Transplantation of syngeneic transfected cells to probe the in vivo immune response to viral proteins.
BALB/3T3 cells were transfected with the glycoprotein D (gD) gene of herpes simplex virus (HSV) and a cell line expressing gD on the cell surface was isolated. In vitro, 51Cr release tests showed that the transfected cells were destroyed by anti-HSV antibody in the presence of complement. To investigate in vivo immune response, the gD-transfected cells were transplanted into the footpads of syngeneic HSV-immunized or unimmunized BALB/c mice. In unimmunized mice, transfected cells remained intact for 7 days or longer, and the site of injection showed only slight lymphocyte infiltration. In contrast, in immunized mice, transfected cells elicited massive lymphocyte infiltration and were mostly destroyed by day 4. Analysis of infiltrating cells revealed that they were mainly Thy1+ and CD8+ lymphocytes along with small numbers of CD5+, CD4+, and B lymphocytes. These studies show that transfected murine cells expressing gD can be used to study the in vivo immune response to single viral proteins and they argue that the immune response contributes to the pathogenesis of HSV infection.
Nakayama
H
H
Laboratory of Oral Medicine, National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
Shibata
M
M
Wohlenberg
C
C
Rooney
J F
JF
Notkins
A L
AL
D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000235:genetics; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000276:immunology*; D007109:Immunity / Q000235:genetics; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000235:genetics; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology; D014162:Transfection / Q000276:immunology*; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C039447:glycoprotein D, Human herpesvirus 1