Cyclophilin A protects mice against infection by influenza A virus

www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Cyclophilin A protects mice against infection by influenza A virus Jing Li1, Can Chen1, Gary Wong1, Wei Dong2, Weinan Zheng1, Yun Li1, Lei Sun1, Lianfeng Zhang2, George F. Gao1,3, Yuhai Bi1,3 & Wenjun Liu1,3 received: 07 December 2015 accepted: 13 June 2016 Published: 29 June 2016 Our previous studies indicate that Cyclophilin A (CypA) impairs the replication of influenza A virus in vitro. To further evaluate the antiviral functions of CypA and explore its mechanism, transgenic mice with overexpression of CypA by two specific promoters with SPC (CypA-SPC) or CMV (CypA-CMV) were developed. After challenge with the A/WSN/33(H1N1) influenza virus, CypA-SPC and CypACMV transgenic mice displayed nearly 2.5- and 3.8-fold stronger disease resistance to virus infection, respectively, compared to wild-type animals. Virus replication, pathological lesions and inflammatory cytokines were substantially reduced in both lines of transgenic mice. In addition, after infection there was an upregulation of genes associated with cell migration, immune function, and organ development; and a downregulation of genes associated with the positive regulation of immune cells and apoptosis in the peritoneal macrophages of CypA-overexpressing transgenic mice (CypA+). These results indicate that CypA is a key modulator of influenza virus resistance in mice, and that CypA+ mice constitutes an important model to study the roles of CypA in the regulation of immune responses and infections. Cyclophilin A (CypA) is a typical member of the cyclophilin family, which exhibits peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase (PPIase) activity. CypA is distributed ubiquitously in mammalian and avian tissues1–3, displays a chaperon-like activity, and takes part in protein-folding processes4–6. It is primarily found in the cytoplasm and can be secreted into the extracellular environment1. CypA plays an important role in regulating immune responses7. It is the primary mediator of immunosuppression by cyclosporine (CsA)8, which is widely used in humans to prevent organ transplant rejection. CsA bind to CypA in its hydrophobic pocket, inhibiting PPIase activity. However, the inhibition of CypA enzymatic activity is not responsible for immunosuppressive pharmacological effects7. Rather, the CsA-CypA complex binds to and inhibits calcineurin, a calcium-activated serine/threonine-phosphatase9,10, which is important for T-cell activation through the nuclear import of nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NF-AT) transcription factors. Hence, T-cell activation is blocked in the presence of the CsA-CypA complex, resulting in the reduced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and an overall decrease in the immune response8. CypA-knockout mice have been shown to develop a spontaneous Type I hypersensitive response, with elevated levels of serum IgG1 and IgE, as well as tissue infiltration by mast cells and eosinophils which are driven by a dysregulated Th2 response11. CypA suppresses the development of CD4+T-cell responses through the inhibition of Interleukin-2 tyrosine kinase (Itk)11 by binding to the SH2 domain of Itk7,11,12. Furthermore, CypA is a mediator of pro-inflammatory responses and a potent chemoattractant for human monocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, and T-cells13. CD147 was identified as the main signaling receptor for CypA, and these two molecules contribute to the recruitment of neutrophils into the lung tissues of mice after they are given an intranasal (IN) dose of lipopolysaccharides14. Recent studies show that CypA promotes the nuclear translocation of NF-κB/p65 and stimulates NF-κB phosphorylation and activation, resulting in enhanced NF-κB activity and the altered expression of its target genes15,16. CypA also interacts with apoptosis-inducing factor to promote chromatinolysis17 and plays a role in the progression of some diseases, including peripheral artery disease, chronic kidney disease, and multiple myeloma14,18–20. CypA also directly incorporates itself into several virus particles, such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)21, influenza virus22,23, vaccinia virus (VV)24, and vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)25. Moreover, CypA 1 CAS Key Laboratory of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. 2Key Laboratory of Human Disease Comparative Medicine, Ministry of Health, Institute of Laboratory Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Comparative Medical Center, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100021 China. 3Center for Influenza Research and Early-warning (CASCIRE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to Y.B. (email: ) or W.L. (email: ) Scientific Reports | 6:28978 | DOI: 10.1038/srep28978 1 www.nature.com/scientificreports/ Figure 1. Construction and identification of transgenic mice over-expressing CypA. The founders of transgenic mice lines over-expressing CypA were identified at the protein level in lung tissue using western blots (A,B) and at the DNA level using PCR for the specific CypA-expression promoter in the genome (C,D). CMV and SPC represent the body and lung over-expression mice, respectively. The first filial generations were identified with PCR for the specific CypA-expression CMV (E) and SPC (F) promoters in the genome. M represents the DNA marker (from bottom to top: 100, 250, 500, 750, 1000 and 2000 bp) in panels C–F. plays a critical role in the successful infectivity and replication of HIV-1, HCV, HBV, and VSV, as well as the protozoan parasite Leishmania major5,25–30. However, CypA suppresses the replication of rotavirus31, infectious bursal disease virus32, tomato bushy stunt tombusvirus (TBSV)33, mouse cytomegalovirus34, and influenza virus1,26. Therefore, CypA can play both a beneficial or detrimental role in regulating the balance between the host and a pathogen, and the role depends on individual conditions that should be further confirmed in animal models. In our previous studies, we found that CypA inhibits influenza virus replication in vitro22,35,36. To investigate whether CypA is able to suppress virus replication in vivo, we developed transgenic mice over-expressing CypA via a specific promoter in the lungs (CypA-SPC) or all over the body (CypA-CMV). The different mice genotypes were characterized for their susceptibility to influenza virus after a challenge with A/WSN/33 (H1N1). Weight change, as well as virus titers, histopathology, and immunohistochemistry of the lungs were examined after challenge. Additionally, cytokine responses and an analysis of transcriptomes from the peritoneal macrophages of infected mice are presented herein. Results Development and characterization of transgenic mice over-expressing CypA. Transgenic C57BL/6 mice over-expressing CypA via the SPC or CMV promoter were generated by the microinjection method. The founders (...truncated)