Ebola Virion Attachment and Entry into Human Macrophages Profoundly Effects Early Cellular Gene Expression

Abstract

Zaire ebolavirus (ZEBOV) infections are associated with high lethality in primates. ZEBOV primarily targets mononuclear phagocytes, which are activated upon infection and secrete mediators believed to trigger initial stages of pathogenesis. The characterization of the responses of target cells to ZEBOV infection may therefore not only further understanding of pathogenesis but also suggest possible points of therapeutic intervention. Gene expression profiles of primary human macrophages exposed to ZEBOV were determined using DNA microarrays and quantitative PCR to gain insight into the cellular response immediately after cell entry. Significant changes in mRNA concentrations encoding for 88 cellular proteins were observed. Most of these proteins have not yet been implicated in ZEBOV infection. Some, however, are inflammatory mediators known to be elevated during the acute phase of disease in the blood of ZEBOV-infected humans. Interestingly, the cellular response occurred within the first hour of Ebola virion exposure, i.e. prior to virus gene expression. This observation supports the hypothesis that virion binding or entry mediated by the spike glycoprotein (GP _1,2) is the primary stimulus for an initial response. Indeed, ZEBOV virions, LPS, and virus-like particles consisting of only the ZEBOV matrix protein VP40 and GP _1,2 (VLP _VP40-GP) triggered comparable responses in macrophages, including pro-inflammatory and pro-apoptotic signals. In contrast, VLP _VP40 (particles lacking GP _1,2) caused an aberrant response. This suggests that GP _1,2 binding to macrophages plays an important role in the immediate cellular response.

Author Summary

Ebola virus causes a severe hemorrhagic fever syndrome in man with high case-fatality rates. Following infection, monocytes and macrophages are among the first cells targeted by the virus. These cells respond by increasing expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that contribute towards pathogenesis. In order to more thoroughly characterize the host response to Ebola infection, primary human macrophages were infected with Zaire ebolavirus and samples harvested for transcriptional changes after 1 or 6 hours post infection. Whereas previous studies have analyzed a relatively small subset of host genes, this study examined the transcriptional profile of over 10,000 genes and employed rigorous pathway analyses to the datasets. Ebola virus was found to significantly regulate the expression of over 88 host genes. These changes occurred within the first hours of infection. Subsequent experiments demonstrated that virus replication was not necessary for activation. Indeed, noninfectious virus-like particles expressing the ebolavirus glycoprotein and matrix proteins were sufficient stimuli to induce activation.