Article
Plant Sciences
Zhan Qiu Mao, Noboru Minakawa, Meng Ling Moi
Summary: The study evaluated the antiviral activity of extracts from Hedyotis diffusa and Artemisia capillaris against flaviviruses including dengue virus and Zika virus. The extracts demonstrated inhibitory activity against viral replication and reduced viral RNA levels in a dose-responsive manner. The results suggest that these plant extracts may have potential as promising candidates for clinical applications.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Patricia P. Garcez, Andre Guasti, Nina Ventura, Luiza Mendonca Higa, Felipe Andreiuolo, Gabriella Pinheiro A. de Freitas, Liane de Jesus Ribeiro, Richard Araujo Maia, Sheila Maria Barbosa de Lima, Adriana de Souza Azevedo, Waleska Dias Schwarcz, Elena Cristina Caride, Leila Chimelli, Luiz Gustavo Dubois, Orlando da Costa Ferreira Junior, Amilcar Tanuri, Vivaldo Moura-Neto, Paulo Niemeyer
Summary: During a Zika virus outbreak in Brazil, a glioblastoma patient showed symptoms similar to an arbovirus-like infection, and after the infection resolved, the glioblastoma regressed without recurrence. This clinical response has continued for 6 years.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Lihong Huang, Qiang Fu, Jia-Meng Dai, Bing-Chao Yan, Dawei Wang, Pema-Tenzin Puno, Jianbo Yue
Summary: The compound enanderinanin J has been identified as an inhibitor of autophagosome-lysosome fusion, showing potential as an antiviral agent.
CELL BIOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Virology
Muhammad Imran, Luping Zhang, Bohan Zheng, Zikai Zhao, Dengyuan Zhou, Shengfeng Wan, Zheng Chen, Hongyu Duan, Qiuyan Li, Xueqin Liu, Shengbo Cao, Shaoyong Ke, Jing Ye
Summary: Flaviviruses are major arthropod-borne pathogens with a global health impact. This study identified two compounds, HAAS-AV3026 and HAAS-AV3027, derived from DHEA, which showed strong antiviral activity against Japanese encephalitis virus and Zika virus. These compounds inhibited viral infection, protein production, and viral RNA synthesis.
Article
Immunology
Jeffrey M. Marano, James Weger-Lucarelli
Summary: This study investigated the impact of convalescent dengue serum on the evolution of Zika virus. The results showed that the antibodies in the serum enhance the fitness of the virus in human cells and mosquitoes, but have inconsistent effects on the virus's neutralization sensitivity. This study reveals the importance of cross-reactive immunity in virus evolution.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Guoqiang Yao, Jianchen Yu, Cai Lin, Yujia Zhu, Anna Duan, Mengfeng Li, Jie Yuan, Jiancun Zhang
Summary: Zika virus, a mosquito-borne flavivirus, has caused serious medical consequences and complications in recent years. There are currently no specific treatments or vaccines, highlighting the need for new therapies. In this study, a series of novel nucleoside analogs were synthesized and one compound showed potential as an inhibitor of Zika virus replication. This compound may be a promising candidate for future drug discovery.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Haiyan Sun, Dhiraj Acharya, Amber M. Paul, Huafang Lai, Junyun He, Fengwei Bai, Qiang Chen
Summary: Researchers have developed a plant-based vaccine candidate that provides protective immunity against lethal West Nile virus and minimizes the risk of infection by Zika and dengue viruses.
Article
Immunology
Lie Cheng, Wei-Liang Liu, Yun-Ting Tsou, Jian-Chiuan Li, Chia-Hao Chien, Matthew P. Su, Kun-Lin Liu, Ya-Lang Huang, Shih-Cheng Wu, Jih-Jin Tsai, Shie-Liang Hsieh, Chun-Hong Chen
Summary: C-type lectins can target DENV, and transgenic mosquitoes expressing human CLEC18A show potential in enhancing Toll immune pathway responses, reducing viral titers, and altering midgut microbiome composition, leading to inhibition of DENV.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mijia Lu, Piyush Dravid, Yuexiu Zhang, Sheetal Trivedi, Anzhong Li, Olivia Harder, K. C. Mahesh, Supranee Chaiwatpongsakorn, Ashley Zani, Adam Kenney, Cong Zeng, Chuanxi Cai, Chengjin Ye, Xueya Liang, Masako Shimamura, Shan-Lu Liu, Asuncion Mejias, Octavio Ramilo, Prosper N. Boyaka, Jianming Qiu, Luis Martinez-Sobrido, Jacob S. Yount, Mark E. Peeples, Amit Kapoor, Stefan Niewiesk, Jianrong Li
Summary: Using a measles virus vaccine strain as the backbone, researchers developed a series of recombinant attenuated vaccine candidates expressing various forms of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Among these candidates, rMeV expressing stabilized prefusion S protein showed the highest potency in inducing neutralizing antibodies and provided complete protection against SARS-CoV-2 in animal models. This supports further development of rMeV-preS as a highly effective vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Zhan Qiu Mao, Mizuki Fukuta, Jean Claude Balingit, Thi Thanh Ngan Nguyen, Co Thach Nguyen, Shingo Inoue, Thi Thu Thuy Nguyen, Le Khanh Hang Nguyen, Noboru Minakawa, Kouichi Morita, Thi Quynh Mai Le, Futoshi Hasebe, Meng Ling Moi
Summary: This study demonstrates that direct real-time RT-qPCR is a feasible option for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 and DENV-2, compared to traditional real-time RT-qPCR based on viral genome extraction methods. This approach can provide faster viral detection, aiding in addressing viral outbreaks in resource-limited settings.
Article
Microbiology
Guanyu Zhao, Yan Gao, Jiaqi Zhang, He Zhang, Changzhan Xie, Fulong Nan, Sheng Feng, Zhuo Ha, Chenghui Li, Xiangyu Zhu, Zhuoxin Li, Ping Zhang, Ying Zhang, Huijun Lu, Ningyi Jin
Summary: The exacerbation of the inflammatory response contributes to the high mortality of Japanese encephalitis caused by the Japanese encephalitis virus. This study reveals the involvement of TLR2 in the inflammatory response induced by JEV infection in microglia, through the activation of the TLR2-PI3K-AKT signaling axis.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Rachel E. McMillan, Ellen Wang, Aaron F. Carlin, Nicole G. Coufal
Summary: Microglia, the resident macrophage of the central nervous system, play important roles in human development, health, and disease. Recent studies have shown that microglia have both protective and detrimental effects in the progression of neurotropic viral infections. Understanding the diversity of human microglial responses is crucial for therapeutic interventions, but modeling human microglia has been challenging due to interspecies differences and rapid transformation in vitro.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Anand Ramani, Abida-Islam Pranty, Jay Gopalakrishnan
Summary: SARS-CoV-2 targets human neurons and causes neurological symptoms, with human brain organoids playing a key role in research to enhance our understanding of this phenomenon.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Shashi Kant Tiwari, Shaobo Wang, Davey Smith, Aaron F. Carlin, Tariq M. Rana
Summary: Researchers generated iPSC-derived lung and brain organoids, finding that lung organoids are highly permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection, while brain organoids are less susceptible. These findings will aid in understanding the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and drug discovery.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Yotam Menuchin-Lasowski, Andre Schreiber, Aaron Lecanda, Angeles Mecate-Zambrano, Linda Brunotte, Olympia E. Psathaki, Stephan Ludwig, Thomas Rauen, Hans R. Schoeler
Summary: Several studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 can infect and replicate in retinal cells, inducing inflammatory responses and relying on ACE2 for infection. Therefore, it is important to monitor the potential effects of COVID-19 on the retina.
Article
Immunology
Dirkje de Blauw, Andrea H. L. Bruning, Katja C. Wolthers, Anne-Marie Van Wermeskerken, Maarten H. Biezeveld, Joanne G. Wildenbeest, Dasja Pajkrt
Summary: Supplemental Digital Content is provided in the text.
PEDIATRIC INFECTIOUS DISEASE JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
L. Wu, R. W. Emmens, J. van Wezenbeek, W. Stooker, C. P. Allaart, A. B. A. Vonk, A. C. van Rossum, K. C. Wolthers, H. W. M. Niessen, P. A. J. Krijnen
Summary: The presence of viral genomes is not increased in the atria of AF patients, suggesting that viral infection of the atria may not play an important role in the pathogenesis of AF.
NETHERLANDS HEART JOURNAL
(2022)
Letter
Pediatrics
Amrita Biharie, Maya W. Keuning, Katja C. Wolthers, Dasja Pajkrt
WORLD JOURNAL OF PEDIATRICS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Georgios Stroulios, Tyler Brown, Giulia Moreni, Douglas Kondro, Alessandro Dei, Allen Eaves, Sharon Louis, Juan Hou, Wing Chang, Dasja Pajkrt, Katja C. Wolthers, Adithya Sridhar, Salvatore Simmini
Summary: Airway organoids, which mimic the structure and function of in vivo tissue, provide a better model for studying host-pathogen interactions by overcoming the limitations of traditional models. This study introduces a new method to generate airway organoids with an externally exposed apical side, allowing for higher throughput in vitro studies.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Rosalie S. N. Linssen, Adithya Sridhar, Giulia Moreni, Nicole N. van der Wel, Job B. M. van Woensel, Katja C. Wolthers, Reinout A. Bem
Summary: Research using human airway epithelial cell cultures showed that in the context of RSV infection, NETs did not cause or exacerbate epithelial injury or inflammation.
Article
Biology
Ikrame Aknouch, Adithya Sridhar, Eline Freeze, Francesca Paola Giugliano, Britt J. van Keulen, Michelle Romijn, Carlemi Calitz, Ines Garcia-Rodriguez, Lance Mulder, Manon E. Wildenberg, Vanesa Muncan, Marit J. van Gils, Johannes B. van Goudoever, Koert J. Stittelaar, Katja C. Wolthers, Dasja Pajkrt
Summary: Human milk has been found to inhibit the replication of SARS-CoV-2 and other enveloped viruses. Transcriptome analysis suggests that down-regulation of ATP1A1 may play a role in this antiviral activity.
LIFE SCIENCE ALLIANCE
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Roberto D. V. S. Morais, Marina Sogorb-Gonzalez, Citlali Bar, Nikki C. Timmer, M. Leontien Van der Bent, Morgane Wartel, Astrid Valles
Summary: Research has shown that an engineered HTT-targeting microRNA can be transported between cells through extracellular vesicles, leading to a reduction in HTT gene expression. This finding contributes to our understanding of the mechanism underlying Huntington's disease.
Article
Microbiology
Adithya Sridhar, Josse A. Depla, Lance A. Mulder, Eveliina Karelehto, Lieke Brouwer, Leonie Kruiswijk, Renata Vieira de Sa, Adam Meijer, Melvin M. Evers, Frank J. M. van Kuppeveld, Dasja Pajkrt, Katja C. Wolthers
Summary: Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has caused outbreaks of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP), a polio-like disease. Recent severe respiratory illness and outbreaks of AFP caused by EV-D68 are not yet understood. Changes in the viral genome resulting in neurotropism and binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) may explain the rise in severe disease. This study used human primary organotypic cultures and induced human pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived brain organoids to study the replication and neurotropism of EV-D68 strains. The data suggest that HSPG-binding can be used by EV-D68 for entry in human physiological models but offers no advantage for EV-D68 infection of brain cells.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jennifer Cable, Mark R. Denison, Margaret Kielian, William T. Jackson, Ralf Bartenschlager, Tero Ahola, Suchetana Mukhopadhyay, Daved H. Fremont, Richard J. Kuhn, Ashleigh Shannon, Meredith N. Frazier, Kwok-Yung Yuen, Carolyn B. Coyne, Katja C. Wolthers, Guo-Li Ming, Camy S. Guenther, Jasmine Moshiri, Sonja M. Best, John W. Schoggins, Kellie Ann Jurado, Gregory D. Ebel, Alexandra Schafer, Lisa F. P. Ng, Marjolein Kikkert, Alessandro Sette, Eva Harris, Peter A. C. Wing, Julie Eggenberger, Siddharth R. Krishnamurthy, Marcus G. Mah, Rita M. Meganck, Donghoon Chung, Sebastian Maurer-Stroh, Raul Andino, Bette Korber, Stanley Perlman, Pei-Yong Shi, Montserrat Barcena, Sophie-Marie Aicher, Michelle N. Vu, Devin J. Kenney, Brett D. Lindenbach, Yukiko Nishida, Laurent Renia, Evan P. Williams
Summary: Positive-strand RNA viruses, such as Zika virus, SARS, and SARS-CoV-2, have caused major outbreaks and epidemics in recent years. The Keystone Symposium Positive-Strand RNA Viruses, held on June 18-22, 2022, brought together researchers in various fields to discuss the latest research in molecular and cell biology, virology, immunology, vaccinology, and antiviral drug development. This report provides concise summaries of the scientific discussions at the symposium.
ANNALS OF THE NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Fatma Masmoudi, Nanci Santos-Ferreira, Dasja Pajkrt, Katja C. C. Wolthers, Jeroen DeGroot, Maria L. H. Vlaming, Joana Rocha-Pereira, Ludovico Buti
Summary: Enteroviruses cause various infections, but specific antiviral treatments are lacking. Organoids provide a valuable model for studying antiviral treatments, and comparing them to conventional cell lines can enhance understanding. Our study shows that human small intestinal organoids are more sensitive to enterovirus infection and drug treatment, highlighting the importance of using organoid models in antiviral studies.
Article
Virology
Giulia Moreni, Hetty van Eijk, Gerrit Koen, Nina Johannesson, Carlemi Calitz, Kimberley Benschop, Jeroen Cremer, Dasja Pajkrt, Adithya Sridhar, Katja Wolthers
Summary: This study investigated the tissue and cellular tropism of non-polio enteroviruses (EV) belonging to species C, which are highly prevalent in Africa, mainly among children. The results showed that these viruses can replicate in both the human airway and intestinal organotypic cultures, with ciliated airway cells and enterocytes being the target of infection.