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Transforming Growth Factor-β: Activation by Neuraminidase and Role in Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Pathogenesis

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
PLoS Pathog. 2010 Oct 7;6(10). pii: e1001136.
Transforming Growth Factor-β: Activation by Neuraminidase and Role in Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Pathogenesis.

Carlson CM, Turpin EA, Moser LA, O'Brien KB, Cline TD, Jones JC, Tumpey TM, Katz JM, Kelley LA, Gauldie J, Schultz-Cherry S.

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America.
Abstract

Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β), a multifunctional cytokine regulating several immunologic processes, is expressed by virtually all cells as a biologically inactive molecule termed latent TGF-β (LTGF-β). We have previously shown that TGF-β activity increases during influenza virus infection in mice and suggested that the neuraminidase (NA) protein mediates this activation. In the current study, we determined the mechanism of activation of LTGF-β by NA from the influenza virus A/Gray Teal/Australia/2/1979 by mobility shift and enzyme inhibition assays. We also investigated whether exogenous TGF-β administered via a replication-deficient adenovirus vector provides protection from H5N1 influenza pathogenesis and whether depletion of TGF-β during virus infection increases morbidity in mice. We found that both the influenza and bacterial NA activate LTGF-β by removing sialic acid motifs from LTGF-β, each NA being specific for the sialic acid linkages cleaved. Further, NA likely activates LTGF-β primarily via its enzymatic activity, but proteases might also play a role in this process. Several influenza A virus subtypes (H1N1, H1N2, H3N2, H5N9, H6N1, and H7N3) except the highly pathogenic H5N1 strains activated LTGF-β in vitro and in vivo. Addition of exogenous TGF-β to H5N1 influenza virus-infected mice delayed mortality and reduced viral titers whereas neutralization of TGF-β during H5N1 and pandemic 2009 H1N1 infection increased morbidity. Together, these data show that microbe-associated NAs can directly activate LTGF-β and that TGF-β plays a pivotal role protecting the host from influenza pathogenesis.

PMID: 20949074 [PubMed - in process]

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20949074
 
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