title: Identification of a region of the virus genome involved in murine gammaherpesvirus 68-induced splenic pathology.
abstract: Infection with the murine gammaherpesvirus MHV-68 has profound effects on splenic and mediastinal lymph node pathology in mice which lack the interferon-gamma receptor (IFN-gamma R(-/-)). In these mice MHV-68 infection causes fibrosis and loss of lymphocytes in the spleen and the mediastinal lymph node as well as interstitial pulmonary fibrosis and fibrotic changes in the liver. The changes are associated with transient elevated latent virus loads in the spleen. Four independent virus mutants with insertions and/or deletions in the left end of the genome fail to induce the pathological changes and establish latency at normal levels in the spleen. The data indicate that the pathology does not correlate with any of the known genes encoded within this region of the genome, genes M1-M4 and the eight vtRNAs. Northern analysis of mRNAs transcribed by wild-type and mutant viruses shows that at least two uncharacterized transcripts are encoded within this region. These transcripts are absent in the mutant viruses and are candidates for the virus genes responsible for the aberrant pathology in IFN-gamma R(-/-) mice.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Division of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, UK.
authors.forename: Bernadette M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Dutia
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Division of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, UK.
authors.forename: Douglas J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Division of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, UK.
authors.forename: Bahram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ebrahimi
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Division of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, UK.
authors.forename: Babunilayam
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gangadharan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QP, UK.
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Efstathiou
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Division of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, UK.
authors.forename: James P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Clinical and Molecular Virology, Division of Veterinary Biomedical Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, UK.
authors.forename: Anthony A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Nash
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016679:Genome, Viral; D051379:Mice; D017471:Receptors, Interferon / Q000502:physiology; D018144:Rhadinovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology*; D000096743:Interferon gamma Receptor
chemical_list: D017471:Receptors, Interferon; D000096743:Interferon gamma Receptor