Topological DNA damage, telomere attrition and T cell senescence during chronic viral infections

BACKGROUND: T cells play a key role in controlling viral infections; however, the underlying mechanisms regulating their functions during human viral infections remain incompletely understood. Here, we used CD4 T cells derived from individuals with chronic viral infections or healthy T cells treated with camptothecin (CPT) - a topoisomerase I (Top 1) inhibitor - as a model to investigate the role of DNA topology in reprogramming telomeric DNA damage responses (DDR) and remodeling T cell functions.

RESULTS: We demonstrated that Top 1 protein expression and enzyme activity were significantly inhibited, while the Top 1 cleavage complex (TOP1cc) was trapped in genomic DNA, in T cells derived from individuals with chronic viral (HCV, HBV, or HIV) infections. Top 1 inhibition by CPT treatment of healthy CD4 T cells caused topological DNA damage, telomere attrition, and T cell apoptosis or dysfunction via inducing Top1cc accumulation, PARP1 cleavage, and failure in DNA repair, thus recapitulating T cell dysregulation in the setting of chronic viral infections. Moreover, T cells from virally infected subjects with inhibited Top 1 activity were more vulnerable to CPT-induced topological DNA damage and cell apoptosis, indicating an important role for Top 1 in securing DNA integrity and cell survival.

CONCLUSION: These findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms for immunomodulation by chronic viral infections via disrupting DNA topology to induce telomeric DNA damage, T cell senescence, apoptosis and dysfunction. As such, restoring the impaired DNA topologic machinery may offer a new strategy for maintaining T cell function against human viral diseases.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2019

Erschienen:

2019

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:16

Enthalten in:

Immunity & ageing : I & A - 16(2019) vom: 04., Seite 12

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Ji, Yingjie [VerfasserIn]
Dang, Xindi [VerfasserIn]
Nguyen, Lam Ngoc Thao [VerfasserIn]
Nguyen, Lam Nhat [VerfasserIn]
Zhao, Juan [VerfasserIn]
Cao, Dechao [VerfasserIn]
Khanal, Sushant [VerfasserIn]
Schank, Madison [VerfasserIn]
Wu, Xiao Y [VerfasserIn]
Morrison, Zheng D [VerfasserIn]
Zou, Yue [VerfasserIn]
El Gazzar, Mohamed [VerfasserIn]
Ning, Shunbin [VerfasserIn]
Wang, Ling [VerfasserIn]
Moorman, Jonathan P [VerfasserIn]
Yao, Zhi Q [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

HBV
HCV
HIV
Journal Article
T cell senescence
Telomere attrition
Topological DNA damage

Anmerkungen:

Date Revised 18.04.2024

published: Electronic-eCollection

Citation Status PubMed-not-MEDLINE

doi:

10.1186/s12979-019-0153-z

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM298990873