Critical role of dendritic cells in mouse mammary tumor virus in vivo infection.
Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) is a milk-transmitted betaretrovirus that causes mammary tumors in mice. Although mammary epithelial cells are the ultimate targets of MMTV, the virus utilizes components of the host immune system to establish infection. Previous studies indicated that dendritic cells play a role in MMTV infection. Here we show that dendritic cells are the first cells to be infected by MMTV in vivo and that they are capable of producing infectious virus that can be transmitted to other cell types. Moreover, upon contact with the virus, dendritic cells became more mature and migrated in response to the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein 3beta. Finally, we demonstrate that targeted ablation of dendritic cells in vivo dramatically attenuated MMTV infection. These data indicate that MMTV infection of dendritic cells is critical to initial propagation of the virus in vivo.
Courreges
Maria Cecilia
MC
Department of Microbiology and Abramson Family Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, 313 BRBII/III, 421 Curie Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19104-6142, USA.
Burzyn
Dalia
D
Nepomnaschy
Irene
I
Piazzon
Isabel
I
Ross
Susan R
SR
D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000502:physiology / Q000821:virology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000821:virology; D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D008324:Mammary Tumor Virus, Mouse / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000821:virology*; D014412:Tumor Virus Infections / Q000821:virology*
D019402:Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins