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. 2025 Aug 21;28(9):113402.
doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113402. eCollection 2025 Sep 19. A human H5N1 influenza virus expressing bioluminescence for evaluating viral infection and identifying therapeutic interventions
Ramya S Barre 1 2 , Ruby A Escobedo 1 2 , Esteban M Castro 1 2 , Michal Gazi 1 , Joshua D Castro 1 , Anastasija Cupic 3 4 , Mahmoud Bayoumi 1 5 , Nathaniel Jackson 1 2 , Chengin Ye 1 , Aitor Nogales 6 , Roy N Platt 1 , Ricardo Carrion Jr 1 , Timothy J C Anderson 1 , Adolfo García-Sastre 3 7 8 9 10 11 , Ahmed Mostafa 1 12 , Luis Martinez-Sobrido 1
Affiliations
A multistate outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 in the United States dairy cattle was first reported on March 2024, followed by a zoonotic cattle-to-human virus transmission to a dairy farm worker in Texas. To facilitate real-time tracking of HPAIV H5N1, we generated a recombinant nanoluciferase (Nluc)-expressing H5N1 virus, HPhTX NSs-Nluc, by introducing an Nluc reporter into the non-structural gene of human A/Texas/37/2024 H5N1 (HPhTX). HPhTX NSs-Nluc replicated with kinetics and plaque morphology comparable to wild-type virus in vitro. In vivo and ex vivo, HPhTX NSs-Nluc allowed tracking viral infection in the living animals and their necropsied organs using in vivo imaging systems (IVISs). Treatment with baloxavir effectively inhibited HPhTX NSs-Nluc replication, comparable to wild-type virus, validating its applicability for high-throughput screening of potential antiviral therapeutics. These results demonstrate that HPhTX NSs-Nluc is a robust tool for studying H5N1 pathogenesis and assessing antiviral efficacy against HPAIV H5N1.
Keywords: Bioengineering; Methodology in biological sciences; Optical imaging; Virology.
. 2025 Aug 21;28(9):113402.
doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113402. eCollection 2025 Sep 19. A human H5N1 influenza virus expressing bioluminescence for evaluating viral infection and identifying therapeutic interventions
Ramya S Barre 1 2 , Ruby A Escobedo 1 2 , Esteban M Castro 1 2 , Michal Gazi 1 , Joshua D Castro 1 , Anastasija Cupic 3 4 , Mahmoud Bayoumi 1 5 , Nathaniel Jackson 1 2 , Chengin Ye 1 , Aitor Nogales 6 , Roy N Platt 1 , Ricardo Carrion Jr 1 , Timothy J C Anderson 1 , Adolfo García-Sastre 3 7 8 9 10 11 , Ahmed Mostafa 1 12 , Luis Martinez-Sobrido 1
Affiliations
- PMID: 40978136
- PMCID: PMC12446200
- DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.113402
A multistate outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 in the United States dairy cattle was first reported on March 2024, followed by a zoonotic cattle-to-human virus transmission to a dairy farm worker in Texas. To facilitate real-time tracking of HPAIV H5N1, we generated a recombinant nanoluciferase (Nluc)-expressing H5N1 virus, HPhTX NSs-Nluc, by introducing an Nluc reporter into the non-structural gene of human A/Texas/37/2024 H5N1 (HPhTX). HPhTX NSs-Nluc replicated with kinetics and plaque morphology comparable to wild-type virus in vitro. In vivo and ex vivo, HPhTX NSs-Nluc allowed tracking viral infection in the living animals and their necropsied organs using in vivo imaging systems (IVISs). Treatment with baloxavir effectively inhibited HPhTX NSs-Nluc replication, comparable to wild-type virus, validating its applicability for high-throughput screening of potential antiviral therapeutics. These results demonstrate that HPhTX NSs-Nluc is a robust tool for studying H5N1 pathogenesis and assessing antiviral efficacy against HPAIV H5N1.
Keywords: Bioengineering; Methodology in biological sciences; Optical imaging; Virology.