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Warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, and myelokathexis (WHIM) syndrome is an ultra-rare combined primary immunodeficiency disease caused by heterozygous gain-of-function mutations in the chemokine receptor CXCR4. WHIM patients typically present with recurrent acute infections associated with myelokathexis (severe neutropenia due to bone marrow retention of mature neutrophils). Severe lymphopenia is also common, but the only associated chronic opportunistic pathogen is human papillomavirus and mechanisms are not clearly defined. In this study, we show that WHIM mutations cause more severe CD8 than CD4 lymphopenia in WHIM patients and WHIM model mice. Mechanistic studies in mice revealed selective and WHIM allele dose-dependent accumulation of mature CD8 single-positive cells in thymus in a cell-intrinsic manner due to prolonged intrathymic residence, associated with increased CD8 single-positive thymocyte chemotactic responses in vitro toward the CXCR4 ligand CXCL12. In addition, mature WHIM CD8+ T cells preferentially home to and are retained in the bone marrow in mice in a cell-intrinsic manner. Administration of the specific CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 (plerixafor) in mice rapidly and transiently corrected T cell lymphopenia and the CD4/CD8 ratio. After lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection, we found no difference in memory CD8+ T cell differentiation or viral load between wild-type and WHIM model mice. Thus, lymphopenia in WHIM syndrome may involve severe CXCR4-dependent CD8+ T cell deficiency resulting in part from sequestration in the primary lymphoid organs, thymus, and bone marrow.

Warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, and myelokathexis (WHIM) syndrome immunodeficiency is caused by autosomal dominant gain-of-function CXCR4 mutations that promote severe panleukopenia caused by bone marrow retention of mature leukocytes. Consequently, WHIM patients develop recurrent bacterial infections; however, sepsis is uncommon. To study this clinical dichotomy, we challenged WHIM model mice with LPS. The LD50 was similar in WHIM and wild-type (WT) mice, and LPS induced acute lymphopenia in WT mice that was Cxcr4 independent. In contrast, in WHIM mice, LPS did not affect circulating T cell levels, but the B cell levels anomalously increased because of selective, cell-intrinsic, and Cxcr4 WHIM allele–dependent emergence of Cxcr4high late pre-B cells, a pattern that was phenocopied by Escherichia coli infection. In both WT and WHIM mice, the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 rapidly increased circulating lymphocyte levels that then rapidly contracted after subsequent LPS treatment. Thus, LPS-induced lymphopenia is CXCR4 independent, and a WHIM mutation does not increase clinical LPS sensitivity. Anomalous WT Cxcr4-independent, but Cxcr4 WHIM-dependent, promobilizing effects of LPS on late pre-B cell mobilization reveal a distinct signaling pathway for the variant receptor.

Tumor infiltration by T cells profoundly affects cancer progression and responses to immunotherapy. However, the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment can impair the induction, trafficking, and local activity of antitumor T cells. Here, we investigated whether intratumoral injection of virus-derived peptide epitopes could activate preexisting antiviral T cell responses locally and promote antitumor responses or antigen spreading. We focused on a mouse model of cytomegalovirus (CMV), a highly prevalent human infection that induces vigorous and durable T cell responses. Mice persistently infected with murine CMV (MCMV) were challenged with lung (TC-1), colon (MC-38), or melanoma (B16-F10) tumor cells. Intratumoral injection of MCMV-derived T cell epitopes triggered in situ and systemic expansion of their cognate, MCMV-specific CD4 + or CD8 + T cells. The MCMV CD8 + T cell epitopes injected alone provoked arrest of tumor growth and some durable remissions. Intratumoral injection of MCMV CD4 + T cell epitopes with polyinosinic acid:polycytidylic acid (pI:C) preferentially elicited tumor antigen–specific CD8 + T cells, promoted tumor clearance, and conferred long-term protection against tumor rechallenge. Notably, secondary proliferation of MCMV-specific CD8 + T cells correlated with better tumor control. Importantly, intratumoral injection of MCMV-derived CD8 + T cell–peptide epitopes alone or CD4 + T cell–peptide epitopes with pI:C induced potent adaptive and innate immune activation of the tumor microenvironment. Thus, CMV-derived peptide epitopes, delivered intratumorally, act as cytotoxic and immunotherapeutic agents to promote immediate tumor control and long-term antitumor immunity that could be used as a stand-alone therapy. The tumor antigen–agnostic nature of this approach makes it applicable across a broad range of solid tumors regardless of their origin.

Puel and Casanova and Kisand et al . challenge our conclusions that interferonopathy and not IL-17/IL-22 autoantibodies promote candidiasis in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy–candidiasis–ectodermal dystrophy. We acknowledge that conclusive evidence for causation is difficult to obtain in complex human diseases. However, our studies clearly document interferonopathy driving mucosal candidiasis with intact IL-17/IL-22 responses in Aire -deficient mice, with strong corroborative evidence in patients.

Removal of apoptotic cells is essential for maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Chemotactic cues termed “find-me” signals attract phagocytes toward apoptotic cells, which selectively expose the anionic phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PS) and other “eat-me” signals to distinguish healthy from apoptotic cells for phagocytosis. Blebs released by apoptotic cells can deliver find-me signals; however, the mechanism is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that apoptotic blebs generated in vivo from mouse thymus attract phagocytes using endogenous chemokines bound to the bleb surface. We show that chemokine binding to apoptotic cells is mediated by PS and that high affinity binding of PS and other anionic phospholipids is a general property of many but not all chemokines. Chemokines are positively charged proteins that also bind to anionic glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) on cell surfaces for presentation to leukocyte G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs). We found that apoptotic cells down-regulate GAGs as they up-regulate PS on the cell surface and that PS-bound chemokines, unlike GAG-bound chemokines, are able to directly activate chemokine receptors. Thus, we conclude that PS-bound chemokines may serve as find-me signals on apoptotic vesicles acting at cognate chemokine receptors on leukocytes., Chemokines attract leukocytes by activating chemokine receptors, but many also bind anionic phospholipids. This study shows that phosphatidylserine-binding chemokines endow extracellular apoptotic bodies with “find-me” signals that trigger phagocyte migration for potential apoptotic cell clearance.

Etanercept is a soluble form of the tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 (TNFR2) that inhibits pathological tumor necrosis factor (TNF) responses in rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. However, besides TNF, etanercept also blocks lymphotoxin- (LT), which has no clear therapeutic value and might aggravate some of the adverse effects associated with etanercept. Poxviruses encode soluble TNFR2 homologs, termed viral TNF decoy receptors (vTNFRs), that display unique specificity properties. For instance, cytokine response modifier D (CrmD) inhibits mouse and human TNF and mouse LT, but it is inactive against human LT. Here, we analyzed the molecular basis of these immunomodulatory activities in the ectromelia virus– encoded CrmD. We found that the overall molecular mechanism to bind TNF and LT from mouse and human origin is fairly conserved in CrmD and dominated by a groove under its 50s loop. However, other ligand-specific binding determinants optimize CrmD for the inhibition of mouse ligands, especially mouse TNF. Moreover, we show that the inability of CrmD to inhibit human LT is caused by a Glu-Phe-Glu motif in its 90s loop. Importantly, transfer of this motif to etanercept diminished its anti-LT activity in >60-fold while weakening its TNF-inhibitory capacity in 3-fold. This new etanercept variant could potentially be used in the clinic as a safer alternative to conventional etanercept. This work is the most detailed study of the vTNFR–ligand interactions to date and illustrates that a better knowledge of vTNFRs can provide valuable information to improve current anti-TNF therapies., Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness Grants SAF2012-38957 and SAF2015-67485-R and the European Union (European Regional Development Fund

INTRODUCTION: Studies of monogenic diseases have uncovered the importance of immune pathways in human tissue-specific immunity and antimicrobial defense. In particular, human inborn errors of the interleukin-17 (IL-17) receptor signaling pathway and corroborating mouse studies have established the critical contribution of type 17 responses inmucosa-specific fungal surveillance. The yeast Candida albicans is the signature pathogen in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy–candidiasis–ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), an inherited autoimmune disease caused by loss-of-function mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. Fungal disease in APECED is limited to chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis (CMC) without dissemination, suggesting a central defect in barrier immunity. RATIONALE: AIRE deficiency impairs central immune tolerance, resulting in the generation of pathogenic autoreactive T cells and autoantibodies directed against many tissue-specific antigens and certain cytokines, including “type 17” cytokines. However, although a majority of APECED patients with CMC have type 17 cytokine–targeted autoantibodies, whether type 17 or other localmucosal immune responses are affected in AIRE deficiency has not been determined. Here, we broadly investigated oral mucosal immune responses both in a model of oropharyngeal candidiasis in Aire(−/−) mice and in a large cohort of APECED patients. RESULTS: Type 17 immune responses at the oralmucosa were unexpectedly intact in mice and humans with AIRE deficiency. To define alternative mechanisms of fungal susceptibility, we investigated Aire(−/−) mice, which exhibited oralmucosa-specific susceptibility to candidiasis without dissemination and controlled experimental challenges with viruses and bacteria normally, thereby phenocopying the infection predisposition observed in APECED patients. Notably, Aire(−/−) CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells accumulated in increased numbers and displayed an activated and proliferative phenotype within the oral mucosa and were both necessary and sufficient to drive mucosal fungal infection in Aire deficiency. Enhanced production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) by Aire(−/−) mucosal CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells resulted in exacerbated IFN-γ/STAT1-mediated responses in the oral mucosa, which promoted IFN-γ–dependent epithelial barrier disruption and mucosal fungal susceptibility. Genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of IFN-γ or JAK-STAT signaling ameliorated mucosal fungal disease in Aire(−/−) mice. Aberrant type 1 responseswere also observed in the oral mucosa of APECED patients. CONCLUSION: We identify a T cell–dependent interferonopathy as a critical local mucosal mechanism underlying CMC in APECED. Although type 17 mucosal immunity is critical for host defense against barrier infection, mucosal type 17 responses were intact in patients with APECED and in a mouse model of the disease. These findings show that, in contrast to the known protective roles of T cells in antifungal host defense, aberrant type 1–associated T cell responses can be detrimental to antifungal mucosal immunity. They also support a paradigm by which exaggerated immunopathology may facilitate susceptibility to mucosal fungal infection by impairing the integrity of the epithelial barrier. Finally, they pave the way for investigating type 1 mucosal responses in other CMC-manifesting diseases and for the prevention and treatment of CMC in APECED patients using FDA-approved therapies that target IFN-γ or JAK-STAT signaling.

Chemokines are positively charged cytokines that attract leukocytes by binding to anionic glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) on endothelial cells for efficient presentation to leukocyte G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). The atypical chemokine CXCL16 has been reported to also bind the anionic phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PS), but the biological relevance of this interaction remains poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that PS binding is in fact a widely shared property of chemokine superfamily members that, like GAG binding, induces chemokine oligomerization. PS is an essential phospholipid of the inner leaflet of the healthy cell plasma membrane but it is exposed in apoptotic cells to act as an ‘eat-me’ signal that promotes engulfment of dying cells by phagocytes. We found that chemokines can bind PS in pure form as well as in the context of liposomes and on the surface of apoptotic cells and extracellular vesicles released by apoptotic cells, which are known to act as ‘find-me’ signals that chemoattract phagocytes during apoptotic cell clearance. Importantly, we show that GAGs are severely depleted from the surface of apoptotic cells and that extracellular vesicles extracted from apoptotic mouse thymus bind endogenous thymic chemokines and activate cognate chemokine receptors. Together these results indicate that chemokines tethered to surface-exposed PS may be responsible for the chemotactic and find-me signal activity previously attributed to extracellular vesicles, and that PS may substitute for GAGs as the anionic scaffold that regulates chemokine oligomerization and presentation to GPCRs on the GAG-deficient membranes of apoptotic cells and extracellular vesicles. Here, we present a new mechanism by which extracellular vesicles, currently recognized as essential agents for intercellular communication in homeostasis and disease, can transport signaling cytokines.

Ectromelia virus (ECTV) causes mousepox, a surrogate mouse model for smallpox caused by variola virus in humans. Both orthopoxviruses encode tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) homologs or viral TNFR (vTNFR). These homologs are termed cytokine response modifier (Crm) proteins, containing a TNF-binding domain and a chemokine-binding domain called smallpox virus-encoded chemokine receptor (SECRET) domain. ECTV encodes one vTNFR known as CrmD. Infection of ECTV-resistant C57BL/6 mice with a CrmD deletion mutant virus resulted in uniform mortality due to excessive TNF secretion and dysregulated inflammatory cytokine production. CrmD dampened pathology, leukocyte recruitment, and inflammatory cytokine production in lungs including TNF, IL-6, IL-10, and IFN-γ. Blockade of TNF, IL-6, or IL-10R function with monoclonal antibodies reduced lung pathology and provided 60 to 100% protection from otherwise lethal infection. IFN-γ caused lung pathology only when both the TNF-binding and SECRET domains were absent. Presence of the SECRET domain alone induced significantly higher levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10, likely overcoming any protective effects that might have been afforded by anti–IFN-γ treatment. The use of TNF-deficient mice and those that express only membrane-associated but not secreted TNF revealed that CrmD is critically dependent on host TNF for its function. In vitro, recombinant Crm proteins from different orthopoxviruses bound to membrane-associated TNF and dampened inflammatory gene expression through reverse signaling. CrmD does not affect virus replication; however, it provides the host advantage by enabling survival. Host survival would facilitate virus spread, which would also provide an advantage to the virus., National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia to G.K. and G.C. (Grants 1007980 and 471426). The laboratory of A. Alcamí was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and European Union (European Regional Development’s Funds)

