Gamma-herpesvirus latency is preferentially maintained in splenic germinal center and memory B cells.
The gamma-herpesviruses are oncogenic B cell lymphotrophic viruses that establish life-long latency in the host. Murine gamma-herpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) infection of mice represents a unique system for analyzing gamma-herpesvirus latency in splenic B cells at different stages of infection. After intranasal infection with MHV-68 we analyzed the establishment of latency 14 days after infection, and the maintenance of latency 3 months after infection in different purified subpopulations of B cells in the spleen. The data show that MHV-68 latency is mainly established in germinal center B cells and that long-term latency is preferentially maintained in two different subsets of isotype-switched B cells, germinal center and memory B cells. Cell cycle analysis indicates that MHV-68 is located in both cycling and resting isotype-switched B cells. Analysis of viral gene expression showed that both lytic and latent viral transcripts were differentially expressed in germinal center and memory B cells during long-term latency. Together, these observations suggested that gamma-herpesviruses exploit the B cell life cycle in the spleen.
Flaño
Emilio
E
Trudeau Institute, Saranac Lake, NY 12983, USA.
Kim
In-Jeong
IJ
Woodland
David L
DL
Blackman
Marcia A
MA
D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D002453:Cell Cycle; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D051379:Mice; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013154:Spleen / Q000821:virology*; D017735:Virus Latency