Coxsackievirus B3 and adenovirus infections of cardiac cells are efficiently inhibited by vector-mediated RNA interference targeting their common receptor.
As coxsackievirus B3 (CoxB3) and adenoviruses may cause acute myocarditis and inflammatory cardiomyopathy, isolation of the common coxsackievirus-adenovirus-receptor (CAR) has provided an interesting new target for molecular antiviral therapy. Whereas many viruses show high mutation rates enabling them to develop escape mutants, mutations of their cellular virus receptors are far less likely. We report on antiviral efficacies of CAR gene silencing by short hairpin (sh)RNAs in the cardiac-derived HL-1 cell line and in primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (PNCMs). Treatment with shRNA vectors mediating RNA interference against the CAR resulted in almost complete silencing of receptor expression both in HL-1 cells and PNCMs. Whereas CAR was silenced in HL-1 cells as early as 24 h after vector treatment, its downregulation in PNCMs did not become significant before day 6. CAR knockout resulted in inhibition of CoxB3 infections by up to 97% in HL-1 cells and up to 90% in PNCMs. Adenovirus was inhibited by only 75% in HL-1 cells, but up to 92% in PNCMs. We conclude that CAR knockout by shRNA vectors is efficient against CoxB3 and adenovirus in primary cardiac cells, but the efficacy of this approach in vivo may be influenced by cell type-specific silencing kinetics in different tissues.
Fechner
H
H
Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Pinkert
S
S
Wang
X
X
Sipo
I
I
Suckau
L
L
Kurreck
J
J
Dörner
A
A
Sollerbrant
K
K
Zeichhardt
H
H
Grunert
H-P
HP
Vetter
R
R
Schultheiss
H-P
HP
Poller
W
W
D000256:Adenoviridae; D000257:Adenoviridae Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D062727:Coxsackie and Adenovirus Receptor-Like Membrane Protein; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000628:therapy*; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human; D020868:Gene Silencing; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000235:genetics; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000628:therapy* / Q000821:virology; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000821:virology; D034622:RNA Interference; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000008:administration & dosage; D051381:Rats; D011991:Receptors, Virus / Q000235:genetics*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000235:genetics
C568771:CLMP protein, human; C568773:Clmp protein, rat; D062727:Coxsackie and Adenovirus Receptor-Like Membrane Protein; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D011991:Receptors, Virus