0000000000039730
AUTHOR
Jürgen Podlech
showing 59 related works from this author
Mast cells as rapid innate sensors of cytomegalovirus by TLR3/TRIF signaling-dependent and -independent mechanisms
2014
The succinct metaphor, ‘the immune system's loaded gun', has been used to describe the role of mast cells (MCs) due to their storage of a wide range of potent pro-inflammatory and antimicrobial mediators in secretory granules that can be released almost instantly on demand to fight invaders. Located at host–environment boundaries and equipped with an arsenal of pattern recognition receptors, MCs are destined to be rapid innate sensors of pathogens penetrating endothelial and epithelial surfaces. Although the importance of MCs in antimicrobial and antiparasitic defense has long been appreciated, their role in raising the alarm against viral infections has been noted only recently. Work on cy…
Positive Role of the MHC Class-I Antigen Presentation Regulator m04/gp34 of Murine Cytomegalovirus in Antiviral Protection by CD8 T Cells
2020
Murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) codes for MHC class-I trafficking modulators m04/gp34, m06/gp48, and m152/gp40. By interacting with the MHC class-Iα chain, these proteins disconnect peptide-loaded MHC class-I (pMHC-I) complexes from the constitutive vesicular flow to the cell surface. Based on the assumption that all three inhibit antigen presentation, and thus the recognition of infected cells by CD8 T cells, they were referred to as “immunoevasins.” Improved antigen presentation mediated by m04 in the presence of m152 after infection with deletion mutant mCMV-Δm06W, compared to mCMV-Δm04m06 expressing only m152, led us to propose renaming these molecules “viral regulators of antigen present…
Enhancement by TNF-alpha of reactivation and replication of latent herpes simplex virus from trigeminal ganglia of mice.
1995
The influence of tumor-necrosis-factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukine-1 (IL-1) and IL-3 on the in vitro reactivation frequency and replication rate of trigeminal ganglia of mice latently infected with herpes simplex virus (HSV) strain KOS was studied. It could be demonstrated that TNF-alpha and possibility GM-CSF, but not IL-1 and IL-3, enhanced the reactivation frequency and replication of HSV. Interferon alpha/beta (IFN alpha/beta) prevented reactivation and replication.
Subdominant CD8 T-Cell Epitopes Account for Protection against Cytomegalovirus Independent of Immunodomination▿ †
2008
ABSTRACTCytomegalovirus (CMV) infection continues to be a complication in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Preexisting donor immunity is recognized as a favorable prognostic factor for the reconstitution of protective antiviral immunity mediated primarily by CD8 T cells. Furthermore, adoptive transfer of CMV-specific memory CD8 T (CD8-TM) cells is a therapeutic option for preventing CMV disease in HSCT recipients. Given the different CMV infection histories of donor and recipient, a problem may arise from an antigenic mismatch between the CMV variant that has primed donor immunity and the CMV variant acquired by the recipient. Here, we have used the BALB/c mouse…
Insufficient Antigen Presentation Due to Viral Immune Evasion Explains Lethal Cytomegalovirus Organ Disease After Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Trans…
2020
Reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) poses a clinical problem in transiently immunocompromised recipients of hematopoietic cell (HC) transplantation (HCT) by viral histopathology that results in multiple organ manifestations. Compared to autologous HCT and to syngeneic HCT performed with identical twins as HC donor and recipient, lethal outcome of CMV infection is more frequent in allogeneic HCT with MHC/HLA or minor histocompatibility loci mismatch between donor and recipient. It is an open question if a graft-versus-host (GvH) reaction exacerbates CMV disease, or if CMV exacerbates GvH disease (GvHD), or if interference is mutual. Here we have used a mouse model of experimental HC…
Non-redundant and redundant roles of cytomegalovirus gH/gL complexes in host organ entry and intra-tissue spread
2015
Herpesviruses form different gH/gL virion envelope glycoprotein complexes that serve as entry complexes for mediating viral cell-type tropism in vitro; their roles in vivo, however, remained speculative and can be addressed experimentally only in animal models. For murine cytomegalovirus two alternative gH/gL complexes, gH/gL/gO and gH/gL/MCK-2, have been identified. A limitation of studies on viral tropism in vivo has been the difficulty in distinguishing between infection initiation by viral entry into first-hit target cells and subsequent cell-to-cell spread within tissues. As a new strategy to dissect these two events, we used a gO-transcomplemented ΔgO mutant for providing the gH/gL/gO…
Enhancement of Antigen Presentation by Deletion of Viral Immune Evasion Genes Prevents Lethal Cytomegalovirus Disease in Minor Histocompatibility Ant…
2020
Hematoablative treatment followed by hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for reconstituting the co-ablated immune system is a therapeutic option to cure aggressive forms of hematopoietic malignancies. In cases of family donors or unrelated donors, immunogenetic mismatches in major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and/or minor histocompatibility (minor-H) loci are unavoidable and bear a risk of graft-vs.-host reaction and disease (GvHR/D). Transient immunodeficiency inherent to the HCT protocol favors a productive reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) that can result in multiple-organ CMV disease. In addition, there exists evidence from a mouse model of MHC class-I-mismatched GvH…
Replication of herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 in the medulla of the adrenal gland after vaginal infection of mice.
1996
After vaginal infections of mice with neuroinvasive strains of herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2) virus replicates in the epithelium of the vagina, in the paravaginal ganglia, in the spinal cord and finally in the brain and in the adrenal glands. However, viral antigens could be demonstrated only in the medulla of the adrenal glands but not in the cortex, as assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC). HSV could not be isolated from liver, spleen, uterus, and ovaries. This contrasts to the intraperitoneal (i.p) route of infection with replication in different visceral organs including the adrenal gland's cortex.
Tumor Control in a Model of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Acute Liver-Infiltrating B-Cell Lymphoma: an Unpredicted Novel Function of Cytomegalovirus
2002
ABSTRACTTumor relapse and cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection are major concerns in the therapy of hematopoietic malignancies by bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Little attention so far has been given to a possible pathogenetic interplay between CMV and lymphomas. CMV inhibits stem cell engraftment and hematopoietic reconstitution. Thus, by causing maintenance of bone marrow aplasia and immunodeficiency, CMV could promote tumor relapse. Alternatively, CMV could aid tumor remission. One might think of cytopathogenic infection of tumor cells, induction of apoptosis or inhibitory cytokines, interference with tumor cell extravasation or tumor vascularization, or bystander stimulation of an antitu…
Enhancerless Cytomegalovirus Is Capable of Establishing a Low-Level Maintenance Infection in Severely Immunodeficient Host Tissues but Fails in Expon…
2010
ABSTRACT Major immediate-early transcriptional enhancers are genetic control elements that act, through docking with host transcription factors, as a decisive regulatory unit for efficient initiation of the productive virus cycle. Animal models are required for studying the function of enhancers paradigmatically in host organs. Here, we have sought to quantitatively assess the establishment, maintenance, and level of in vivo growth of enhancerless mutants of murine cytomegalovirus in comparison with those of an enhancer-bearing counterpart in models of the immunocompromised or immunologically immature host. Evidence is presented showing that enhancerless viruses are capable of forming restr…
Vaginal infection of mice with HSV type 2 variant ER−: A new animal model for human primary genital HSV type 2 infections
1992
Abstract Studying the pathogenesis of vaginal infections in mice with two variants of Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) strain ER we observed that both variants ER+ and ER− caused severe vaginitis but only ER+ invaded the CNS leading to lethal neurological disease. In contrast, mice infected with ER− cleared the virus from the vagina and recovered from infection. ER+ and ER− expressed equal levels of thymidine kinase (TK) indicating a TK-independent difference in neurovirulence. Using the non-neurovirulent variant ER−, we were able to investigate humoral immune responses late after infection. Vaginal infection with ER− suppressed serum antibody formation after a secondary systemic HSV-1 i…
Control of cytomegalovirus in bone marrow transplantation chimeras lacking the prevailing antigen-presenting molecule in recipient tissues rests prim…
1998
ABSTRACT Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during the transient immunodeficiency after bone marrow transplantation (BMT) develops into disease unless antiviral CD8 T cells are restored in due course. Histoincompatibility between donor and recipient is associated with increased risk. Complications may include a rejection response against the foreign major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens and a lack of antiviral control resulting from a misfit between donor-derived T cells and the antigenic viral peptides presented in recipient tissues. Here we have established a murine model of CMV disease after experimental BMT performed across a single MHC class I disparity. Specifically, BALB/c bon…
Akute und chronische Virus-Erkrankungen des Zentralnervensystems
2009
Virale Erkrankungen konnen akut als Meningitis, Enzephalitis und Myelitis verlaufen. Da diese Lokalisationen nicht immer streng abgrenzbar sind, werden auch die Bezeichnungen Meningoenzephalitis und Enzephalomyelitis gebraucht. Alle viralen Infekte zeichnen sich durch ein lymphozytares Infiltrat und Lymphozyten im Liquor aus, dem eine granulozytare Phase vorausgehen kann. Ca 50% der Falle bleiben atiologisch ungeklart. Eine Abgrenzung der einzelnen Er- krankungen erfolgtauf Grund des klinischen Bildes, der Anamnese (Zeckenstich, Hundebisse, Auslandsreisen) sowie der virologischen Diagnostik.
Cytomegalovirus-Associated Inhibition of Hematopoiesis Is Preventable by Cytoimmunotherapy With Antiviral CD8 T Cells
2020
Reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) in recipients of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) not only results in severe organ manifestations, but can also cause "graft failure" resulting in bone marrow (BM) aplasia. This inhibition of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell engraftment is a manifestation of CMV infection that is long known in clinical hematology as "myelosuppression." Previous studies in a murine model of sex-chromosome mismatched but otherwise syngeneic HCT and infection with murine CMV have shown that transplanted hematopoietic cells (HC) initially home to the BM stroma of recipients but then fail to further divide and differentiate. Data from this model were in …
Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Allele-specific Cooperative and Competitive Interactions between Immune Evasion Proteins of Cytomegalovirus
2002
Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) deploy a set of genes for interference with antigen presentation in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I pathway. In murine CMV (MCMV), three genes were identified so far: m04/gp34, m06/gp48, and m152/gp40. While their function as immunoevasins was originally defined after their selective expression, this may not necessarily reflect their biological role during infection. The three immunoevasins might act synergistically, but they might also compete for their common substrate, the MHC class I complexes. To approach this question in a systematic manner, we have generated a complete set of mutant viruses with deletions of the three genes in all seven pos…
TGF-beta regulates airway responses via T cells.
2003
Abstract Allergic asthma is characterized by airway hyperreactivity, inflammation, and a Th2-type cytokine profile favoring IgE production. Beneficial effects of TGF-β and conflicting results regarding the role of Th1 cytokines have been reported from murine asthma models. In this study, we examined the T cell as a target cell of TGF-β-mediated immune regulation in a mouse model of asthma. We demonstrate that impairment of TGF-β signaling in T cells of transgenic mice expressing a dominant-negative TGF-β type II receptor leads to a decrease in airway reactivity in a non-Ag-dependent model. Increased serum levels of IFN-γ can be detected in these animals. In contrast, after injection of OVA …
Optimized recombinant dense bodies of human cytomegalovirus efficiently prime virus specific lymphocytes and neutralizing antibodies without the addi…
2010
Control of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection correlates with the reconstitution of antiviral T lymphocytes in haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients. A vaccine to foster this reconstitution and to ameliorate the severe consequences of HCMV reactivation is yet unavailable. This work focused on providing a rationale for the amendment of the yields and the antigenic composition of a vaccine, based on subviral dense bodies (DB) of HCMV. Modified DB were generated that contained the HLA-A2 presented IE1 model peptide TMYGGISLL, integrated at different positions in the major DB protein pp65. Insertion at position W175 of pp65 allowed efficient formation of recDB in the cytoplasm of i…
Coincident airway exposure to low-potency allergen and cytomegalovirus sensitizes for allergic airway disease by viral activation of migratory dendri…
2019
Despite a broad cell-type tropism, cytomegalovirus (CMV) is an evidentially pulmonary pathogen. Predilection for the lungs is of medical relevance in immunocompromised recipients of hematopoietic cell transplantation, in whom interstitial CMV pneumonia is a frequent and, if left untreated, fatal clinical manifestation of human CMV infection. A conceivable contribution of CMV to airway diseases of other etiology is an issue that so far attracted little medical attention. As the route of primary CMV infection upon host-to-host transmission in early childhood involves airway mucosa, coincidence of CMV airway infection and exposure to airborne environmental antigens is almost unavoidable. For i…
CD8 T Cells Control Cytomegalovirus Latency by Epitope-Specific Sensing of Transcriptional Reactivation
2006
ABSTRACT During murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) latency in the lungs, most of the viral genomes are transcriptionally silent at the major immediate-early locus, but rare and stochastic episodes of desilencing lead to the expression of IE1 transcripts. This low-frequency but perpetual expression is accompanied by an activation of lung-resident effector-memory CD8 T cells specific for the antigenic peptide 168-YPHFMPTNL-176, which is derivedfrom the IE1 protein. These molecular and immunological findings were combined in the “silencing/desilencing and immune sensing hypothesis” of cytomegalovirus latency and reactivation. This hypothesis proposes that IE1 gene expression proceeds to cell surfac…
Experimental Preemptive Immunotherapy of Murine Cytomegalovirus Disease with CD8 T-Cell Lines Specific for ppM83 and pM84, the Two Homologs of Human …
2001
ABSTRACTCD8 T cells are the principal antiviral effectors controlling cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. For human CMV, the virion tegument protein ppUL83 (pp65) has been identified as a source of immunodominant peptides and is regarded as a candidate for cytoimmunotherapy and vaccination. Two sequence homologs of ppUL83 are known for murine CMV, namely the virion protein ppM83 (pp105) expressed late in the viral replication cycle and the nonstructural protein pM84 (p65) expressed in the early phase. Here we show that ppM83, unlike ppUL83, is not delivered into the antigen presentation pathway after virus penetration before or in absence of viral gene expression, while other virion proteins o…
IL-33/ST2 pathway drives regulatory T cell dependent suppression of liver damage upon cytomegalovirus infection.
2017
Regulatory T (Treg) cells dampen an exaggerated immune response to viral infections in order to avoid immunopathology. Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) are herpesviruses usually causing asymptomatic infection in immunocompetent hosts and induce strong cellular immunity which provides protection against CMV disease. It remains unclear how these persistent viruses manage to avoid induction of immunopathology not only during the acute infection but also during life-long persistence and virus reactivation. This may be due to numerous viral immunoevasion strategies used to specifically modulate immune responses but also induction of Treg cells by CMV infection. Here we demonstrate that liver Treg cells …
Adoptive Transfer of T-Cell-Receptor Engineered Human T Cells Specifically Reduces Viral Titers in HLA-Transgenic NSG Mice Infected with a Humanized …
2014
Abstract Reactivation of latent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a frequent complication in patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Preclinical research in murine models as well as clinical phase I/II trials have shown that the adoptive transfer of virus-specific CD8+ T cells is a therapeutic option for preventing HCMV disease. However, the feasibility of HCMV-specific immunotherapy is currently limited in clinical routine due to technical restrictions. It has also limitations, if the donor is HCMV-seronegative or carries only low numbers of HCMV-specific memory T cells. In this situation, grafting non-reactive T cells by virus-antigen specific T-c…
Mouse models of cytomegalovirus latency: overview.
