title: Human polyomavirus JC (JCV) infection of human B lymphocytes: a possible mechanism for JCV transmigration across the blood-brain barrier.
abstract: It has been suggested that JC virus (JCV) might travel to the central nervous system in infected B cells. Moreover, recent data suggest the presence of JCV in bone marrow plasma cells. However, the evidence for infection and replication of JCV in B cells is unclear. To address this question, we infected Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B cells with JCV and found that the viral genome decreased >1000-fold from days 0 to 20 after infection, which concurred with the absence of viral early and late messenger RNA transcripts and proteins. However, immunofluorescent images of B cells infected with fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated JCV demonstrated that JCV enters the B cells, and DNase protection assay confirmed the presence of intact JCV virions inside the B cells. Moreover, JCV-infected B cells were able to transmit infection to naive glial cells. These data confirm that JCV nonproductively infects B cells and possibly uses them as a vehicle for transmigration across the blood-brain barrier.
authors.affiliation: Retrovirology Research Laboratory, Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology, and Pharmacology, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, USA.
authors.forename: Moti L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Chapagain
authors.forename: Vivek R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Nerurkar
mesh_terms: D000163:Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000635:transmission; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000821:virology*; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003711:Demyelinating Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000821:virology; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate; D016679:Genome, Viral; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007577:JC Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D007668:Kidney / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D027601:Polyomavirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000635:transmission; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012367:RNA, Viral; D003851:Deoxyribonucleases; D016650:Fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate