TIM-1 Serves as a Nonredundant Receptor for Ebola Virus, Enhancing Viremia and Pathogenesis

Abstract Background. T cell immunoglobulin mucin domain-1 (TIM-1) is a phosphatidylserine (PS) receptor, mediating filovirus entry into cells through interactions with PS on virions. TIM-1 expression has been implicated in Ebola virus (EBOV) pathogenesis; however, it remains unclear whether this is due to TIM-1 serving as a filovirus receptor in vivo or, as others have suggested, TIM-1 induces a cytokine storm elicited by T cell/virion interactions. Here, we use a BSL2 model virus that expresses EBOV glycoprotein and demonstrate the importance of TIM-1 as a virus receptor late during in vivo infection. Methodology/Principal findings. We used an infectious, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing EBOV glycoprotein (EBOV GP/rVSV) to assess the role of TIM-1 during in vivo infection. TIM-1-sufficient or TIM-1-deficient BALB/c interferon α/β receptor-/- mice were challenged with EBOV GP/rVSV-GFP or G/rVSV-GFP. While G/rVSV caused profound morbidity and mortality in both mouse strains, TIM-1-deficient mice had significantly better survival than TIM-1-expressing mice following EBOV GP/rVSV challenge. EBOV GP/rVSV load in spleen was high and unaffected by expression of TIM-1. However, infectious virus in serum, liver, kidney and adrenal gland was reduced late in infection in the TIM-1-deficient mice, suggesting that virus entry via this receptor contributes to virus load. Consistent with higher virus loads, proinflammatory chemokines trended higher in organs from infected TIM-1-sufficient mice compared to the TIM-1-deficient mice, but proinflammatory cytokines were more modestly affected. To assess the role of T cells in EBOV GP/rVSV pathogenesis, T cells were depleted in TIM-1-sufficient and -deficient mice and the mice were challenged with virus. Depletion of T cells did not alter the pathogenic consequences of virus infection. Conclusions. Our studies provide evidence that at late times during EBOV GP/rVSV infection, TIM-1 increased virus load and associated mortality, consistent with an important role of this receptor in virus entry. This work suggests that inhibitors which block TIM-1/virus interaction may serve as effective antivirals, reducing virus load at late times during EBOV infection. Author summary T cell immunoglobulin mucin domain-1 (TIM-1) is one of a number of phosphatidylserine (PS) receptors that mediate clearance of apoptotic bodies by binding PS on the surface of dead or dying cells. Enveloped viruses mimic apoptotic bodies by exposing PS on the outer leaflet of the viral membrane. While TIM-1 has been shown to serve as an adherence factor/receptor for filoviruses in tissue culture, limited studies have investigated the role of TIM-1 as a receptor in vivo. Here, we sought to determine if TIM-1 was critical for Ebola virus glycoprotein-mediated infection using a BSL2 model virus. We demonstrate that loss of TIM-1 expression results in decreased virus load late during infection and significantly reduced virus-elicited mortality. These findings provide evidence that TIM-1 serves as an important receptor for Ebola virus in vivo. Blocking TIM-1/EBOV interactions may be effective antiviral strategy to reduce viral load and pathogenicity at late times of EBOV infection.