Novel antiviral activity of chemokines.
Antimicrobial peptides are a diverse family of small, mostly cationic polypeptides that kill bacteria, fungi and even some enveloped viruses, while chemokines are a group of mostly cationic small proteins that induce directed migration of leukocytes through interactions with a group of seven transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors. Recent studies have shown that antimicrobial peptides and chemokines have substantially overlapping functions. Thus, while some antimicrobial peptides are chemotactic for leukocytes, some chemokines can kill a wide range of bacteria and fungi. Here, we examined a possible direct antiviral activity of chemokines against an enveloped virus HSV-1. Among 22 human chemokines examined, chemokines such as MIP-1 alpha/CCL3, MIP-1 beta/CCL4 and RANTES/CCL5 showed a significant direct antiviral activity against HSV-1. It is intriguing that these chemokines are mostly known to be highly expressed by effector CD8+ T cells. The chemokines with a significant anti-HSV-1 activity commonly bound to HSV-1 virions via envelope glycoprotein gB. Electron microscopy revealed that the chemokines with a significant anti-HSV-1 activity were commonly capable of generating pores in the envelope of HSV-1. Thus, some chemokines have a significant direct antiviral activity against HSV-1 in vitro and may have a potential role in host defense against HSV-1 as a direct antiviral agent.
Nakayama
Takashi
T
Department of Microbiology, Kinki University School of Medicine, 377-2 Ohno-Higashi, Osaka-Sayama, Osaka 589-8511, Japan.
Shirane
Jumi
J
Hieshima
Kunio
K
Shibano
Michiko
M
Watanabe
Masayasu
M
Jin
Zhe
Z
Nagakubo
Daisuke
D
Saito
Takuya
T
Shimomura
Yoshikazu
Y
Yoshie
Osamu
O
D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018925:Chemokines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology; D014771:Virion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018925:Chemokines; D011994:Recombinant Proteins