Name: a simple flow cytometry based assay to determine in vitro antibody dependent enhancement of dengue virus using zika virus convalescent serum
Uploaded: 2018-04-10T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Simple Flow Cytometry Based Assay to Determine In Vitro Antibody Dependent Enhancement of Dengue Virus Using Zika Virus Convalescent Serum at JoVE.com

The described project was supported by funds from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences to JJM. The opinions or assertions contained herein are the private ones of the authors and are not to be construed as official or reflecting the views of the Department of Defense, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences or any other agency of the U.S. Government.
WGV performed all the experiments and analyzed the data; JJM designed and supervised the study; WGW and JJM wrote the paper.

The serum samples used to demonstrate the protocol described here were obtained from rhesus macaques that were housed and cared for in accordance with local, state and federal policies in an Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC)-accredited facility. All animal experiments were reviewed and approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and samples were acquired through a tissue sharing protocol.
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<ol>
	<li>George, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Prior+exposure+to+zika+virus+significantly+enhances+peak+dengue-2+viremia+in+rhesus+macaques.">Prior exposure to zika virus significantly enhances peak dengue-2 viremia in rhesus macaques.</a> Sci Rep. 7 (1), 10498 (2017).</li><li>Stettler, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Specificity,+cross-reactivity,+and+function+of+antibodies+elicited+by+Zika+virus+infection.">Specificity, cross-reactivity, and function of antibodies elicited by Zika virus infection.</a> Science. 353 (6301), 823-826 (2016).</li><li>Mattia, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dengue+reporter+virus+particles+for+measuring+neutralizing+antibodies+against+each+of+the+four+dengue+serotypes.">Dengue reporter virus particles for measuring neutralizing antibodies against each of the four dengue serotypes.</a> PLoS One. 6 (11), e27252 (2011).</li><li>Chiofalo, M. S., Teti, G., Goust, J. M., Trifiletti, R., La Via, ., F, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Subclass+specificity+of+the+Fc+receptor+for+human+IgG+on+K562.">Subclass specificity of the Fc receptor for human IgG on K562.</a> Cell Immunol. 114 (2), 272-281 (1988).</li><li>Klein, E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Properties+of+the+K562+cell+line,+derived+from+a+patient+with+chronic+myeloid+leukemia.">Properties of the K562 cell line, derived from a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia.</a> Int J Cancer. 18 (4), 421-431 (1976).</li><li>Kliks, S. C., Nisalak, A., Brandt, W. E., Wahl, L., Burke, D. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Antibody-dependent+enhancement+of+dengue+virus+growth+in+human+monocytes+as+a+risk+factor+for+dengue+hemorrhagic+fever.">Antibody-dependent enhancement of dengue virus growth in human monocytes as a risk factor for dengue hemorrhagic fever.</a> Am J Trop Med Hyg. 40 (4), 444-451 (1989).</li><li>Littaua, R., Kurane, I., Ennis, F. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Human+IgG+Fc+receptor+II+mediates+antibody-dependent+enhancement+of+dengue+virus+infection.">Human IgG Fc receptor II mediates antibody-dependent enhancement of dengue virus infection.</a> J Immunol. 144 (8), 3183-3186 (1990).</li><li>Wang, T. T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=IgG+antibodies+to+dengue+enhanced+for+FcgammaRIIIA+binding+determine+disease+severity.">IgG antibodies to dengue enhanced for FcgammaRIIIA binding determine disease severity.</a> Science. 355 (6323), 395-398 (2017).</li><li>Dejnirattisai, W., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cross-reacting+antibodies+enhance+dengue+virus+infection+in+humans.">Cross-reacting antibodies enhance dengue virus infection in humans.</a> Science. 328 (5979), 745-748 (2010).</li><li>Kawiecki, A. B., Christofferson, R. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Zika+virus-induced+antibody+response+enhances+dengue+virus+serotype+2+replication+in+vitro.">Zika virus-induced antibody response enhances dengue virus serotype 2 replication in vitro.</a> J Infect Dis. 214 (9), 1357-1360 (2016).</li><li>Morens, D. M., Halstead, S. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Measurement+of+antibody-dependent+infection+enhancement+of+four+dengue+virus+serotypes+by+monoclonal+and+polyclonal+antibodies.">Measurement of antibody-dependent infection enhancement of four dengue virus serotypes by monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies.</a> J Gen Virol. 71 (Pt 12), 2909-2914 (1990).</li><li>Perfetto, S. P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Amine+reactive+dyes:+an+effective+tool+to+discriminate+live+and+dead+cells+in+polychromatic+flow+cytometry.">Amine reactive dyes: an effective tool to discriminate live and dead cells in polychromatic flow cytometry.</a> J Immunol Methods. 313 (1-2), 199-208 (2006).</li><li>Priyamvada, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=B+Cell+responses+during+secondary+dengue+virus+infection+are+dominated+by+highly+cross-reactive,+memory-derived+plasmablasts.">B Cell responses during secondary dengue virus infection are dominated by highly cross-reactive, memory-derived plasmablasts.</a> J Virol. 90 (12), 5574-5585 (2016).</li><li>Priyamvada, L., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Human+antibody+responses+after+dengue+virus+infection+are+highly+cross-reactive+to+Zika+virus.">Human antibody responses after dengue virus infection are highly cross-reactive to Zika virus.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 113 (28), 7852-7857 (2016).</li></ol>

Flaviviruses such as DENV and ZIKV share significant evidence of homology in both their structural and non-structural proteins that generate antibodies that cross-react with each other13,14. These cross-reactive antibody responses have been shown to enhance of infection both in vivo and in vitro with either a heterologous serotype or other related flaviviruses1,2. The potential to cross ...

Antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) of infection is a process whereby partially cross-reactive antibody responses induced by a serotype of virus enhances uptake of another serotype of virus, leading to increased viral replication and viremia. ADE has been extensively documented in Dengue virus (DENV) infections where four major serotypes are prevalent. In a subset of patients, ADE is associated with Dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF). We have recently shown that Zika virus (ZIKV) infection induced significantly high levels of DENV cross-reactive antibody responses that caused ADE of DENV in vitro and likely contributed to the enhancement of DENV viremia in vivo1,2. Antibody dependent enhancement assays are a valuable tool to assess the capacity of antibodies to enhance secondary infection with related viruses and provide valuable insights into the pathogenesis of flavivirus infections and inform the development of vaccines.
The assay described here uses DENV RVPs along with K562 cells that are normally impermissible to infection. RVPs are structurally intact replication incompetent DENV viral particles that encode a sub-genomic green fluorescent protein (GFP) replicon that is expressed after a single round of replication3. As such, cells that become infected with RVPs fluoresce green and can be readily detected using flow cytometry or microscopy. The RVPs used in this assay were obtained from commercial sources. They can, however, be generated against other viruses and used in the assay described in this manuscript. Meanwhile, K562 cells are an Fc&#947;III-receptor-expressing leukemia cell line that bind to the Fc region of antibodies and become infected in the presence of sub-neutralizing concentrations of antibody4,5.
ADE assays have been extensively used in studies investigating the risk factors for severe dengue and to delineate the mechanisms of in vitro ADE6,7,8.The ADE assay described here can be quickly and easily used to determine the capacity of serum to enhance in vitro infection using RVPs and flow cytometry, as compared to other assays used currently, which require either the determination of plaque forming units (pfu) in Vero cells or antibody staining of infected cells6,7,8,9,10,11, both of which are time consuming and labor intensive.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="794">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">DENV 1-4 RVP</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Integral Molecular</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">RVP-501</td>
			<td style="width:323px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">K562 cells</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">ATCC</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">CCL-243</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">RPMI</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">10-040-CV</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">FBS</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">GE lifesceinces</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">SH 30910.03</td>
			<td>10% FBS in RPMI-10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Penicillin-Streptomycin</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">MP biomedicals</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">1670049</td>
			<td>100 IU Pen/mL, 100 ug Strep/mL in RPMI-10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">HEPES</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Cellegro</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">25-060-Cl</td>
			<td>0.025M in RPMI-10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:215px;">MEM Non-essential Amino Acid Solution (100&#215;)</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Sigma</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">M7145</td>
			<td>1x in RPMI-10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Sodium Pyruvate</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Cellegro</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">25-000-Cl</td>
			<td>1mM in RPMI-10</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">L-glutamine</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">MT25005CI&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Sterile V-bottom plates</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Thomas Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">333-8001-01V</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:215px;">BD Falcon Polypropylene 5 ml FACS tubes</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">60819-728</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Non-sterile U-bottom plates</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Falcon</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">Ref 353910</td>
			<td>A high throughput alternative to FACS tubes</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td height="42" style="height:42px;width:215px;">5mL, sterile, serological pipette</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Denville</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P7127</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">200uL sterile pipette tips</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Denville</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P3020 CPS</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">20uL sterile pipette tips</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Denville</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P1121</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">50-200uL multichannel pipette</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Denville</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P3975-8-B</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">5-50uL multichannel pipette</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Denville</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">P3975-9-B</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">20% formadehyde</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Tousimis</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">&#160;#1008B</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Water Bath</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">ThermoFisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">TSCOL35</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">thermomixer</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Eppendorf</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">2231000387</td>
			<td>An alternative to a waterbath for heat inactivation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">CO2 Incubator</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">ThermoFisher</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">13-998-213</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Ethanol</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Sigma Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">E7023</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Liquid Bleach</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">NC9724348</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">Flowjo 9.8</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">TreeStar, Inc.</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td>Flow cytometry analysis software</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;">BD FACSDiva 6.1.2</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Becton Dikinson</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:215px;">BD LSR II flow cytometer</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Becton Dikinson</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:215px;">Liquid Bleach</td>
			<td style="width:139px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">NC9724348</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a simple flow cytometry based assay to determine in vitro antibody dependent enhancement of dengue virus using zika virus convalescent serum

