Dengue virus NS1 enhances viral replication and pro-inflammatory cytokine production in human dendritic cells

- DV1 NS1 protein is endocytosed by dendritic cells.
- Pretreatment of dendritic cells leads to enhanced infection by DV1.
- NS1 pretreated dendritic cells respond to DV1 with enhanced cytokine production.

Dengue virus (DV) has become the most prevalent arthropod borne virus due to globalization and climate change. It targets dendritic cells during infection and leads to production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Several DV non-structural proteins (NS) modulate activation of human dendritic cells. We investigated the effect of DV NS1 on human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (mo-DCs) during dengue infection. NS1 is secreted into the serum of infected individuals where it interacts with various immune mediators and cell types. We purified secreted DV1 NS1 from supernatants of 293T cells that over-express the protein. Upon incubation with mo-DCs, we observed NS1 uptake and enhancement of early DV1 replication. As a consequence, mo-DCs that were pre-exposed to NS1 produced more pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to subsequent DV infection compared to DCs exposed to heat-inactivated NS1 (HNS1). Therefore the presence of exogenous NS1 is able to modulate dengue infection in mo-DCs.