title: Production of IL-8, IL-17, IFN-gamma and IP-10 in human astrocytes correlates with alphavirus attenuation.
abstract: Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) is an important, naturally emerging zoonotic pathogen. Recent outbreaks in Venezuela and Colombia in 1995 indicate that VEEV still poses a serious public health threat. Astrocytes may be target cells in human and mouse infection and they play an important role in repair through gliosis. In this study, we report that virulent VEEV efficiently infects cultured normal human astrocytes, three different murine astrocyte cell lines and astrocytes in the mouse brain. The attenuation of virus replication positively correlates with the increased levels of production of IL-8, IL-17, IFN-gamma and IP-10. In addition, VEEV infection induces release of basic fibroblast growth factor and production of potent chemokines such as RANTES and MIP-1-beta from cultured human astrocytes. This growth factor and cytokine profile modeled by astrocytes in vitro may contribute to both neuroprotection and repair and may play a role in leukocyte recruitment in vivo.
authors: Department of Pathology/Institute for Human Infections and Immunity, Galveston National Laboratory, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555-0609, USA.
authors: Bi-Hung
authors: BH
authors: Peng
authors: Viktoriya
authors: V
authors: Borisevich
authors: Vsevolod L
authors: VL
authors: Popov
authors: Michele A
authors: MA
authors: Zacks
authors: D Mark
authors: DM
authors: Estes
authors: Gerald A
authors: GA
authors: Campbell
authors: Slobodan
authors: S
authors: Paessler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000821:virology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018925:Chemokines / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology*; D004666:Encephalitis Virus, Venezuelan Equine / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D004685:Encephalomyelitis, Venezuelan Equine / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000276:immunology; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D051379:Mice; D019251:Nucleocapsid / Q000378:metabolism; D015047:Zoonoses / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; D016207:Cytokines; C108111:fibroblast growth factor 13; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors