<i>Equid Alphaherpesvirus 1</i> (EHV-1) Influences Morphology and Function of Neuronal Mitochondria In Vitro
Marcin Chodkowski,
Anna Słońska,
Karolina Gregorczyk-Zboroch,
Zuzanna Nowak-Zyczynska,
Anna Golke,
Małgorzata Krzyżowska,
Marcin W. Bańbura,
Joanna Cymerys
Affiliations
Marcin Chodkowski
Division of Microbiology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
Anna Słońska
Division of Microbiology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
Karolina Gregorczyk-Zboroch
Division of Immunology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
Zuzanna Nowak-Zyczynska
Department of Animal Genetics and Conservation, Faculty of Animal Breeding, Bioengineering and Conservation, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
Anna Golke
Division of Microbiology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
Małgorzata Krzyżowska
Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Kozielska 4, 01-163 Warsaw, Poland
Marcin W. Bańbura
Division of Microbiology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
Joanna Cymerys
Division of Microbiology, Department of Preclinical Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-786 Warsaw, Poland
Mitochondria are key cellular organelles responsible for many essential functions, including ATP production, ion homeostasis and apoptosis induction. Recent studies indicate their significant role during viral infection. In the present study, we examined the effects of equine herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) infection on the morphology and mitochondrial function in primary murine neurons in vitro. We used three EHV-1 strains: two non-neuropathogenic (Jan-E and Rac-H) and one neuropathogenic (EHV-1 26). The organization of the mitochondrial network during EHV-1 infection was assessed by immunofluorescence. To access mitochondrial function, we analyzed reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, mitophagy, mitochondrial inner-membrane potential, mitochondrial mass, and mitochondrial genes’ expression. Changes in mitochondria morphology during infection suggested importance of their perinuclear localization for EHV-1 replication. Despite these changes, mitochondrial functions were preserved. For all tested EHV-1 strains, the similarities in the increased fold expression were detected only for COX18, Sod2, and Tspo. For non-neuropathogenic strains (Jan-E and Rac-H), we detected mainly changes in the expression of genes related to mitochondrial morphology and transport. The results indicate that mitochondria play an important role during EHV-1 replication in cultured neurons and undergo specific morphological and functional modifications.
