title: Endothelial cell function alteration after Junin virus infection.
abstract: Hematologic involvement is the main feature of Argentine hemorrhagic fever (AHF), an endemo-epidemic disease caused by Junin virus (JV). Since endothelial dysfunction could play a role in AHF-altered hemostasis, we studied human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) infection with a virulent (JVv) and a non-virulent (JVa) JV strain. Cells were infected by the two JV variants with no detectable apoptosis or cytopathic effect. Both viral variants up-regulated ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels, while von Willebrand factor (VWF) production was decreased. Prostacyclin (PGI2) release and decay accelerating factor (DAF) expression were greater in JVv- than in JVa-infected or control cells. Furthermore, nitric oxide (NO) production and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression was only raised in JVv-infected supernatants. Significant NO and PGI2 values were also detected in AHF patient sera. These data demonstrate that endothelial cell responses are triggered subsequently by JV infection, suggesting that such alterations play a major role in the pathogenesis of AHF and perhaps in other viral-induced hemorrhagic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Argentina.
authors.forename: Ricardo Martin
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gomez
authors.forename: Roberto Gabriel
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Pozner
authors.forename: Maria Angela
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lazzari
authors.forename: Lina Paola
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: D'Atri
authors.forename: Soledad
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Negrotto
authors.forename: Ana Marisa
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Chudzinski-Tavassi
authors.forename: María Isabel
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Berría
authors.forename: Mirta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schattner
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D001117:Arenaviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018958:CD55 Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000378:metabolism; D006482:Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D018051:Junin virus; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018958:CD55 Antigens; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D014841:von Willebrand Factor; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D011464:Epoprostenol