High-magnitude, virus-specific CD4 T-cell response in the central nervous system of coronavirus-infected mice.
The neurotropic JHM strain of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) causes acute encephalitis and chronic demyelinating encephalomyelitis in rodents. Previous results indicated that CD8 T cells infiltrating the central nervous system (CNS) were largely antigen specific in both diseases. Herein we show that by 7 days postinoculation, nearly 30% of the CD4 T cells in the acutely infected CNS were MHV specific by using intracellular gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) staining assays. In mice with chronic demyelination, 10 to 15% of the CD4 T cells secreted IFN-gamma in response to MHV-specific peptides. Thus, these results show that infection of the CNS is characterized by a large influx of CD4 T cells specific for MHV and that these cells remain functional, as measured by cytokine secretion, in mice with chronic demyelination.
Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
J S
JS
Haring
L L
LL
Pewe
S
S
Perlman
D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D020805:Central Nervous System Viral Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D018352:Coronavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D006517:Murine hepatitis virus / Q000276:immunology*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000378:metabolism
D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta