Publications (2)10.8 Total impact
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Article: Varicella-zoster virus infects human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons and neurospheres but not pluripotent embryonic stem cells or early progenitors.
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ABSTRACT: Pluripotent human stem cells are a powerful tool for the generation of differentiated cells that can be used for the study of human disease. We recently demonstrated that neurons derived from pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESC) can be infected by the highly host-restricted human alphaherpesvirus varicella-zoster virus (VZV), permitting the interaction of VZV with neurons to be readily evaluated in culture. In the present study, we examine whether pluripotent hESC and neural progenitors at intermediate stages of differentiation are permissive for VZV infection. We demonstrate here that VZV infection is blocked in naïve hESC. A block to VZV replication is also seen when a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) containing the VZV genome is transfected into hESC. In contrast, related alphaherpesviruses herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and pseudorabies virus (PrV) productively infect naïve hESC in a cell-free manner, and PrV replicates from a BAC transfected into hESC. Neurons differentiate from hESC via neural progenitor intermediates, as is the case in the embryo. The first in vitro stage at which permissiveness of hESC-derived neural precursors to VZV replication is observed is upon formation of "neurospheres," immediately after detachment from the inductive stromal feeder layer. These findings suggest that hESC may be useful in deciphering the yet enigmatic mechanisms of specificity of VZV infection and replication.Journal of Virology 03/2012; 86(6):3211-8. · 5.40 Impact Factor -
Article: Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection of neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells: direct demonstration of axonal infection, transport of VZV, and productive neuronal infection.
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ABSTRACT: Study of the human neurotrophic herpesvirus varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and of its ability to infect neurons has been severely limited by strict viral human tropism and limited availability of human neurons for experimentation. Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) can be differentiated to all the cell types of the body including neurons and are therefore a potentially unlimited source of human neurons to study their interactions with human neurotropic viruses. We report here reproducible infection of hESC-derived neurons by cell-associated green fluorescent protein (GFP)-expressing VZV. hESC-derived neurons expressed GFP within 2 days after incubation with mitotically inhibited MeWo cells infected with recombinant VZV expressing GFP as GFP fusions to VZV proteins or under an independent promoter. VZV infection was confirmed by immunostaining for immediate-early and viral capsid proteins. Infection of hESC-derived neurons was productive, resulting in release into the medium of infectious virions that appeared fully assembled when observed by electron microscopy. We also demonstrated, for the first time, VZV infection of axons and retrograde transport from axons to neuronal cell bodies using compartmented microfluidic chambers. The use of hESC-derived human neurons in conjunction with fluorescently tagged VZV shows great promise for the study of VZV neuronal infection and axonal transport and has potential for the establishment of a model for VZV latency in human neurons.Journal of Virology 07/2011; 85(13):6220-33. · 5.40 Impact Factor
