Virus researchPub Date : 2025-10-18DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199645
Cong You, Mei Wang, Jiangyi Wang, Tingting Lian, Quanzhong Liu
{"title":"M13 phages engineered with chlamydia phage φCPG1 protein IN5 and arginine-glycine-aspartic acid inhibits Chlamydia trachomatis intracellular growth.","authors":"Cong You, Mei Wang, Jiangyi Wang, Tingting Lian, Quanzhong Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199645","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199645","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chlamydia trachomatis (C. t) is the most common causative agent of sexually transmitted bacterial urogenital infections worldwide. C. t treatment failure is increasing because antibiotic resistance has developed in recent years. Therefore, the development of novel therapeutic strategies is necessary. Here, we constructed an M13 phage carrying two functional peptides, including the integrin binding peptide arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) on pⅧ and the IN5 protein from Chlamydia caviae phage φCPG1 on pIII to reduce C. t infection. We called these phages M13-RGD<sub>8</sub>-IN5<sub>3</sub>. The recombinant phages successfully expressed IN5 proteins. Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed that the recombinant phages were able to enter HeLa cells and C. t inclusion bodies. IN5 protein was responsible for the observed decrease in C. t infection, while RGD enhanced the permeability of phages into the cells. The M13-RGD<sub>8</sub>-IN5<sub>3</sub> phage was better than the M13-IN5<sub>3</sub> phage in ameliorating C. t infection. qPCR revealed that treatment with the recombinant phages downregulated several C. t genes related to virulence, such as CT_046 (Hc2), CT_443 (OmcB), CT_444 (OmcA), CT_456 (Tarp), CT_666 (Cdsf), CT_694, CT_743 (Hc1), and CT_875 (TepP). The only upregulated gene was CT_119 (IncA). The recombinant phages impacted the C. t mainly in the middle and late stages of the development cycle. Our results suggest that novel recombinant phages are promising as candidates to treat C. t infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":" ","pages":"199645"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145337719","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virus researchPub Date : 2025-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199644
Roberta Della Marca, Rosa Giugliano, Carla Zannella, Marina Acunzo, Preetu Parimal, Avinash Mali, Annalisa Chianese, Valentina Iovane, Massimiliano Galdiero, Anna De Filippis
{"title":"Role of exosomes in viral infections: a narrative review.","authors":"Roberta Della Marca, Rosa Giugliano, Carla Zannella, Marina Acunzo, Preetu Parimal, Avinash Mali, Annalisa Chianese, Valentina Iovane, Massimiliano Galdiero, Anna De Filippis","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199644","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199644","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by cells under normal and pathological conditions. These lipid-enclosed vesicles play a key role in intracellular communication by delivering various molecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids, thereby influencing the activity of recipient cells. In recent years, exosomes have attracted considerable attention for their involvement in viral infections and immune system evasion. Many viruses hijack the exosome biogenesis machinery to facilitate their replication, spread infection, and evade immune defenses. Therefore, gaining insights into how exosomes modulate the immune system or contribute to viral infectivity is crucial. This review explores how viral exosomes interact with host mammalian cells, highlighting their unique ability to transfer genetic material and proteins to recipient cells independent of virus-receptor interaction. Additionally, we examine the role of viral exosomes in intercellular communication, particularly how they may both promote viral infectivity and transmission, as well as participate in antiviral defense and immune regulation. Unlike previous reviews, our study integrates findings across both human and animal viral infections, critically discusses methodological standardization in exosome research, and introduces emerging therapeutic approaches such as engineered exosomes and exosome mimetics.</p>","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":" ","pages":"199644"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145330081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virus researchPub Date : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199643
Raphael O Adegbola, Dinusha C Maheepala, Ursula K Schuch, Judith K Brown
{"title":"Prevalence, host range, and characterization of multiple Palo verde broom emaravirus genomes and eriophyid mites from Parkinsonia spp. in Arizona.","authors":"Raphael O Adegbola, Dinusha C Maheepala, Ursula K Schuch, Judith K Brown","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199643","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199643","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The palo verde tree is native to the Sonoran Desert and consists of multiple species classified in the genus Parkinsonia, family, Fabaceae. Palo verde broom virus (PVBV), Fimoviridae, Emaravirus, is the suspect causal agent of witches' broom disease of blue palo verde, P. florida. Here, PVBV was detected in four palo verde species and two hybrids by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification of a 679-base pair (bp) fragment of RNA3, which encodes the nucleocapsid gene (NP). The prevalence of witches' broom symptoms among the different Parkinsonia species (n=70), collected from naturally-occurring, nursery- or urban landscape trees was 54%. Within-species PVBV infection spanned 50-100% and 81% across four species and two hybrids combined. The PVBV genome segments RNAs 1-5 were de novo and reference based-assembled from Illumina® RNAseq reads obtained from total RNA isolated from PVBV-positive trees. Pairwise nucleotide identity and amino acid identity for 29 field isolates and GenBank reference PVBV RNA1-5 segfments/predicted proteins was 73-100% and 68-100%, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated RNA1-5 segments resolved four sister clades with no basis in host range among the four palo verde species or hybrids. Five predicted recombinants were identified with breakpoints in either tfhe RNA1 or RNA5 genomic segment. Consistent recovery of PVBV full-length genomes from four Parkinsonia spp. and two hybrids indicated that additional Parkinsonia species and hybrids besides blue palo verde, the only previously reported host, harbored PVBV. Previous studies have linked emaravirus transmission with Eriophyidae mite vectors. Here, the palo verde mite Aculus cercidii Keifer (Eriophyidae) (1965) counts ranged from eight to >1,000 per tree. Prolific or minimally-detectable colonization of PVBV-infected trees by A. cercidii, together with consistent detection of PVBV in symptomatic and asymptomatic trees implicate the palo verde mite as the vector of and PVBV as the causal agent of witches' broom disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":" ","pages":"199643"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145318682","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Next-generation antiviral peptides: AI-driven design, translational delivery platforms, and future therapeutic directions.","authors":"Maryam Mashhadi Abolghasem Shirazi, Setareh Haghighat, Zahra Nikbakht, Elaheh Salimkia, Armity Kiumarsy","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199642","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199642","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Antiviral peptides (AVPs) are emerging as next-generation therapeutics due to their broad-spectrum activity, low toxicity, and ability to overcome drug resistance. The objective of this review is to provide an integrated perspective on AVP research, with particular emphasis on artificial intelligence (AI)-driven discovery, novel delivery strategies, and translational applications. We first summarize the origins, mechanisms, and structural diversity of AVPs. We then highlight recent advances in computational pipelines, including machine learning, deep learning, generative adversarial networks (GANs), large language models (LLMs), and reinforcement learning frameworks for de novo peptide design. Translational aspects are addressed by discussing novel delivery systems such as nanoparticles, hydrogels, and intranasal/inhalable formulations, as well as clinical trial examples (like, enfuvirtide (T-20), sifuvirtide, lactoferrin-based formulations, PAC-113). Finally, we explore future directions, including CRISPR- and mRNA-based peptide delivery and synergies with immune checkpoint inhibitors. By combining classical mechanisms with AI-driven design and innovative delivery platforms, this review underscores the potential of AVPs as versatile antiviral agents ready for clinical translation.</p>","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":" ","pages":"199642"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145313772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virus researchPub Date : 2025-10-11DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199641
Jingwei Hu, Min Liu, Binbin Qin, Bin Shen, Yingjun Huang, Jiayan Zhu, Qi Zheng, Xingdong Zheng, Jingyi Cai, Ying Xie, Yajun Song
{"title":"D-dimer drives immune dysregulation in COVID-19 via chemokine modulation and inflammatory signaling.","authors":"Jingwei Hu, Min Liu, Binbin Qin, Bin Shen, Yingjun Huang, Jiayan Zhu, Qi Zheng, Xingdong Zheng, Jingyi Cai, Ying Xie, Yajun Song","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199641","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199641","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>d-dimer, a fibrin degradation product and established marker of thrombosis, has been strongly associated with disease severity and poor prognosis in COVID-19. However, its role in immune modulation remains underexplored.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this study, we enrolled 356 participants from Shanghai, including patients with mild and severe COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2-negative controls. Clinical data were collected to assess correlations between d-dimer and immune-related markers. Public transcriptomic datasets, single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), and in vitro stimulation of THP-1 cells with clinically relevant d-dimer concentrations were used to investigate d-dimer-associated immune responses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>d-dimer levels were significantly elevated in severe COVID-19 patients and positively correlated with IL-6 and troponin I, while negatively associated with glomerular filtration rate. Integrated transcriptomic and protein interaction analyses identified IL-6 as a central hub in immune-related gene networks. scRNA-seq revealed tissue- and cell-specific IL-6 expression, predominantly in monocytes and T cells. In vitrod-dimer stimulation did not induce IL-6 expression in THP-1 cells but upregulated chemokines (e.g., CXCL5, CXCL6), and enriched key inflammatory pathways, including IL-17 and PI3K-Akt signaling.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings suggest that d-dimer may modulate the immune microenvironment by influencing chemokine-mediated cell recruitment, contributing to immune dysregulation in severe COVID-19. d-dimer functions not only as a clinical biomarker but also as a potential driver of thromboinflammatory responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":" ","pages":"199641"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145287113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virus researchPub Date : 2025-10-10DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199640
Dennis Rahenbrock, Mark Varrelmann
{"title":"Comparative small RNA profiles of beet mosaic virus (BtMV), beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV) and beet yellows virus (BYV) infected Nicotiana benthamiana and Beta vulgaris","authors":"Dennis Rahenbrock, Mark Varrelmann","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199640","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199640","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Plants are constantly challenged by viral pathogens that can limit growth and reduce yield. A key component of the plant innate immunity is RNA silencing, in which viral double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) intermediates are recognised and processed into virus-derived small interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs). These vsiRNAs direct the degradation of viral genomes, thereby restricting infection. Sugar beet (<em>Beta vulgaris</em> subsp. <em>vulgaris</em>) is a crop of major economic importance, where the virus yellows (VY) complex represents a serious threat to production. Here, we profiled and compared vsiRNAs generated during infection of the natural host plant <em>B. vulgaris</em> and the experimental host plant <em>Nicotiana benthamiana</em> with three taxonomically distinct viruses: beet yellows virus (BYV, <em>Closterovirus</em>), beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV, <em>Polerovirus</em>), and beet mosaic virus (BtMV, <em>Potyvirus</em>). High-throughput sequencing of small RNAs revealed characteristic size distributions and strand biases that differed among viruses and host species. Comparative analysis highlighted no host plant-specific pattern of vsiRNA accumulation. This comparative approach provides a detailed view of vsiRNA processing and offers novel insights that are not apparent from coverage profiles alone. Distinct vsiRNA hotspots were detected for each viral genome, and these hotspots did not differ between host plants, pinpointing potential target regions for RNA interference-based control approaches. The identification of such regions provides a basis for the design of synthetic dsRNAs that can be applied exogenously as protective sprays, an emerging, non-transgenic strategy to mitigate VY infections, while advancing understanding of vsiRNA biogenesis in sugar beet and <em>N. benthamiana</em> in general.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":"361 ","pages":"Article 199640"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145281195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virus researchPub Date : 2025-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199638
Yijun Liu , Ge Jiang , Jie Cheng , Xiaotong Wang , Xianping Fan , Hailong Wu , Hui Shen
{"title":"Isolation, genomic analysis and biocontrol potential of bacteriophage SHY-Vp8 and its endolysin against Vibrio parahaemolyticus in shrimp aquaculture","authors":"Yijun Liu , Ge Jiang , Jie Cheng , Xiaotong Wang , Xianping Fan , Hailong Wu , Hui Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199638","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199638","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</em> causes mass mortality in global penaeid shrimp aquaculture worldwide, with lethality exceeding 90 %, threatening global food security and economic sustainability. As alternatives to antibiotics, bacteriophages and their lytic enzymes offer target specificity, minimal resistance development, and high bactericidal efficiency. In this study, ten phages were isolated from <em>Litopenaeus vannamei</em> aquaculture ponds and adjacent estuarine areas using Vp499 as the host, which were isolated by our lab. Among these, phage SHY-Vp8 exhibited the highest titer against the host Vp499.Its optimal multiplicity of infection (MOI) was determined to be 1. Notably, SHY-Vp8 demonstrated a superior lytic capacity, with a high burst size (96 PFU/cell) and a short latent period (30 min), representing an 18–41 % improvement in lytic efficiency over previously reported <em>Vibrio</em> phages. Furthermore, it exhibited exceptional environmental resilience, tolerating temperatures up to 60 °C and a broad pH range (3–12), surpassing the stability thresholds of most known vibriophages. Whole-genome sequencing indicated a double-stranded DNA genome of 58,525 bp with 46.38 % GC content. Bioinformatic annotation identified 85 predicted genes, of which 31 encoded functionally characterized proteins. No tRNA or virulence genes were detected, demonstrating potential for therapeutic applications in aquaculture. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed an icosahedral capsid and a long non-contractile tail, classifying SHY-Vp8 within the Siphoviridae family. Notably, the gp59 gene was predicted to encode an endolysin. The gene was amplified cloned and expressed. The lytic activity of Lys59 exhibited a concentration-dependent increase, with peak activity observed at 50 μg/mL. Lys59 alone was capable of lysing Vp499 without the aid of EDTA; however, pretreatment with EDTA significantly enhanced its lytic efficiency. Results indicate that both SHY-Vp8 and Lys59 exhibit promising potential for controlling <em>V. parahaemolyticus</em> infections in L. <em>vannamei</em>, offering a novel and sustainable strategy for disease management in aquaculture—particularly in pond water treatment and seafood safety enhancement. These excellent in vitro activities and characteristics provide a solid foundation for further development of in vivo infection models and eco-friendly biocontrol agents.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":"361 ","pages":"Article 199638"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145259234","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phase I Clinical Trial of a Recombinant Oncolytic Virus Injection Combined with PD-1 Antibody-Based Gene Therapy for Recurrent Head and Neck Cancer in China: An Open-Label Study.","authors":"Siyu Zhu, Qi Zhong, Yang Zhang, Lizhen Hou, Hongzhi Ma, Ling Feng, Xixi Shen, Jiaming Chen, Yurong He, Jingwen Lyu, Tiantian Wang, Rui Zhao, Jingfeng Li, Jugao Fang, Shizhi He","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199639","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199639","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aims to evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of VT1093, an oncolytic recombinant herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) engineered to express a PD-1 monoclonal antibody, for the treatment of recurrent head and neck cancer. This open-label, single-arm, dose-escalation Phase I clinical trial was an exploratory dose-escalation study, in which the dose is progressively increased in enrolled patients until either the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) or dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) is identified. Seven patients with recurrent head and neck cancer were recruited at Beijing Tongren Hospital. Patients received either a single or multiple intratumoral injections of VT1093. For the single-dose group, patients were monitored for 28 days after treatment. For the multiple-dose group, three treatments were administered biweekly, with a 28-day follow-up after the final injection. Treatment efficacy and adverse events were monitored and recorded throughout the study. Of the seven patients enrolled, five were eligible for efficacy evaluation. Two patients did not return for follow-up evaluation after treatment and were classified as treatment ineffective. Four patients achieved stable disease (SD), while one had progressive disease (PD), resulting in a disease control rate (DCR) of 57.1% (4/7). The most common treatment-related adverse events were mild to moderate fever and fatigue (Grade 1-2), with no Grade 3 or higher events. A promising immune profile was found in response to the oncolytic virus injection combined with PD-1 antibody. The treatment was generally well tolerated, and no DLTs were observed. VT1093 shows promising efficacy in controlling disease progression in recurrent head and neck cancer, with a favorable safety profile and low toxicity. These results support further clinical development of VT1093 as a novel therapeutic approach for this patient population.</p>","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":" ","pages":"199639"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145276090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virus researchPub Date : 2025-10-03DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199637
Liaqat Ali , Nida Kanwal , Iffat Saleem , Haidar Ali , Deeba Amraiz , Madiha Akram , Imran Shahid , Jing Yang
{"title":"Molecular and structural insights into dengue virus non-structural proteins from pakistani clinical isolates for the identification of novel antiviral targets","authors":"Liaqat Ali , Nida Kanwal , Iffat Saleem , Haidar Ali , Deeba Amraiz , Madiha Akram , Imran Shahid , Jing Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199637","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199637","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dengue virus (DENV) remains a global health threat, with Pakistan experiencing recurrent outbreaks, yet non-structural genes (NS1, NS2A, NS5) critical for viral replication and pathogenesis remain understudied in local strains. In this study, 150 NS1-positive serum samples (2022–2024) were analyzed via nested PCR, Sanger sequencing, and phylogenetic tools (MEGA11), revealing DENV-2 as the dominant serotype (85 % of samples), with NS5 showing 97 % homology to Indian/Swat strains, while NS1 and NS2A exhibited sequence variation in functional domains. <em>In silico</em> modeling and docking studies identified RK-0404,678 as a strong binder to NS5 (−6.4 kcal/mol) and Galidesivir to NS5 (−7.2 kcal/mol), suggesting their potential as antiviral candidates. These findings highlight DENV-2 dominance in Pakistan and identify conserved regions in NS5 as promising drug targets, though further experimental validation is warranted.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":"361 ","pages":"Article 199637"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145233468","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Virus researchPub Date : 2025-09-27DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199635
Weiwei Li , Wei Jiao , Fang Li , Jie Hao
{"title":"Effect of interleukin-17A on anti-ANT antibodies as well as cytokines in viral myocarditis mice","authors":"Weiwei Li , Wei Jiao , Fang Li , Jie Hao","doi":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199635","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.virusres.2025.199635","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To observe the effect of interleukin-17A (IL-17A) on serum anti-mitochondrial endosomal ADP/ATP carrier autoantibody (anti-ANT antibody) levels and cytokines in viral myocarditis (VMC) mice.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>Male wild-type (WT) and IL-17A knockout (IL-17A<sup>−/−</sup>) BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally injected with coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) to establish a VMC model (VMC-WT and VMC-IL-17A<sup>−/−</sup>), while WT BALB/c mice were injected with PBS intraperitoneally to establish a normal control group (WT group). After 14 days, myocardial tissues were taken to calculate heart mass, and paraffin sections were prepared and stained with HE staining to observe the pathological changes and calculate the pathological score of myocardial tissues. Flow cytometry was used to detect the level of CD4<sup>+</sup> T lymphocytes in peripheral blood, ELISA was used to determine the level of anti-ANT antibody, IL-17 and IL-23 in serum, and Western blotting was used to detect the expression level of IL-17 and IL-23 proteins in myocardial tissue.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>VMC mice were successfully constructed. Mice in the WT group showed no abnormal activity; Mice in the VMC-WT group gradually showed behaviors such as huddling, shrugging, trembling, and poor response from the third day of injection; Mice in the VMC-IL-17A<sup>−/−</sup> group showed the above symptoms to a lesser extent. In the VMC-WT group, the HM and pathological score were 5.62 ± 0.27 g/kg and 3.12 ± 0.45 score. The HM and pathologic score in the VMC-IL-17A<sup>−/−</sup> group were lower than those in the VMC-WT group. The pathological examination of WT mice showed no inflammatory cell infiltration and patchy necrosis. The rats in VMC-WT group showed extensive inflammatory cell infiltration and large sheet necrosis of cardiomyocytes under microscope. Compared with the VMC-WT group, the VMC-IL-17A<sup>−/−</sup> group showed focal myocardial necrosis and significantly reduced inflammatory cell infiltration 14 days after CVB3 infection. At the same time, the percentage of CD4<sup>+</sup>T was remarkably lower in the VMC-WT mice compared with the WT mice. The percentage of CD4<sup>+</sup>T was higher in the VMC-IL-17A<sup>−/−</sup> group (27.54 ± 3.62) than in the VMC-WT group (16.97 ± 2.18). In addition, anti-ANT antibody (1.48 ± 0.31 μg/L), IL-17 (33.47 ± 4.26 pg/mL) and IL-23 (32.42 ± 4.31 pg/mL) levels were significantly lower in serum of VMC-IL-17A<sup>−/−</sup> mice than in the VMC-WT mice. At the protein level, the expression of IL-17 and IL-23 showed consistent results.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Serum anti-ANT antibody, IL-17, and IL-23 levels were significantly elevated in VMC mice. Although the ELISA results suggest IL-17A is involved in the production of anti-ANT antibody in VMC mice, the possibility of cross-reactivity cannot be completely ruled out; therefore, the results should be interpreted with caution. The kn","PeriodicalId":23483,"journal":{"name":"Virus research","volume":"361 ","pages":"Article 199635"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145193176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}