Norovirus evolution in immunodeficient mice reveals potentiated pathogenicity via a single nucleotide change in the viral capsid

Authors:
Open Access
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Interferons (IFNs) are key controllers of viral replication, with intact IFN responses suppressing virus growth and spread. Using the murine norovirus (MNoV) system, we show that IFNs exert selective pressure to limit the pathogenic evolutionary potential of this enteric virus. In animals lacking type I IFN signaling, the nonlethal MNoV strain CR6 rapidly acquired enhanced virulence via conversion of a single nucleotide. This nucleotide change resulted in amino acid substitution F514I in the viral capsid, which led to >10,000-fold higher replication in systemic organs including the brain. Pathogenicity was mediated by enhanced recruitment and infection of intestinal myeloid cells and increased extraintestinal dissemination of virus. Interestingly, the trade-off for this mutation was reduced fitness in an IFN-competent host, in which CR6 bearing F514I exhibited decreased intestinal replication and shedding. In an immunodeficient context, a spontaneous amino acid change can thus convert a relatively avirulent viral strain into a lethal pathogen. The evolution of viruses both within a single host and during transmission between hosts often leads to novel characteristics as mutations develop, with increased lethality or transmissibility being particularly concerning potential outcomes. Here, using a novel in vivo experimental evolution strategy with intestinal pathogen murine norovirus (MNoV), we identified a single nucleotide mutation that consistently and exclusively arose when mice lacking interferon signaling, a key aspect of the early innate immune response, were infected intracranially with a nonlethal strain of MNoV. This mutation was both sufficient and necessary for viral virulence, conferring virulence by enhanced infection of immune cells to facilitate systemic spread, representing a shift in the cell types infected by the virus. Conversely, this mutation was also associated with more limited infection in the intestine, suggesting a fitness cost. Our work identifies key immunological constraints on the evolution of virulence and provides specific mechanistic insights into viral pathogenesis.
Funding Information
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI141478)
  • National Institutes of Health (R01AI141478)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI139314)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI127552)
  • Pew Charitable Trusts
  • National Institute of General Medical Sciences (T32GM007067)
  • National Cancer Institute (F31CA177194)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI48467)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (K08AI128043)
  • Burroughs Wellcome Fund

This publication has 83 references indexed in Scilit: