title: The potential role of microfilaments in host cells for infection with infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus infection.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) belongs to the genus Megalocytivirus from the family Iridoviridae. Megalocytivirus causes severe economic losses to tropical freshwater and marine culture industry in Asian countries and is devastating to the mandarin fish farm industry in China particularly.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the involvement of microfilaments in the early and late stages of ISKNV infection in MFF-1 cells by selectively perturbing their architecture using well-characterized inhibitors of actin dynamics. The effect of disruption of actin cytoskeleton on ISKNV infection was evaluated by indirect immunofluorescence analysis or real-time quantitative PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The depolymerization of the actin filaments with cytochalasin D, cytochalasin B, or latrunculin A reduced ISKNV infection. Furthermore, depolymerization of filamentous actin by inhibitors did not inhibit binding of the virus but affected virus internalization in the early stages of infection. In addition, the depolymerization of actin filaments reduced total ISKNV production in the late stages of ISKNV.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrated that ISKNV required an intact actin network during infection. The findings will help us to better understand how iridoviruses exploit the cytoskeleton to facilitate their infection and subsequent disease.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Aquatic Product Safety/State Key Laboratory for Biocontrol, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 135 Xingang Road West, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors.forename: Kun-tong
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Zhao-yu
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chang-jun
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mi
authors.forename: Xiao-Dong
authors.initials: XD
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shao-ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.forename: Jian-guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D005399:Fishes; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D007497:Iridoviridae / Q000502:physiology*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction