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Published on: December 10, 2013
Acanthamoeba castellanii is not be an adequate model to study human adenovirus interactions with macrophagic cells
Elodie Maisonneuve1, Estelle Cateau1,2, Nicolas Leveque3,4
1Laboratoire Ecologie et Biologie des Interactions, Equipe Microbiologie de l'Eau, UMR CNRS 7267, Université de Poitiers, Poitiers, France.
Abstract:
Free living amoebae (FLA) including Acanthamoeba castellanii, are protozoa that feed on different microorganisms including viruses. These microorganisms show remarkable similarities with macrophages in cellular structures, physiology or ability to phagocyte preys, and some authors have therefore wondered whether Acanthamoeba and macrophages are evolutionary related. It has been considered that this amoeba may be an in vitro model to investigate relationships between pathogens and macrophagic cells. So, we intended in this study to compare the interactions between a human adenovirus strain and A. castellanii or THP-1 macrophagic cells. The results of molecular and microscopy techniques following co-cultures experiments have shown that the presence of the adenovirus decreased the viability of macrophages, while it has no effect on amoebic viability. On another hand, the viral replication occurred only in macrophages. These results showed that this amoebal model is not relevant to explore the relationships between adenoviruses and macrophages in in vitro experiments.
Insights
Free-living amoebae (FLA) like Acanthamoeba castellanii share similarities with macrophages. However, this study found Acanthamoeba is not a suitable in vitro model for adenovirus-macrophage interactions, as viruses only replicated in macrophages.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Free-living amoebae (FLA), such as Acanthamoeba castellanii, exhibit similarities to macrophages in cellular structure and function.
- These similarities have led to the hypothesis that FLA could serve as an in vitro model for studying host-pathogen interactions, particularly involving macrophages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the interactions between a human adenovirus strain and Acanthamoeba castellanii versus THP-1 macrophagic cells.
- To determine the relevance of Acanthamoeba castellanii as an in vitro model for investigating adenovirus-macrophage relationships.
Main Methods:
- Co-culture experiments involving human adenovirus and either Acanthamoeba castellanii or THP-1 macrophagic cells.
- Molecular and microscopy techniques were employed to analyze viral presence, replication, and host cell viability.
Main Results:
- Adenovirus infection significantly decreased the viability of THP-1 macrophages.
- Acanthamoeba castellanii viability remained unaffected by the adenovirus.
- Viral replication was exclusively observed in the THP-1 macrophagic cells, not in Acanthamoeba castellanii.
Conclusions:
- Acanthamoeba castellanii does not support human adenovirus replication.
- The study concludes that Acanthamoeba castellanii is not a relevant in vitro model for exploring the interactions between adenoviruses and macrophages.
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