# Parvovirus B19 and Cellular Transcriptome Dynamics in Differentiating Erythroid Progenitor Cells

## TL;DR

This study explores how Parvovirus B19 affects gene activity in blood cell precursors, revealing changes in both the virus and host cells during infection.

## Contribution

The study provides a detailed dual-transcriptome analysis of Parvovirus B19 infection in erythroid progenitor cells using high-throughput sequencing.

## Key findings

- Viral transcriptome variations were observed at different stages of infection.
- Early infection triggered antiviral responses, while later stages showed inflammatory and adaptive immune responses.
- Cellular differentiation was the main driver of transcriptome variation, with the virus contributing to distinct profiles.

## Abstract

Parvovirus B19 (B19V) is a human ssDNA virus with ample pathogenic potential. It is characterized by a selective tropism for erythroid progenitor cells (EPC), exerting a cytotoxic effect with blockade of erythropoiesis. In our work, we investigated both viral and cellular expression profile in the course of infection of EPCs cultures via mRNA high throughput sequencing technology (HTS) and a dedicated bioinformatic pipeline, reconstructing both the viral and cellular transcriptome and their variations. A productive infection was confirmed as restricted to EPCs expressing mature differentiation markers and the specific receptor for virus VP1u region. mRNA HTS reconstructed the viral transcriptome in terms of localization and abundance of the different mRNA species, detailing the differential expression profile of B19V among early or late times in the course of infection. Analysis of cellular transcriptome indicated that variation was mainly driven by the cellular differentiation process, with the virus impacting to a lesser level, but still clearly separating infected vs. non-infected profiles. At early times post-infection, variations were typical of cellular sensing of viral infection and aimed at the induction of an antiviral state. At later times in the course of infection, the cellular population showed induction of an inflammatory response, related to TNF and IL-10, and a transition to adaptive immunity with evidence of upregulation of genes involved in MHC-II presentation. This dual-transcriptome analysis on infected EPCs population can lay the ground for future research aimed at a better definition of the pathogenetic mechanisms of B19V.