Biology subjects

Hassert, M. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Hassert, M. A..

6 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Metal Coordinating Inhibitors of Rift Valley Fever virus Replication

Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV) is a veterinary and human pathogen and is an agent of bioterrorism concern. Currently, RVFV treatment is limited to supportive care, so new drugs to control RVFV infection are urgently needed. RVFV is a member of the Bunyavirales order, and replication of these viruses depends on the viral endonuclease activity of the viral L protein. Screening for RVFV replication inhibitors among compounds with divalent cation-coordinating motifs similar to known viral nuclease inhibitors identified 31 novel RVFV inhibitors with selective indexes from 5 - 402 and 50% effective concentrations of 0.54 - 56 {micro}M in Vero cells, primarily -Hydroxytropolones and N-Hydroxypyridinediones. Inhibitor activity and selective index was validated in the human cell line A549. To evaluate specificity, select compounds were tested against another Bunyavirus, La Crosse Virus (LACV). Conservation of the enzymatic activity such as the cap-snatching mechanism among the Bunyavirales implies that the -Hydroxytropolone and N-Hydroxypyridinedione chemotypes hold potential for development into treatments for related pathogens, including Hantaan Virus, Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, and LACV. Keywords: Rift Valley Fever Virus 1, La Crosse virus 2, Cap-snatching endonuclease 3, Replication inhibitors 4, -Hydroxytropolones 5, N-Hydroxypyridinediones 6.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2021

A mRNA-LNP vaccine against Dengue Virus elicits robust, serotype-specific immunity

Dengue virus (DENV) is the most common vector-borne viral disease with nearly 400 million worldwide infections each year concentrated in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Severe dengue complications are often associated with a secondary heterotypic infection of one of the four circulating serotypes. In this scenario, humoral immune responses targeting cross-reactive, poorly-neutralizing epitopes can lead to increased infectivity of susceptible cells via antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). In this way, antibodies produced in response to infection or vaccination are capable of contributing to enhanced disease in subsequent infections. Currently, there are no available therapeutics to combat DENV disease, and there is an urgent need for a safe and efficacious vaccine. Here, we developed a nucleotide-modified mRNA vaccine encoding for the membrane and envelope structural proteins from DENV serotype 1 encapsulated into lipid nanoparticles (prM/E mRNA-LNP). Vaccination of mice elicited robust antiviral immune responses comparable to viral infection with high levels of neutralizing antibody titers and antiviral CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Immunocompromised AG129 mice vaccinated with the prM/E mRNA-LNP vaccine were protected from a lethal DENV challenge. Vaccination with either a wild-type vaccine, or a vaccine with mutations in the immunodominant fusion-loop epitope, elicited equivalent humoral and cell mediated immune responses. Neutralizing antibodies elicited by the vaccine were sufficient to protect against a lethal challenge. Both vaccine constructs demonstrated serotype specific immunity with minimal serum cross-reactivity and reduced ADE compared to a live DENV1 viral infection. IMPORTANCEWith 400 million worldwide infections each year, dengue is the most common vector-born viral disease. 40% of the worlds population is at risk with dengue experiencing consistent geographic spread over the years. With no therapeutics available and vaccines performing sub optimally, the need for an effective dengue vaccine is urgent. Here we develop and characterize a novel mRNA vaccine encoding for the dengue serotype 1 envelope and premembrane structural proteins that is delivered via a lipid nanoparticle. Our DENV1 prM/E mRNA-LNP vaccine induces neutralizing antibody and cellular immune responses in immunocompetent mice and protects an immunocompromised mouse from a lethal DENV challenge. Existing antibodies against dengue can enhance subsequent infections via antibody-dependent enhancement. Importantly our vaccine only induced serotype specific immune responses and did not induce ADE.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Heterologous flavivirus exposure provides varying degrees of cross-protection from Zika virus in a mouse model of infection

The 2015/16 Zika virus epidemic in South and Central America left the scientific community urgently trying to understand the disease and the factors which modulate Zika virus pathogenesis. Multiple other flaviviruses are endemic in areas where Zika virus emerged in 2015/16. Therefore, it is hypothesized that a key to understanding how Zika virus infection and disease progresses, is to study Zika virus infection in the context of prior flavivirus exposure. Humans and animal studies have highlighted the idea that having been previously exposed to a heterologous flavivirus may modulate the immune response to Zika virus. However, it is still unclear 1) how this impacts viral burden and pathology, and 2) the factors which correlate with the multiple metrics of disease. In this murine study, we longitudinally examine multiple factors involved in Zika disease, linking viral burden over time with increased neurological disease severity and weight loss. We show that prior heterologous flavivirus exposure with dengue virus type 2 or 3, or the vaccine strain of yellow fever, provides protection from mortality in a lethal Zika challenge. Reduction in viral burden and Zika disease in the context of prior flavivirus exposure varies depending on the infecting primary virus; with primary Zika infection being most protective from Zika challenge, followed by dengue 2, yellow fever, and dengue 3. This study demonstrates a protective effect of prior heterologous flavivirus exposure on Zika virus pathogenesis, and defines the relationship between prior flavivirus exposure and the potential for Zika virus disease. IMPORTANCEThe emergence and re-emergence of various vector-borne diseases in recent years highlights the need to understand the mechanisms of protection for each pathogen. In this study, we investigated the impact of prior exposure to Zika, dengue serotypes 2, 3, and the vaccine strain of yellow fever on pathogenesis and disease outcomes in a mouse model of Zika virus infection. We found that prior exposure to a heterologous flavivirus was protective from mortality, neurological disease, weight loss, and severe viral burden during a lethal Zika challenge. Using a longitudinal study design, we were able to link multiple disease parameters including viral burden over time with neurological disease severity and weight loss in the context of heterologous infection. This study demonstrates a role for heterologous flavivirus exposure in modulating flavivirus pathophysiology. Given the cyclic nature of most flavivirus outbreaks, this work will contribute to the forecasting of disease severity for future outbreaks.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Significant control of Zika infection in macaques depends on the elapsing time after dengue exposure

Prior exposure to a single serotype of dengue virus (DENV) predisposes individuals to severe disease upon secondary heterologous DENV infection. Here we show that the length of time between DENV/Zika (ZIKV) infections has a qualitative impact on controlling ZIKV replication. We identified limited but significant differences in the magnitude of the early humoral immune response associated with a period of twelve months but not three months of DENV convalescence. However, their role limiting ZIKV replication is not conclusive. There was no evidence of in vivo antibody-dependent amplification of ZIKV by DENV immunity in any group. We are also showing that the significant differences among groups may be linked to a pre-existing polyfunctional CD4+ T cells response (increased IFN-g and Cd107a before ZIKV infection) and to an early and continuous expansion of the CD4+ effector memory cells early on after ZIKV infection. Those significant differences were associated with a period of 12 months after DENV infection that were not observed in a span of 3-months. These results suggest that there is a window of optimal cross-protection between ZIKV and DENV with significant consequences. These results have pivotal implications while interpreting ZIKV pathogenesis in flavivirus-experimented populations, diagnostic results interpretation and vaccine designs among others.\n\nAuthor SummarySince its introduction in the Americas region ZIKV virus has been associated to severe birth defects. One of the questions that remains open is the role of previous dengue or any other flavivirus immunity in the pathogenesis of ZIKV and more important, if the time elapse between DENV and ZIKV play a role enhancing ZIKV pathogenesis as it is the case for subsequent DENV infections. On this work, using NHP as a model we compared the effect of a period of 12 months vs. a period of 3 months of DENV immunity in the outcome of ZIKV infection. We found that previous DENV infection, at any of the tested period of time do not induce ZIKV enhancement. More relevant are showing that when the two infection occurs at least one year apart the preexisting DENV immunity is better at controlling ZIKV replication and that the role of the neutralizing antibodies is very limited. On the contrary our results suggest that early after ZIKV infection the cellular immune response, may plays a predominant role. Our findings have critical relevance to understand the dynamic interaction between these two flavivirus, their pathogenies, diagnosis and vaccine design.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2019

Time elapsed between Zika and Dengue infections improves the immune response against Dengue without viremia enhancement in rhesus macaques

The role of Zika virus (ZIKV) immunity on subsequent dengue virus (DENV) infections is relevant to anticipate the dynamics of forthcoming DENV epidemics in areas with previous ZIKV exposure. We study the effect of ZIKV infection with various strains on subsequent DENV immune response after 10 and 2 months of ZIKV infection in rhesus macaques. Our results show that a subsequent DENV infection in animals with early- and middle-convalescent periods to ZIKV do not promote an increase in DENV viremia nor pro-inflammatory status. Previous ZIKV exposure increases the magnitude of the antibody and T cell responses against DENV, and different time intervals between infections alter the magnitude and durability of such responses--more after longer ZIKV pre-exposure. Collectively, we find no evidence of a detrimental effect of ZIKV immunity in a subsequent DENV infection. This supports the implementation of ZIKV vaccines that could also boost immunity against future DENV epidemics.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2018

Functional dissection of the ARGONAUTE7 promoter

ARGONAUTES are the central effector proteins of RNA silencing which bind target transcripts in a small RNA-guided manner. Arabidopsis thaliana has ten ARGONAUTE (AGO) genes, with specialized roles in RNA-directed DNA methylation, post-transcriptional gene silencing, and antiviral defense. To better understand specialization among AGO genes at the level of transcriptional regulation we tested a library of 1497 transcription factors for binding to the promoters of AGO1, AGO10, and AGO7 using yeast 1-hybrid assays. A ranked list of candidate DNA-binding TFs revealed binding of the AGO7 promoter by a number of proteins in two families: the miR156-regulated SPL family and the miR319-regulated TCP family, both of which have roles in developmental timing and leaf morphology. Possible functions for SPL and TCP binding are unclear: we showed that these binding sites are not required for the polar expression pattern of AGO7, nor for the function of AGO7 in leaf shape. Normal AGO7 transcription levels and function appear to depend instead on an adjacent 124-bp region. Progress in understanding the structure of this promoter may aid efforts to understand how the conserved AGO7-triggered TAS3 pathway functions in timing and polarity.

plant biology↗