Host Transcriptional Response to Influenza and Other Acute Respiratory Viral Infections--A Prospective Cohort Study

Autor: Robert B. Couch, Robert L. Atmar, Gladys Zapata, John M. Quarles, Janet M. Wells, Diane Niño, Luis M. Franco, Xueqing Wang, Nancy Arden, John W. Belmont, Kristine L. Bucasas, Yijie Zhai, Chad A. Shaw
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2015
Předmět:
Zdroj: PLoS Pathogens, Vol 11, Iss 6, p e1004869 (2015)
PLOS Pathogens
PLoS Pathogens
ISSN: 1553-7374
1553-7366
Popis: To better understand the systemic response to naturally acquired acute respiratory viral infections, we prospectively enrolled 1610 healthy adults in 2009 and 2010. Of these, 142 subjects were followed for detailed evaluation of acute viral respiratory illness. We examined peripheral blood gene expression at 7 timepoints: enrollment, 5 illness visits and the end of each year of the study. 133 completed all study visits and yielded technically adequate peripheral blood microarray gene expression data. Seventy-three (55%) had an influenza virus infection, 64 influenza A and 9 influenza B. The remaining subjects had a rhinovirus infection (N = 32), other viral infections (N = 4), or no viral agent identified (N = 24). The results, which were replicated between two seasons, showed a dramatic upregulation of interferon pathway and innate immunity genes. This persisted for 2-4 days. The data show a recovery phase at days 4 and 6 with differentially expressed transcripts implicated in cell proliferation and repair. By day 21 the gene expression pattern was indistinguishable from baseline (enrollment). Influenza virus infection induced a higher magnitude and longer duration of the shared expression signature of illness compared to the other viral infections. Using lineage and activation state-specific transcripts to produce cell composition scores, patterns of B and T lymphocyte depressions accompanied by a major activation of NK cells were detected in the acute phase of illness. The data also demonstrate multiple dynamic gene modules that are reorganized and strengthened following infection. Finally, we examined pre- and post-infection anti-influenza antibody titers defining novel gene expression correlates.
Author Summary Gene expression profiling of human blood cells might uncover the complex dynamics of host response to ARIs such as pandemic H1N1. However, only limited data are available on the system level response to naturally acquired infections. To understand the molecular bases and network orchestration of host responses, we prospectively enrolled 1610 healthy adults in the fall of 2009 and 2010, followed the subjects with influenza-like illness (N = 133) for 3 weeks, and examined changes in their peripheral blood gene expression. We discovered distinct phases of the host response spanning 6 days after infection, and identified genes that differentiate influenza from non-influenza virus infection. We then moved the focus from gene expression patterns to gene co-expression patterns. We detected gene modules that are related to core features of regulatory networks and found a substantial increase in the connectivity of the influenza responsive genes. Finally, we identified a molecular signature that correlated significantly with antibody response to pH1N1 virus. Taken together, our findings offer insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying host response to influenza virus infection, and provide a valuable foundation for investigation of the global coordinated responses to ARIs. Molecular correlates of the immune response suggest targets for intervention and improved vaccines.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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