KFO 342 - P6: Exploring the mechanisms of cytokine storm induction and systemic infection by highly pathogenic influenza viruses

Basic data for this project

Description

Human infections with highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (HPAIV) of subtypes H5 and H7 often lead to severe disease caused by excessive and imbalanced expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Viral as well as host factors are suspected to function as the molecular drivers for the switch from local to systemic viral infections that give rise to severe tissue damage and multiple organ failure. However, studies on the identity of these factors and the underlying immunological mechanisms that could serve as a basis for the development of new clinical treatments are still scarce. Similarly, confirmed biomarkers for early detection serving as indicators for therapeutic interventions to limit HPAIV-induced inflammatory responses have not been identified. Using the well-characterized virus SC35 (H7N7) and its relative SC35M (H7N7), that give rise to local or systemic infection, respectively, we will follow an integrative approach to provide a comprehensive analysis of the immune status of infected mice by combining the transcriptomic profiles from different organs and immune cells as well as infected human lung tissue. We will use our unique data set for the identification of specific biomarkers for systemically replicating HPAIV and analyze upregulation of known sepsis markers as well as factors involved in endothelial barrier leakage to deliver clinically relevant knowledge for the development of new treatment options. Our previous studies and phosphoproteome analysis have identified the viral polymerase as well as virus strain-specific induction of phosphomodification of several host proteins (e.g. TRIM28) as critical determinants. The proteins of the viral polymerase contain virus-specific immunomodulatory features and underlie strong adaptive pressure in humans. We have identified unique amino acid signatures in the polymerases of HPAIV that may be involved in immune activation. In this project, we will determine the immunomodulatory potential of these signatures and generate recombinant viruses to elucidate the early processes (e.g. PRR activation) of overshooting immune responses by HPAIV. We will further continue to characterize the roles of TRIM28, as well as the differentially modified phosphoproteins PEA-15 and NUP89 in the development of cytokine burst during HPAIV infection. Studies by our lab have demonstrated that targeting phosphorylated host factors or their activating kinases reduces the inflammatory response during HPAIV-infection and could serve as a novel therapeutic approach to prevent/rebalance uncontrollable immune reactions. In this project, we will evaluate the therapeutic potential of three pre-investigated inhibitors of the cellular stress-induced MAP kinase p38, which has emerged as promising drug target in our previous studies, as repurposed drugs to prevent systemic viral spread and rebalance HPAIV-induced excessive immune reactions in mice and human lung tissue.