人巨细胞病毒与肿瘤研究进展

人巨细胞病毒（HCMV）是目前已知最大的β疱疹病毒。HCMV感染具有持续性和潜在性,感染率在全世界范围内都很高,并随着年龄的增长而升高,女性感染率高于男性,其主要的传播途径有垂直传播和性传播等。近年来的研究显示在人类胶质瘤、结直肠癌、乳腺癌和前列腺癌及小细胞型肝癌等多种类型的肿瘤组织中都存在HCMV感染和病毒基因表达,并与肿瘤的恶性程度有相关性,这提示HCMV可能在人类某些类型肿瘤的形成和发展过程中扮演重要角色,有可能成为一种新的人类肿瘤相关病毒。HCMV基因产物可通过多种细胞信号通路抑制细胞凋亡、促进细胞增殖、侵袭、转移和血管生成,并形成独特的免疫逃避机制对抗机体免疫反应。深入研究HCMV与肿瘤的病因学关系及其作用机制,可为肿瘤的临床防治提供新思路。     

BST-2参与HCMV感染诱导的恶性胶质瘤细胞增殖和迁移

为探讨BST-2蛋白是否参与人巨细胞病毒(HCMV)感染导致的恶性胶质瘤细胞增殖和迁移,以HCMV AD169株感染U251细胞,通过细胞划痕愈合实验检测HCMV感染对U251迁移的影响;通过Western-blot方法检测HCMV感染对BST-2蛋白表达的影响;通过CCK-8、细胞划痕愈合和transwell方法检测HCMV感染后下调BST-2对U251细胞增殖和迁移能力的影响。结果显示,HCMV感染可促进U251细胞迁移并高表达BST-2,沉默BST-2后可抑制由HCMV感染诱导的细胞增殖和迁移。结果证实HCMV感染可促进胶质瘤细胞U251增殖迁移,BST-2参与了HCMV感染导致的恶性胶质瘤细胞增殖和迁移。     

感染HCMV的U251干细胞裸鼠大脑移植瘤模型的建立

研究人巨细胞病毒(HCMV)感染的U251干细胞(GSC_S)裸鼠颅内成瘤情况。用单克隆培养法从U251细胞系中分离出GSC_S,采用流式细胞仪检测分离出的GSC_S中CD133的表达,感染HCMV病毒,制备细胞密度为1×10~7个/mL的GSC_S悬液。取20只SPF级BALB/c裸鼠腹部麻醉,固定在立体定位仪上,在裸鼠颅脑钻一小孔,将3μL干细胞悬液缓慢接种于裸鼠颅内,随机分为HCMV感染组和未感染HCMV组。观察HCMV对肿瘤生长及裸鼠存活情况,处死濒死裸鼠取脑组织做免疫组化检测HCMV感染组胶质瘤内IE蛋白是否持续表达及HCMV感染对胶质瘤干细胞分化为血管的影响。结果显示,经单克隆法分选出的GSC_S在无血清培养基中成球生长;经流式细胞仪检测,分离出的GSC_S中CD133比例为98.00%;裸鼠脑内出现膨胀性生长的肿瘤;HCMV感染组肿瘤组织中检测到IE高表达,HCMV感染可促进CD133阳性胶质瘤干细胞分化为CD34阳性血管内皮细胞。以上结果表明,HCMV的IE蛋白能在通过此方法建立的HCMV阳性移植瘤中持续表达,且HCMV能促进GSC_S分化为血管内皮细胞。     

基质力学对肿瘤发生发展及肿瘤细胞生物学行为影响的研究进展

实体瘤的发生发展常伴随着细胞外基质的异常沉积、交联和基质刚度增加.基质刚度增加和肿瘤细胞软化引起肿瘤微环境的力学异质性.基质力学通过影响肿瘤细胞的增殖、迁移、转移、上皮间质转换、肿瘤干细胞特性和耐药性等调控肿瘤的发生、恶性转变和转移.研究基质力学对肿瘤发生发展的影响不仅可深化对肿瘤发展的认识,也可为研究新的诊治方法提供理论基础.本文论述了细胞外基质力学特性对肿瘤发生发展及肿瘤细胞生物学行为影响的研究进展,并展望了其发展前景.     

人巨细胞病毒感染与乳腺癌关系的研究进展

人巨细胞病毒(human cytomegalovirus,HCMV)是β疱疹病毒家族成员,全世界70%以上人口感染过该病毒。HCMV通常以潜伏感染形式存在于宿主体内,并产生了逃避宿主免疫系统识别和清除等多种能力,可通过表达HCMV基因及蛋白发挥肿瘤调节作用,干扰细胞代谢过程,促进肿瘤的发生和发展。乳腺癌是女性最常见的恶性肿瘤之一,而HCMV在非肿瘤和乳腺癌患者乳腺上皮细胞中的阳性检出率较高,同时有研究表明晚期暴露于HCMV可引起乳腺癌。近期新型抗HCMV药物对乳腺癌靶向治疗的临床有效性也再次提示,HCMV可能与乳腺癌的发生和发展密切相关。本文主要综述了HCMV的致癌潜能及其与乳腺癌发生和发展的潜在关联。     

HCMV感染对恶性胶质瘤U87细胞增殖及ATF5表达的影响

人巨细胞病毒(HCMV)能够诱导肿瘤细胞的恶性转化,但其分子机制尚有待进一步探索。探讨HCMV是否通过调控转录激活因子5(ATF5)的表达变化促进胶质瘤细胞的增殖。采用HCMV AD169株(MOI=5)感染神经胶质瘤U87细胞株,MTT方法观察HCMV感染0、12、24、48 h后细胞的增殖活性。Real-time PCR及Western-blot检测HCMV感染U87细胞后ATF5基因及蛋白的表达水平变化。以慢病毒为载体的靶向ATF5小干扰RNA构建载体,敲低ATF5表达水平后感染HCMV,MTT检测病毒感染细胞的增殖活性变化。HCMV感染神经胶质瘤U87细胞后,与未感染组比较,增值活性明显升高(P0.05),ATF5表达水平上升,表明HCMV感染使胶质瘤细胞增殖活性提高,细胞抗凋亡能力增强。成功构建沉默ATF5细胞系siATF5 U87,HCMV感染siATF5 U87细胞后使细胞增殖活性减弱,抗凋亡能力下降。以上实验结果表明,HCMV感染上调胶质瘤U87细胞ATF5的表达水平,促进细胞的增殖。因此HCMV感染可能通过调控ATF5信号通路增加细胞恶性性状,为治疗胶质瘤提供一个新的思路。     

通过模拟胚胎微环境逆转肿瘤的研究进展

肿瘤的发生和发展源于一小部分具有自我更新能力的肿瘤干细胞。胚胎干细胞也具有自我更新和多向分化的特性。胚胎干细胞特异的基质微环境能够提供干细胞正常生长的调控分子,在细胞不断更新的情况下,使增殖和分化达到平衡。受胚胎干细胞调节的基质或胚胎微环境作用于肿瘤细胞,可以使肿瘤细胞获得更多的分化表型,显著降低其恶性程度,抑制肿瘤细胞的侵袭行为。进一步的分子机制研究发现,在肿瘤细胞中高表达的Nodal蛋白会抑制肿瘤细胞分化,而胚胎干细胞分泌的糖基化Lefty蛋白可以负反馈调节Nodal蛋白的作用,从而降低肿瘤细胞的恶性程度。利用组织工程来模拟胚胎干细胞微环境,保留Lefty蛋白,从而逆转肿瘤的方法具有广阔的前景。     

炎症反应促进肿瘤的侵袭和转移的研究进展

恶性肿瘤严重威胁人类健康,其侵袭和转移是肿瘤患者死亡的重要原因。大量研究表明,肿瘤微环境对肿瘤细胞的侵袭和转移有着重要的作用。肿瘤细胞在肿瘤微环境中会受到多种因素的影响,其中炎症反应产生的多种炎症细胞、细胞因子等会为肿瘤细胞的恶性转化提供有利条件。     

胞外酸性与肿瘤的浸润转移

组织缺氧是实体瘤的一个主要特征,它引起肿瘤细胞胞外酸性环境的形成.肿瘤细胞通过质子感知的G蛋白偶联受体（G protein-coupled receptors,GPCRs）或质子感知的离子通道感知其胞外的酸性环境,并激活多条细胞内信号通路,影响细胞功能. 肿瘤最致命的方面在于其转移能力,肿瘤转移程度与肿瘤细胞迁移能力呈正相关. 因此,对胞外酸性与肿瘤细胞迁移扩散之间关系的深入研究将有助于发现更多新的抗肿瘤转移药物.本文就肿瘤酸性微环境的形成、肿瘤细胞的质子感知制、胞外酸性环境对肿瘤浸润转移的影响及如何将肿瘤pH调节应用于癌症治疗等方面的内容予以综述.     

骨髓间充质干细胞在肿瘤发生及治疗作用中的研究进展

骨髓间充质干细胞(bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, BMSCs)主要存在于骨髓中,具有多向分化和增殖的能力。BMSCs与肿瘤关系密切,除了对肿瘤具有趋向性,还可以影响肿瘤细胞的生长增殖、侵袭转移和血管生成等,在肿瘤的发生、发展过程中具有重要调节作用。同时BMSCs在肿瘤基因治疗和免疫治疗中的应用也日趋受到重视,为肿瘤治疗拓展了研究思路。本文主要就BMSCs对肿瘤发生、发展的影响,及其在肿瘤治疗中的应用进行综述。     

Human cytomegalovirus infection of the monocyte/macrophage lineage in bone marrow.

Peripheral blood monocytes (PBM) are one site of persistence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in healthy carriers. However, because PBM circulate only briefly before entering the tissues and are difficult to infect with HCMV, it has been suggested that they may acquire HCMV during development in the bone marrow. Consistent with this, we show evidence that bone marrow progenitors from healthy HCMV carriers contain endogenous HCMV DNA as detected by PCR. We also show that bone marrow precursors are readily infected by clinical isolates of HCMV in vitro but that no viral gene expression occurs until these cells become differentiated. In contrast, incubation of these cells at any developmental stage with the laboratory strain AD169 resulted in few cells expressing viral immediate-early genes, and this correlated with a lack of entry of AD169 virus. These observations are consistent with bone marrow progenitors acting as a reservoir for HCMV and transmitting the viral genome to PBM, in the absence of lytic-gene expression, until they leave the circulation and undergo tissue-specific differentiation to macrophages.     

Oncomodulatory signals by regulatory proteins encoded by human cytomegalovirus: a novel role for viral infection in tumor progression

A high frequency of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genome and antigens in tumor samples of patients with different malignancies is now well documented, although the causative role for HCMV in the development of the neoplasias remains to be established. HCMV infection can modulate multiple cellular regulatory and signalling pathways in a manner similar to that of oncoproteins of small DNA tumor viruses such as human papilloma virus or adenoviruses. However, in contrast to these DNA tumor viruses, HCMV infection fails to transform susceptible normal human cells. There is now growing evidence that tumor cells with disrupted regulatory and signalling pathways enable HCMV to modulate their properties including stimulation of cell proliferation, survival, invasion, production of angiogenic factors, and immunogenic properties. In contrast to previously suggested "hit and run" transformation we suggest that persistence in tumor cells is essential for HCMV to fully express its oncomodulatory effects. These effects are observed particularly in persistent HCMV infection and are mediated mainly by activity of HCMV regulatory proteins. In persistently HCMV-infected tumor cell lines - a selection of novel, slowly growing virus variants with changes in coding sequences for virus regulatory proteins takes place. As a result, oncomodulatory effects of HCMV infection may lead to a shift to more malignant phenotype of tumor cells contributing to tumor progression.     

HCMV spread and cell tropism are determined by distinct virus populations

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can infect many different cell types in vivo. Two gH/gL complexes are used for entry into cells. gH/gL/pUL(128,130,131A) shows no selectivity for its host cell, whereas formation of a gH/gL/gO complex only restricts the tropism mainly to fibroblasts. Here, we describe that depending on the cell type in which virus replication takes place, virus carrying the gH/gL/pUL(128,130,131A) complex is either released or retained cell-associated. We observed that virus spread in fibroblast cultures was predominantly supernatant-driven, whereas spread in endothelial cell (EC) cultures was predominantly focal. This was due to properties of virus released from fibroblasts and EC. Fibroblasts released virus which could infect both fibroblasts and EC. In contrast, EC released virus which readily infected fibroblasts, but was barely able to infect EC. The EC infection capacities of virus released from fibroblasts or EC correlated with respectively high or low amounts of gH/gL/pUL(128,130,131A) in virus particles. Moreover, we found that focal spread in EC cultures could be attributed to EC-tropic virus tightly associated with EC and not released into the supernatant. Preincubation of fibroblast-derived virus progeny with EC or beads coated with pUL131A-specific antibodies depleted the fraction that could infect EC, and left a fraction that could predominantly infect fibroblasts. These data strongly suggest that HCMV progeny is composed of distinct virus populations. EC specifically retain the EC-tropic population, whereas fibroblasts release EC-tropic and non EC-tropic virus. Our findings offer completely new views on how HCMV spread may be controlled by its host cells.     

Human cytomegalovirus infection reduces surface CCR5 expression in human microglial cells,astrocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages

Within the brain, glial cells are target cells for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and HIV. We infected cultures of unstimulated human microglial cells and astrocytes of embryonic origin and of monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM) with HCMV strain AD169 and observed down-regulation of the plasma membrane expression of CCR5 in the three cell types, and of CXCR4 and CD4 in microglial cells only. Cells were then coinfected simultaneously or at a 24-h interval with both AD169 and two different HIV-1 monocytotropic strains. HCMV late antigens and HIV-1 tat protein colocalized in the cytoplasm of 5-10% of microglia and MDM. p24 antigen levels decreased 10- to 40-fold in supernatants of MDM and the reduction was greater when HCMV infection was performed 24 h before HIV-1 infection. These data suggest that HCMV-induced reduction in the cell-surface expression of the primary co-receptor of HIV-1 monocytotropic strains may impair the ability of HIV to infect these cells.     

Human cytomegalovirus UL131 open reading frame is required for epithelial cell tropism

Epithelial cells are one of the prominent cell types infected by human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) within its host. However, many cultured epithelial cells, such as ARPE-19 retinal pigmented epithelial cells, are poorly infected by laboratory-adapted strains in cell culture, and little is known about the viral factors that determine HCMV epithelial cell tropism. In this report, we demonstrate that the UL131 open reading frame (ORF), and likely the entire UL131-128 locus, is required for efficient infection of epithelial cells. Repair of the mutated UL131 gene in the AD169 laboratory strain of HCMV restored its ability to infect both epithelial and endothelial cells while compromising its ability to replicate in fibroblasts. ARPE-19 epithelial cells support replication of the repaired AD169 virus as well as clinical isolates of HCMV. Productive infection of cultured epithelial cells, endothelial cells, and fibroblasts with the repaired AD169 virus leads to extensive membrane fusion and syncytium formation, suggesting that the virus may spread through cell-cell fusion.     

Impact of persistent cytomegalovirus infection on human neuroblastoma cell gene expression

In a model of human neuroblastoma (NB) cell lines persistently infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) we previously showed that persistent HCMV infection is associated with an increased malignant phenotype, enhanced drug resistance, and invasive properties. To gain insights into the mechanisms of increased malignancy we analyzed the global changes in cellular gene expression induced by persistent HCMV infection of human neuroblastoma cells by use of high-density oligonucleotide microarrays (HG-U133A, Affymetrix) and RT-PCR. Comparing the gene expression of different NB cell lines with persistently infected cell sub-lines revealed 11 host cell genes regulated in a similar manner throughout all infected samples. Nine of these 11 genes may contribute to the previously observed changes in malignant phenotype of persistently HCMV infected NB cells by influencing invasive growth, apoptosis, angiogenesis, and proliferation. Thus, this work provides the basis for further functional studies.     

Human cytomegalovirus infection of caco-2 cells occurs at the basolateral membrane and is differentiation state dependent

Epithelial cells are known to be a major target for human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection; however, the analysis of virus-cell interactions has been difficult to approach due to the lack of in vitro models. In this study, we established a polarized epithelial cell model using a colon epithelial cell-derived cell line (Caco-2) that is susceptible to HCMV infection at early stages of cellular differentiation. Infection of polarized cells was restricted to the basolateral surface whereas virus was released apically, which was consistent with the apical and not basolateral surface localization of two essential viral glycoproteins, gB and gH. HCMV infection resulted in the development of a cytopathology characteristic of HCMV infection of colon epithelium in vivo, and infection did not spread from cell to cell. The inability of HCMV to infect Caco-2 cells at late stages of differentiation was due to a restriction at the level of viral entry and was consistent with the sequestration of a cellular receptor for HCMV. These observations provide the first evidence that restriction of HCMV replication in epithelial cells is due to a receptor-mediated phenomenon.     

Human Cytomegalovirus Gene Expression in Long-Term Infected Glioma Stem Cells

The most common adult primary brain tumor, glioblastoma (GBM), is characterized by fifteen months median patient survival and has no clear etiology. We and others have identified the presence of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) gene products endogenously expressed in GBM tissue and primary cells, with a subset of viral genes being consistently expressed in most samples. Among these viral genes, several have important oncomodulatory properties, regulating tumor stemness, proliferation, immune evasion, invasion and angiogenesis. These findings lead us to hypothesize that a specific HCMV gene signature may be associated with GBM pathogenesis. To investigate this hypothesis, we used glioma cell lines and primary glioma stem-like cells (GSC) infected with clinical and laboratory HCMV strains and measured relative viral gene expression levels along several time points up to 15 weeks post-infection. While HCMV gene expression was detected in several infected glioma lines through week 5 post-infection, only HCMV-infected GSC expressed viral gene products 15 weeks post-infection. Efficiency of infection across time was higher in GSC compared to cell lines. Importantly, HCMV-infected GSC outlived their uninfected counterparts, and this extended survival was paralleled by increased tumorsphere frequency and upregulation of stemness regulators, such as SOX2, p-STAT3, and BMX (a novel HCMV target identified in this study). Interleukin 6 (IL-6) treatment significantly upregulated HCMV gene expression in long-term infected glioma cultures, suggesting that pro-inflammatory signaling in the tumor milieu may further augment HCMV gene expression and subsequent tumor progression driven by viral-induced cellular signaling. Together, our data support a critical role for long-term, low-level HCMV infection in promoting survival, stemness, and proliferation of GSC that could significantly contribute to GBM pathogenesis.     

Human cytomegalovirus entry into dendritic cells occurs via a macropinocytosis-like pathway in a pH-independent and cholesterol-dependent manner

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus that is able to infect fibroblastic, epithelial, endothelial and hematopoietic cells. Over the past ten years, several groups have provided direct evidence that dendritic cells (DCs) fully support the HCMV lytic cycle. We previously demonstrated that the C-type lectin dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN) has a prominent role in the docking of HCMV on monocyte-derived DCs (MDDCs). The DC-SIGN/HCMV interaction was demonstrated to be a crucial and early event that substantially enhanced infection in trans, i.e., from one CMV-bearing cell to another non-infected cell (or trans-infection), and rendered susceptible cells fully permissive to HCMV infection. Nevertheless, nothing is yet known about how HCMV enters MDDCs. In this study, we demonstrated that VHL/E HCMV virions (an endothelio/dendrotropic strain) are first internalized into MDDCs by a macropinocytosis-like process in an actin- and cholesterol-dependent, but pH-independent, manner. We observed the accumulation of virions in large uncoated vesicles with endosomal features, and the virions remained as intact particles that retained infectious potential for several hours. This trans-infection property was specific to MDDCs because monocyte-derived macrophages or monocytes from the same donor were unable to allow the accumulation of and the subsequent transmission of the virus. Together, these data allowed us to delineate the early mechanisms of the internalization and entry of an endothelio/dendrotropic HCMV strain into human MDDCs and to propose that DCs can serve as a "Trojan horse" to convey CMV from entry sites to other locations that may favor the occurrence of either latency or acute infection.