Project description:Detailed knowledge about dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vivo is important for unraveling the viral and host response factors that contribute to COVID-19 pathogenesis. The unknown dose and exposure timing in human infections makes the needed well-controlled time course studies impossible and thus animal models of disease are essential to fill in the gaps in our understanding of disease progression. Old-World nonhuman primate species recapitulate mild COVID-19 cases, thereby serving as important models for studying disease pathogenesis. In this study, we compare African green monkeys (AGM; Chlorocebus sabaeus) inoculated with SARS-CoV-2 to AGM inoculated with a gamma-irradiated form of the virus to study the dynamics of virus replication throughout the respiratory tract and other target tissues. RNA sequencing of single cells from the lungs and mediastinal lymph nodes allowed a high-resolution, simultaneous analysis of virus replication and the host response in these tissues over time. Viral replication was mainly localized to the lower respiratory tract, especially the pneumocyte population. However, even in the absence of active replication, viral genomic RNA is was highly stable, especially in the upper respiratory tract. Macrophages play a vital and dynamic role in initiating a pro-inflammatory state in the lungs, while also interacting with infected pneumocytes. Together, our dataset provides a detailed view of changes in host and virus replication dynamics over the course of a mild COVID-19 infection and serves as a valuable resource to identify new therapeutic targets.
Project description:In contrast to SIVagm, which does not cause disease in its natural simian host, HIV-1 expresses the accessory protein Vpu and encodes a Nef protein that fails to suppress T cell activation via down-modulation of CD3. Although both, Vpu and Nef have been implicated as pathogenicity determinants, their relevance for viral replication and disease progression in vivo has remained unclear. Here, we analyzed gene expression in African green monkeys infected with SIVagm chimeras differing in their expression of nef and/or vpu. We used microarrays to analyze global gene expression of African green monkeys in response to infection with SIVagm and found that the viral accessory nef and vpu genes co-determine the induction of distinct gene sets.
Project description:Understanding SARS-CoV-2 immune pathology is critical for the development of effective vaccines and treatments. Here, we employed unbiased serial whole-blood transcriptome profiling by weighted gene network correlation analysis (WGCNA) at pre-specified timepoints of infection to understand SARS-CoV-2-related immune alterations in a cohort of rhesus macaques (RMs) and African green monkeys (AGMs) presenting with varying degrees of pulmonary pathology. We found that the bulk of transcriptional changes occurred at day 3 post-infection and normalized to pre-infection levels by 3 weeks. There was evidence of coordination of transcriptional networks in blood (defined by WGCNA) and the nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 burden as well as the absolute monocyte count. Pathway analysis of gene modules revealed prominent regulation of type I and type II interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) in both RMs and AGMs, with the latter species exhibiting a greater breadth of ISG upregulation. Notably, pathways relating to neutrophil degranulation were enriched in blood of SARS-CoV-2 infected AGMs, but not RMs. Our results elude to hallmark similarities as well as differences in the RM and AGM acute response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and may help guide the selection of particular NHP species in modeling aspects of COVID-19 disease outcome.
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in African Green Monkeys treated with antimiR-33a/b, compared to the animal treated with vehicle The treatment of the monkeys is further described in Rottiers V, Obad S, McGarrah R, Black JC, Lindholm M, Goody R, Lawrence M, Whetstine JR, Gerszten RE, Kauppinen S, NM-CM-$M-CM-$r AM. (2013). Pharmacological inhibition of a microRNA family in non-human primates by a seed-targeting 8-mer antimiR oligonucleotide. Accepted for publication at Science Translational Medicine. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many aspects of human biology. They target mRNAs for translational repression or degradation through base-pairing with 3M-bM-^@M-^Y UTRs, primarily via seed sequences (nucleotides 2-8 in the mature miRNA sequence). A number of individual miRNAs and miRNA families share seed sequences and targets, but differ in the sequences outside of the seed. miRNAs have been implicated in the etiology of a wide variety of human diseases and therefore represent promising therapeutic targets. However, potential redundancy and compensatory action of different miRNAs sharing the same seed sequence, and the challenge of simultaneously targeting miRNAs that differ significantly in non-seed sequences complicates therapeutic targeting approaches. We recently demonstrated effective inhibition of entire miRNA families using seed-targeting 8-mer locked nucleic acid (LNA)-modified antimiRs in short-term experiments in mammalian cells and in mice. However, the long-term efficacy and safety of this approach in higher organisms, such as humans and non-human primates, has not been determined. Here, we show that pharmacological inhibition of the miR-33 family, key regulators of cholesterol/lipid homeostasis, by a subcutaneously delivered 8-mer LNA-modified antimiR in obese and insulin-resistant non-human primates results in de-repression of miR-33 targets, such as ABCA1, increases circulating high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and is well tolerated over 108 days of treatment. These findings demonstrate the efficacy and safety of an 8-mer LNA-antimiR against a miRNA family in a non-human primate metabolic disease model, suggesting that this could be a feasible approach for therapeutic targeting of miRNA families sharing the same seed sequence in human diseases. Expression analysis study in obese Non Human Primates (African Green Monkeys). Five animals treated with antimiR-33a/b were compared to five animals treated with vehicle.
Project description:Investigation of whole genome gene expression level changes in African Green Monkeys treated with antimiR-33a/b, compared to the animal treated with vehicle The treatment of the monkeys is further described in Rottiers V, Obad S, McGarrah R, Black JC, Lindholm M, Goody R, Lawrence M, Whetstine JR, Gerszten RE, Kauppinen S, Näär AM. (2013). Pharmacological inhibition of a microRNA family in non-human primates by a seed-targeting 8-mer antimiR oligonucleotide. Accepted for publication at Science Translational Medicine. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate many aspects of human biology. They target mRNAs for translational repression or degradation through base-pairing with 3’ UTRs, primarily via seed sequences (nucleotides 2-8 in the mature miRNA sequence). A number of individual miRNAs and miRNA families share seed sequences and targets, but differ in the sequences outside of the seed. miRNAs have been implicated in the etiology of a wide variety of human diseases and therefore represent promising therapeutic targets. However, potential redundancy and compensatory action of different miRNAs sharing the same seed sequence, and the challenge of simultaneously targeting miRNAs that differ significantly in non-seed sequences complicates therapeutic targeting approaches. We recently demonstrated effective inhibition of entire miRNA families using seed-targeting 8-mer locked nucleic acid (LNA)-modified antimiRs in short-term experiments in mammalian cells and in mice. However, the long-term efficacy and safety of this approach in higher organisms, such as humans and non-human primates, has not been determined. Here, we show that pharmacological inhibition of the miR-33 family, key regulators of cholesterol/lipid homeostasis, by a subcutaneously delivered 8-mer LNA-modified antimiR in obese and insulin-resistant non-human primates results in de-repression of miR-33 targets, such as ABCA1, increases circulating high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), and is well tolerated over 108 days of treatment. These findings demonstrate the efficacy and safety of an 8-mer LNA-antimiR against a miRNA family in a non-human primate metabolic disease model, suggesting that this could be a feasible approach for therapeutic targeting of miRNA families sharing the same seed sequence in human diseases.