title: Infection of rat brain primary cell cultures with an avirulent A7 strain of Semliki Forest virus.
abstract: The ability of A7 Semliki Forest Virus (SFV) to infect primary brain cell cultures has been examined using cultures prepared from 1-2-day neonatal rat cerebral hemispheres. These cultures, characterised immunocytochemically using cell-specified markers, contain mainly GFAP+ protoplasmic astrocytes and smaller multiprocessed A2B5+ cells, probably fibrous astrocytes. 10% of the cells are GC+ oligodendrocytes and some neurones are also present. These cultures support virus growth and a cytopathic effect was observed. Using double labelling techniques with the cell-specific markers and anti-SFV antibody A7 has been shown to readily infect cells which carry either the A2B5+ antigen or galactocerebroside marker. Protoplasmic astrocytes (GFAP+/A2B5-) are not readily infected under the conditions used. The protein labelling studies using [35S]methionine show that host cell protein synthesis is not completely shut off and continues in the astrocyte protein region. These results suggest that cells derived from a common A2B5+, GFAP-, GC- progenitor glial cell, i.e. GC+ oligodendrocytes and A2B5+/GFAP+ fibrous astrocytes, are more readily infected than other brain cell types including the protoplasmic astrocytes.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D009836:Oligodendroglia; D051381:Rats; D012672:Semliki forest virus / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins