title: Effects of route of inoculation and viral genetic variation on antibody responses to polyomavirus SV40 in Syrian golden hamsters.
abstract: Genetic variants of polyomavirus SV40 are powerful agents with which to define viral effects on cells and carcinogenesis pathways. We hypothesized that differences in biologic variation among viral strains affect the process of viral infection and are reflected in antibody responses  to the viral nonstructural large T-antigen (TAg) protein but not in neutralizing antibody responses against the inoculated viral particles. We analyzed the production of TAg antibody and neutralizing antibody in Syrian golden hamsters that were inoculated with SV40 viral strains by intracardiac,  intravenous, or intraperitoneal routes and remained tumor free. Compared with the intraperitoneal route, intravascular (that is, intravenous, intracardiac) inoculation resulted in increased frequency of responsiveness to TAg but not in higher TAg antibody titers. The intravascular route was  superior both for eliciting neutralizing antibody responses and for higher titers of those responses. Viruses with complex regulatory regions induced TAg antibody more often than did viruses with simple regulatory regions after intraperitoneal but not intravascular injections, with no differences  in antibody titers. This viral genetic variation had no effect on neutralizing antibody production after intraperitoneal or intravascular inoculations or on neutralizing antibody titers achieved. These findings confirm that SV40 variants differ in their biologic properties. Route of inoculation  combined with viral genetic variation significantly influence the development of serum antibodies to SV40 TAg in tumor-free hamsters. Route of inoculation-but not viral genetic variation-is an important factor in production of neutralizing antibody to SV40.
authors.affiliation: Center for Comparative Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: Jody L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Swain
authors.forename: Vojtech
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sroller
authors.forename: Connie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Shaojie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Steven J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Halvorson
authors.forename: Alan J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Herron
authors.forename: Claudia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Kozinetz
authors.forename: Janet S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Butel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008647:Mesocricetus; D013539:Simian virus 40 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000957:Antigens, Viral, Tumor; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins