title: Isolation of Nanjing local strains of HHV-7 and their biological and immunological characteristics.
abstract: To investigate the biological and immunological characteristics of the Nanjing local strains of HHV-7, four strains of herpesvirus were isolated from saliva specimens of one healthy individual and three children suffering from a kidney disease in Nanjing. The viruses were identified by transmission electron microscopy (EM), indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) with a specific monoclonal antibody; nested polymerase chain reaction, restriction mapping and DNA sequencing. The virus-infected cells showed the typical cytophathic effect (CPE) under microscopy and could be detected by IFA with the human herpesvirus-7 (HHV-7) specific antibody. Under EM, herpesvirus-like and virions capsids could be found in their cytoplasm or nucleoplasm. HHV-7 DNA fragments amplified from infected cells by nested PCR were confirmed by restriction mapping and DNA sequencing. Similarly to DC strain, an known HHV-7 strain used in the present study as the positive control, the virus could be inactivated by ultraviolet irradiation for 10 min, heated at 45 centigrade degree for 30 min, pH<5 or>9 at 4 centigrade degree for 2 h and ether or chloroform for 10 h. The virus induced the production of TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IL-12 p 70 while inhibited IFN-alpha secretion, increased the percentage of CD2(+) cells while decreased that of CD4(+) or CD 45 RA(+) cells. The results indicate that the viruses isolated in Nanjing are HHV-7, which has similar biological characteristic to the known HHV-7 strain, DC. Infection with HHV-7 in vitro could affect immune function of lymphocytes by disturbing cytokine production and CD antigen expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China. yaokun@njmu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Kun
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dou
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Guangyong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Xiaohui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ji
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D018801:CD2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002460:Cell Line; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D016199:Herpesvirus 7, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D019349:Roseolovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000821:virology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays; D038301:Virus Inactivation / Q000528:radiation effects; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D018801:CD2 Antigens; D016207:Cytokines