title: Acute and persistent varicella-zoster virus infection of human and murine neuroblastoma cell lines.
abstract: Human and murine neuroblastoma cell lines were infected in vitro with varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Infected human neuroblastoma cells (IMR-32) supported the synthesis of abundant viral antigens as detected by indirect immunoperoxidase labeling using human serum rich in anti-VZV antibodies and did not survive the infection. In situ hybridization (ISH) with VZV-cloned probes revealed a strong hybridization signal in these infected cells. During cultivation, the virus was released in the culture medium, and viral polypeptides were revealed by Western blotting of infected cells, using either a monoclonal anti-gpI antibody or a rabbit antiserum. All these findings indicate that IMR-32 cells support a productive and lytic infection by VZV, whether infected by cell-free virus or by cocultivation with infected cells. Murine neuroblastoma cells (neuro-2A) survived VZV infection and did not produce any infectious virus. No VZV-specific proteins were detected in infected cells either by immunolabeling or by Western blotting. However, viral nucleic acids could be detected by ISH, indicating that mouse neuroblastoma cells displayed a nonproductive, nonlytic infection. Infected neuro-2A cells have been examined by ISH using probes corresponding to immediate early (IE) genes 4, 62, and 63 and late (L) gene 31 encoding gpII. A strong hybridization signal was detected when infected cells were probed with a fragment containing the IE genes 62 and 63. Lower levels of hybridization were detected with the other probes, corresponding to IE or L genes. These systems allow comparative molecular analysis of persistent and acute infection of nerve cells by VZV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology-Virology, University of Liège, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bourdon-Wouters
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Merville-Louis
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sadzot-Delvaux
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marc
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Piette
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Delrée
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Moonen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rentier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism*; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000378:metabolism*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008970:Molecular Weight; D009447:Neuroblastoma; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins