Metabolic reprogramming as a feast for virus replication.

Viral replication depends entirely on the energy and biosynthetic precursors supplied by the host cell metabolic network. Viruses actively reprogram host cell metabolism to establish optimal environment for their replication and spread. They stimulate the uptake of extracellular nutrients and predominantly modulate glucose, glutamine, and fatty acid metabolism to support anabolic metabolic pathways. Some viruses activate the process of aerobic glycolysis, divert the glycolytic carbon for biosynthetic reactions, and stimulate glutamine utilization to replenish tricarboxylic cycle intermediates. Others use glutamine carbon to promote de novo fatty acid synthesis, amino acid supply or glutathione production. The unique metabolic signature and different dependence of viral life cycle on the individual metabolic processes is therefore characteristic feature of almost each virus. Deeper understanding of how viruses alter cellular metabolic pathways or their upstream regulatory circuits may lead to development of more effective antiviral treatment strategies based on targeted metabolic inhibition. Keywords: virus infection; metabolism; glycolysis; glutamine metabolism; fatty acid synthesis; metabolic reprogramming; virus-host interaction.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 and carbonic anhydrase IX targeting in hypoxic tumors.

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDHK1) and carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) are some of the most hypoxia-inducible proteins associated with tumors, implicated in glucose metabolism and pH regulation, respectively. They both appear to be necessary for model tumor growth, and their high level of expression in human tumors predicts poor patient outcome. Another thing they have in common is that hypoxia not only induces their expression but also their enzymatic activity. This work therefore simultaneously targets these two hypoxia-inducible proteins either pharmacologically or genetically in vitro and in vivo, leading to decreased cancer cell survival and significantly slower model tumor growth. It also suggests that CAIX and PDHK1 are important for cells originating from a colorectal primary tumor, as well as from its metastasis. Moreover, our analysis reveals a unique relationship between these two HIF-1 target genes. In conclusion, the attributes of PDHK1 and CAIX predict them to be promising targets for the design of new, specific inhibitors that could negatively influence tumor cell proliferation and survival, or increase efficacy of standard treatment regimens, and at the same time avoid normal tissue toxicity.

Development and application of ELISA for the detection of IgG antibodies to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is a neglected human pathogen, which can cause severe illnesses in humans. The most vulnerable are the human foetus and immunosuppressed individuals. Since there is no commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of anti-LCMV antibodies in human sera, we developed a sandwich ELISA method detecting anti-nucleoprotein IgG antibodies, using a specific monoclonal anti-nucleoprotein antibody and cells persistently infected with LCMV strain MX as antigen. In the present study we show standardization of this ELISA protocol, determination of its clinical specificity and sensitivity and its application on 30 clinical samples from multiorgan donors. Comparison of these results to the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFA) demonstrates that ELISA is more sensitive. The developed ELISA assay provides a fast, simple and efficient tool for the clinical detection of anti-nucleoprotein antibodies in human sera.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: invisible but not innocent.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) attracts significant attention both as an important experimental model system to study acute and persistent viral infections, and as a neglected human pathogen of clinical significance. This review focuses on the basic aspects and recent advances in the molecular and cell biology of LCMV, the outcome of LCMV infection on its natural host with an emphasis on persistent infection and the outcome of LCMV infection in humans. Lastly, we summarize our contribution to current knowledge on LCM virus.

Interferons lambda, new cytokines with antiviral activity.

Interferons (IFNs) are key cytokines in the establishment of a multifaceted antiviral response. Three distinct types of IFNs are now recognized (type I, type II, and type III) based on their receptor usage, structural features and biological activities. Although all IFNs are important mediators of antiviral protection, their roles in antiviral defence vary. Interferon lambda (IFN-λ) is a recently discovered group of small helical cytokines capable of inducing an antiviral response both in vitro as well as in vivo. They were discovered independently in 2003 by the groups of Sheppard and Kotenko. This family consists of three structurally related IFN-λ subtypes called IFN-λ1 (IL-29), IFN-λ2 (IL-28A), and IFN-λ3 (IL-28B). In this study we investigate the antiviral activities of IFN-λ1, λ2, and λ3 on some medically important viruses, influenza viruses, herpes viruses and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.

Sequence analysis of the regions flanking terminal repeats of the genome of umava isolate of murine gammaherpesvirus.

The umava isolate of murine gammaherpesvirus (MHV-umava) slightly differs from Murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) and two other isolates of murine gammaherpesvirus (MHV), MHV-76 and MHV-72 in some biological properties. To identify the region(s) in the MHV-umava genome responsible for this phenomenon, we compared the sequences flanking terminal repeats (TRs) of the MHV-umava genome with those of MHV-68, MHV-76 and MHV-72. Restriction and sequence analyses revealed in MHV-umava as compared to MHV-68 approximately 9.3 kbp deletion at the left end of the genome and approximately 1.5 kbp deletion at the right end of the genome. While the approximately 9.3 kbp deletion was similar to that in MHV-76, the approximately 1.5 kbp deletion was unique for MHV-umava.

Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus mx strain does not induce the expression of tumor-associated carbonic anhydrase IX in persistently infected HeLa cells.

Summary. - Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) is an arenavirus that readily causes persistent infections, in which it does not interfere with vital functions of the cells, but can affect expression of "luxurious" genes. MX strain of LCMV (MX LCMV) has been identified as an agent transmissible by cell-to-cell contact in the human carcinoma MaTu cells grown in a mixed culture with HeLa cells. When compared to uninfected HeLa, the MaTu-MX-infected HeLa cells, to which the virus was transmitted via co-cultivation with mitomycin C-treated MaTu cells, showed an elevated expression of a protein called MN, suggesting that MN can be induced by MX LCMV. MN protein was later identified as the carbonic anhydrase isoform IX (CA IX), whose expression has been predominantly associated with hypoxic tumors of poor prognosis. Since the proposal that MX LCMV can induce such a cancer-related protein could substantially change our view on the biology of LCMV-host interaction we undertook its verification. Instead of co-cultivation, we used MaTu cell-free extracts to transmit MX LCMV to HeLa cells. These cells were then grown for more than 30 passages, but the level of MN/CA IX did not increase throughout the whole cultivation period as compared to uninfected HeLa cells. Moreover, a treatment of MaTu-MX-infected HeLa cells with ribavirin eliminated the virus, but did not reduce the MN/CA IX expression. Our results clearly showed that MN/CA IX is independent of MX LCMV and that the virus itself does not influence the MN/CA IX level in HeLa cells.

A polymorphic monoclonal anti-BoLA class I antibody.

Cytotoxic monoclonal antibody IVA 44 was generated after the intraperitoneal immunization with peripheral blood mononuclear (PBM) cells and the boost by the intrasplenic inoculation of skin graft. The detected membrane antigen isolated by immunoprecipitation appears to be composed of two subunits characteristic for the MHC class I molecules. The antibody IVA 44 exhibited a different reactivity: it recognized the BoLA A14 (A8) specificity in animals typed in the Fifth BoLA workshop, while it reacted with all A8 positive animals including subtypes A14 and A15 in Czech and Slovak cattle. It is concluded that mAb IVA 44 might detect the broad subtype of A8 covering A14 and certain A15 split(s). The diverse A15 reactivity of this mAb in the workshop and our population could be explained by the different occurrence of A15 splits in both populations.