title: Protective role for interferon-beta in coxsackievirus B3 infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Coxsackievirus-induced myocarditis can be a serious cause of heart failure. In the absence of a specific antiviral therapy, modulating the host immune response may be protective. Interferons (IFNs)-alpha and -beta perform a fundamental role in innate and adaptive antiviral responses, thereby presenting as candidate therapeutics for coxsackievirus infections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To examine the contribution of IFN-beta in protection from coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection, mice lacking the IFN-beta gene were infected with 10(3) plaque-forming units of CVB3. In contrast to wild-type mice that exhibit an intact IFN-beta response, we observed increased susceptibility to infection (70% mortality), a downregulation of IFN-stimulated gene targets (2'-5' oligoadenylate synthetase, serine/threonine protein kinase, the GTPase Mx), and cardiomyocyte breakdown and disruption in the IFN-beta-/- mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Viewed together, these results clearly demonstrate that IFN-beta is important in mediating protection against CVB3-induced myocarditis.
authors.affiliation: Toronto General Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Raj
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deonarain
authors.forename: Dante
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cerullo
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fuse
authors.forename: Peter P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Eleanor N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Fish
mesh_terms: D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000818:Animals; D003384:Coxsackievirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D015536:Down-Regulation; D029822:Enterovirus B, Human; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000502:physiology; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D009336:Necrosis; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D016898:Interferon-alpha; D016899:Interferon-beta; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases