To counteract the serious health threat posed by known and novel viral pathogens, drugs that target a variety of viruses through a common mechanism have attracted recent attention due to their potential in treating (re)emerging infections, for which direct-acting antivirals are not available. We found that labyrinthopeptins A1 and A2, the prototype congeners of carbacyclic lanthipeptides, inhibit the proliferation of diverse enveloped viruses, including dengue virus, Zika virus, West Nile virus, hepatitis C virus, chikungunya virus, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus, in the low micromolar to nanomolar range. Mechanistic studies on viral particles revealed that labyrinthopeptins induce a virolytic effect through binding to the viral membrane lipid phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). These effects are enhanced by a combined equimolar application of both labyrinthopeptins, and a clear synergism was observed across a concentration range corresponding to 10% to 90% inhibitory concentrations of the compounds. Time-resolved experiments with large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) reveal that membrane lipid raft compositions (phosphatidylcholine [PC]/PE/cholesterol/sphingomyelin at 17:10:33:40) are particularly sensitive to labyrinthopeptins in comparison to PC/PE (90:10) LUVs, even though the overall PE amount remains constant. Labyrinthopeptins exhibited low cytotoxicity and had favorable pharmacokinetic properties in mice (half-life [t1/2] = 10.0 h), which designates them promising antiviral compounds acting by an unusual viral lipid targeting mechanism. IMPORTANCE For many viral infections, current treatment options are insufficient. Because the development of each antiviral drug is time-consuming and expensive, the prospect of finding broad-spectrum antivirals that can fight multiple, diverse viruses—well-known viruses as well as (re)emerging species—has gained attention, especially for the treatment of viral coinfections. While most known broad-spectrum agents address processes in the host cell, we found that targeting lipids of the free virus outside the host cell with the natural products labyrinthopeptin A1 and A2 is a viable strategy to inhibit the proliferation of a broad range of viruses from different families, including chikungunya virus, dengue virus, Zika virus, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, and cytomegalovirus. Labyrinthopeptins bind to viral phosphatidylethanolamine and induce virolysis without exerting cytotoxicity on host cells. This represents a novel and unusual mechanism to tackle medically relevant viral infections.
Background Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) is an important human pathogen that can cause the serious illness tick-borne encephalitis (TBE). Patients with clinical symptoms can suffer from severe meningoencephalitis with sequelae that include cognitive disorders and paralysis. While less than 30% of patients with clinical symptoms develop meningoencephalitis, the number of seropositive individuals in some regions indicates a much higher prevalence of TBEV infections, either with no or subclinical symptoms. The functional relevance of these subclinical TBEV infections and their influence on brain functions, such as learning and memory, has not been investigated so far. Methods To compare the effect of low and high viral replication in the brain, wildtype and Irf-7−/− mice were infected with Langat virus (LGTV), which belongs to the TBEV-serogroup. The viral burden was analyzed in the olfactory bulb and the hippocampus. Open field, elevated plus maze, and Morris water maze experiments were performed to determine the impact on anxiety-like behavior, learning, and memory formation. Spine density of hippocampal neurons and activation of microglia and astrocytes were analyzed. Results In contrast to susceptible Irf-7−/− mice, wildtype mice showed no disease signs upon LGTV infection. Detection of viral RNA in the olfactory bulb revealed CNS infections in wildtype and Irf-7−/− mice. Very low levels of viral replication were detectable in the hippocampus of wildtype mice. Although wildtype mice develop no disease signs, they showed reduced anxiety-like behavior and impaired memory formation, whereas Irf-7−/− mice were not affected. This impairment was associated with a significant decrease in spine density of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region of wildtype mice. Microglia activation and astrogliosis were detected in the hippocampus. Conclusion In this study, we demonstrate that subclinical infections by viruses from the TBEV-serogroup affected anxiety-like behavior. Virus replication in the olfactory bulb induced far-reaching effects on hippocampal neuron morphology and impaired hippocampus-dependent learning and memory formation.
