Comparison of transcriptional responses between pathogenic and nonpathogenic hantavirus infections in Syrian hamsters using NanoString

PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2021 Aug 2;15(8):e0009592. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009592. eCollection 2021 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Syrian hamsters infected with Andes virus (ANDV) develop a disease that recapitulates many of the salient features of human hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), including lethality. Infection of hamsters with Hantaan virus (HTNV) results in an asymptomatic, disseminated infection. In order to explore this dichotomy, we examined the transcriptome of ANDV- and HTNV-infected hamsters.

Results: Using NanoString technology, we examined kinetic transcriptional responses in whole blood collected from ANDV- and HTNV-infected hamsters. Of the 770 genes analyzed, key differences were noted in the kinetics of type I interferon sensing and signaling responses, complement activation, and apoptosis pathways between ANDV- and HTNV-infected hamsters.

Conclusions: Delayed activation of type I interferon responses in ANDV-infected hamsters represents a potential mechanism that ANDV uses to subvert host immune responses and enhance disease. This is the first genome-wide analysis of hantavirus-infected hamsters and provides insight into potential avenues for therapeutics to hantavirus disease.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Cricetinae
  • Female
  • Hantavirus Infections / pathology*
  • Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome / pathology*
  • High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / methods*
  • Mesocricetus
  • Orthohantavirus / genetics*
  • Orthohantavirus / isolation & purification
  • Orthohantavirus / pathogenicity*
  • Vero Cells

Grants and funding

The funding was provided from the Military Infectious Disease Research Program, grant number T0211_19-RD (https://mrdc.amedd.army.mil/index.cfm/program_areas/medical_research_and_development/midrp_overview) to JWH and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, grant number CB10245 (https://www.dtra.mil/) to TDM. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.