title: Influenza a virus infection of primary cultured cells from rat fetal brain.
abstract: We previously reported that the neurovirulent influenza A virus strain, AIWSN/33 has strong affinity for the substantia nigra (SN) in mouse brain. In this study, we used a neuron-glia co-culture system in order to observe the cellular responses to viral infection. Co-cultured cells were infected with the A/WSN/33 strain and were examined immunohistochemically. Viral antigens were strictly confined to the neuronal cell bodies and their neurites. More than 90% of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons in the SN were also positive to anti-WSN antibody. There was no increase in class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression in virus antigen positive cells. Thus, we can conclude that the virus preferentially infects neurons, mainly TH-positive neurons in the SN. An antigen presenting response mediated by class I MHC was not observed in infected neurons.
authors.affiliation: Choju Medical Institute, Fukushimura Hospital, 19-14 Aza Yamanaka, Noyori-cho, Toyohashi-shi, Aichi-ken 441, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakajima
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nobusawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okada