Interleukin-34 Promotes Activation of Disease-associated Microglia-like Cells and Attenuates Disease Progression in West Nile Virus Infection

Abstract

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne orthoflavivirus that causes severe encephalitis, for which no approved antiviral therapies or human vaccines are currently available. Disease-associated microglia (DAM) represent a microglial state associated with neuroprotective functions in neurodegenerative diseases. We previously showed that DAM-like cells are localized in the vicinity of WNV-infected cells in the mouse brain and surmised that these cells may respond to WNV-infected cells. However, the functional significance of this spatial association has since remained unclear. Given the previous reports linking interleukin-34 (IL-34) to the activation of DAM-like cells, we investigated whether IL-34 promotes DAM-like responses and whether these responses are associated with protection against WNV infection. Transcriptomic analysis of IL-34–treated HMC3 human microglial cells revealed upregulation of markers characteristic of DAM, including TREM2, APOE, FABP5, and FTH1. IL-34–treated HMC3 cells suppressed WNV replication in co-culture with WNV-infected SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells apparently in a cell–cell contact-dependent manner, independent of secreted factors. In WNV-infected mice, IL-34 administration improved survival, reduced viral titers, and decreased neuronal apoptosis. IL-34 also increased the abundance of CD11c- and SPP1-positive DAM-like cells, predominantly in the vicinity of WNV-infected cells, in the mouse brain. These findings indicate that IL-34 promotes the activation of DAM-like cells and enhances protective responses in WNV encephalitis. IMPORTANCE West Nile virus (WNV) is a major cause of viral encephalitis worldwide, with no approved antiviral treatment or human vaccine currently available. Microglia, the resident immune cells of the brain, play key roles in responding to viral infection. However, the mechanism through which specific microglial activation states contribute to protection in viral encephalitis remains poorly understood. In this study, we show that interleukin-34 promotes microglial responses resembling disease-associated microglia (DAM) and is associated with enhanced protection against WNV infection in cell culture and mouse models. The study findings suggest that activation of DAM-like cells may contribute to protective host responses against neurotropic viral infection and provide new insights into the role of specific microglial states in viral encephalitis.