, and apoptosis in the lung. Furthermore, galectin-1 knockout mice were more susceptible to influenza virus infection than wild-type mice. Collectively, our results indicate that galectin-1 has anti-influenza virus activity by binding to viral surface and inhibiting its infectivity. Thus, galectin-1 may be further explored as a novel therapeutic agent for influenza.