Estep Ryan D, Li Helen, Govindan Aparna N, McDonald Kaidlyn A, Axthelm Michael K, Wong Scott W
Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Beaverton, Oregon, USA.
Division of Pathobiology and Immunology, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Beaverton, Oregon, USA.
J Virol. 2025 Feb 25;99(2):e0192324. doi: 10.1128/jvi.01923-24. Epub 2025 Jan 21.
Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human gammaherpesvirus associated with Kaposi's sarcoma and B cell malignancies. Like all herpesviruses, KSHV contains conserved envelope glycoproteins (gps) involved in virus binding, entry, assembly, and release from infected cells, which are also targets of the immune response. Due to the lack of a reproducible animal model of KSHV infection, the precise functions of the KSHV gps during infection are not completely known. Fortunately, a nonhuman primate (NHP) model of KSHV infection and disease has been established utilizing closely related rhesus macaque rhadinovirus (RRV) that naturally infects rhesus macaques (RM) and possesses analogous gps to KSHV. To address the roles conserved envelope gps gH and gL play during KSHV infection , we utilized the pathogenic RRV BAC to generate chimeric forms of RRV expressing KSHV gL or KSHV gH/gL, as well as an RRV mutant lacking gL expression. These viruses incorporate KSHV gH and gL into infectious virions, and although they display variable replication and differing plaque phenotypes in primary rhesus fibroblasts, they retain the ability to infect human B cells . Importantly, we also demonstrate that RRV gp chimeras can infect RM and induce the development of antibodies against KSHV. Overall, this work demonstrates that RRV gp chimeras can serve as important tools to assess the role of KSHV gH/gL in infection and disease while also providing an NHP model for testing the efficacy of KSHV gH and gL neutralizing antibodies and vaccine strategies to prevent and treat KSHV infection.IMPORTANCERhesus macaque rhadinovirus (RRV) is a rhesus macaque homolog of KSHV and serves as a model system for examining Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) infection and pathogenesis . KSHV and RRV both encode conserved herpesvirus envelope glycoproteins, including gH and gL, that are important for regulating entry into host cells. In this study, we utilized the RRV BAC system to generate chimeric forms of RRV expressing KSHV gH and gL, as well as a mutant form of RRV lacking gL expression. Although these mutant and chimeric viruses can replicate , they do display growth properties different from wild-type RRV. Importantly, we demonstrate that RRV gp chimeras are capable of infecting rhesus macaques , inducing B cell hyperplasia, and promoting the development of anti-viral antibody responses that can also recognize KSHV antigens. RRV gp chimeras provide a novel system that allows for the examination of the role of KSHV gH and gL during infection .
卡波西肉瘤相关疱疹病毒(KSHV)是一种与卡波西肉瘤和B细胞恶性肿瘤相关的人类γ疱疹病毒。与所有疱疹病毒一样,KSHV含有保守的包膜糖蛋白(gp),这些糖蛋白参与病毒与感染细胞的结合、进入、组装和释放,也是免疫反应的靶点。由于缺乏可重复的KSHV感染动物模型,KSHV gp在感染过程中的精确功能尚不完全清楚。幸运的是,利用密切相关的恒河猴疱疹病毒(RRV)建立了KSHV感染和疾病的非人灵长类动物(NHP)模型,RRV可自然感染恒河猴(RM),并拥有与KSHV类似的gp。为了研究保守的包膜gp gH和gL在KSHV感染过程中的作用,我们利用致病性RRV BAC生成了表达KSHV gL或KSHV gH/gL的RRV嵌合体形式,以及缺乏gL表达的RRV突变体。这些病毒将KSHV gH和gL整合到感染性病毒粒子中,尽管它们在原代恒河猴成纤维细胞中显示出不同的复制和不同的噬斑表型,但它们仍保留感染人B细胞的能力。重要的是,我们还证明RRV gp嵌合体可以感染RM并诱导产生针对KSHV的抗体。总体而言,这项工作表明RRV gp嵌合体可以作为评估KSHV gH/gL在感染和疾病中的作用的重要工具,同时也为测试KSHV gH和gL中和抗体的疗效以及预防和治疗KSHV感染的疫苗策略提供了一个NHP模型。
重要性
恒河猴疱疹病毒(RRV)是KSHV的恒河猴同源物,是研究卡波西肉瘤相关疱疹病毒(KSHV)感染和发病机制的模型系统。KSHV和RRV都编码保守的疱疹病毒包膜糖蛋白,包括gH和gL,它们对于调节进入宿主细胞很重要。在本研究中,我们利用RRV BAC系统生成了表达KSHV gH和gL的RRV嵌合体形式,以及缺乏gL表达的RRV突变体形式。尽管这些突变体和嵌合病毒可以复制,但它们确实表现出与野生型RRV不同的生长特性。重要的是,我们证明RRV gp嵌合体能够感染恒河猴,诱导B细胞增生,并促进抗病毒抗体反应的发展,这些抗体反应也能识别KSHV抗原。RRV gp嵌合体提供了一个新的系统,可用于研究KSHV gH和gL在感染过程中的作用。