Antibody dependent enhancement of infection has been shown to play a major role in Dengue viral pathogenesis. Traditional assays that measure the capacity of antibodies or serum to enhance infection in impermissible cell lines have relied on using viral output in the media followed by plaque assays to quantify infection. More recently, these assays have examined Dengue virus (DENV) infection in the cell lines using fluorescently labeled antibodies. Both these approaches have limitations that restrict the widespread use of these techniques. Here, we describe a simple in vitro assay using Dengue virus reporter viral particles (RVPs) that express green fluorescent protein and K562 cells to examine antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) of DENV infection using serum that was obtained from rhesus macaques 16 weeks after infection with Zika virus (ZIKV). This technique is reliable, involves minimal manipulation of cells, does not involve the use of live replication competent virus, and can be performed in a high throughput format to get a quantitative readout using flow cytometry. Additionally, this assay can be easily adapted to examine antibody dependent enhancement (ADE) of other flavivirus infections such as Yellow Fever virus (YFV), Japanese Equine Encephalitis virus (JEEV), West Nile virus (WNV) etc. where RVPs are available. The ease of setting up the assay, analyzing the data, and interpreting results makes it highly amenable to most laboratory settings.

Sera from 4 rhesus macaques were collected 16 weeks after infection with ZIKV and tested for their potential to enhance DENV-1, 2, 3 and 4 infection in K562 cells. The animals had peak viremia of ~1 x 105 copies of ZIKV RNA/mL of plasma by day 3 after infection that declined to levels that were below the limit of detection by 7 days after infection. No viremia was detected in the plasma at 16 weeks post-infection. Then, the RVP assay was performed and the collected data were an...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Simple Flow Cytometry Based Assay to Determine In Vitro Antibody Dependent Enhancement of Dengue Virus Using Zika Virus Convalescent Serum at JoVE.com

A Simple Flow Cytometry Based Assay to Determine In Vitro Antibody Dependent Enhancement of Dengue Virus Using Zika Virus Convalescent Serum

We describe a simple and easy protocol for measuring antibody dependent enhancement of infection by Zika virus convalescent serum using Dengue virus Reporter Viral Particles.

A Simple Flow Cytometry Based Assay to Determine In Vitro Antibody Dependent Enhancement of Dengue Virus Using Zika Virus Convalescent Serum

Antibody dependent enhancement of infection has been shown to play a major role in Dengue viral pathogenesis. Traditional assays that measure the capacity ...

The overall goal of this procedure is to determine the capacity of sera collected from Zika virus infected rhesus macaques to mediate antibody dependent enhancement of dengue virus infection in vitro. This method can help answer key questions related to antibody dependent enhancement of infection of dengue caused by Zika virus induced cross-reactive antibodies. The main advantage of this technique is that it is high troper, simple, and easy to perform.Demonstrating this procedure will be William Valiant, an emerging infectious disease graduate student, in my laboratory. Begin by thawing the serum samples at room temperature. When thawed, transfer 100 microliters of each serum sample to a sterile tube and heat and activate for 30 minutes at 56 degrees Celsius.Next, make 10-fold serial dilutions of the serum sample ranging from one-to-one, to one-to-one thousand in cold RPMI 10. Then transfer 10 microliters of each diluted serum sample to the wells of a sterile 96 well V-bottom plate. Next, thaw dengue one, two, three, and four proporter viral particles in a 37 degrees Celsius water bath, ensuring a volume of approximately 170 microliters of each RVP per serum sample.Once thawed, immediately transfer the tubes of RVPs to ice. Then pipet 10 microliters of RVPs into the wells containing serum sample dilutions into the no serum control wells. Mix thoroughly by pipetting up and down five to ten times.Transfer the 96 well V-bottom plate to an incubator and incubate for an hour at 37 degrees Celsius, in the presence of 5%carbon dioxide. While the 96 well V-bottom plate is incubating, clean the surface of the bio-safety cabinet with 70%ethanol, and run the UV light for 15 minutes. Then remove a fully confluent T-75 flask of K562 cells from the incubator.Mix the cells well using a sterile five millimeter pipet and transfer five milliliters to a sterile 15 milliliter conical tube. Next, remove 10 microliters of cells from the tube, mix with 10 microliters of trypan blue and load into a hemocytometer. Count the cells and calculate the total number of cells.After centrifuging the cells at 12 hundred times G for 10 minutes, decant the supernatant and re-suspend the cells in warm RPMI 10 at a concentration of 80 thousand cells per 30 microliters of media. After removing the 96 well V-bottom plate from the incubator, transfer 30 microliters of K562 cells to each wall of the 96 well V-bottom plate. And mix thoroughly by pipetting up and down five to ten times.Then return the plate to the incubator for one hour. Following the incubation, centrifuge the plate at 12 hundred times G for five minutes. After centrifugation, decant the media from the wells by turning the plate upside down into a container containing 10%bleach.Then wash the cells in each wall by re-suspending them in 125 microliters of warm RPMI 10 and centrifuging as before. After decanting the last wash, add 100 microliters of warm RPMI 10 to each well. Mix up and down with the pipet and incubate the plate for 48 hours at 37 degrees Celsius in the presence of 5%carbon dioxide.Two days later, remove the plate from the incubator and transfer to a bio-safety cabinet. Using a multichannel pipet, mix the contents of each well and transfer to 96 well U-bottom plate. Rinse each well of the 96 well V-bottom plate with 100 microliters of 1%paraformaldehyde and PBS and transfer the remaining cells and PBS to the respective wells in the 96 well U-bottom plate.Mix thoroughly using a multichannel pipet. Cover the plate with aluminum foil and let it sit in the incubator for 30 minutes to fix the cells. Prepare the flow cytometer by running unstained K562 cells to calibrate the side and forward scatter settings using the ethyl-one channel for GFP florescence.Then acquire 30 thousand to 50 thousand cells from each sample. Using flow cytometry analysis software, set the first gate based on the forward scatter area versus forward scatter height to include single cells and exclude autofluorescent dublets from analysis. Calculate the average percentage of GFP positive cells for each condition and then calculate fold enhancement of infection for each serum dilution.Graph fold enhancement on the y-axis versus dilution on the x-axis and perform statistical analysis using ANOVA followed by Tukey's post-hoc test for multiple comparisons. Data from a representative animal using dengue virus one reporter virus particles are shown here. The percentage of GFP positive cells for the no serum control sample was 0.253%The undiluted serum sample was 2.58%GFP positive.The proportion of GFP positive cells reached a high of 12.8%at the one to ten serum dilution following to 0.735%at a one to one hundred dilution and 0.022%at a one to one thousand dilution. Antibody dependent enhancement of dengue infection was examined for the four dengue virus sera types. The data shows that the serum collected 16 weeks post-infection significantly enhanced infection of K562 cells by all dengue virus sera types at a dilution of one to ten.Once mastered, this technique can be done in 48 hours if it is performed properly. While attempting this procedure, it is important to remember to acquire the data within one to two hours after the final fixation step of 30 minutes is completed. Don't forget that working with infected serum can be extremely hazardous and precautions such as PPE, and BSL2 Level practices should always be taken while preforming this procedure.

a-simple-flow-cytometry-based-assay-to-determine-vitro-antibody

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

Visualizing Dengue Virus through Alexa Fluor Labeling

The early events in the interaction between virus and cell can have profound influence on the outcome of infection. Determining the factors 
that influence this interaction could lead to improved understanding of disease pathogenesis and thus influence vaccine or therapeutic design. Hence, the development 
of methods to probe this interaction would be useful. Recent advancements in fluorophores development1-3 and imaging technology4 can be exploited to 
improve our current knowledge on dengue pathogenesis and thus pave the way to reduce the millions of dengue infections occurring annually.

The enveloped dengue virus has an external scaffold consisting of 90 envelope glycoprotein (E) dimers protecting the nucleocapsid shell, 
which contains a single positive strand RNA genome5. The identical protein subunits on the virus surface can thus be labeled with an amine reactive dye and visualized 
through immunofluorescent microscopy. Here, we present a simple method of labeling of dengue virus with Alexa Fluor succinimidyl ester dye dissolved directly in a sodium 
bicarbonate buffer that yielded highly viable virus after labeling. There is no standardized procedure for the labeling of live virus and existing manufacturer&#x2019;s protocol 
for protein labeling usually requires the reconstitution of dye in dimethyl sulfoxide. The presence of dimethyl sulfoxide, even in minute quantities, can block 
productive infection of virus and also induce cell cytotoxicity6. The exclusion of the use of dimethyl sulfoxide in this protocol thus reduced this possibility. 
Alexa Fluor dyes have superior photostability and are less pH-sensitive than the common dyes, such as fluorescein and rhodamine2, making them ideal for 
studies on cellular uptake and endosomal transport of the virus. The conjugation of Alexa Fluor dye did not affect the recognition of labeled dengue 
virus by virus-specific antibody and its putative receptors in host cells7. This method could have useful applications in virological studies.

Taking advantage of the advancements in fluorophore development and imaging technology, a simple method of Alexa Fluor labeling of dengue virus was devised to visualize the early interactions between virus and cell.

The early events in the interaction between virus and cell can have profound influence on the outcome of infection. Determining the factors 
that ...

Image-based Flow Cytometry Technique to Evaluate Changes in Granulocyte Function In Vitro

Granulocytes play a key role in the body&#8217;s innate immune response to bacterial and viral infections. While methods exist to measure granulocyte function, in general these are limited in terms of the information they can provide. For example, most existing assays merely provide a percentage of how many granulocytes are activated following a single, fixed length incubation. Complicating matters, most assays focus on only one aspect of function due to limitations in detection technology. This report demonstrates a technique for simultaneous measurement of granulocyte phagocytosis of bacteria and oxidative burst. By measuring both of these functions at the same time, three unique phenotypes of activated granulocytes were identified: 1) Low Activation (minimal phagocytosis, no oxidative burst), 2) Moderate Activation (moderate phagocytosis, some oxidative burst, but no co-localization of the two functional events), and 3) High Activation (high phagocytosis, high oxidative burst, co-localization of phagocytosis and oxidative burst). A fourth population that consisted of inactivated granulocytes was also identified. Using assay incubations of 10, 20, and 40-min the effect of assay incubation duration on the redistribution of activated granulocyte phenotypes was assessed. A fourth incubation was completed on ice as a control. By using serial time incubations, the assay may be able to able to detect how a treatment spatially affects granulocyte function. All samples were measured using an image-based flow cytometer equipped with a quantitative imaging (QI) option, autosampler, and multiple lasers (488, 642, and 785 nm).

Image-based Flow Cytometry Technique to Evaluate Changes in Granulocyte Function In Vitro

This method demonstrates a technique for assessing granulocyte function by simultaneously measuring phagocytosis of bacteria and oxidative burst. Image-based flow cytometry allowed for the identification of three distinct subsets of activated granulocytes that all differed in their relative functional capacity.

Granulocytes play a key role in the body&#8217;s innate immune response to bacterial and viral infections. While methods exist to measure granulocyte ...

Measuring Attachment and Internalization of Influenza A Virus in A549 Cells by Flow Cytometry

Attachment to target cells followed by internalization are the very first steps of the life cycle of influenza A virus (IAV). We provide here a detailed protocol for measuring relative changes in the amount of viral particles that attach to A549 cells, a human lung epithelial cell line, as well as in the amount of particles that are internalized into the cell. We use biotinylated virus which can be easily detected following staining with Cy3-labeled streptavidin (STV-Cy3). We describe the growth, purification and biotinylation of A/WSN/33, a widely used IAV laboratory strain. Cold-bound biotinylated IAV particles on A549 cells are stained with STV-Cy3 and measured using flow cytometry. To investigate uptake of viral particles, cold-bound virus is allowed to internalize at 37 &#176;C. In order to differentiate between external and internalized viral particles, a blocking step is applied: Free binding spots on the biotin of attached virus on the cell surface are bound by unlabeled streptavidin (STV). Subsequent cell permeabilization and staining with STV-Cy3 then enables detection of internalized viral particles. We present a calculation to determine the relative amount of internalized virus. This assay is suitable to measure effects of drug-treatments or other manipulations on attachment or internalization of IAV.

We present a protocol describing a semi-quantitative method for measuring both, the attachment of influenza A virus to A549 cells, as well as the internalization of virus particles into the target cells by flow cytometry.

Attachment to target cells followed by internalization are the very first steps of the life cycle of influenza A virus (IAV). We provide here a detailed ...

Neutrophil Isolation and Analysis to Determine their Role in Lymphoma Cell Sensitivity to Therapeutic Agents

Neutrophils are the most abundant (40% to 75%) type of white blood cells and among the first inflammatory cells to migrate towards the site of inflammation. They are key players in the innate immune system and play major roles in cancer biology. Neutrophils have been proposed as key mediators of malignant transformation, tumor progression, angiogenesis and in the modulation of the antitumor immunity; through their release of soluble factors or their interaction with tumor cells. To characterize the specific functions of neutrophils, a fast and reliable method is coveted for in vitro isolation of neutrophils from human blood. Here, a density gradient separation method is demonstrated to isolate neutrophils as well as mononuclear cells from the blood. The procedure consists of layering the density gradient solution such as Ficoll carefully above the diluted blood obtained from patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), followed by centrifugation, isolation of mononuclear layer, separation of neutrophils from RBCsby dextran then lysis of residual erythrocytes. This method has been shown to isolate neutrophils &#8805; 90 % pure. To mimic the tumor microenvironment, 3-dimensional (3D) experiments were performed using basement membrane matrix such as Matrigel. Given the short half-life of neutrophils in vitro, 3D experiments with fresh human neutrophils cannot be performed. For this reason promyelocytic HL60 cells are differentiated along the granulocytic pathway using the differentiation inducers dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and retinoic acid (RA). The aim of our experiments is to study the role of neutrophils on the sensitivity of lymphoma cells to anti-lymphoma agents. However these methods can be generalized to study the interactions of neutrophils or neutrophil-like cells with a large range of cell types in different situations.

Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cells. The isolation of neutrophils from human blood by density gradient separation method and the differentiation of human promyelocytic (HL60) cells along the granulocytic pathway are described here; to test their role on sensitivity of lymphoma cells to anti-lymphoma agents.

Neutrophils are the most abundant (40% to 75%) type of white blood cells and among the first inflammatory cells to migrate towards the site of ...

A Simple and Efficient Approach to Construct Mutant Vaccinia Virus Vectors

The CRISPR-associated endonuclease Cas9 can edit particular genomic loci directed by a single guide RNA (gRNA). The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been successfully employed for editing genomes of various organisms. Here we describe a protocol for editing the vaccinia virus (VV) genome in the cytoplasm of VV-infected CV-1 cells using the RNA-guided Cas9. RNA-guided Cas9 induces double-stranded DNA breaks facilitating homologous recombination efficiently and specifically in the targeted site of VV and a transgene can be incorporated into these sites by homologous recombination. By using a site-specific homologous vector with transgene(s), a N1L gene-deleted VV with the red fluorescence protein (RFP) gene incorporated in this region was generated with a successful recombination efficiency 10 times greater than that obtained from the conventional homologous recombination method. This protocol demonstrates successful use of RNA-guided Cas9 system to generate mutant VVs with enhanced efficiency.

Vaccinia virus (VV) has been widely used in biomedical research and the improvement of human health. This article describes a simple, highly efficient method to edit the VV genome using a CRISPR-Cas9 system.

The CRISPR-associated endonuclease Cas9 can edit particular genomic loci directed by a single guide RNA (gRNA). The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been ...

Zika Virus Infectious Cell Culture System and the In Vitro Prophylactic Effect of Interferons

Zika Virus (ZIKV) is an emerging pathogen that is linked to fetal developmental abnormalities such as microcephaly, eye defects, and impaired growth. ZIKV is an RNA virus of the Flaviviridae family. ZIKV is mainly transmitted by mosquitoes, but can also be spread by maternal to fetal vertical transmission as well as sexual contact. To date, there are no reliable treatment or vaccine options available to protect those infected by the virus. The development of a reproducible, effective Zika virus infectious cell culture system is critical for studying the molecular mechanisms of ZIKV replication as well as drug and vaccine development. In this regard, a protocol describing a mammalian cell-based in vitro Zika virus culture system for viral production and growth analysis is reported here. Details on the formation of plaques by Zika virus on a cell monolayer and plaque assay for measuring viral titer are presented. Viral genome replication kinetics and double-stranded RNA genome replicatory intermediates are determined. This culture platform was utilized to screen against a library of a small set of cytokines resulting in the identification of interferon-&#945; (IFN-&#945;), IFN-&#946; and IFN-&#947; as potent inhibitors of Zika viral growth. In summary, an in vitro infectious Zika viral culture system and various virological assays are demonstrated in this study, which has the potential to greatly benefit the research community in elucidating further the mechanisms of viral pathogenesis and the evolution of viral virulence. Antiviral IFN-alpha can further be evaluated as a prophylactic, post-exposure prophylactic, and treatment option for Zika virus infections in high-risk populations, including infected pregnant women.

Zika Virus Infectious Cell Culture System and the In Vitro Prophylactic Effect of Interferons

Zika Virus (ZIKV), an emerging pathogen, is linked to fetal developmental abnormalities and microcephaly. The establishment of an effective infectious cell culture system is crucial for studies of ZIKV replication as well as vaccine and drug development. In this study, various virological assays pertaining to ZIKV are illustrated and discussed.

Zika Virus (ZIKV) is an emerging pathogen that is linked to fetal developmental abnormalities such as microcephaly, eye defects, and impaired growth. ZIKV ...

Rescue and Characterization of Recombinant Virus from a New World Zika Virus Infectious Clone

Infectious cDNA clones allow for genetic manipulation of a virus, thus facilitating work on vaccines, pathogenesis, replication, transmission and viral evolution. Here we describe the construction of an infectious clone for Zika virus (ZIKV), which is currently causing an explosive outbreak in the Americas. To prevent toxicity to bacteria that is commonly observed with flavivirus-derived plasmids, we generated a two-plasmid system which separates the genome at the NS1 gene and is more stable than full-length constructs that could not be successfully recovered without mutations. After digestion and ligation to join the two fragments, full-length viral RNA can be generated by in vitro transcription with T7 RNA polymerase. Following electroporation of transcribed RNA into cells, virus was recovered that exhibited similar in vitro growth kinetics and in vivo virulence and infection phenotypes in mice and mosquitoes, respectively.

This protocol describes the recovery of infectious Zika virus from a two-plasmid infectious cDNA clone.

Infectious cDNA clones allow for genetic manipulation of a virus, thus facilitating work on vaccines, pathogenesis, replication, transmission and viral ...

Zika Virus Specific Diagnostic Epitope Discovery

High-density peptide microarrays allow screening of more than six thousand peptides on a single standard microscopy slide. This method can be applied for drug discovery, therapeutic target identification, and developing of diagnostics. Here, we present a protocol to discover specific Zika virus (ZIKV) diagnostic peptides using a high-density peptide microarray. A human serum sample validated for ZIKV infection was incubated with a high-density peptide microarray containing the entire ZIKV protein translated into 3,423 unique 15 linear amino acid (aa) residues with a 14-aa residue overlap printed in duplicate. Staining with different secondary antibodies within the same array, we detected peptides that bind to Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies present in serum. These peptides were selected for further validation experiments. In this protocol, we describe the strategy followed to design, process, and analyze a high-density peptide microarray.

In this protocol, we describe a technique to discover Zika virus specific diagnostic peptides using a high-density peptide microarray. This protocol can readly be adapted for other emerging infectious diseases.

High-density peptide microarrays allow screening of more than six thousand peptides on a single standard microscopy slide. This method can be applied for ...

Rapid, Safe, and Simple Manual Bedside Nucleic Acid Extraction for the Detection of Virus in Whole Blood Samples

The rapid diagnosis of an infection is essential for the outbreak management, risk containment, and patient care. We have previously shown a method for the rapid bedside inactivation of the Ebola virus during blood sampling for safe nucleic acid (NA) tests by adding a commercial lysis/binding buffer directly into the vacuum blood collection tubes. Using this bedside inactivation approach, we have developed a safe, rapid, and simplified bedside NA extraction method for the subsequent detection of a virus in lysis/binding buffer-inactivated whole blood. The NA extraction is directly performed in the blood collection tubes and requires no equipment or electricity. 
After the blood is collected into the lysis/binding buffer, the contents are mixed by flipping the tube by hand, and the mixture is incubated for 20 min at room temperature. Magnetic glass particles (MGPs) are added to the tube, and the contents are mixed by flipping the collection tube by hand. The MGPs are then collected on the side of the blood collection tube using a magnetic holder or a magnet and a rubber band. The MGPs are washed three times, and after the addition of elution buffer directly into the collection tube, the NAs are ready for NA tests, such as qPCR or isothermal loop amplification (LAMP), without the removal of the MGPs from the reaction. The NA extraction method is not dependent on any laboratory facilities and can easily be used anywhere (e.g., in field hospitals and hospital isolation wards). When this NA extraction method is combined with LAMP and a portable instrument, a diagnosis can be obtained within 40 min of the blood collection.

Here, we present a protocol for the rapid virus nucleic acid extraction from the virus-inactivated whole blood. The extraction is performed directly in the blood collection tubes and requires no equipment or electricity. The method is not dependent on laboratory facilities and can be used anywhere (e.g., in field hospitals).

The rapid diagnosis of an infection is essential for the outbreak management, risk containment, and patient care. We have previously shown a method for ...

Quantification of Antibody-dependent Enhancement of the Zika Virus in Primary Human Cells

The recent emergence of the flavivirus Zika and neurological complications, such as Guillain-Barr&#233; syndrome and microcephaly in infants, has brought serious public safety concerns. Among the risk factors, antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) poses the most significant threat, as the recent re-emergence of the Zika virus (ZIKV) is primarily in areas where the population has been exposed and is in a state of pre-immunity to other closely related flaviviruses, especially dengue virus (DENV). Here, we describe a protocol for quantifying the effect of human serum antibodies against DENV on ZIKV infection in primary human cells or cell lines.

We describe a method to evaluate the effect of pre-existing immunity against dengue virus on the Zika virus infection by using human serum, primary human cells, and infection quantification by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.

The recent emergence of the flavivirus Zika and neurological complications, such as Guillain-Barr&#233; syndrome and microcephaly in infants, has brought ...