Use of Recombinant Chikungunya Virus expressing Nanoluciferase to Identify Chondrocytes as Target Cells in an Immunocompetent Mouse Model
Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) induces predominantly symptomatic infections, marked by fever, myalgia, rash and polyarthralgia that can last for up to 3 years after infection. Understanding the pathophysiology of CHIKV in the joints is challenging due to limited access to biological samples. Using a reporter virus expressing Nanoluciferase in a mouse model allowed us to monitor viral replication in real-time during acute and postacute phases. We showed viral replication in chondrocyte containing tissue in the metatarsi joints and confirmed with ex vivo analyses viral replication in leg bones and articular cartilages with histological evidence of focal erosive lesions and periarticular inflammation. Moreover, human chondrocytes prove susceptible to CHIKV infection, exhibiting viral production and bioluminescence activity. CHIKV induced apoptosis, the up-regulation of markers associated with cartilage remodeling and altered cytokine production. Our study provides insights into the ability of CHIKV to infect articular cartilages, shedding light on the mechanisms of alphaviral arthritis.
Authors
- Pierre Roques (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1825-1054)
- Philippe Desprès (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8926-4050)
- Patricia Jeannin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4598-7748)
- Virginie Geolier
- Essia Belarbi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9531-818X)
- Vincent Legros (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6118-7564)
- Pierre‐Emmanuel Ceccaldi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2736-2314)
- Beate Mareike Kümmerer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9011-2764)
- Antoine Gessain (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6840-4413)
- David Hardy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5874-4377)
- Valérie Choumet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4714-1006)
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- University of Bonn (DE)
- Inserm (FR)
- Institut Pasteur (FR)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- CEA Paris-Saclay - Etablissement de Fontenay-aux-roses (FR)
- German Center for Infection Research (DE)
- CEA Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Infectious Disease Models and Innovative Therapies (FR)
- Peuplements végétaux et bioagresseurs en milieu tropical (RE)
- Institut de Recherche Agronomique de Guinée (GN)
- Institute of Virology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Journal of Infectious Diseases
- Published
- 2025-06-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiaf232
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 7.51
Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale