Project description:In this study, we screened the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in SH-SY5Y cells with Varicella-Zoster Virus-Infected using RNAseq technique to explore the molecular mechanisms of Herpes zoster pain
Project description:Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) is a skin-tropic virus that infects epidermal keratinocytes and causes chickenpox. Although common, VZV infection can be life-threatening particularly in the immunocompromised. Therefore, understanding VZV-keratinocyte interactions is important to find new treatments beyond vaccination and anti-viral drugs. In VZV- infected skin, Kallikrein 6 (KLK6), and the ubiquitin-ligase MDM2 are up-regulated concomitant with Keratin 10 (K10) down-regulation. MDM2 binds to K10 targeting it for degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Preventing K10 degradation reduced VZV propagation in culture and prevented epidermal disruption in skin explants. K10 knockdown induced expression of the nuclear receptor subfamily 4, group A, member 1 (NR4A1) and enhanced viral propagation in culture. NR4A1 knockdown prevented viral propagation in culture, reduced LC3 levels and increased LAMP2 expression. We therefore describe a novel drug-able pathway whereby MDM2 ubiquitinates and degrades K10 increasing NR4A1 expression allowing VZV replication and propagation.
Project description:Varicella pneumonia is the most common and severe complication of primary varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection in adults. Pathogenesis of varicella pneumonia is largely unknown, mainly due to limited availability of clinical specimens and lack of appropriate VZV animal models. Simian varicella virus (SVV) infection of nonhuman primates closely recapitulates clinical and pathogenic features of human VZV disease. This study aimed to elucidate the virus and host factors that contribute to the pathogenesis of varicella pneumonia. The deposited data present changes in gene expression in the lung of SVV-infected cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) at 3, 6 and 9 days after infection, and mock-infected control macaques at 3 days after infection.
Project description:Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), an alphaherpesvirus, causes chickenpox (varicella) in young children with an annual minimum of 140 million new cases and herpes zoster in senior, a painful and debilitating disease with 3-5‰ incidence. A complex structural transcriptome of VZV, which numerous novel transcripts, transcript isoforms, and unknown splice events are found during cell infection. Circular RNA (circRNA), a newly important component of the transcriptome, is increasing discoveries of circRNA function in mammalian cells. However, VZV encoded circRNA remains unexplored. The code used in this study and extended data are available from the GitHub repository (https://github.com/ShaominYang/VZV_circRNA)