title: The effects of West Nile virus on major histocompatibility complex class I and II molecule expression by Lewis rat Schwann cells in vitro.
abstract: The expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II molecules by Lewis rat Schwann cells after infection with West Nile virus (WNV) in vitro was examined by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. WNV enhanced the expression of MHC class I molecules and induced the expression of MHC class II molecules by Schwann cells. Irradiated medium from WNV-infected Schwann cell cultures upregulated class I molecule expression on dissociated Schwann cell cultures but did not induce the expression of class II molecules. This finding has implications for virally triggered autoimmune diseases of nervous tissue.
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Argall
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Armati
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Douglas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology*; D051381:Rats; D011917:Rats, Inbred Lew; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000276:immunology; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II