0000000000116430
AUTHOR
Christian Sinzger
Tetraspanin CD151 Promotes Initial Events in Human Cytomegalovirus Infection.
ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a betaherpesvirus, can cause life-threatening disease in immunocompromised individuals. Viral envelope glycoproteins that mediate binding to and penetration into target cells have been identified previously. In contrast, cellular proteins supporting HCMV during entry are largely unknown. In order to systematically identify host genes affecting initial steps of HCMV infection, a targeted RNA interference screen of 96 cellular genes was performed in endothelial cells by use of a virus strain expressing the full set of known glycoprotein H and L (gH/gL) complexes. The approach yielded five proviral host factors from different protein families and eight an…
Dense Bodies of a gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL131 Pentamer-Repaired Towne Strain of Human Cytomegalovirus Induce an Enhanced Neutralizing Antibody Response
The development of a vaccine against human cytomegalovirus infection (HCMV) is a high-priority medical goal. The viral pentameric protein complex consisting of glycoprotein H (gH)/gL/UL128-131A (PC) is considered to be an important vaccine component. Its relevance to the induction of a protective antibody response is, however, still a matter of debate. We addressed this issue by using subviral dense bodies (DBs) of HCMV. DBs are exceptionally immunogenic. Laboratory HCMV strain DBs harbor important neutralizing antibody targets, like the glycoproteins B, H, L, M, and N, but they are devoid of the PC. To be able to directly compare the impact of the PC on the levels of neutralizing antibody …
Inhibition of tetraspanin functions impairs human papillomavirus and cytomegalovirus infections
Tetraspanins are suggested to regulate the composition of cell membrane components and control intracellular transport, which leaves them vulnerable to utilization by pathogens such as human papillomaviruses (HPV) and cytomegaloviruses (HCMV) to facilitate host cell entry and subsequent infection. In this study, by means of cellular depletion, the cluster of differentiation (CD) tetraspanins CD9, CD63, and CD151 were found to reduce HPV16 infection in HeLa cells by 50 to 80%. Moreover, we tested recombinant proteins or peptides of specific tetraspanin domains on their effect on the most oncogenic HPV type, HPV16, and HCMV. We found that the C-terminal tails of CD63 and CD151 significantly i…
Tropism of human cytomegalovirus for endothelial cells is determined by a post-entry step dependent on efficient translocation to the nucleus.
Marked interstrain differences in the endothelial cell (EC) tropism of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) isolates have been described. This study aimed to define the step during the replicative cycle of HCMV that determines this phenotype. The infection efficiency of various HCMV strains in EC versus fibroblasts was quantified by immunodetection of immediate early (IE), early and late viral antigens. Adsorption and penetration were analysed by radiolabelled virus binding assays and competitive HCMV-DNA-PCR. The translocation of penetrated viral DNA to the nucleus of infected cells was quantified by competitive HCMV-DNA-PCR in pure nuclear fractions. The intracytoplasmic translocation of capsids …