Abstract

Andes virus (ANDV) causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), a severe acute disease with a 40% case fatality rate. Humans are infected via inhalation, and the lungs are severely affected during HPS, but little is known regarding the effects of ANDV-infection of the lung. Using a 3-dimensional air-exposed organotypic human lung tissue model, we analyzed progeny virus production and cytokine-responses after ANDV-infection. After a 7–10 day period of low progeny virus production, a sudden peak in progeny virus levels was observed during approximately one week. This peak in ANDV-production coincided in time with activation of innate immune responses, as shown by induction of type I and III interferons and ISG56. After the peak in ANDV production a low, but stable, level of ANDV progeny was observed until 39 days after infection. Compared to uninfected models, ANDV caused long-term elevated levels of eotaxin-1, IL-6, IL-8, IP-10, and VEGF-A that peaked 20–25 days after infection, i.e., after the observed peak in progeny virus production. Notably, eotaxin-1 was only detected in supernatants from infected models. In conclusion, these findings suggest that ANDV replication in lung tissue elicits a late proinflammatory immune response with possible long-term effects on the local lung cytokine milieu. The change from an innate to a proinflammatory response might be important for the transition from initial asymptomatic infection to severe clinical disease, HPS.

Highlights

  • Hantaviruses are the etiological agents of two severe zoonotic diseases, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS, called hantavirus cardio-pulmonary syndrome, HCPS) in the Americas, PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0149354 February 23, 2016Andes Virus Infection of a 3D Human Lung Tissue Model collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

  • These findings suggest that Andes virus (ANDV) affects the local lung tissue cytokine milieu, thereby causing a proinflammatory state that might contribute to the-pathogenesis of HPS

  • ANDV-infection of the air-exposed 3-dimensional organotypic human lung tissue model resulted in a one-week peak in progeny virus production that coincided in time with a transient innate immune response, which in turn was followed by long-term increased eotaxin-1, IL-6, IL-8, IP-10 and VEGF-A, and decreased RANTES, levels

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Summary

Methods

The human lung fibroblast cell line MRC-5 (ATCC CCL-171) were grown in Minimum Essential Medium (MEM) supplemented with 10% FBS, 100 U of penicillin/ml and 100 μg of streptomycin/ml. The human bronchial epithelial cell line 16HBE14o- [18], a kind gift from Dr Dieter Gruenert, Mt. Zion Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, were grown in Dulbeccos Modified Eagles Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% FBS, 1% HEPES, 1% non-essential amino acids, 100 U of penicillin/ml and 100 μg of streptomycin/ml. ANDV was propagated and titrated on Vero E6 cells (ATCC Vero C1008) as previously described [19]. The lower limit of detection in the titration assay [19] is 5 focus forming units (FFU) per ml (FFU/ml)

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Discussion
Conclusion

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