2002
Abstract Background: The molecular regulation of viral latency and reactivation is a central unsolved issue in the understanding of cytomegalovirus (CMV) biology. Like human CMV (hCMV), murine CMV (mCMV) can establish a latent infection in cells of the myeloid lineage. Since mCMV genome remains present in various organs after its clearance from hematopoietic cells first in bone marrow and much later in blood, there must exist one or more widely distributed cell type(s) representing the cellular site(s) of enduring mCMV latency in host tissues. Endothelial cells and histiocytes are candidates, but the question is not yet settled. Another long debated problem appears to be solved: mCMV establ…
Transactivation of cellular genes involved in nucleotide metabolism by the regulatory IE1 protein of murine cytomegalovirus is not critical for viral…
2008
ABSTRACT Despite its high coding capacity, murine CMV (mCMV) does not encode functional enzymes for nucleotide biosynthesis. It thus depends on cellular enzymes, such as ribonucleotide reductase (RNR) and thymidylate synthase (TS), to be supplied with deoxynucleoside triphosphates (dNTPs) for its DNA replication. Viral transactivation of these cellular genes in quiescent cells of host tissues is therefore a parameter of viral fitness relevant to pathogenicity. Previous work has shown that the IE1, but not the IE3, protein of mCMV transactivates RNR and TS gene promoters and has revealed an in vivo attenuation of the mutant virus mCMV-ΔIE1. It was attractive to propose the hypothesis that la…
Highly protective in vivo function of cytomegalovirus IE1 epitope-specific memory CD8 T cells purified by T-cell receptor-based cell sorting.
2005
ABSTRACTReconstitution of antiviral CD8 T cells is essential for controlling cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection after bone marrow transplantation. Accordingly, polyclonal CD8 T cells derived from BALB/c mice infected with murine CMV protect immunocompromised adoptive transfer recipients against CMV disease. The protective population comprises CD8 T cells with T-cell receptors (TCRs) specific for defined and for as-yet-unknown viral epitopes, as well as a majority of nonprotective cells with unrelated specificities. Defined epitopes include IE1/m123 and m164, which are immunodominant in terms of the magnitude of the CD8 T-cell response, and a panel of subordinate epitopes (m04, m18, M45, M83, a…
The murine cytomegalovirus M35 protein antagonizes type I IFN induction downstream of pattern recognition receptors by targeting NF-κB mediated trans…
2017
The type I interferon (IFN) response is imperative for the establishment of the early antiviral immune response. Here we report the identification of the first type I IFN antagonist encoded by murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) that shuts down signaling following pattern recognition receptor (PRR) sensing. Screening of an MCMV open reading frame (ORF) library identified M35 as a novel and strong negative modulator of IFNβ promoter induction following activation of both RNA and DNA cytoplasmic PRR. Additionally, M35 inhibits the proinflammatory cytokine response downstream of Toll-like receptors (TLR). Using a series of luciferase-based reporters with specific transcription factor binding sites, …
Lymphoma cell apoptosis in the liver induced by distant murine cytomegalovirus infection.
2006
ABSTRACTCytomegalovirus (CMV) poses a threat to the therapy of hematopoietic malignancies by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, but efficient reconstitution of antiviral immunity prevents CMV organ disease. Tumor relapse originating from a minimal residual leukemia poses another threat. Although a combination of risk factors was supposed to enhance the incidence and severity of transplantation-associated disease, a murine model of a liver-adapted B-cell lymphoma has previously shown a survival benefit and tumor growth inhibition by nonlethal subcutaneous infection with murine CMV. Here we have investigated the underlying antitumoral mechanism. Virus replication proved to be required, …
Cytomegalovirus Misleads Its Host by Priming of CD8 T Cells Specific for an Epitope Not Presented in Infected Tissues
2003
Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) code for several proteins that inhibit the presentation of antigenic peptides to CD8 T cells. Although the molecular mechanisms of CMV interference with the major histocompatibility complex class I pathway are long understood, surprisingly little evidence exists to support a role in vivo. Here we document the first example of the presentation of an antigenic peptide being blocked by a CMV immune evasion protein in organs relevant to CMV disease. Although this Db-restricted peptide, which is derived from the antiapoptotic protein M45 of murine CMV (mCMV), is classified as an immunodominant peptide based on response magnitude and long-term memory, adoptive transfer of…
Therapeutic Vaccination of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Recipients Improves Protective CD8 T-Cell Immunotherapy of Cytomegalovirus Infection
2021
Reactivation of latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) endangers the therapeutic success of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) in tumor patients due to cytopathogenic virus spread that leads to organ manifestations of CMV disease, to interstitial pneumonia in particular. In cases of virus variants that are refractory to standard antiviral pharmacotherapy, immunotherapy by adoptive cell transfer (ACT) of virus-specific CD8+ T cells is the last resort to bridge the “protection gap” between hematoablative conditioning for HCT and endogenous reconstitution of antiviral immunity. We have used the well-established mouse model of CD8+ T-cell immunotherapy by ACT in a setting of experimental HCT and mu…
The viral chemokine MCK-2 of murine cytomegalovirus promotes infection as part of a gH/gL/MCK-2 complex.
