Shed GP of Ebola Virus Triggers Immune Activation and Increased Vascular Permeability

During Ebola virus (EBOV) infection a significant amount of surface glycoprotein GP is shed from infected cells in a soluble form due to cleavage by cellular metalloprotease TACE. Shed GP and non-structural secreted glycoprotein sGP, both expressed from the same GP gene, have been detected in the blood of human patients and experimentally infected animals. In this study we demonstrate that shed GP could play a particular role during EBOV infection. In effect it binds and activates non-infected dendritic cells and macrophages inducing the secretion of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL1β, IL6, IL8, IL12p40, and IL1-RA, IL10). Activation of these cells by shed GP correlates with the increase in surface expression of co-stimulatory molecules CD40, CD80, CD83 and CD86. Contrary to shed GP, secreted sGP activates neither DC nor macrophages while it could bind DCs. In this study, we show that shed GP activity is likely mediated through cellular toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and is dependent on GP glycosylation. Treatment of cells with anti-TLR4 antibody completely abolishes shed GP-induced activation of cells. We also demonstrate that shed GP activity is negated upon addition of mannose-binding sera lectin MBL, a molecule known to interact with sugar arrays present on the surface of different microorganisms. Furthermore, we highlight the ability of shed GP to affect endothelial cell function both directly and indirectly, demonstrating the interplay between shed GP, systemic cytokine release and increased vascular permeability. In conclusion, shed GP released from virus-infected cells could activate non-infected DCs and macrophages causing the massive release of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and effect vascular permeability. These activities could be at the heart of the excessive and dysregulated inflammatory host reactions to infection and thus contribute to high virus pathogenicity.     

Influences of glycosylation on antigenicity, immunogenicity, and protective efficacy of ebola virus GP DNA vaccines

The Ebola virus (EBOV) envelope glycoprotein (GP) is the primary target of protective immunity. Mature GP consists of two disulfide-linked subunits, GP1 and membrane-bound GP2. GP is highly glycosylated with both N- and O-linked carbohydrates. We measured the influences of GP glycosylation on antigenicity, immunogenicity, and protection by testing DNA vaccines comprised of GP genes with deleted N-linked glycosylation sites or with deletions in the central hypervariable mucin region. We showed that mutation of one of the two N-linked GP2 glycosylation sites was highly detrimental to the antigenicity and immunogenicity of GP. Our data indicate that this is likely due to the inability of GP2 and GP1 to dimerize at the cell surface and suggest that glycosylation at this site is required for achieving the conformational integrity of GP2 and GP1. In contrast, mutation of two N-linked sites on GP1, which flank previously defined protective antibody epitopes on GP, may enhance immunogenicity, possibly by unmasking epitopes. We further showed that although deleting the mucin region apparently had no effect on antigenicity in vitro, it negatively impacted the elicitation of protective immunity in mice. In addition, we confirmed the presence of previously identified B-cell and T-cell epitopes in GP but show that when analyzed individually none of them were neither absolutely required nor sufficient for protective immunity to EBOV. Finally, we identified other potential regions of GP that may contain relevant antibody or T-cell epitopes.     

Induction of Cell-Cell Fusion by Ebola Virus Glycoprotein: Low pH Is Not a Trigger

Ebola virus (EBOV) is a highly pathogenic filovirus that causes hemorrhagic fever in humans and animals. Currently, how EBOV fuses its envelope membrane within an endosomal membrane to cause infection is poorly understood. We successfully measure cell-cell fusion mediated by the EBOV fusion protein, GP, assayed by the transfer of both cytoplasmic and membrane dyes. A small molecule fusion inhibitor, a neutralizing antibody, as well as mutations in EBOV GP known to reduce viral infection, all greatly reduce fusion. By monitoring redistribution of small aqueous dyes between cells and by electrical capacitance measurements, we discovered that EBOV GP-mediated fusion pores do not readily enlarge—a marked difference from the behavior of other viral fusion proteins. EBOV GP must be cleaved by late endosome-resident cathepsins B or L in order to become fusion-competent. Cleavage of cell surface-expressed GP appears to occur in endosomes, as evidenced by the fusion block imposed by cathepsin inhibitors, agents that raise endosomal pH, or an inhibitor of anterograde trafficking. Treating effector cells with a recombinant soluble cathepsin B or thermolysin, which cleaves GP into an active form, increases the extent of fusion, suggesting that a fraction of surface-expressed GP is not cleaved. Whereas the rate of fusion is increased by a brief exposure to acidic pH, fusion does occur at neutral pH. Importantly, the extent of fusion is independent of external pH in experiments in which cathepsin activity is blocked and EBOV GP is cleaved by thermolysin. These results imply that low pH promotes fusion through the well-known pH-dependent activity of cathepsins; fusion induced by cleaved EBOV GP is a process that is fundamentally independent of pH. The cell-cell fusion system has revealed some previously unappreciated features of EBOV entry, which could not be readily elucidated in the context of endosomal entry.     

Epitopes of Naturally Acquired and Vaccine‐Induced Anti‐Ebola Virus Glycoprotein Antibodies in Single Amino Acid Resolution

The Ebola virus (EBOV) can cause severe infections in humans, leading to a fatal outcome in a high percentage of cases. Neutralizing antibodies against the EBOV surface glycoprotein (GP) can prevent infections, demonstrating a straightforward way for an efficient vaccination strategy. Meanwhile, many different anti‐EBOV antibodies have been identified, whereas the exact binding epitopes are often unknown. Here, the analysis of serum samples from an EBOV vaccine trial with the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus‐Zaire ebolavirus (rVSV‐ZEBOV) and an Ebola virus disease survivor, using high‐density peptide arrays, is presented. In this proof‐of‐principle study, distinct IgG and IgM antibodies binding to different epitopes of EBOV GP is detected: By mapping the whole GP as overlapping peptide fragments, new epitopes and confirmed epitopes from the literature are found. Furthermore, the highly selective binding epitope of a neutralizing monoclonal anti‐EBOV GP antibody could be validated. This shows that peptide arrays can be a valuable tool to study the humoral immune response to vaccines in patients and to support Ebola vaccine development.     

The Ebola virus soluble glycoprotein contributes to viral pathogenesis by activating the MAP kinase signaling pathway

Ebola virus (EBOV) expresses three different glycoproteins (GPs) from its GP gene. The primary product, soluble GP (sGP), is secreted in abundance during infection. EBOV sGP has been discussed as a potential pathogenicity factor, however, little is known regarding its functional role. Here, we analyzed the role of sGP in vitro and in vivo. We show that EBOV sGP has two different functions that contribute to infectivity in tissue culture. EBOV sGP increases the uptake of virus particles into late endosomes in HEK293 cells, and it activates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway leading to increased viral replication in Huh7 cells. Furthermore, we analyzed the role of EBOV sGP on pathogenicity using a well-established mouse model. We found an sGP-dependent significant titer increase of EBOV in the liver of infected animals. These results provide new mechanistic insights into EBOV pathogenicity and highlight EBOV sGP as a possible therapeutic target.     

Involvement of viral envelope GP2 in Ebola virus entry into cells expressing the macrophage galactose-type C-type lectin

Ebola virus (EBOV) infection is initiated by the interaction of the viral surface envelope glycoprotein (GP) with the binding sites on target cells. Differences in the mortality among different species of the Ebola viruses, i.e., Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) and Reston ebolavirus (REBOV), correspond to the in vitro infectivity of the pseudo-typed virus constructed with the GPs in cells expressing macrophage galactose-type calcium-type lectin (MGL/CD301). Through mutagenesis of GP2, the transmembrane-anchored subunit of GP, we found that residues 502–527 of the GP2 sequence determined the different infectivity between VSV-ZEBOV GP and -REBOV GP in MGL/CD301-expressing cells and a histidine residue at position 516 of ZEBOV GP2 appeared essential in the differential infectivity. These findings may provide a clue to clarify a molecular basis of different pathogenicity among EBOV species.     

Differential expression of the Ebola virus GP(1,2) protein and its fragments in E. coli

Bacterial expression platforms are frequently used for the expression and production of different recombinant proteins. The full length Ebola virus (EBOV) GP(1,2) gene and subfragments of the GP(1) gene were cloned in a bacterial expression vector as a C-terminal His(6) fusion protein. Surprisingly, the full length EBOV GP(1,2) gene could not be expressed in Escherichia coli. The subfragments of GP(1) were only expressed in small amounts with the exception of one small fragment (subfragment D) which was expressed at very high levels as inclusion bodies. This was seen even in the in vitro translation system with no expression of full length GP(1,2), GP(1) subfragments A and C and low level expression of subfragment B. Only the subfragment D showed high level of expression. In E. coli (Top10), the recombinant GP(1) subfragment D protein was expressed exclusively as an insoluble approximately 25 kDa His(6) fusion protein, which is the expected size for a non-glycosylated recombinant protein. The IMAC purified and refolded non-glycosylated protein was used to immunize mice for the development of monoclonal anti-EBOV antibodies which successfully yielded several monoclonal antibodies with different specificities. The monoclonal and polyclonal antiserum derived from the animals immunized with this recombinant GP(1) subfragment D protein was found to specifically recognize the full length glycosylated EBOV GP(1,2) protein expressed in mammalian 293T cells, thus, demonstrating the immunogenicity of the recombinant subfragment.     

Characterization of monoclonal antibodies against waterfowl parvoviruses VP3 protein

Background

Ebola viruses (EBOVs) cause severe hemorrhagic fever with a high mortality rate. At present, there are no licensed vaccines or efficient therapies to combat EBOV infection. Previous studies have shown that both humoral and cellular immune responses are crucial for controlling Ebola infection. CD8⁺ T cells play an important role in mediating vaccine-induced protective immunity. The objective of this study was to identify H-2^d-specific T cell epitopes in EBOV glycoproteins (GPs).

Results

Computer-assisted algorithms were used to predict H-2^d-specific T cell epitopes in two species of EBOV (Sudan and Zaire) GP. The predicted peptides were synthesized and identified in BALB/c mice immunized with replication-deficient adenovirus vectors expressing the EBOV GP. Enzyme-linked immunospot assays and intracellular cytokine staining showed that the peptides RPHTPQFLF (Sudan EBOV), GPCAGDFAF and LYDRLASTV (Zaire EBOV) could stimulate splenoctyes in immunized mice to produce large amounts of interferon-gamma.

Conclusion

Three peptides within the GPs of two EBOV strains were identified as T cell epitopes. The identification of these epitopes should facilitate the evaluation of vaccines based on the Ebola virus glycoprotein in a BALB/c mouse model.     

Recombinant adenovirus serotype 26 (Ad26) and Ad35 vaccine vectors bypass immunity to Ad5 and protect nonhuman primates against ebolavirus challenge

The use of adenoviruses (Ad) as vaccine vectors against a variety of pathogens has demonstrated their capacity to elicit strong antibody and cell-mediated immune responses. Adenovirus serotype C vectors, such as Ad serotype 5 (Ad5), expressing Ebolavirus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP), protect completely after a single inoculation at a dose of 10(10) viral particles. However, the clinical application of a vaccine based on Ad5 vectors may be hampered, since impairment of Ad5 vaccine efficacy has been demonstrated for humans and nonhuman primates with high levels of preexisting immunity to the vector. Ad26 and Ad35 segregate genetically from Ad5 and exhibit lower seroprevalence in humans, making them attractive vaccine vector alternatives. In the series of studies presented, we show that Ad26 and Ad35 vectors generate robust antigen-specific cell-mediated and humoral immune responses against EBOV GP and that Ad5 immune status does not affect the generation of GP-specific immune responses by these vaccines. We demonstrate partial protection against EBOV by a single-shot Ad26 vaccine and complete protection when this vaccine is boosted by Ad35 1 month later. Increases in efficacy are paralleled by substantial increases in T- and B-cell responses to EBOV GP. These results suggest that Ad26 and Ad35 vectors warrant further development as candidate vaccines for EBOV.     

TIM-1 acts a dual-attachment receptor for Ebolavirus by interacting directly with viral GP and the PS on the viral envelope

Ebolavirus can cause hemorrhagic fever in humans with a mortality rate of 50%−90%. Currently, no approved vaccines and antiviral therapies are available. Human TIM1 is considered as an attachment factor for EBOV, enhancing viral infection through interaction with PS located on the viral envelope. However, reasons underlying the preferable usage of hTIM-1, but not other PS binding receptors by filovirus, remain unknown. We firstly demonstrated a direct interaction between hTIM-1 and EBOV GP in vitro and determined the crystal structures of the Ig V domains of hTIM-1 and hTIM-4. The binding region in hTIM-1 to EBOV GP was mapped by chimeras and mutation assays, which were designed based on structural analysis. Pseudovirion infection assays performed using hTIM-1 and its homologs as well as point mutants verified the location of the GP binding site and the importance of EBOV GP-hTIM-1 interaction in EBOV cellular entry.     

Marburg virus glycoprotein GP2: pH-dependent stability of the ectodomain α-helical bundle

Marburg virus (MARV) and Ebola virus (EBOV) constitute the family Filoviridae of enveloped viruses (filoviruses) that cause severe hemorrhagic fever. Infection by MARV requires fusion between the host cell and viral membranes, a process that is mediated by the two subunits of the envelope glycoprotein, GP1 (surface subunit) and GP2 (transmembrane subunit). Upon viral attachment and uptake, it is believed that the MARV viral fusion machinery is triggered by host factors and environmental conditions found in the endosome. Next, conformational rearrangements in the GP2 ectodomain result in the formation of a highly stable six-helix bundle; this refolding event provides the energetic driving force for membrane fusion. Both GP1 and GP2 from EBOV have been extensively studied, but there is little information available for the MARV glycoproteins. Here we have expressed two variants of the MARV GP2 ectodomain in Escherichia coli and analyzed their biophysical properties. Circular dichroism indicates that the MARV GP2 ectodomain adopts an α-helical conformation, and one variant sediments as a trimer by equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation. Denaturation studies indicate the α-helical structure is highly stable at pH 5.3 (unfolding energy, ΔG(unf,H(2)O), of 33.4 ± 2.5 kcal/mol and melting temperature, T(m), of 75.3 ± 2.1 °C for one variant). Furthermore, we found the α-helical stability to be strongly dependent on pH, with higher stability under lower-pH conditions (T(m) values ranging from ~92 °C at pH 4.0 to ~38 °C at pH 8.0). Mutational analysis suggests two glutamic acid residues (E579 and E580) are partially responsible for this pH-dependent behavior. On the basis of these results, we hypothesize that the pH-dependent folding stability of the MARV GP2 ectodomain provides a mechanism for controlling conformational preferences such that the six-helix bundle "postfusion" state is preferred under conditions of appropriately matured endosomes.     

Rho GTPases Modulate Entry of Ebola Virus and Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Pseudotyped Vectors

To explore mechanisms of entry for Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) pseudotyped virions, we used comparative gene analysis to identify genes whose expression correlated with viral transduction. Candidate genes were identified by using EBOV GP pseudotyped virions to transduce human tumor cell lines that had previously been characterized by cDNA microarray. Transduction profiles for each of these cell lines were generated, and a significant positive correlation was observed between RhoC expression and permissivity for EBOV vector transduction. This correlation was not specific for EBOV vector alone as RhoC also correlated highly with transduction of vesicular stomatitis virus GP (VSVG) pseudotyped vector. Levels of RhoC protein in EBOV and VSV permissive and nonpermissive cells were consistent with the cDNA gene array findings. Additionally, vector transduction was elevated in cells that expressed high levels of endogenous RhoC but not RhoA. RhoB and RhoC overexpression significantly increased EBOV GP and VSVG pseudotyped vector transduction but had minimal effect on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) GP pseudotyped HIV or adeno-associated virus 2 vector entry, indicating that not all virus uptake was enhanced by expression of these molecules. RhoB and RhoC overexpression also significantly enhanced VSV infection. Similarly, overexpression of RhoC led to a significant increase in fusion of EBOV virus-like particles. Finally, ectopic expression of RhoC resulted in increased nonspecific endocytosis of fluorescent dextran and in formation of increased actin stress fibers compared to RhoA-transfected cells, suggesting that RhoC is enhancing macropinocytosis. In total, our studies implicate RhoB and RhoC in enhanced productive entry of some pseudovirions and suggest the involvement of actin-mediated macropinocytosis as a mechanism of uptake of EBOV GP and VSVG pseudotyped viral particles.Enveloped viruses enter cells by a variety of different pathways. Productive internalization of enveloped viruses with targeted cells is mediated through interactions of the viral glycoprotein(s) (GPs) with moieties on the surface of the cell. In general, enveloped viral entry occurs through viral adherence to the cell surface, interaction with a specific plasma membrane-associated receptor that results in a series of GP conformational changes leading to fusion of viral and cellular membranes, and delivery of the viral core particle into the cytoplasm. Fusion of the two membranes can occur at the plasma membrane or by uptake of the intact virions into endosomes with subsequent membrane fusion between the viral membrane and the lipid bilayer of the endocytic vesicle. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is an example of a virus that fuses directly to the plasma membrane (5), whereas influenza virus must be internalized into acidified vesicles where the appropriate GP conformational changes can occur, mediating membrane fusion (21). Most enveloped viruses that enter through vesicles utilize a low-pH environment to mediate the necessary conformational changes in GP that induce membrane fusion (37).Ebola virus (EBOV) and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) are enveloped, single-stranded, negative-sense RNA viruses belonging to the families Filoviridae and Rhabdoviridae, respectively. Though they share similarity in genome organization and a broad tropism for a variety of cell types, they differ greatly in their pathogenicities (29, 39). EBOV causes severe hemorrhagic fever that is frequently fatal, whereas VSV infects mainly livestock, generating fluid-filled vesicles on mucosal surfaces.Interestingly, the receptor(s) that mediate entry of these two viruses have yet to be definitively identified. C-type lectins such as DC-SIGN and DC-SIGNR are thought to serve as adherence factors for EBOV (26). Other plasma membrane-associated proteins have been implicated in EBOV uptake including folate receptor alpha and the tyrosine kinase receptor Axl (6, 35, 36, 38), but the physical interaction of EBOV GP and these proteins has not been demonstrated, and cells that do not express these proteins are permissive for EBOV GP-mediated virion uptake. VSV was shown to bind ubiquitously to cells via phosphatidylserine (PS) (31). However, a more recent study reports that PS is not a receptor for VSV as no correlation was found between cell surface PS levels and VSV infection, and annexin V, which binds specifically to PS, did not inhibit infection of VSV (9).Both viruses enter cells through a low-pH-dependent, endocytosis-mediated process. A large body of evidence indicates that VSV is internalized via clathrin-coated pits, with a reduction in pH mediating reversible alterations in the GP leading to membrane fusion (40). EBOV may also enter cells by clathrin-mediated endocytosis (30), but lipid raft-associated, caveolin-mediated endocytosis has also been proposed as a mechanism of EBOV uptake (11). Low-pH events lead to cathepsin-dependent cleavage of EBOV GP that is required for productive uptake of the virus (8, 19, 33). Other low-pH-dependent events have been postulated to be required as well (33).To identify genes whose expression correlated with EBOV GP-dependent transduction, we compared the relative transduction efficiency of EBOV GP pseudotyped virions on a panel of human tumor cell lines with gene expression data from cDNA microarrays developed for the same panel of cell lines (20). The gene array data are available from the Developmental Therapeutics Program at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) website (http://dtp.nci.nih.gov/). A significant correlation was observed between expression of RhoC, a member of the small GTP-binding Rho GTPase family, and permissivity for EBOV transduction. Surprisingly, a significant correlation was also observed between VSV glycoprotein (VSVG)-mediated transduction and RhoC expression. In this study, we report that modulation of RhoC expression by transfection of expression plasmids or treatment with an inhibitor alters transduction by virions pseudotyped with either EBOV GP or VSVG and fusion of EBOV virus-like particles (VLPs). RhoC expression also significantly enhanced wild-type VSV infection. We also examine the differential effect each Rho GTPase has on nonspecific endocytotic uptake of exogenous material and on organization of the actin filament. Our findings suggest that RhoC enhances entry of EBOV GP and VSVG pseudovirions through modulation of fluid-phase endocytosis.     

Prediction of Epitope-Based Peptides for Vaccine Development from Coat Proteins GP2 and VP24 of Ebola Virus Using Immunoinformatics

This study aims to design epitope-based peptides for the utility of vaccine development by targeting Glycoprotein 2 (GP2) and Viral Protein 24 (VP24) of the Ebola virus (EBOV) that, respectively, facilitate attachment and fusion of EBOV with host cells. Using various databases and tools, immune parameters of conserved sequences from GP2 and VP24 proteins of different strains of EBOV were tested to predict probable epitopes. Binding analyses of the peptides with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II molecules, population coverage, and linear B cell epitope prediction were peroformed. Predicted peptides interacted with multiple MHC alleles and illustrated maximal population coverage for both GP2 and VP24 proteins, respectively. The predicted class-I nonamers, FLYDRLAST, LFLRATTEL and NYNGLLSSI were found to cover the maximum number of MHC I alleles and showed interactions with binding energies of ?7.8, ?8.5 and ?7.7 kcal/mol respectively. Highest scoring class II MHC binding peptides were EGAFFLYDRLASTVI and SPLWALRVILAAGIQ with binding energies of ?6.2 and -5.6 kcal/mol. Putative B cell epitopes were also found on 4 conserved regions in GP2 and two conserved regions in VP24. Our in silico analysis suggests that the predicted epitopes could be a better choice as universal vaccine component against EBOV irrespective of different strains and should be subjected to in vitro and in vivo analyses for further research and development.     

Hsa-miR-1246, hsa-miR-320a and hsa-miR-196b-5p inhibitors can reduce the cytotoxicity of Ebola virus glycoprotein in vitro

Ebola virus(EBOV)causes a highly lethal hemorrhagic fever syndrome in humans and has been associated with mortality rates of up to 91%in Zaire,the most lethal strain.Though the viral envelope glycoprotein(GP)mediates widespread inflammation and cellular damage,these changes have mainly focused on alterations at the protein level,the role of microRNAs(miRNAs)in the molecular pathogenesis underlying this lethal disease is not fully understood.Here,we report that the miRNAs hsa-miR-1246,hsa-miR-320a and hsa-miR-196b-5p were induced in human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)following expression of EBOV GP.Among the proteins encoded by predicted targets of these miRNAs,the adhesion-related molecules tissue factor pathway inhibitor(TFPI),dystroglycan1(DAG1)and the caspase 8 and FADD-like apoptosis regulator(CFLAR)were significantly downregulated in EBOV GP-expressing HUVECs.Moreover,inhibition of hsa-miR-1246,hsa-miR-320a and hsa-miR-196b-5p,or overexpression of TFPI,DAG1 and CFLAR rescued the cell viability that was induced by EBOV GP.Our results provide a novel molecular basis for EBOV pathogenesis and may contribute to the development of strategies to protect against future EBOV pandemics.     

The Lack of Maturation of Ebola Virus-Infected Dendritic Cells Results from the Cooperative Effect of at Least Two Viral Domains

Ebola virus (EBOV) infections are characterized by deficient T lymphocyte responses, T lymphocyte apoptosis, and lymphopenia in the absence of direct infection of T lymphocytes. In contrast, dendritic cells (DC) are infected but fail to mature appropriately, thereby impairing the T cell response. We investigated the contributions of EBOV proteins in modulating DC maturation by generating recombinant viruses expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein and carrying mutations affecting several potentially immunomodulating domains. They included envelope glycoprotein (GP) domains, as well as innate response antagonist domains (IRADs) previously identified in the VP24 and VP35 proteins. GP expressed by an unrelated vector, but not the wild-type EBOV, was found to strongly induce DC maturation, and infections with recombinant EBOV carrying mutations disabling GP functional domains did not restore DC maturation. In contrast, each of the viruses carrying mutations disabling any IRAD in VP35 induced a dramatic upregulation of DC maturation markers. This was dependent on infection, but not interaction with GP. Disabling of IRADs also resulted in up to a several hundredfold increase in secretion of cytokines and chemokines. Furthermore, these mutations induced formation of homotypic DC clusters, which represent close correlates of their maturation and presumably facilitate transfer of antigen from migratory DC to lymph node DC. Thus, an individual IRAD is insufficient to suppress DC maturation; rather, the suppression of DC maturation and the “immune paralysis” observed during EBOV infections results from a cooperative effect of two or more individual IRADs.     

Biochemical and Structural Characterization of Cathepsin L-Processed Ebola Virus Glycoprotein: Implications for Viral Entry and Immunogenicity

Ebola virus (EBOV) cellular attachment and entry is initiated by the envelope glycoprotein (GP) on the virion surface. Entry of this virus is pH dependent and associated with the cleavage of GP by proteases, including cathepsin L (CatL) and/or CatB, in the endosome or cell membrane. Here, we characterize the product of CatL cleavage of Zaire EBOV GP (ZEBOV-GP) and evaluate its relevance to entry. A stabilized recombinant form of the EBOV GP trimer was generated using a trimerization domain linked to a cleavable histidine tag. This trimer was purified to homogeneity and cleaved with CatL. Characterization of the trimeric product by N-terminal sequencing and mass spectrometry revealed three cleavage fragments, with masses of 23, 19, and 4 kDa. Structure-assisted modeling of the cathepsin L-cleaved ZEBOV-GP revealed that cleavage removes a glycosylated glycan cap and mucin-like domain (MUC domain) and exposes the conserved core residues implicated in receptor binding. The CatL-cleaved ZEBOV-GP intermediate bound with high affinity to a neutralizing antibody, KZ52, and also elicited neutralizing antibodies, supporting the notion that the processed intermediate is required for viral entry. Together, these data suggest that CatL cleavage of EBOV GP exposes its receptor-binding domain, thereby facilitating access to a putative cellular receptor in steps that lead to membrane fusion.Ebola virus (EBOV) is a member of the Filoviridae family and causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates, with case fatality rates of up to 90%. Virus entry and attachment is mediated by a single envelope glycoprotein (GP) as a class I fusion protein, which is proteolytically processed during maturation into two subunits, GP1 and GP2. The GP1 N terminus contains a putative receptor-binding domain (RBD) (2, 9, 11, 12), and the GP2 C terminus contains a fusion peptide, two heptad-repeat regions, and a transmembrane domain. GP1 and GP2 are linked by a disulfide bond (Cys⁵³-Cys⁶⁰⁹) and form trimers of heterodimers on the surface of virions. EBOV GP is also extensively glycosylated, especially within a region of GP1 termed the mucin-like domain (MUC domain), which contains multiple N- and O-linked glycans. We and others have previously shown the MUC domain of GP1 to be cytotoxic and to induce cell rounding (17, 21), and deletion of this region increases pseudovirus infectivity compared to that of full-length GP (11). The MUC domain, however, is also known to enhance cell binding through the human macrophage C-type lectin specific for galactose and N-acetylglucosamine (hMGL) (18), suggesting that glycans in this domain may be involved in the initial cellular attachment. Several other studies have identified factors that enhance cell binding and/or infectivity, including folate receptor α (4), β integrins (19), C-type lectins DC-SIGN and L-SIGN (1), and Tyro3 family members (16). However, the critical cellular receptor(s) thought to interact directly with the GP1 RBD have yet to be identified.Following virus uptake into host cells, which is presumed to occur via receptor-mediated endocytosis (13), the virion is transported to acidified endosomes where GP is exposed to a low pH and enzymatic processing. EBOV entry is pH dependent (19); however, unlike influenza virus, for which a low pH alone induces the conformational changes that lead to membrane fusion (20), recent studies indicate that proteolysis by endosomal cathepsin L (CatL) and CatB (active only at pH 5 to 6) is a dependent step for EBOV entry (5, 14). Although the intermediate EBOV GP generated by CatL cleavage is known to have increased binding and infectivity to target cells (7), little else is known about the cleavage product, specifically where the proteolytic sites are within GP and whether the cleaved product is immunogenic. Recently, Dube and colleagues have proposed a model for CatL cleavage based on thermolysin cleavage (6). However, thermolysin is nonphysiological in this setting and is a member of the metalloenzyme-protease family, whereas CatL is a member of the cysteine-protease family and essential for EBOV entry. In this study, we have characterized the physiological CatL cleavage of the Zaire EBOV GP (ZEBOV-GP) trimer and explored the effect of cleavage on the immunological properties of the GP trimer. To generate this intermediate, we expressed and purified a recombinant form of the Ebola GP trimer ectodomain that had been stabilized with a trimerization motif derived from T4 fibritin (foldon) and purified to homogeneity. The recombinant protein was cleaved with CatL, and the stable cleavage intermediate was characterized biochemically and immunologically. We identified several sites of CatL cleavage within the ZEBOV-GP ectodomain which are different than those observed with thermolysin. The cleaved intermediate product retained binding to the EBOV-neutralizing antibody KZ52 and elicited EBOV-neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated mice. Our data, in conjunction with the recently determined structure of the ZEBOV-GP ectodomain (10), shed light on the critical role of CatL processing in GP structure and function.     

Zoonotic risk factors associated with seroprevalence of Ebola virus GP antibodies in the absence of diagnosed Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo

BackgroundEbola virus (EBOV) is a zoonotic filovirus spread through exposure to infected bodily fluids of a human or animal. Though EBOV is capable of causing severe disease, referred to as Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), individuals who have never been diagnosed with confirmed, probable or suspected EVD can have detectable EBOV antigen-specific antibodies in their blood. This study aims to identify risk factors associated with detectable antibody levels in the absence of an EVD diagnosis.MethodologyData was collected from September 2015 to August 2017 from 1,366 consenting individuals across four study sites in the DRC (Boende, Kabondo-Dianda, Kikwit, and Yambuku). Seroreactivity was determined to EBOV GP IgG using Zaire Ebola Virus Glycoprotein (EBOV GP antigen) ELISA kits (Alpha Diagnostic International, Inc.) in Kinshasa, DRC; any result above 4.7 units/mL was considered seroreactive. Among the respondents, 113 (8.3%) were considered seroreactive. Several zoonotic exposures were associated with EBOV seroreactivity after controlling for age, sex, healthcare worker status, location, and history of contact with an EVD case, namely: ever having contact with bats, ever having contact with rodents, and ever eating non-human primate meat. Contact with monkeys or non-human primates was not associated with seroreactivity.ConclusionsThis analysis suggests that some zoonotic exposures that have been linked to EVD outbreaks can also be associated with EBOV GP seroreactivity in the absence of diagnosed EVD. Future investigations should seek to clarify the relationships between zoonotic exposures, seroreactivity, asymptomatic infection, and EVD.     

Evidence for distinct mechanisms of small molecule inhibitors of filovirus entry

Many small molecules have been identified as entry inhibitors of filoviruses. However, a lack of understanding of the mechanism of action for these molecules limits further their development as anti-filoviral agents. Here we provide evidence that toremifene and other small molecule entry inhibitors have at least three distinctive mechanisms of action and lay the groundwork for future development of anti-filoviral agents. The three mechanisms identified here include: (1) direct binding to the internal fusion loop region of Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP); (2) the HR2 domain is likely the main binding site for Marburg virus GP inhibitors and a secondary binding site for some EBOV GP inhibitors; (3) lysosome trapping of GP inhibitors increases drug exposure in the lysosome and further improves the viral inhibition. Importantly, small molecules targeting different domains on GP are synergistic in inhibiting EBOV entry suggesting these two mechanisms of action are distinct. Our findings provide important mechanistic insights into filovirus entry and rational drug design for future antiviral development.     

Inactivated or live-attenuated bivalent vaccines that confer protection against rabies and Ebola viruses

The search for a safe and efficacious vaccine for Ebola virus continues, as no current vaccine candidate is nearing licensure. We have developed (i) replication-competent, (ii) replication-deficient, and (iii) chemically inactivated rabies virus (RABV) vaccines expressing Zaire Ebola virus (ZEBOV) glycoprotein (GP) by a reverse genetics system based on the SAD B19 RABV wildlife vaccine. ZEBOV GP is efficiently expressed by these vaccine candidates and is incorporated into virions. The vaccine candidates were avirulent after inoculation of adult mice, and viruses with a deletion in the RABV glycoprotein had greatly reduced neurovirulence after intracerebral inoculation in suckling mice. Immunization with live or inactivated RABV vaccines expressing ZEBOV GP induced humoral immunity against each virus and conferred protection from both lethal RABV and EBOV challenge in mice. The bivalent RABV/ZEBOV vaccines described here have several distinct advantages that may speed the development of inactivated vaccines for use in humans and potentially live or inactivated vaccines for use in nonhuman primates at risk of EBOV infection in endemic areas.