Distinct pathways of viral spread in the host determined by reovirus S1 gene segment.
The genetic and molecular mechanisms that determine the capacity of a virus to utilize distinct pathways of spread in an infected host were examined by using reoviruses. Both reovirus type 1 and reovirus type 3 spread to the spinal cord following inoculation into the hindlimb or forelimb footpad of newborn mice. For type 3 this spread is through nerves and occurs via the microtubule-associated system of fast axonal transport. By contrast, type 1 spreads to the spinal cord through the bloodstream. With the use of reassortant viruses containing various combinations of double-stranded RNA segments (genes) derived from type 1 and type 3, the viral S1 double-stranded RNA segment was shown to be responsible for determining the capacity of reoviruses to spread to the central nervous system through these distinct pathways.
D000818:Animals; D005552:Forelimb; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006614:Hindlimb; D012089:Mammalian orthoreovirus 3 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D051379:Mice; D012087:Reoviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D012088:Reoviridae Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000382:microbiology*