Mouse Ccr1l1 (Ccr1-like 1) encodes an orphan G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) with the highest homology to the inflammatory and highly promiscuous chemokine receptors Ccr1 and Ccr3 (70 and 50% amino acid identity, respectively). Ccr1l1 was first cloned in 1995, yet current knowledge of this putative chemokine receptor is limited to its gene organization and chromosomal localization. Here we report that Ccr1l1 is a Rodentia-specific gene selectively expressed in eosinophils. However, eosinophil phenotypes, development, and responsiveness to chemokines were all normal in naïve Ccr1l1 knockout mice. We demonstrate for the first time that recombinant Ccr1l1 is expressed on the plasma membrane of transfected cells and contains an extracellular N terminus and an intracellular C terminus, consistent with GPCR topology. Using receptor internalization, β-arrestin recruitment, calcium flux, and chemotaxis assays, we excluded all 37 available mouse chemokines, including Ccr1 ligands, and two viral chemokines as Ccr1l1 ligands, and demonstrated that mouse Ccr1, but not Ccr1l1, exhibits constitutive signaling activity. However, sequence analysis and structural modeling revealed that Ccr1l1 is well equipped to act as a classical signaling GPCR, with N-terminal sulfotyrosines as the only signaling and chemokine-binding determinant absent in Ccr1l1. Hereof, we show that a sulfatable N-terminal Ccr1 Y18 residue is essential for chemotaxis and calcium responses induced by Ccl3 and Ccl9/10, but substituting the corresponding Ccr1l1 F19 residue with tyrosine failed to confer responsiveness to Ccr1 ligands. Although Ccr1l1 remains an extreme outlier in the chemokine receptor family, our study supports that it might respond to unidentified mouse chemokine ligands in eosinophil-driven immune responses.

The availability of high throughput DNA sequencing provides an opportunity to generate a potent immune stimulation against unique antigens expressed by tumors. Although such approaches have led to increased immune responses in certain individuals, it is often limited to a small patient population and is associated with high development and implementation costs. Therefore, there is an unmet need for an immunotherapy that is easy to manufacture at affordable cost and applicable across many different tumor types. Here, we propose a unique approach to leverage pre-existing anti-Human Cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunity using a defined cocktail of viral epitopes, to both directly kill the tumor cells and induce a secondary T cell response to tumor neoantigens. We chose to recruit CMV immunity because CMV infection is highly prevalent, reaching approximately 90% of the population by the age of 80 years, and because of the naturally-occurring inflation of anti-CMV T cell responses with age leads to high levels CMV-specific T cells. Consequently, in elderly individuals, CMV-specific T cells recognizing a limited number of viral epitopes constitute approximately 10% of all systemic CD4 and CD8 T cells, a level rarely achieved by conventional vaccination. Additionally, in contrast to other chronic viral infections, CMV-specific T cells remain highly functional. In our experimental model, mice persistently infected with Murine Cytomegalovirus (mCMV) were subcutaneously challenged with TC-1 tumor cells (expressing human papillomavirus E6 and E7 oncogenes) or colon adenocarcinoma MC38 tumor cells, followed by intratumoral injections of mCMV peptide antigens together with a Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist poly(I:C). Intratumoral injection of mCMV MHC-I or MHC-II restricted epitopes alone led to local and systemic recall of mCMV-specific T cells, and a potent local immune activation resulting in complete rejection of TC-1 and MC38 tumors in a subset of animals. Coinjection of both MHC-I and MHC-II peptides resulted in complete tumor clearance is most animals. Clearance was associated with antigen spreading, as evidenced by protection from secondary tumor challenge and ex vivo IFN-gamma ELISPOT responses to tumor-specific epitopes. Our preclinical studies provide a proof of concept of a first-in-class tumor antigen-agnostic immunotherapy based on recruitment of pre-existing antiviral T cells. The approach induced rapid tumor regression, profound changes in the tumor immune environment, epitope spreading, and resulted in long-term tumor protection. We are currently investigating the contribution of other cell types including NK cells and B cells to the anti-tumor effect of our approach. Citation Format: Nicolas Cuburu, Lukas Bialkowski, Sergio M. Pontejo, Alexander Bell, Rina Kim, Cynthia D. Thompson, Douglas R. Lowy, John T. Schiller. Harnessing pre-existing viral immunity for development of a broadly applicable tumor immunotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 5563.