2013
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) forms two gH/gL glycoprotein complexes, gH/gL/gO and gH/gL/pUL(128,130,131A), which determine the tropism, the entry pathways and the mode of spread of the virus. For murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV), which serves as a model for HCMV, a gH/gL/gO complex functionally homologous to the HCMV gH/gL/gO complex has been described. Knock-out of MCMV gO does impair, but not abolish, virus spread indicating that also MCMV might form an alternative gH/gL complex. Here, we show that the MCMV CC chemokine MCK-2 forms a complex with the glycoprotein gH, a complex which is incorporated into the virion. We could additionally show that mutants lacking both, gO and MCK-2 are not ab…
Stalemating a clever opportunist: lessons from murine cytomegalovirus.
2003
Abstract Cytomegaloviruses and their specific hosts have come to an arrangement that avoids disease but allows the viruses to persist in the individual host and to spread in the host species. Recent work has uncovered some of the molecular details of this evolutionary “contract for mutual survival.” Cytomegaloviruses encode proteins, referred to as “immunoevasins,” which are specifically committed to subvert the immune defense of the host for evading virus elimination. In reply, the hosts have evolved countermeasures to overcome the viral immunoevasins and present antigenic peptides to an extent that is sufficient for confining virus replication to below a harmful level. Accordingly, cytome…
Antigen-presenting cells of haematopoietic origin prime cytomegalovirus-specific CD8 T-cells but are not sufficient for driving memory inflation duri…
2011
Expansion of the CD8 T-cell memory pool, also known as ‘memory inflation’, for certain but not all viral epitopes in latently infected host tissues is a special feature of the immune response to cytomegalovirus. The Ld-presented murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) immediate–early (IE) 1 peptide is the prototype of an epitope that is associated with memory inflation. Based on the detection of IE1 transcripts in latently infected lungs it was previously proposed that episodes of viral gene expression and antigenic activity due to desilencing of a limited number of viral genes may drive epitope-specific memory inflation. This would imply direct antigen presentation through latently infected host tis…
Asymptomatic vaginal herpes simplex virus infections in mice: virology and pathohistology
1996
One of the causes of genital tract infections in humans are herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1, HSV-2). Although primary and recurrent infections can be clinically apparent and in part very serious, many infections are asymptomatic and result only in temporary genital shedding of virus (recurrences). During our investigations of vaginitis, strain IES of HSV-1 produced an asymptomatic infection. Replication in the murine vaginal (vag.) epithelium as well as antibody formation after vag. infection was comparable to those of survivors after infection with highly virulent strains. Titration of liver, spleen, ovaries, adrenal glands spinal cord, or brain after vag. IES infection revealed …
Pathogenesis of HSV-1/2 induced vaginitis/vulvitis of the mouse: dependence of lesions on genetic properties of the virus and analysis of pathohistol…
1993
A scoring system for herpes simplex virus (HSV) induced vaginitis/vulvitis in Balb/c mice was delineated from vaginal infections. Four degrees of vaginitis/vulvitis could be distinguished after infection with suitable strains of HSV despite nearly identical replication rates. The time course of replication, inflammation and pathohistology was compared further. Grade 0 was defined by lack of symptoms despite presence of strong replication, which was detectable at days 3-6. Focal necrotic lesions of the epithelial layer were present containing HSV-specific antigens. DNA could be detected by hybridization only in the outer zone of these areas. At day 6 these zones began to be re-epithelialized…
Cytomegalovirus inhibits the engraftment of donor bone marrow cells by downregulation of hemopoietin gene expression in recipient stroma
1998
ABSTRACT Cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease after bone marrow (BM) transplantation is often associated with BM graft failure. There are two possible reasons for such a correlation. First, a poor hematopoietic reconstitution of unrelated etiology could promote the progression of CMV infection by the lack of immune control. Alternatively, CMV infection could interfere with the engraftment of donor BM cells in recipient BM stroma. Evidence for a causative role of CMV in BM aplasia came from studies in long-term BM cultures and from the murine in vivo model of CMV-induced aplastic anemia. A deficiency in the expression of essential stromal hemopoietins, such as stem cell factor (SCF), has indicated …
Shedding light on the elusive role of endothelial cells in cytomegalovirus dissemination.
2011
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is frequently transmitted by solid organ transplantation and is associated with graft failure. By forming the boundary between circulation and organ parenchyma, endothelial cells (EC) are suited for bidirectional virus spread from and to the transplant. We applied Cre/loxP-mediated green-fluorescence-tagging of EC-derived murine CMV (MCMV) to quantify the role of infected EC in transplantation-associated CMV dissemination in the mouse model. Both EC- and non-EC-derived virus originating from infected Tie2-cre + heart and kidney transplants were readily transmitted to MCMV-naïve recipients by primary viremia. In contrast, when a Tie2-cre + transplant was infected by pri…
Evidence against a key role for transforming growth factor-beta1 in cytomegalovirus-induced bone marrow aplasia.
