Disruption of actin microfilaments with Cytochalasin D during the first 8 hours of human Metapneumovirus infection significantly increased both intracellular viral protein expression and extracellular viral release.
Does disruption of actin microfilaments with Cytochalasin D affect viral replication in Vero cells infected with human Metapneumovirus?
Disruption of actin microfilaments during early hMPV infection increases viral protein expression and release, highlighting the role of the cytoskeleton in viral replication.
p-value: p=<0.0001
Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a leading cause of viral respiratory infection with clinical and epidemiological relevance in pediatric, immunocompromised, and elderly populations. Little is known about hMPV in vitro replication processes and their relationship with cellular structures such as the cytoskeleton. Our goal was to evaluate the role of the actin cytoskeleton in hMPV replication at different stages of viral growth. hMPV was isolated in Vero cells from a clinical sample and identified as A 2 genotype. The cytopathic effect was detected by the appearance of cell rounding and refractory cell clusters. The growth curve showed that viral replication maximum level was between 48 and 72 hpi. The highest percentage of infected cells and intracellular hMPV-protein were detected at the early stages of the replication cycle. Disruption of actin microfilaments with Cytochalasin D during the early events provoked an increase in intracellular and extracellular viruses. We demonstrate that the early phase of the hMPV curve is crucial for viral replication; and the disruption of microfilaments during this time increases both viral protein expression and release of viruses to the extracellular space. This study aims to elucidate wild-type hMPV growth kinetics, providing new insights into the role of actin cytoskeleton in viral replication mechanisms.
Rodríguez et al. (2025) studied Human Metapneumovirus infection. Cytochalasin D vs. Vehicle control was evaluated on Extracellular viral RNA copies and intracellular viral protein expression (p=<0.0001). Disruption of actin microfilaments with Cytochalasin D during the first 8 hours of human Metapneumovirus infection significantly increased both intracellular viral protein expression and extracellular viral release.