Many viruses initiate interaction with target cells by binding to cell surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Heparan sulfate (HS) appears to be particularly important in fibroblasts, epithelial cells and endothelial cells, where it represents the dominant GAG. How GAGs influence viral infectivity in HS-poor target cells such as macrophages has not been clearly defined. Here, we show that mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) targets HS in susceptible fibroblasts and cultured salivary gland acinar cells (SGACs), but not in macrophage cell lines and primary bone marrow-derived macrophages, where chondroitin sulfate was the dominant virus-binding GAG. MCK-2, an MCMV-encoded GAG-binding chemokine that promotes infection of macrophages as part of a gH/gL/MCK-2 entry complex, was dispensable for MCMV attachment to the cell surface and for direct infection of SGACs. Thus, MCMV tropism for target cells is markedly influenced by differential GAG expression, suggesting that the specificity of anti-GAG peptides now under development as HCMV therapeutics may need to be broadened for effective application as anti-viral agents.

Viruses use diverse molecular mechanisms to exploit and evade the immune response. Herpesviruses, in particular, encode functional chemokine and chemokine receptor homologs pirated from the host, as well as secreted chemokine-binding proteins with unique structures. Multiple functions have been described for herpesvirus chemokine components, including attraction of target cells, blockade of leukocyte migration, and modulation of gene expression and cell entry by the virus. Here we review current concepts about how human herpesvirus chemokines, chemokine receptors, and chemokine-binding proteins may be used to shape a proviral state in the host.

Viruses use diverse strategies to elude the immune system, including copying and repurposing host cytokine and cytokine receptor genes. For herpesviruses, the chemokine system of chemotactic cytokines and receptors is a common source of copied genes. Here, we review the current state of knowledge about herpesvirus-encoded chemokines and discuss their possible roles in viral pathogenesis, as well as their clinical potential as novel anti-inflammatory agents or targets for new antiviral strategies.

Chemokines are essential for antimicrobial host defenses and tissue repair. Herpesviruses and poxviruses also encode chemokines, copied from their hosts and repurposed for multiple functions, including immune evasion. The CC chemokine MCK-2 encoded by mouse CMV (MCMV) has an atypical structure consisting of a classic chemokine domain N-terminal to a second unique domain, resulting from the splicing of MCMV ORFs m131 and m129. MCK-2 is essential for full MCMV infectivity in macrophages and for persistent infection in the salivary gland. However, information about its mechanism of action and specific biochemical roles for the two domains has been lacking. Here, using genetic, chemical, and enzymatic analyses of multiple mouse cell lines as well as primary mouse fibroblasts from salivary gland and lung, we demonstrate that MCK-2 binds glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) with affinities in the following order: heparin > heparan sulfate > chondroitin sulfate = dermatan sulfate. Both MCK-2 domains bound these GAGs independently, and computational analysis together with site-directed mutagenesis identified five basic residues distributed across the N terminus and the 30s and 50s loops of the chemokine domain that are important GAG binding determinants. Both domains were required for GAG-dependent oligomerization of full-length MCK-2. Thus, MCK-2 is an atypical viral chemokine consisting of a CC chemokine domain and a unique non-chemokine domain, both of which bind GAGs and are critical for GAG-dependent oligomerization of the full-length protein.

