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.
Department of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
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Wang
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Haluskey
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Lavi
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