Hydroxycholesterol binds and enhances the anti-viral activities of zebrafish monomeric c-reactive protein isoforms

PLoS One. 2019 Jan 17;14(1):e0201509. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201509. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

C-reactive proteins (CRPs) are among the faster acute-phase inflammation-responses proteins encoded by one gene (hcrp) in humans and seven genes (crp1-7) in zebrafish (Danio rerio) with importance in bacterial and viral infections. In this study, we described novel preferential bindings of 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HOCh) to CRP1-7 compared with other lipids and explored the antiviral effects of both 25HOCh and CRP1-7 against spring viremia carp virus (SVCV) infection in zebrafish. Both in silico and in vitro results confirmed the antiviral effect of 25HOCh and CRP1-7 interactions, thereby showing that the crosstalk between them differed among the zebrafish isoforms. The presence of oxidized cholesterols in human atherosclerotic plaques amplifies the importance that similar interactions may occur for vascular and/or neurodegenerative diseases during viral infections. In this context, the zebrafish model offers a genetic tool to further investigate these interactions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • C-Reactive Protein / immunology*
  • Cell Line
  • Fish Diseases* / immunology
  • Fish Diseases* / virology
  • Hydroxycholesterols / immunology*
  • Rhabdoviridae / immunology*
  • Rhabdoviridae Infections* / immunology
  • Rhabdoviridae Infections* / veterinary
  • Rhabdoviridae Infections* / virology
  • Zebrafish Proteins / immunology*
  • Zebrafish* / immunology
  • Zebrafish* / virology

Substances

  • Hydroxycholesterols
  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • 25-hydroxycholesterol
  • C-Reactive Protein

Supplementary concepts

  • Carp sprivivirus

Grants and funding

Melissa Bello-Perez was financed by the Generalidad Valenciana, fellowship ACIF/2016. This work was supported by CICYT projects AGL2014-51773-C3-R and BIO2017-82851 of the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad of Spain. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.