Influence of interferon on persistent infection caused by Borna disease virus in vitro

• Published in: Journal of general virology Vol. 66; no. 12; pp. 2777 - 2780
• Main Authors: Rheinbaben, F. von, Stitz, L, Rott, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01-12-1985; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Analysis of the immune response. Humoral and cellular immunity; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Borna Disease - immunology; Borna disease virus; Borna disease virus - growth & development; Borna disease virus - immunology; Cells, Cultured; central nervous system; Dogs; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; horses; Immunobiology; infection; interferons; Interferons - immunology; Miscellaneous; Rabbits; Rats; Regulatory factors and their cellular receptors; sheep; Virus; Cell culture; Interferon; Borna virus; Persistent infection
• ISSN: 0022-1317; 1465-2099
• DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-66-12-2777

Institut für Virologie, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, D-6300 Giessen, F.R.G.
The effect of interferon (IFN) on infection and maintenance of persistent infection of Borna disease (BD) virus in cell cultures was investigated. Acutely BD virus-infected primary rabbit brain and rat lung cells produced significant levels of interferon detectable 3 days post-infection in the culture supernatants. Rat brain and rat lung cells persistently infected with BD virus produced only moderate levels of IFN over a long period. In contrast, persistently infected Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells did not produce detectable amounts of IFN. Exogenous homologous IFN completely inhibited the expression of BD virus antigen in acutely infected rabbit brain cells, when added during the first 24 h after infection. IFN added later (2 to 6 days post-infection) reduced virus titres to different degrees depending on the onset of treatment. However, IFN added to persistently infected rat lung cells did not appear to influence the degree or quality of BD virus antigen expression or the intracellular amount of infectious virus. Two facts indicate that IFN is not involved in the establishment or maintenance of persistent BD virus infection in vitro . Thus, MDCK cells, which could not be induced to produce IFN, can be readily persistently infected with BD virus in vitro , and exogenous IFN did not appear to influence persistent BD virus infection.
Keywords: Borna disease virus, IFN, persistent injection
Received 3 June 1985;
accepted 3 September 1985.