Mouse parvovirus infection potentiates allogeneic skin graft rejection and induces syngeneic graft rejection.
BACKGROUND
The recently identified autonomous mouse parvovirus designated mouse parvovirus-1 (MPV-1) persists in adult BALB/c mice for at least 9 weeks, infects lymphoid tissues, interferes with the ability of cloned T cells to proliferate, and exhibits immunomodulatory properties. As a consequence of these findings, the present studies were undertaken to characterize further the inmunomodulatory effects of MPV-1 on T cell-mediated immune responses in vivo and in vitro.


METHODS
To evaluate the effect of MPV-1 infection on CD8+ T cell-mediated responses, BALB/c-H2dm2 mice were infected after transplantation of allogeneic BALB/c skin.


RESULTS
MPV-1 potentiated the rejection of allogeneic skin grafts. This potentiation was not a result of virus infecting the cellular or vascular component of the graft as determined by in situ hybridization, but was mediated by T cells. However, the proliferative capacity of alloantigen-reactive lymphocytes from graft-sensitized infected mice was diminished. MPV-1 also induced the rejection of syngeneic skin grafts, and T cells from these infected graft-sensitized mice lysed syngeneic P815 target cells.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that MPV-1 infection of skin-grafted mice may disrupt normal mechanisms of peripheral tolerance and provide a unique model to study virus-induced autoimmunity.
McKisic
M D
MD
Center for Comparative Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
Macy
J D
JD
Delano
M L
ML
Jacoby
R O
RO
Paturzo
F X
FX
Smith
A L
AL
D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C / Q000235:genetics; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains / Q000235:genetics; D010322:Parvoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D016038:Skin Transplantation / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous / Q000276:immunology; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic / Q000276:immunology; D014771:Virion / Q000235:genetics
D004279:DNA, Viral