© 2015 The Authors. Poxviruses encode up to four different soluble TNF receptors, named cytokine response modifier B (CrmB), CrmC, CrmD and CrmE. These proteins mimic the extracellular domain of the cellular TNF receptors to bind and inhibit the activity of TNF and, in some cases, other TNF superfamily ligands. Most of these ligands are released after the enzymic cleavage of a membrane precursor. However, transmembrane TNF (tmTNF) is not only a precursor of soluble TNF but also exerts specific pro-inflammatory and immunological activities. Here, we report that viral TNF receptors bound and inhibited tmTNF and describe some interesting differences in their activity against the soluble cytokine. Thus, CrmE, which does not inhibit mouse soluble TNF, could block murine tmTNF-induced cytotoxicity. We propose that this anti-tmTNF effect should be taken into consideration when assessing the role of viral TNF decoy receptors in the pathogenesis of poxvirus., Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness Grants SAF2009-07857 and SAF2012-38957.S. M. P. was recipient of a JAE PhD Studentship from Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and a studentship from Fundación Severo Ochoa

© 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc. The blockade of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) by etanercept, a soluble version of the human TNF receptor 2 (hTNFR2), is a well established strategy to inhibit adverse TNF-mediated inflammatory responses in the clinic. A similar strategy is employed by poxviruses, encoding four viral TNF decoy receptor homologues (vTNFRs) named cytokine response modifier B (CrmB), CrmC, CrmD, and CrmE. These vTNFRs are differentially expressed by poxviral species, suggesting distinct immunomodulatory properties. Whereas the human variola virus and mouse ectromelia virus encode one vTNFR, the broad host range cowpox virus encodes all vTNFRs. We report the first comprehensive study of the functional and binding properties of these four vTNFRs, providing an explanation for their expression profile among different poxviruses. In addition, the vTNFRs activities were compared with the hTNFR2 used in the clinic. Interestingly, CrmB from variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, is the most potent TNFR of those tested here including hTNFR2. Furthermore, we demonstrate a new immunomodulatory activity of vTNFRs, showing that CrmB and CrmD also inhibit the activity of lymphotoxin β. Similarly, we report for the first time that the hTNFR2 blocks the biological activity of lymphotoxin β. The characterization of vTNFRs optimized during virus-host evolution to modulate the host immune response provides relevant information about their potential role in pathogenesis and may be used to improve anti-inflammatory therapies based on soluble decoy TNFRs., Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness Grants SAF2009-07857 and SAF2012-38957

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is the prototypical member of a large superfamily of structurally related cytokines that are involved in a wide range of activities involved in the regulation of the immune response and developmental processes and that signal mainly through an equally diverse array of receptors included in the TNF receptor superfamily (TNFRSF). TNF has an essential role in the activation of the antiviral immune response, where it acts both directly on virus-infected cells as a cell death-inducing cytokine and indirectly in the activation of the innate and adaptive immune responses against the invading pathogen. Consequently, viruses from different families have devised strategies to evade or modulate these TNF-driven responses. Most strategies involve the expression of virus-encoded intracellular proteins that are able to bind to different proteins of the TNFR signal transduction pathways. Uniquely, poxviruses express secreted TNFR homologues that can bind to soluble TNF, inhibiting its activity by preventing it from binding to the cellular receptors. In the recent years, we have been interested in studying the activity and function of these viral TNFRs (vTNFRs) both in vitro and during infection. We describe recent advances in this field.

Background: Lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) is a large icosahedral dsDNA-containing virus of the Lymphocystivirus genus within the Iridoviridae family that can cause disease in more than 140 marine and freshwater fish species. While several isolates have been charcaterized and classified into distinct genotypes the complete genomic sequence is currently only available from two species, the LCDV-1, isolated from flounder (Platichtys flesus) in Europe and the LCDV-C, isolated from Japanese cultured flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) in China. Analysis of the genome of LCDV-C showed it to encode a protein named LDVICp016 with similarities to the Tumour necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily with immunomodulatory potential. Findings. We have expressed and purified the recombinant protein LDVICp016 and screened for potential interaction partners using surface plasmon resonance. Commercially available human and mouse members of the TNF superfamily (TNFSF), along with a representative set of fish-derived TNFSF were tested. We have found the LDVICp016 protein to be secreted and we have identified a second viral TNFR encoded by ORF 095 of the same virus. None of the 42 tested proteins were found to interact with LDVICp016. Conclusions: We show that LDVICp016 is a secreted protein belonging to the TNF receptor family that may be part of a larger gene family in Lymphocystiviruses. While the ligand of this protein remains unknown, possibly due to the species specific nature of this interaction, further investigations into the potential role of this protein in the blockade of immune responses in its fish host are required., Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (AGL 2009-08711, SAF2009-07857)