Coronavirus MHV-A59 causes upregulation of interferon-beta RNA in primary glial cell cultures.
Infection of mice with coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus strain MHV-A59 causes focal acute encephalitis, hepatitis and chronic demyelinating disease. To investigate host interferon (IFN) response to viral infection within the brain, RNA was extracted from A59-or MHV-2- infected and mock-infected primary astrocyte cultures from newborn mice, RT-PCR amplified RNA with primers specific for the various IFNs, transferred to nylon membranes and hybridized with IFN specific digoxigenin-labeled probes. Infection of primary astrocyte cultures from newborn mice with either A59 or MHV-2 caused upregulation of IFN-beta RNA, but not IFN-gamma or IFN-alpha. Thus, brain astrocytes are capable of producing a local IFN-beta response upon infection with MHV. The response of the other IFNs following MHV infection may be derived from inflammatory cells.
Wang
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Q
Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
Haluskey
J A
JA
Lavi
E
E
D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000276:immunology*; D012313:RNA; D015854:Up-Regulation
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012313:RNA; D016899:Interferon-beta; D007371:Interferon-gamma