Analysis of VSV pseudotype virus infection mediated by rubella virus envelope proteins

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 11607 - 14
• Main Authors: Sakata, Masafumi, Tani, Hideki, Anraku, Masaki, Kataoka, Michiyo, Nagata, Noriyo, Seki, Fumio, Tahara, Maino, Otsuki, Noriyuki, Okamoto, Kiyoko, Takeda, Makoto, Mori, Yoshio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 14.09.2017; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/326/596/2557; 631/326/596/2561; Acidification; Animals; Calcium; Cell Line; Cell lines; Coinfection; Disseminated infection; Genes, Reporter; Genetic Engineering; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Infections; Macrophages - immunology; Macrophages - metabolism; Macrophages - virology; multidisciplinary; Neutralization Tests; Proteins; Rubella; Rubella virus - physiology; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Stomatitis; T cell receptors; Tropism; Vesicular stomatitis Indiana virus - physiology; Viral envelope proteins; Viral Envelope Proteins - genetics; Viral Envelope Proteins - metabolism; Viral Tropism
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-10865-2

Rubella virus (RV) generally causes a systemic infection in humans. Viral cell tropism is a key determinant of viral pathogenesis, but the tropism of RV is currently poorly understood. We analyzed various human cell lines and determined that RV only establishes an infection efficiently in particular non-immune cell lines. To establish an infection the host cells must be susceptible and permissible. To assess the susceptibility of individual cell lines, we generated a pseudotype vesicular stomatitis virus bearing RV envelope proteins (VSV-RV/CE2E1). VSV-RV/CE2E1 entered cells in an RV envelope protein-dependent manner, and thus the infection was neutralized completely by an RV-specific antibody. The infection was Ca 2+ -dependent and inhibited by endosomal acidification inhibitors, further confirming the dependency on RV envelope proteins for the VSV-RV/CE2E1 infection. Human non-immune cell lines were mostly susceptible to VSV-RV/CE2E1, while immune cell lines were much less susceptible than non-immune cell lines. However, susceptibility of immune cells to VSV-RV/CE2E1 was increased upon stimulation of these cells. Our data therefore suggest that immune cells are generally less susceptible to RV infection than non-immune cells, but the susceptibility of immune cells is enhanced upon stimulation.