Deep spatial profiling of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus reveals increased genetic diversity amidst neuroinflammation and cell death during brain infection.

Autor:	Williams EP; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA., Xue Y; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA., Lee J; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA., Fitzpatrick EA; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA.; Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA.; Institute for the Study of Host-Pathogen Systems, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA., Kong Y; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA.; Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA., Reichard W; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA., Writt H; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA., Jonsson CB; Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Biochemistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA.; Regional Biocontainment Laboratory, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA.; Institute for the Study of Host-Pathogen Systems, University of Tennessee Health Science Center , Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Journal of virology [J Virol] 2023 Aug 31; Vol. 97 (8), pp. e0082723. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Aug 10.
DOI:	10.1128/jvi.00827-23
Abstrakt:	Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) causes a febrile illness that can progress to neurological disease with the possibility of death in human cases. The evaluation and optimization of therapeutics that target brain infections demands knowledge of the host's response to VEEV, the dynamics of infection, and the potential for within-host evolution of the virus. We hypothesized that selective pressures during infection of the brain may differ temporally and spatially and so we investigated the dynamics of the host response, viral transcript levels, and genetic variation of VEEV TC-83 in eight areas of the brain in mice over 7 days post-infection (dpi). Viral replication increased throughout the brain until 5-6 dpi and decreased thereafter with neurons as the main site of viral replication. Low levels of genetic diversity were noted on 1 dpi and were followed by an expansion in the genetic diversity of VEEV and nonsynonymous (Ns) mutations that peaked by 5 dpi. The pro-inflammatory response and the influx of immune cells mirrored the levels of virus and correlated with substantial damage to neurons by 5 dpi and increased activation of microglial cells and astrocytes. The prevalence and dynamics of Ns mutations suggest that the VEEV is under selection within the brain and that progressive neuroinflammation may play a role in acting as a selective pressure. IMPORTANCE Treatment of encephalitis in humans caused by Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) from natural or aerosol exposure is not available, and hence, there is a great interest to address this gap. In contrast to natural infections, therapeutic treatment of infections from aerosol exposure will require fast-acting drugs that rapidly penetrate the blood-brain barrier, engage sites of infection in the brain and mitigate the emergence of drug resistance. Therefore, it is important to understand not only VEEV pathogenesis, but the trafficking of the viral population within the brain, the potential for within-host evolution of the virus, and how VEEV might evolve resistance. Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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