Influenza and Zoonotic Diseases

Biography

Biography: Asma AYARI

Abstract

Statement of the problem: Influenza type A virus (IAV), represents a worldwide threat to human health. Recently, it has been reported that besides young and old subjects, obese patients also present an increased susceptibility to IAV infection. Since obesity is associated with an excessive white adipose tissue (WAT) expansion, we questioned whether IAV could impact WAT and its main cellular components.

Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: C57/BL6 lean and high-fat diet-induced obese mice were infected with IAV (virus strain: H3N2, dose: 30 PFUs/mouse, route: intra-nasal). At 7 days post-infection, lungs, WAT, pancreas and liver were harvested for analysis of viral (M1 protein) and antiviral proteins gene expression. To analyze the impact of IAV infection on adipose tissue, WAT explants secretion from infected or uninfected lean and obese mice were analyzed. Then, to see whether the virus could target preadipocytes and mature adipocytes, we infected differentiated, or not, 3T3-L1 cell line. Cells were harvested for transcriptional analyses (tested genes: M1, Tlr3 and Mda5) and Supernatants were collected for the detection of newly formed virions and cytokines.

Findings: In vivo data showed that viral genome could be detected in the adipose tissue of infected mice. Moreover, in response to the infection, the adipose tissue produce more pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, thus demonstrating that IAV infection does impact WAT inflammatory state. In vitro tests showed that preadipocytes can be infected by IAV, yet without virion release.