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Endogenous retrovirus control of homeostatic and inflammatory responses to the microbiota [scRNA-seq]

ABSTRACT: How the homeostatic dialogue between the host and its microbiota is initiated remains largely unknown. Here, we show that immune response to the skin microbiota is dependent on activity of endogenous retroviruses. Notably, response to the microbiota promotes a discrete transcriptional induction of retroelements. As such, keratinocyte intrinsic sensing of endogenous retrovirus (ERV) derived DNA via cGAS/STING promotes the induction of commensal specific T cells including CD8+, CD4+ and MAIT cells. Consequently, inhibition of reverse transcriptase activity impairs both homeostatic immunity to the microbiota and associated tissue repair function. On the other hand, altered diet and in particular increase in dietary lipids primed the skin for aberrant ERV expression in the context of microbiota exposure leading to tissue inflammation. Together our results support the idea that the host may have coopted its endogenous virome as a means to communicate with exogenous microbiota resulting in a multikingdom dialogue that controls both tissue homeostasis and inflammation.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE158757 | GEO | 2021/05/05

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Background: Prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathies (BSE) are transmissible neurodegenerative diseases which are presumably caused by an infectious conformational isoform of the cellular prion protein. Previous work has provided evidence that in murine prion disease the endogenous retrovirus (ERV) expression is altered in the brain. To determine if prion-induced changes in ERV expression are a general phenomenon we used a non-human primate model for prion disease. Results: Cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fasicularis) were infected intracerebrally with BSE-positive brain stem material from cattle and allowed to develop prion disease. Brain tissue from the basis pontis and vermis cerebelli of the six animals and the same regions from four healthy controls were subjected to ERV expression profiling using a retrovirus-specific microarray and quantitative real-time PCR. We could show that Class I gammaretroviruses HERV-E4-1, ERV-9, and MacERV-4 increase expression in BSE-infected macaques. In a second approach, we analysed ERV-K-(HML-2) RNA and protein expression in extracts from the same cynomolgus macaques. Here we found a significant downregulation of both, the macaque ERV-K-(HML-2) Gag protein and RNA in the frontal/parietal cortex of BSE-infected macaques. Conclusions: We provide evidence that dysregulation of ERVs in response to BSE-infection can be detected on both, the RNA and the protein level. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the differential expression of ERV-derived structural proteins in prion disorders. Our findings suggest that endogenous retroviruses may induce or exacerbate the pathological consequences of prion-associated neurodegeneration. Cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fasicularis) were infected intracerebrally with BSE-positive brain stem material from cattle and allowed to develop prion disease. Brain tissue from the basis pontis and vermis cerebelli of the six animals and the same regions from four healthy controls were subjected to ERV expression profiling using a retrovirus-specific microarray and quantitative real-time PCR. In a second approach, ERV-K-(HML-2) RNA and protein expression was analysed in extracts from the same cynomolgus macaques.

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Endogenous retrovirus control of homeostatic and inflammatory responses to the microbiota [scRNA-seq]

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