The tumor microenvironment (TME) constitutes unique surroundings where cancer cells communicate with one another and with the host immune system by releasing a multitude of factors. Information about the physiological state of the TME can help in gaining a broader understanding of cancer biology and developing novel cancer therapeutics. Previous work has demonstrated the ability to use in vivo microdialysis to monitor the release of adenosine and its metabolites from murine cancer models. To further these findings, we used in vivo microdialysis to measure biomarkers in the patient-derived xenograft (PDX) cancer model. By using human tumor tissue models, we aim to bridge the gap between rodent models and human tumors to help develop better cancer therapeutics. The current set of studies used microdialysis in different PDX lines representing human tumor models (provided by CRL DRS Freiburg). Xenograft growth was monitored and upon a tumor volume > 400 mm3, the animals underwent surgical implantation of microdialysis probes in the tumor and the tumor-free flank. The implanted probes were perfused with dialysate fluid and samples from the both flanks were continuously collected over several hours. Levels of ATP, inosine and kynurenine metabolites were quantified by EIA or LC-MS/MS analysis. Analysis of microdialysate samples from tumor and tumor-free flank demonstrated differences in analyte levels between the two sampling sites within one animal indicating that the levels of ATP and metabolites measured in PDX tumors is unique to the tumor microenvironment. In addition, the various PDX models showed differences in biomarker levels between the different tumor types. There is a wide range of biomarkers which are important indicators of energy consumption and provide an insight in the differences in metabolic activity between the different xenografts. Moreover, these data demonstrate that microdialysis can be used to test targeted therapies and follow relevant biomarker levels over time. Thereby, providing better insight in effects of new therapeutic treatments within the patient specific tumor tissue itself. Citation Format: Mariette Heins, Loreen Weichert, Sabine Gorynia, Gunnar Flik, Arash Rassoulpour. Use of in vivo microdialysis to evaluate biomarker levels in the tumor and tumor free flank of freely-moving PDX mice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-317.
Introduction: Embryonal tumors with multilayered rosettes (ETMRs) are aggressive brain tumors that occur mainly in infants. Patients face a very poor prognosis with a median overall survival of ~12 months after diagnosis. The tumors harbor in ~90% of all cases amplification of a miRNA cluster on chromosome 19 (C19MC) that is thought to be the driver of the disease. However, current treatment options are lacking as (a) the mechanisms downstream of C19MC are poorly understood and (b) the drivers in cases lacking the C19MC aberration are unknown. To develop better treatment protocols for ETMR patients, more insight is needed in what is driving these tumors and how that can be targeted. Materials and Methods: To investigate the genomic and epigenomic landscape of ETMR in depth, we collected 193 ETMR samples and 23 matched relapses and performed DNA methylation profiling on all and DNA (whole genome, whole exome, and panel) sequencing and mRNA and miRNA transcriptome analysis on a subset of them. The BT183 ETMR cell line was used for drug treatments. Results: Among the 22 tumors without C19MC amplification, we identified 8 cases with truncating DICER1 germline mutations in one allele and somatic missense mutations in the RNASE III domain in the other allele. No DICER1 mutations were identified in C19MC amplified cases. In addition, structural variations (SVs) affecting C19MC were found in 3 other C19MC nonamplified cases and amplification of another miRNA cluster, miR-17-92, in 2 other cases. However, despite the presence of different genetic aberrations, based on DNA methylation and transcriptome profiling no molecular subgrouping was observed within our cohort. Whole-genome sequencing revealed an overall low recurrence and conservation of SNVs but strong conservation of SVs from primary tumors to relapses, especially surrounding C19MC. Moreover, many newly acquired SNVs in the relapses are associated to a new cisplatin treatment-related mutational signature. SVs detected in ETMRs significantly colocalized with R-loops, structures that form upon a collision of replication and transcription and are associated to increased levels of chromosomal instability, which is frequently observed in ETMRs. Using a DICER1 KO model, we found that global deregulation of miRNAs led to increased levels of R-loops and R-loop associated chromosomal instability. Finally, we show that a combination of topoisomerase and PARP inhibitors is highly synergistic and strongly increased the levels of both R-loops and DNA damage in ETMR cells and effectively killed the cells. Conclusions: Our results show that genomically instable ETMR cells are vulnerable to further increases in chromosomal instability, knowledge that may lead to new treatment strategies for ETMR patients and possibly other cancers with high levels of R-loops. Citation Format: Sander Lambo, Susanne Grübner, Tobias Rausch, Sebastian Waszak, Christin Schmidt, Sonja Krausert, Loreen Weichert, Aparna Gorthi, Carolina Romero, Annie Huang, Julia Schueler, Jan Korbel, Alexander Bishop, Stefan Pfister, Andrey Korshunov, Marcel Kool. Molecular characterization of ETMRs reveals role for R-loop mediated genomic instability and new treatment options [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on the Advances in Pediatric Cancer Research; 2019 Sep 17-20; Montreal, QC, Canada. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(14 Suppl):Abstract nr A39.
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