1998
During immunodeficiency after sublethal haematoablative treatment, cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection interferes with haematopoietic reconstitution and can cause lethal bone marrow (BM) aplasia. The in vivo model of murine CMV infection has identified the BM stroma as the principal target site of CMV in the haematopoietic cord. The infected cell type is the reticular stromal cell which forms the stromal network and produces essential haemopoietins, such as stem-cell factor (SCF). The expression of SCF was found to be reduced in the infected stroma, but the stromal network was not disrupted and the number of infected stromal cells was too low to explain the functional deficiency. These facts ca…
Colonization of adrenal glands and ovaries of mice by HSV-2 variants
1990
HSV-2 strain ER was shown to consist of variants with different pathogenic phenotype: Variant ER+ replicates to high titers in the adrenal glands and the ovaries but much less in the spleen; the testes were not colonized. ER+ migrates to the spinal ganglia and is highly neuroinvasive after i.p. inoculation. Variant ER- replicates 100-1,000 fold less in the adrenal glands and the ovaries, but proceeds to the spinal ganglia without invading the CNS. However, both variants are highly neuropathogenic after direct i.c. injection. We conclude that neuropathogenicity, neuroinvasiveness and the ability to replicate in the adrenal glands as well as ovaries are each determined by different sets of ge…
Evaluating Human T-Cell Therapy of Cytomegalovirus Organ Disease in HLA-Transgenic Mice
2015
Reactivation of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can cause severe disease in recipients of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Although preclinical research in murine models as well as clinical trials have provided 'proof of concept' for infection control by pre-emptive CD8 T-cell immunotherapy, there exists no predictive model to experimentally evaluate parameters that determine antiviral efficacy of human T cells in terms of virus control in functional organs, prevention of organ disease, and host survival benefit. We here introduce a novel mouse model for testing HCMV epitope-specific human T cells. The HCMV UL83/pp65-derived NLV-peptide was presented by transgenic HLA-A2.1 in the conte…
Non-cognate bystander cytolysis by clonal epitope-specific CTL lines through CD28-CD80 interaction inhibits antibody production: A potential caveat t…
2015
Abstract Adoptive transfer of virus epitope-specific CD8 T cells is an immunotherapy option to control cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and prevent CMV organ disease in immunocompromised solid organ transplantation (SOT) and hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients. The therapy aims at an early, selective recognition and cytolysis of infected cells for preventing viral spread in tissues with no adverse immunopathogenic side-effects by attack of uninfected bystander cells. Here we describe that virus epitope-specific, cloned T-cell lines lyse target cells that present the cognate antigenic peptide to the TCR, but simultaneously have the potential to lyse uninfected cells expressing…
Colonization of adrenal glands and ovaries of mice by variants of HSV 1 and 2
1991
The herpes simplex virus (HSV)-infected mouse model was used to correlate histopathological lesions in adrenal glands and ovaries with the localisation of viral nucleic acids and viral antigens, employing in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. In the adrenals, the lesions were mainly restricted to the zona fasciculata and the zona reticularis, sometimes extending to the medulla. In the ovaries, lesions were detected in follicles and in the stroma. During the course of infection, HSV nucleic acids could be detected earlier than HSV proteins. Next to the center of necrotic foci mainly HSV proteins were detected, whereas peripheral cells were found to contain viral nucleic acids. In s…
Murine model of interstitial cytomegalovirus pneumonia in syngeneic bone marrow transplantation: persistence of protective pulmonary CD8-T-cell infil…
2000
ABSTRACTInterstitial pneumonia (IP) is a severe organ manifestation of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in the immunocompromised host, in particular in recipients of bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Diagnostic criteria for the definition of CMV-IP include clinical evidence of pneumonia together with CMV detected in bronchoalveolar lavage or lung biopsy. We have used the model of syngeneic BMT and simultaneous infection of BALB/c mice with murine CMV for studying the pathogenesis of CMV-IP by controlled longitudinal analysis. A disseminated cytopathic infection of the lungs with fatal outcome was observed only when reconstituting CD8 T cells were depleted. Neither CD8 nor CD4 T cells mediated…
Reconstitution of CD8 T cells is essential for the prevention of multiple-organ cytomegalovirus histopathology after bone marrow transplantation.
