title: Characterization of a continuous feline mammary epithelial cell line susceptible to feline epitheliotropic viruses.
abstract: Mucosal epithelial cells are the primary targets for many common viral pathogens of cats. Viral infection of epithelia can damage or disrupt the epithelial barrier that protects underlying tissues. In vitro cell culture systems are an effective means to study how viruses infect and disrupt epithelial barriers, however no true continuous or immortalized feline epithelial cell culture lines are available. A continuous cell culture of feline mammary epithelial cells (FMEC UCD-04-2) that forms tight junctions with high transepithelial electrical resistance (>2000Omegacm(-1)) 3-4 days after reaching confluence was characterized. In addition, it was shown that FMECs are susceptible to infection with feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus (FHV-1), feline coronavirus (FeCoV), and feline panleukopenia virus (FPV). These cells will be useful for studies of feline viral disease and for in vitro studies of feline epithelia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA. papesavento@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pesavento
authors.forename: Hongwei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ossiboff
authors.forename: Karla M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Stucker
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heymer
authors.forename: Lee
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Millon
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van der List
authors.forename: John S L
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Parker
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017927:Calicivirus, Feline / Q000254:growth & development*; D002415:Cats; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002460:Cell Line; D016765:Coronavirus, Feline / Q000254:growth & development*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000821:virology*; D028301:Feline Panleukopenia Virus / Q000254:growth & development*; D018140:Varicellovirus / Q000254:growth & development*; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods