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Nature Communications May 2024The in vivo efficacy of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) is dependent on their pharmacokinetics, including time in circulation and tissue tropism. Here we explore the...
The in vivo efficacy of polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) is dependent on their pharmacokinetics, including time in circulation and tissue tropism. Here we explore the structure-function relationships guiding physiological fate of a library of poly(amine-co-ester) (PACE) NPs with different compositions and surface properties. We find that circulation half-life as well as tissue and cell-type tropism is dependent on polymer chemistry, vehicle characteristics, dosing, and strategic co-administration of distribution modifiers, suggesting that physiological fate can be optimized by adjusting these parameters. Our high-throughput quantitative microscopy-based platform to measure the concentration of nanomedicines in the blood combined with detailed biodistribution assessments and pharmacokinetic modeling provides valuable insight into the dynamic in vivo behavior of these polymer NPs. Our results suggest that PACE NPs-and perhaps other NPs-can be designed with tunable properties to achieve desired tissue tropism for the in vivo delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics. These findings can guide the rational design of more effective nucleic acid delivery vehicles for in vivo applications.
Topics: Animals; Nanoparticles; Tissue Distribution; Mice; Polymers; Macrophages; Humans; Female; Drug Delivery Systems; Mice, Inbred C57BL
PubMed: 38762483
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48442-7 -
Briefings in Bioinformatics Mar 2024Avian reoviruses continue to cause disease in turkeys with varied pathogenicity and tissue tropism. Turkey enteric reovirus has been identified as a causative agent of...
Avian reoviruses continue to cause disease in turkeys with varied pathogenicity and tissue tropism. Turkey enteric reovirus has been identified as a causative agent of enteritis or inapparent infections in turkeys. The new emerging variants of turkey reovirus, tentatively named turkey arthritis reovirus (TARV) and turkey hepatitis reovirus (THRV), are linked to tenosynovitis/arthritis and hepatitis, respectively. Turkey arthritis and hepatitis reoviruses are causing significant economic losses to the turkey industry. These infections can lead to poor weight gain, uneven growth, poor feed conversion, increased morbidity and mortality and reduced marketability of commercial turkeys. To combat these issues, detecting and classifying the types of reoviruses in turkey populations is essential. This research aims to employ clustering methods, specifically K-means and Hierarchical clustering, to differentiate three types of turkey reoviruses and identify novel emerging variants. Additionally, it focuses on classifying variants of turkey reoviruses by leveraging various machine learning algorithms such as Support Vector Machines, Naive Bayes, Random Forest, Decision Tree, and deep learning algorithms, including convolutional neural networks (CNNs). The experiments use real turkey reovirus sequence data, allowing for robust analysis and evaluation of the proposed methods. The results indicate that machine learning methods achieve an average accuracy of 92%, F1-Macro of 93% and F1-Weighted of 92% scores in classifying reovirus types. In contrast, the CNN model demonstrates an average accuracy of 85%, F1-Macro of 71% and F1-Weighted of 84% scores in the same classification task. The superior performance of the machine learning classifiers provides valuable insights into reovirus evolution and mutation, aiding in detecting emerging variants of pathogenic TARVs and THRVs.
Topics: Animals; Machine Learning; Orthoreovirus, Avian; Turkeys; Reoviridae Infections; Poultry Diseases; Phylogeny
PubMed: 38752857
DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbae224 -
Virology Journal May 2024In 2018, SGS Belgium NV developed RSV-NICA (Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Nasobronchial Infective Challenge Agent), an RSV type A challenge agent for use in RSV Controlled...
In 2018, SGS Belgium NV developed RSV-NICA (Respiratory Syncytial Virus-Nasobronchial Infective Challenge Agent), an RSV type A challenge agent for use in RSV Controlled Human Infection Model (CHIM) studies.It is widely recognized that the stability of RSV can be influenced by a variety of environmental parameters, such as temperature and pH. Consequently, our objective was to evaluate the stability of the viral titer of RSV-NICA following five years of controlled storage and to determine the uniformity of the viral titers across different vials of a GMP-qualified batch of RSV-NICA. In addition, we examined the capacity of RSV-NICA to infect human primary airway epithelial cells (MucilAir™), the principal target cells of RSV, and evaluated the influence of single and recurrent freeze-thaw cycles on the infectious viral titer of the challenge agent.The aliquoted RSV-NICA virus stock was subjected to standard virological and molecular methods to gather data on the titer and consistency of the viral titer contained within 24 representative vials of the stock. Our findings illustrate that over a span of five years of cryo-storage, the infectious viral titer in 75% of the tested vials exhibited a comparable average infectious viral titer (4.75 ± 0.06 vs 4.99 ± 0.11; p-value = 0.14). A considerable reduction down to an undetectable level of infectious virus was observed in the remaining vials. RSV-NICA demonstrated its capacity to effectively infect differentiated human airway epithelial cells, with active virus replication detected in these cells through increasing RSV genome copy number over time. Virus tropism for ciliated cells was suggested by the inhibition of cilia beating coupled with an increase in viral RNA titers. No discernable impact on membrane barrier function of the epithelial lung tissues nor cytotoxicity was detected. Pooling of vials with infectious titers > 4.0 log TCID/ml and freeze-thawing of these combined vials showed no deterioration of the infectious titer. Furthermore, pooling and re-aliquoting of vials spanning the entire range of viral titers (including vials with undetectable infectious virus) along with subjecting the vials to three repeated freeze-thaw cycles did not result in a decrease of the infectious titers in the tested vials.Taken together, our findings indicate that long-term cryo-storage of vials containing RSV-NICA challenge agent may influence the infectious viral titer of the virus, leading to a decrease in the homogeneity of this titer throughout the challenge stock. However, our study also demonstrates that when heterogeneity of the infectious titer of an RSV stock is observed, rounds of pooling, re-aliquoting and subsequent re-titration serve as an effective method not only to restore the homogeneity of the infectious titer of an RSV-A stock, but also to optimize patient-safety, scientific and operational aspects of viral inoculation of study participants during at least the period of one RSV CHIM trial. RSV-NICA is a stable, suitable CHIM challenge agent that can be utilized in efficacy trials for RSV vaccines and antiviral entities.
Topics: Humans; Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections; Epithelial Cells; Viral Load; Virus Replication; Cryopreservation; Cells, Cultured
PubMed: 38750558
DOI: 10.1186/s12985-024-02386-y -
Molecular Therapy. Oncology Jun 2024Chondrosarcoma (CS) is a malignant cartilage-forming bone tumor that is inherently resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, leaving surgery as the only treatment...
Chondrosarcoma (CS) is a malignant cartilage-forming bone tumor that is inherently resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, leaving surgery as the only treatment option. We have designed a tumor-targeted bacteriophage (phage)-derived particle (PDP), for targeted systemic delivery of cytokine-encoding transgenes to solid tumors. Phage has no intrinsic tropism for mammalian cells; therefore, it was engineered to display a double cyclic RGD4C ligand on the capsid to target tumors. To induce cancer cell death, we constructed a transgene cassette expressing a secreted form of the cytokine tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (sTRAIL). We detected high expression of αvβ3 and αvβ5 integrin receptors of the RGD4C ligand, and of the TRAIL receptor-2 in human CS cells (SW1353), but not in primary normal chondrocytes. The RGD4C.PDP- particle carrying a luciferase reporter gene, , effectively and selectively mediated gene delivery to SW1353 cells, but not primary chondrocytes. Transduction of SW1353 cells with RGD4C.PDP encoding a human sTRAIL, resulted in the expression of TRAIL and subsequent cell death without harming the normal chondrocytes. Intravenous administration of RGD4C.PDP- to mice with established human CS resulted in a decrease in tumor size and tumor viability. Altogether, RGD4C.PDP- can be used to target systemic treatment of CS with the sTRAIL.
PubMed: 38745750
DOI: 10.1016/j.omton.2024.200805 -
ENeuro May 2024Oligodendrocytes, the myelin-producing glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS), crucially contribute to myelination and circuit function. An increasing amount of...
Oligodendrocytes, the myelin-producing glial cells of the central nervous system (CNS), crucially contribute to myelination and circuit function. An increasing amount of evidence suggests that intracellular calcium (Ca) dynamics in oligodendrocytes mediates activity-dependent and -independent myelination. Unraveling how myelinating oligodendrocytes orchestrate and integrate Ca signals, particularly in relation to axonal firing, is crucial for gaining insights into their role in the CNS development and function, both in health and disease. In this framework, we used the recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV)/Olig001 capsid variant to express the genetically encoded calcium (Ca) indicator jGCaMP8s, under the control of the myelin basic protein (MBP) promoter. In our study, this tool exhibits excellent tropism and selectivity for myelinating and mature oligodendrocytes, and it allows monitoring Ca activity in myelin forming cells, both in isolated primary cultures and organotypic spinal cord explants. By live-imaging of myelin Ca events in oligodendrocytes within organ cultures, we observe a rapid decline in the amplitude and duration of Ca events across different developmental stages. Active myelin sheath remodeling and growth is modulated at the level of myelin axon-interface through Ca signaling and, during early myelination in organ cultures, this phase is finely tuned by the firing of axon action potentials. In the later stages of myelination, Ca events in mature oligodendrocytes no longer display such a modulation, underscoring the involvement of complex Ca signaling in CNS myelination. Determining the sources and mechanisms driving Ca events in mature oligodendrocytes, typically studied through restricted transgenic lines, has proven to be challenging. To address this, we employed the rAAV/Olig001 to selectively express jGCaMP8s, under the transcriptional control of the MBP promoter, to monitor Ca activity specifically in myelinating and mature oligodendrocytes and ex vivo. Our findings indicate that Ca dynamics undergoes maturation-dependent modulation, and that neuronal activity can have a different impact on Ca activity across developmental stages. Our research introduces a valuable genetic tool for monitoring Ca signaling in myelin-forming cells to investigate how Ca regulation affects oligodendrocyte function and dynamic interactions with axons.
PubMed: 38744490
DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0540-23.2024 -
PLoS Pathogens May 2024Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a coronavirus that infects chickens, which exhibits a broad tropism for epithelial cells, infecting the tracheal mucosal epithelium,...
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a coronavirus that infects chickens, which exhibits a broad tropism for epithelial cells, infecting the tracheal mucosal epithelium, intestinal mucosal epithelium, and renal tubular epithelial cells. Utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we systematically examined cells in renal, bursal, and tracheal tissues following IBV infection and identified tissue-specific molecular markers expressed in distinct cell types. We evaluated the expression of viral RNA in diverse cellular populations and subsequently ascertained that distal tubules and collecting ducts within the kidney, bursal mucosal epithelial cells, and follicle-associated epithelial cells exhibit susceptibility to IBV infection through immunofluorescence. Furthermore, our findings revealed an upregulation in the transcription of proinflammatory cytokines IL18 and IL1B in renal macrophages as well as increased expression of apoptosis-related gene STAT in distal tubules and collecting duct cells upon IBV infection leading to renal damage. Cell-to-cell communication unveiled potential interactions between diverse cell types, as well as upregulated signaling pathways and key sender-receiver cell populations after IBV infection. Integrating single-cell data from all tissues, we applied weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify gene modules that are specifically expressed in different cell populations. Based on the WGCNA results, we identified seven immune-related gene modules and determined the differential expression pattern of module genes, as well as the hub genes within these modules. Our comprehensive data provides valuable insights into the pathogenesis of IBV as well as avian antiviral immunology.
PubMed: 38743760
DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1012232 -
Frontiers in Bioengineering and... 2024Engineered 3D models employing human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derivatives have the potential to recapitulate the cell diversity and structure found in the...
Engineered 3D models employing human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derivatives have the potential to recapitulate the cell diversity and structure found in the human central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, these complex cellular systems offer promising human models to address the safety and potency of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), such as gene therapies. Specifically, recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAVs) are currently considered highly attractive for CNS gene therapy due to their broad tropism, low toxicity, and moderate immunogenicity. To accelerate the clinical translation of rAAVs, in-depth preclinical evaluation of efficacy and safety in a human setting is primordial. The integration of hiPSC-derived CNS models in rAAV development will require, amongst other factors, robust, small-scale, high-throughput culture platforms that can feed the preclinical trials. Herein, we pioneer the miniaturization and parallelization of a 200 mL stirred-tank bioreactor-based 3D brain cell culture derived from hiPSCs. We demonstrate the applicability of the automated miniaturized Ambr 15 Cell Culture system for the maintenance of hiPSC-derived neurospheroids (iNSpheroids), composed of neuronal and glial cells. Critical process parameters were optimized, namely, cell density and agitation mode. Under optimized conditions, stable iNSpheroid cultures were attained in the microbioreactors for at least 15 days, with high cell viability and astrocytic and neuronal phenotype maintenance. This culture setup allowed the parallelization of different rAAVs, in different multiplicity of infections (MOIs), to address rAAV-host interactions at a preclinical scale. The iNSpheroids were exposed to rAAV2- and rAAV9-eGFP in the microbioreactors. Transgene expression was detected 14 days post-transduction, revealing different astrocyte/neuron tropism of the two serotypes. We advocate that the iNSpheroid cultures in miniaturized bioreactors are reliable and reproducible screening tools for addressing rAAV transduction and tropism, compatible with preclinical demands.
PubMed: 38737536
DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1379597 -
Parasites & Vectors May 2024Animal African trypanosomiasis, which is caused by different species of African trypanosomes, is a deadly disease in livestock. Although African trypanosomes are often...
BACKGROUND
Animal African trypanosomiasis, which is caused by different species of African trypanosomes, is a deadly disease in livestock. Although African trypanosomes are often described as blood-borne parasites, there have been recent reappraisals of the ability of these parasites to reside in a wide range of tissues. However, the majority of those studies were conducted on non-natural hosts infected with only one species of trypanosome, and it is unclear whether a similar phenomenon occurs during natural animal infections, where multiple species of these parasites may be present.
METHODS
The infective trypanosome species in the blood and other tissues (adipose and skin) of a natural host (cows, goats and sheep) were determined using a polymerase chain reaction-based diagnostic.
RESULTS
The animals were found to harbour multiple species of trypanosomes. Different patterns of distribution were observed within the host tissues; for instance, in some animals, the blood was positive for the DNA of one species of trypanosome and the skin and adipose were positive for the DNA of another species. Moreover, the rate of detection of trypanosome DNA was highest for skin adipose and lowest for the blood.
CONCLUSIONS
The findings reported here emphasise the complexity of trypanosome infections in a natural setting, and may indicate different tissue tropisms between the different parasite species. The results also highlight the need to include adipose and skin tissues in future diagnostic and treatment strategies.
Topics: Animals; Goats; Trypanosomiasis, African; Adipose Tissue; Trypanosoma; Skin; Sheep; Goat Diseases; Cattle; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Sheep Diseases; DNA, Protozoan; Cattle Diseases
PubMed: 38734633
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-024-06277-7 -
Infection, Genetics and Evolution :... May 2024Hepatitis E, caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV), is a global public health issue. Low similarity between the gene sequences of mouse and human HEV led to the belief...
Hepatitis E, caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV), is a global public health issue. Low similarity between the gene sequences of mouse and human HEV led to the belief that the risk of human infection was low. Recent reports of chronic and acute hepatitis E caused by murine HEV infection in humans in Hong Kong have raised global concerns. Therefore, it is crucial to investigate the epidemiology and prevalence of HEV in China. We comprehensively analyzed different rodent HEV strains to understand rocahepevirus occurrence in Hubei Province, China. The HEV positivity rate for was 6.43% (73/1136). We identified seven near-full-length rocahepevirus strains and detected rat HEV antigens in tissues from different mouse species. HEV has extensive tissue tropism and a high viral load in the liver. We highlight the genetic diversity of HEVs in rodents and underscore the importance of paying attention to their variation and evolution.
PubMed: 38734397
DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2024.105602 -
Animals : An Open Access Journal From... Apr 2024is an intracellular parasitic zoonotic pathogen that can infect animals and cause a variety of human diseases. This study investigates prevalence in small mammals in...
is an intracellular parasitic zoonotic pathogen that can infect animals and cause a variety of human diseases. This study investigates prevalence in small mammals in Yunnan Province, China, focusing on tissue tropism. A total of 333 small mammals were sampled from thirteen species, three orders, four families, and four genera in Heqing and Gongshan Counties. Conventional PCR and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) were utilized for detection and quantification, followed by bioinformatic analysis of obtained DNA sequences. Results show a 31.5% detection rate, varying across species. Notably, , and exhibited infection rates of 44.4%, 27.7%, 100.0%, 6.3%, 60.0%, 23.5%, and 22.2%, respectively. Genetic analysis identified thirty, ten, and five strains based on , , and genes, with nucleotide identities ranging from 92.1% to 100.0%. strains were assigned to , , , , , , and a new species identified in (GS136). Analysis of the different tissues naturally infected by species revealed varied copy numbers across different tissues, with the highest load in spleen tissue. These findings underscore 's diverse species and host range in Yunnan Province, highlighting the presence of extensive tissue tropism in species naturally infecting small mammalian tissues.
PubMed: 38731324
DOI: 10.3390/ani14091320