title: Murine retroviruses activate B cells via interaction with toll-like receptor 4.
abstract: Although most retroviruses require activated cells as their targets for infection, it is not known how this is achieved in vivo. A candidate protein for the activation of B cells by either mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) or murine leukemia virus is the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a component of the innate immune system. MMTV caused B cell activation in C3H/HeN mice but not in C3H/HeJ or BALB/c (C.C3H Tlr4(lps-d)) congenic mice, both of which have a mutant TLR4 gene. This activation was independent of viral gene expression, because it occurred after treatment of MMTV with ultraviolet light or 2,2'-dithiodipyridine and in azidothymidine-treated mice. Nuclear extracts prepared from the lymphocytes of MMTV-injected C3H/HeN but not C3H/HeJ mice showed increased nuclear factor kappaB activity. Additionally, the MMTV- and Moloney murine leukemia virus envelope proteins coimmunoprecipitated with TLR4 when expressed in 293T cells. The MMTV receptor failed to coimmunoprecipitate with TLR4, suggesting that MMTV/TLR4 interaction is independent of virus attachment and fusion. These results identify retroviral proteins that interact with a mammalian toll receptor and show that direct activation by such viruses may initiate in vivo infection pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology/Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6142, USA.
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Rassa
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Meyers
authors.forename: Yuanming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Rama
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kudaravalli
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Ross
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000821:virology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002469:Cell Separation; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000378:metabolism; D006031:Glycosylation; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000378:metabolism*; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D009154:Mutation; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011485:Protein Binding; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors
chemical_list: D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D015686:Gene Products, env; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D016328:NF-kappa B; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; C495345:TLR4 protein, human; D051197:Toll-Like Receptor 4; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors