The differentiated airway epithelium infected by influenza viruses maintains the barrier function despite a dramatic loss of ciliated cells.

Wu, Nai-Huei; Yang, Wei; Beineke, Andreas; Dijkman, Ronald; Matrosovich, Mikhail; Baumgärtner, Wolfgang; Thiel, Volker Earl; Valentin-Weigand, Peter; Meng, Fandan; Herrler, Georg (2016). The differentiated airway epithelium infected by influenza viruses maintains the barrier function despite a dramatic loss of ciliated cells. Scientific Reports, 6(39668), p. 39668. Nature Publishing Group 10.1038/srep39668

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Virus-host interactions in the respiratory epithelium during long term influenza virus infection are not well characterized. Therefore, we developed an air-liquid interface culture system for differentiated porcine respiratory epithelial cells to study the effect of virus-induced cellular damage. In our well-differentiated cells, α2,6-linked sialic acid is predominantly expressed on the apical surface and the basal cells mainly express α2,3-linked sialic acid. During the whole infection period, release of infectious virus was maintained at a high titre for more than seven days. The infected epithelial cells were subject to apoptosis resulting in the loss of ciliated cells together with a thinner thickness. Nevertheless, the airway epithelium maintained trans-epithelial electrical resistance and retained its barrier function. The loss of ciliated cells was compensated by the cells which contained the KRT5 basal cell marker but were not yet differentiated into ciliated cells. These specialized cells showed an increase of α2,3-linked sialic acid on the apical surface. In sum, our results help to explain the localized infection of the airway epithelium by influenza viruses. The impairment of mucociliary clearance in the epithelial cells provides an explanation why prior viral infection renders the host more susceptible to secondary co-infection by another pathogen.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Research Foci > Host-Pathogen Interaction
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP) > Institute of Virology and Immunology
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Infectious Diseases and Pathobiology (DIP)

UniBE Contributor:

Dijkman, Ronald, Thiel, Volker Earl

Subjects:

500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology
600 Technology > 630 Agriculture

ISSN:

2045-2322

Publisher:

Nature Publishing Group

Language:

English

Submitter:

Pamela Schumacher

Date Deposited:

23 Mar 2017 13:38

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 15:03

Publisher DOI:

10.1038/srep39668

PubMed ID:

28004801

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.96167

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/96167

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