Stefano Raviola, Gloria Griffante, Andrea Iannucci, Shikha Chandel, Irene Lo Cigno, Davide Lacarbonara, Valeria Caneparo, Selina Pasquero, Francesco Favero, Davide Corà, Elena Trisolini, Renzo Boldorini, Vincenzo Cantaluppi, Santo Landolfo, Marisa Gariglio, Marco De Andrea
Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an opportunistic pathogen causing severe diseases in immunosuppressed individuals. To replicate its double-stranded DNA genome, HCMV induces profound changes in cellular homeostasis that may resemble senescence. However, it remains to be determined whether HCMV-induced senescence contributes to organ-specific pathogenesis. Here, we show a direct cytopathic effect of HCMV on primary renal proximal tubular epithelial cells (RPTECs), a natural setting of HCMV disease. We find that RPTECs are fully permissive for HCMV replication, which endows them with an inflammatory gene signature resembling the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), as confirmed by the presence of the recently established SenMayo gene set, which is not observed in retina-derived epithelial (ARPE-19) cells...
March 8, 2024: Communications Biology