title: Thymus involution induced by mouse hepatitis virus A59 in BALB/c mice.
abstract: Mouse hepatitis virus A59 (MHV-A59) infection of adult BALB/c mice induced a severe, transient atrophy of the thymus. The effect was maximal at 1 week after infection, and thymuses returned to normal size by 2 weeks after infection. There was no effect of glucocorticoids, since thymus atrophy was also found in adrenalectomized, infected mice. In infected thymus, immature CD4+ CD8+ lymphocytes were selectively depleted, and apoptosis of lymphocytes was increased. The MHV receptor glycoprotein MHVR was detected on thymus epithelial cells but not on T lymphocytes. In a small number of stromal epithelial cells, but in very few lymphocytes, the viral genome was detectable by in situ hybridization. These observations suggested that MHV-A59-induced thymic atrophy results not from a generalized lytic infection of T lymphocytes but rather from apoptosis of immature double-positive T cells that might be caused by infection of a small proportion of thymus epithelial cells or from inappropriate secretion of some factor, such as a cytokine.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pathology, St.-Luc Hospital, Catholic University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Godfraind
authors.forename: K V
authors.initials: KV
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Coutelier
mesh_terms: D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001284:Atrophy; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis; D006524:Hepatitis, Viral, Animal / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D008212:Lymphocyte Depletion; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus; D011991:Receptors, Virus / Q000032:analysis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: C087701:Ceacam2 protein, mouse; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D006023:Glycoproteins; D011991:Receptors, Virus