Inhibition of Endosome-Lysosome System Acidification Enhances Porcine Circovirus 2 Infection of Porcine Epithelial Cells

Abstract

ABSTRACT Recently, Misinzo et al. (G. Misinzo, P. Meerts, M. Bublot, J. Mast, H. M. Weingartl, and H. J. Nauwynck, J. Gen. Virol. 86 :2057-2068, 2005) reported that inhibiting endosome-lysosome system acidification reduced porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) infection of monocytic 3D4/31 cells. The present study examined the effect of inhibiting endosome-lysosome system acidification in epithelial cells, since epithelial cells support PCV2 infection in vivo and are used in culturing PCV2 in vitro. Ammonium chloride (NH 4 Cl), chloroquine diphosphate (CQ), and monensin were used to inhibit endosome-lysosome system acidification. NH 4 Cl, CQ, or monensin increased PCV2 (Stoon-1010) infection by 726% ± 110%, 1,212% ± 34%, and 1,100% ± 179%, respectively, in porcine kidney (PK-15) cells; by 128% ± 7%, 158% ± 3%, and 142% ± 11% in swine kidney cells; by 160% ± 28%, 446% ± 50%, and 162% ± 56% in swine testicle (ST) cells; and by 313% ± 25%, 611% ± 86%, and 352% ± 44% in primary kidney epithelial cells. Similarly, increased PCV2 infection was observed with six other PCV2 strains in PK-15 cells treated with endosome-lysosome system acidification inhibitors. The mechanism behind increased PCV2 infection was further investigated in PK-15 cells using CQ. PCV2 infection of PK-15 cells was increased only when CQ was added early during PCV2 infection. CQ did not affect PCV2 virus-like particle (VLP) attachment to PK-15 cells but increased the disassembly of internalized PCV2 VLPs. In untreated PK-15 cells, internalized PCV2 VLPs localized within the endosome-lysosome system. PCV2 infection of untreated 3D4/31 and PK-15 cells and CQ-treated PK-15 cells was blocked by a serine protease inhibitor [4-(2-aminoethyl) benzenesulfonyl fluoride hydrochloride] but not by aspartyl protease (pepstatin A), cysteine protease (E-64), and metalloprotease (phosphoramidon) inhibitors. These results suggest that serine protease-mediated PCV2 disassembly is enhanced in porcine epithelial cells but inhibited in monocytic cells after inhibition of endosome-lysosome system acidification.