title: [Mitochondrial injury in enterovirus 71-infected Vero cells and its mechanism].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the mitochondrial injury in enterovirus 71 (EV71)-infected Vero cells and explore the possible mechanism.
  
  
  METHODS
  A clinical isolate of EV71 was inoculated to Vero cells and the EV71 antigen was detected by immunofluorescence assay. The morphological changes of Vero cells were observed using optical microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The diameter and area density of the viral particles and the ratio and area density of vacuolated mitochondria in the cells were measured on the ultrastructural images.
  
  
  RESULTS
  EV71-infected Vero cells underwent obvious changes and to a spherical morphology followed by cell death EV71 particles were detected in the cytoplasm by immunofluorescence. Ultrastructurally, the infected cells contained a large number of viral particles in the cytoplasm, with a clustered distribution and lattice-like arrangement. The diameter of the particles were 16.3 nm and the mean area density was 38.3%. Most of the mitochondria presented with swelling, vacuoles and degeneration. The ratio of the vacuolated mitochondria was 90.9% with a mean area density of 89.2%. Viral particles were also found in some mitochondria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  EV71 proliferates in the cytoplasm and invades the mitochondria of infected Vero cells leading to mitochondrial injury and cell death, suggesting that mitochondria are the targets for EV71 infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. E-mail: three1988@163.com.
authors.forename: Peixin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Lulu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yeen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Yaozhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000821:virology; D004770:Enterovirus; D004769:Enterovirus Infections / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D014709:Vero Cells / Q000821:virology*