title: Type I interferon reaction to viral infection in interferon-competent, immortalized cell lines from the African fruit bat Eidolon helvum.
abstract: Bats harbor several highly pathogenic zoonotic viruses including Rabies, Marburg, and henipaviruses, without overt clinical symptoms in the animals. It has been suspected that bats might have evolved particularly effective mechanisms to suppress viral replication. Here, we investigated interferon (IFN) response, -induction, -secretion and -signaling in epithelial-like cells of the relevant and abundant African fruit bat species, Eidolon helvum (E. helvum). Immortalized cell lines were generated; their potential to induce and react on IFN was confirmed, and biological assays were adapted to application in bat cell cultures, enabling comparison of landmark IFN properties with that of common mammalian cell lines. E. helvum cells were fully capable of reacting to viral and artificial IFN stimuli. E. helvum cells showed highest IFN mRNA induction, highly productive IFN protein secretion, and evidence of efficient IFN stimulated gene induction. In an Alphavirus infection model, O'nyong-nyong virus exhibited strong IFN induction but evaded the IFN response by translational rather than transcriptional shutoff, similar to other Alphavirus infections. These novel IFN-competent cell lines will allow comparative research on zoonotic, bat-borne viruses in order to model mechanisms of viral maintenance and emergence in bat reservoirs.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, University of Bonn Medical Centre, Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Susanne E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Biesold
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ritz
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gloza-Rausch
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wollny
authors.forename: Jan Felix
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Drexler
authors.forename: Victor M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Corman
authors.forename: Elisabeth K V
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Kalko
authors.forename: Samuel
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oppong
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drosten
authors.forename: Marcel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000818:Animals; D001681:Biological Assay; D019556:COS Cells; D002138:Calibration; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002685:Chiroptera / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D005638:Fruit; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D045403:Henipavirus / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018116:Vesiculovirus / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007370:Interferon Type I; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016899:Interferon-beta