Molecular mechanism for retroviral neuropathogenesis: possible involvement of capillary endothelial cells.
A neuropathogenic variant of Friend MuLV, PVC-211, causes rapidly progressive spongiform neurodegeneration in susceptible rats and mice. Major targets of PVC-211 MuLV infection are brain capillary endothelial cells (BCEC), suggesting that virus-infected BCEC may play crucial roles in neurological disease induction. Consistent with this possibility, studies using chimeric viruses constructed between PVC-211 MuLV and non-neuropathogenic Friend MuLV have revealed that the BCEC tropism of the virus correlates with its neuropathogenicity. Possible involvement of cytokine expression by PVC-211 MuLV-infected BCEC in the induction of neuropathological changes will be discussed.
Masuda
M
M
Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA.
Masuda
M
M
Ruscetti
S K
SK
Hoffman
P M
PM
D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D002196:Capillaries; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002678:Chimera; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000821:virology*; D005622:Friend murine leukemia virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D051379:Mice; D051381:Rats; D015183:Restriction Mapping