Project description:Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects >95% of the adult population with diverse outcomes ranging from benign latency to cancers and autoimmune diseases. Immunological control of EBV infection is known to be an important determinant of EBV infection outcomes. However, species-specific viral tropism and limited infection models have impeded mechanistic insights into early host–immune control of EBV infection. Here, we use ex vivo infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), rather than routinely used B cell enriched culture systems, to study immune and viral dynamics during primary EBV infection. We combined bulk RNA sequencing, EBV transcript enrichment, and flow cytometry to characterize cellular responses across Days 1, 7–8, and 14 post-infection. Early infection triggered a monocyte-specific antiviral response marked by changes in the expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism (LIPA, lysosomal acid lipase) and chemotaxis (CCR1 and CCR2). Inhibitors of LIPA increased EBV titers during primary infection, indicating that LIPA is part of an early monocyte-driven antiviral response. At later timepoints post-infection, donor-dependent variability in lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) outgrowth was associated with divergent immune states. Donors that failed to generate LCLs demonstrated increased frequencies of CD8+ T cells and reduced numbers of regulatory T cells (CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺). EBV transcriptomics revealed that LCL-failed donors exhibited elevated early lytic gene expression but did not establish a type III latency program. Our findings suggest that individual variations in immune cell composition and gene expression may account for differences in the immune response to EBV. These findings define temporal immune and viral signatures that predict transformation outcome and highlight intact PBMCs as a tractable model to study EBV pathogenesis in a genetically diverse, human-specific context.
Project description:Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infects >95% of the adult population with diverse outcomes ranging from benign latency to cancers and autoimmune diseases. Immunological control of EBV infection is known to be an important determinant of EBV infection outcomes. However, species-specific viral tropism and limited infection models have impeded mechanistic insights into early host–immune control of EBV infection. Here, we use ex vivo infection of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), rather than routinely used B cell enriched culture systems, to study immune and viral dynamics during primary EBV infection. We combined bulk RNA sequencing, EBV transcript enrichment, and flow cytometry to characterize cellular responses across Days 1, 7–8, and 14 post-infection. Early infection triggered a monocyte-specific antiviral response marked by changes in the expression of genes associated with lipid metabolism (LIPA, lysosomal acid lipase) and chemotaxis (CCR1 and CCR2). Inhibitors of LIPA increased EBV titers during primary infection, indicating that LIPA is part of an early monocyte-driven antiviral response. At later timepoints post-infection, donor-dependent variability in lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) outgrowth was associated with divergent immune states. Donors that failed to generate LCLs demonstrated increased frequencies of CD8+ T cells and reduced numbers of regulatory T cells (CD4⁺CD25⁺FOXP3⁺). EBV transcriptomics revealed that LCL-failed donors exhibited elevated early lytic gene expression but did not establish a type III latency program. Our findings suggest that individual variations in immune cell composition and gene expression may account for differences in the immune response to EBV. These findings define temporal immune and viral signatures that predict transformation outcome and highlight intact PBMCs as a tractable model to study EBV pathogenesis in a genetically diverse, human-specific context.
Project description:Obesity related methylation changes in DNA of peripheral blood leukocytes
| PRJNA134785 | ENA
Project description:CMV and EBV DNA is associated with increasing HIV DNA Molecular Diversity in Peripheral Blood during Suppressive Antiretroviral Therapy
Project description:We evaluated longitudinal changes in viral replication and emergence of viral variants in the context of T cell homeostasis and gene expression in GALT of three HIV-positive patients who initiated HAART during primary HIV infection but opted to interrupt therapy thereafter. Longitudinal viral sequence analysis revealed that a stable proviral reservoir was established in GALT during primary HIV infection that persisted through early HAART and post-therapy interruption. Proviral variants in GALT and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) displayed low levels of genomic diversity at all times. A rapid increase in viral loads with a modest decline of CD4 T cells in peripheral blood was observed, while gut mucosal CD4 T cell loss was severe following HAART interruption. This was accompanied by increased mucosal gene expression regulating interferon (IFN)-mediated antiviral responses and immune activation, a profile similar to those found in HAART-naive HIV-infected patients. Gut mucosal responses to HAART interruption were evaluated with Affymetrix arrays