1998
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in the period of temporary immunodeficiency after haematoablative treatment and bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is associated with a risk of graft failure and multiple-organ CMV disease. The efficacy of immune system reconstitution is decisive for the prevention of CMV pathogenesis after BMT. Previous data in murine model systems have documented a redundancy in the immune effector mechanisms controlling CMV. CD8 T cells proved to be relevant but not irreplaceable as antiviral effectors. Specifically, in a state of long-term in vivo depletion of the CD8 T-cell subset, CD4 T cells were educed to become deputy effectors controlling CMV by a mechanism involving…
The Putative Natural Killer Decoy Early Genem04(gp34) of Murine Cytomegalovirus Encodes an Antigenic Peptide Recognized by Protective Antiviral CD8 T…
2000
ABSTRACTSeveral early genes of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) encode proteins that mediate immune evasion by interference with the major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) pathway of antigen presentation to cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL). Specifically, them152gene product gp37/40 causes retention of MHC-I molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi intermediate compartment. Lack of MHC-I on the cell surface should activate natural killer (NK) cells recognizing the “missing self.” The retention, however, is counteracted by them04early gene product gp34, which binds to folded MHC-I molecules in the ER and directs the complex to the cell surface. It was thus speculated that gp34 mi…
Cytomegalovirus Encodes a Positive Regulator of Antigen Presentation
2006
ABSTRACT Murine cytomegalovirus encodes three regulators of antigen presentation to antiviral CD8 T cells. According to current paradigms, all three regulators are committed to the inhibition of the presentation of antigenic peptides. Whereas m152/gp40 catalyzes the retention of peptide-loaded major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules in a cis -Golgi compartment, m06/gp48 binds stably to class I molecules and directs them into the cellular cargo-sorting pathway of lysosomal degradation. Regulator m04/gp34 also binds stably to class I molecules, but unlike m152 and m06, it does not downmodulate MHC class I cell surface expression. It has entered the literature as a direct inhi…
The Major Virus-Producing Cell Type during Murine Cytomegalovirus Infection, the Hepatocyte, Is Not the Source of Virus Dissemination in the Host
2008
SummaryThe course of systemic viral infections is determined by the virus productivity of infected cell types and the efficiency of virus dissemination throughout the host. Here, we used a cell-type-specific virus labeling system to quantitatively track virus progeny during murine cytomegalovirus infection. We infected mice that expressed Cre recombinase selectively in vascular endothelial cells or hepatocytes with a murine cytomegalovirus for which Cre-mediated recombination would generate a fluorescently labeled virus. We showed that endothelial cells and hepatocytes produced virus after direct infection. However, in the liver, the main contributor to viral load in the mouse, most viruses…
Localization of latency-associated transcripts in the uterovaginal plexus of herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 latently infected mice.
1997
The vagina and medulla of the adrenal gland of mice vaginally infected with herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 were examined in the latent stage of infection (5 to 51 weeks post-infection). RNA in situ hybridization with HSV-1 and -2 latency-associated transcript (LAT) RNA probes resulted in positively stained neuronal cell nuclei in the uterovaginal plexus, but not in the medulla of the adrenal gland. These organs were chosen because HSV antigens can be detected not only in the vaginal epithelium, but also in neurons of the uterovaginal plexus and in the medulla of the adrenal gland at the acute stage of genital infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing LATs in…
Animal models: Murine cytomegalovirus
2002
Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on murine cytomegalovirus (CMV) animal models. Multiple-organ cytomegalovirus disease, interstitial pneumonia in particular, is a major concern in the therapy of hematopoietic malignancies by hematoablative treatment and bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Human CMV (hCMV) is the prototype member of the subfamily, Betaherpesvirinae, of the virus family, Herpesviridae . Its genome is a linear, double-stranded DNA with a coding capacity of ca. 165 open reading frames. During an aeon of co-evolution, CMVs have adapted themselves to their respective hosts; therefore, CMV biology is most reliably studied in a natural virus-host combination. Even though hCMV …
Suppression of humoral immune response against herpes simplex virus induced by defective strains, ts- and TK- mutants.
1988
Suppression of humoral antibody formation against HSV is not only induced by replicating Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) but also by the defective strain ANG and the deletion mutant 1301 of Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Moreover, ts-mutants A, H, K, S, 1201 and 1208 of HSV-1 as well as some ts-mutants of HSV-2 and “defective-interfering” particles of HSV-1 after high multiplicity of infection-passages induced suppression. Treatment of infected mice with ACG reduced antibody-formation but did not result in suppression. UV-irradiation of the antibody producing strain Len of HSV-1 strongly reduces antibody formation and induces suppression. Experiments using a series of intertypic r…
Bone marrow failure by cytomegalovirus is associated with an in vivo deficiency in the expression of essential stromal hemopoietin genes.
1997
Bone marrow (BM) failure associated with cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a feared complication after clinical BM transplantation. Experiments in long-term BM cultures have indicated that BM stromal cells (BMSC) are targets of productive CMV infection, but an in situ infection of BM stroma remained to be documented, and the pathomechanism is open to question. Here we describe a murine in vivo model of lethal CMV aplastic anemia (CMV-AA). The reconstitution of hematopoietic progenitor cells expressing stem cell factor (SCF) receptor was found to be defective in CMV-AA. While murine CMV replication in permissive parenchymal tissues is cytolytic, the hematopoietic cord was found to be a site…
In Vivo Replication of Recombinant Murine Cytomegalovirus Driven by the Paralogous Major Immediate-Early Promoter-Enhancer of Human Cytomegalovirus
1999
ABSTRACT Transcription of the major immediate-early (MIE) genes of cytomegaloviruses (CMV) is driven by a strong promoter-enhancer (MIEPE) complex. Transactivator proteins encoded by these MIE genes are essential for productive infection. Accordingly, the MIEPE is a crucial control point, and its regulation by activators and repressors is pertinent to virus replication. Since the MIEPE contains multiple regulatory elements, it was reasonable to assume that specific sequence motifs are irreplaceable for specifying the cell-type tropism and replication pattern. Recent work on murine CMV infectivity (A. Angulo, M. Messerle, U. H. Koszinowski, and P. Ghazal, J. Virol. 72:8502–8509, 1998) has do…
Two Antigenic Peptides from Genes m123 and m164 of Murine Cytomegalovirus Quantitatively Dominate CD8 T-Cell Memory in the H-2 d Haplotype
2001
ABSTRACT The importance of CD8 T cells for the control of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection has raised interest in the identification of immunogenic viral proteins as candidates for vaccination and cytoimmunotherapy. The final aim is to determine the viral “immunome” for any major histocompatibility complex class I molecule by antigenicity screening of proteome-derived peptides. For human CMV, there is a limitation to this approach: the T cells used as responder cells for peptide screening are usually memory cells that have undergone in vivo selection. On this basis, pUL83 (pp65) and pUL123 (IE1 or pp68 to -72) were classified as immunodominant proteins. It is an open question whether this li…
Frequent coinfection of cells explains functional in vivo complementation between cytomegalovirus variants in the multiply infected host.
2005
In contrast to many other virus infections, primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection does not fully protect against reinfection. Accordingly, clinical data have revealed a coexistence of multiple human CMV variants/ strains in individual patients. Notably, the phenomenon of multiple infection was found to correlate with increased virus load and severity of CMV disease. Although of obvious medical relevance, the mechanism underlying this correlation is unknown. A weak immune response in an individual could be responsible for a more severe disease and for multiple infections. Alternatively, synergistic contributions of variants that differ in their biological properties can lead to qualitative…
Synergism between the components of the bipartite major immediate-early transcriptional enhancer of murine cytomegalovirus does not accelerate virus …
2009
Major immediate-early (MIE) transcriptional enhancers of cytomegaloviruses are key regulators that are regarded as determinants of virus replicative fitness and pathogenicity. The MIE locus of murine cytomegalovirus (mCMV) shows bidirectional gene-pair architecture, with a bipartite enhancer flanked by divergent core promoters. Here, we have constructed recombinant viruses mCMV-ΔEnh1 and mCMV-ΔEnh2 to study the impact of either enhancer component on bidirectional MIE gene transcription and on virus replication in cell culture and various host tissues that are relevant to CMV disease. The data revealed that the two unipartite enhancers can operate independently, but synergize in enhancing MI…
Impairment of TGF-β signaling in T cells increases susceptibility to experimental autoimmune hepatitis in mice
2002
In autoimmune hepatitis, strong TGF-beta1 expression is found in the inflamed liver. TGF-beta overexpression may be part of a regulatory immune response attempting to suppress autoreactive T cells. To test this hypothesis, we determined whether impairment of TGF-beta signaling in T cells leads to increased susceptibility to experimental autoimmune hepatitis (EAH). Transgenic mice of strain FVB/N were generated expressing a dominant-negative TGF-beta type II receptor in T cells under the control of the human CD2 promoter/locus control region. On induction of EAH, transgenic mice showed markedly increased portal and periportal leukocytic infiltrations with hepatocellular necroses compared wit…
Exogenous TNFR2 activation protects from acute GvHD via host T reg cell expansion
2015
Activation of TNFR2 with a novel agonist expands T reg cells in vivo and protects allo-HCT recipients from acute GvHD while sparing antilymphoma and antiinfectious properties of transplanted donor T cells.
Correlation of virus replication, cytokine (TNF-? and IL-1) producing cells, neuronal necrosis and inflammation after intranasal infection of mice wi…
1995
The number of TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta producing cells was investigated during the acute replication phase of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in trigeminal ganglia after intranasal infection with strains of different virulence. The highly virulent strain WAL replicated strongly and induced many cytokine producing cells early in the ganglia. The low virulent strain HFEM replicated less, only few cytokine producing cells were detected late. The thymidine-kinase negative (TK-) virus 1301 did not replicate but produced some lymphocytic inflammation. The higher the virulence of strains of HSV-1 or -2 was, the stronger was the extent of histopathological lesions; moreover, a dissociation in time betwee…
Control of murine cytomegalovirus in the lungs: Relative but not absolute immunodominance of the immediate-early 1 nonapeptide during the antiviral c…
1998
Effective control by the immune system is a hallmark of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. Accordingly, human CMV disease is a medical problem restricted to the immunologically immature or immunocompromised host (for a review, see reference 21). Murine models have implicated natural killer (NK) cells and CD8 T cells in the control of CMV infection. While NK cells mediate early protection in genetically resistant mouse inbred strains (4, 5, 31, 51), CD8 T cells establish enduring protective memory and function as principal antiviral effectors in susceptible strains (31). Specifically, in the BALB/c strain, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I-restricted antiviral CD8 T cells resolve …
CD8 T-Cell Immunotherapy of Cytomegalovirus Disease in the Murine Model
2010
Publisher Summary Cytomegaloviruses (CMVs) are conditional pathogens that are strictly species specific and are usually well controlled in their respective mammalian hosts by the effector mechanisms of both innate and adaptive immunity. Human CMV (hCMV) is mostly acquired perinatally as well as in early childhood and is transmitted, for instance, through breast milk and saliva. Whilst the immune response in an immunocompetent host prevents an overt CMV disease and rapidly terminates the productive acute infection, viral genome is maintained in most tissues for the life span of the infected host in a state known as viral latency. Latency implies that infectious virions are no longer produced…