Protective role for interferon-beta in coxsackievirus B3 infection.
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.
Deonarain
Raj
R
Toronto General Research Institute, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Cerullo
Dante
D
Fuse
Koichi
K
Liu
Peter P
PP
Fish
Eleanor N
EN
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
D016898:Interferon-alpha; D016899:Interferon-beta; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D015088:2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase; D020558:GTP Phosphohydrolases