title: Susceptibility of human lymphoid tissue cultured ex vivo to xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV) was generated after a recombination event between two endogenous murine leukemia viruses during the production of a prostate cancer cell line. Although the associations of the XMRV infection with human diseases appear unlikely, the XMRV is a retrovirus of undefined pathogenic potential, able to replicate in human cells in vitro. Since recent studies using animal models for infection have yielded conflicting results, we set out an ex vivo model for XMRV infection of human tonsillar tissue to determine whether XMRV produced by 22Rv1 cells is able to replicate in human lymphoid organs. Tonsil blocks were infected and infection kinetics and its pathogenic effects were monitored
  
  
  RESULTS
  XMRV, though restricted by APOBEC, enters and integrates into the tissue cells. The infection did not result in changes of T or B-cells, immune activation, nor inflammatory chemokines. Infectious viruses could be recovered from supernatants of infected tonsils by reinfecting DERSE XMRV indicator cell line, although these supernatants could not establish a new infection in fresh tonsil culture, indicating that in our model, the viral replication is controlled by innate antiviral restriction factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, the replication-competent retrovirus XMRV, present in a high number of laboratories, is able to infect human lymphoid tissue and produce infectious viruses, even though they were unable to establish a new infection in fresh tonsillar tissue. Hereby, laboratories working with cell lines producing XMRV should have knowledge and understanding of the potential biological biohazardous risks of this virus.
authors.affiliation: IrsiCaixa-HIVACAT, Institut de Recerca en Ciències de la Salut Germans Trias i Pujol, Hospital Germans Trias, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Carretera del Canyet S/N, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Curriu
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carrillo
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Massanella
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cunyat
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wienberg
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carrato
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Areal
authors.forename: Margarita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bofill
authors.forename: Bonaventura
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Clotet
authors.forename: Julià
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Blanco
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cabrera
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000821:virology; D018925:Chemokines / Q000378:metabolism; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008221:Lymphoid Tissue / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000737:chemistry / Q000166:cytology / Q000821:virology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000378:metabolism; D012192:Retroviridae Infections / Q000209:etiology*; D014779:Virus Replication; D058008:Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; D004279:DNA, Viral; D012367:RNA, Viral