Apoptosis induced by infectious bursal disease virus

• Published in: Journal of general virology Vol. 75; no. 7; pp. 1803 - 1806
• Main Authors: Vasconcelos, Anilton C, Lam, Kenneth M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01-07-1994; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis - physiology; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Membrane - ultrastructure; Cell Survival; Cells, Cultured; Chickens; Chromatin - ultrastructure; DNA, Viral - blood; DNA, Viral - chemistry; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hydrocortisone; infectious bursal disease virus; Infectious bursal disease virus - physiology; Lymphocytes - cytology; Lymphocytes - microbiology; Lymphocytes - pathology; Lymphocytes - ultrastructure; Microbiology; Necrosis; Replicative cycle, interference, host-virus relations, pathogenicity, miscellaneous strains; Virology; Birnaviridae; Electron microscopy; Host virus relation; Fragmentation; Virus; Vertebrata; Birnavirus; Cell death; Infectious bursal disease virus; DNA; Cytopathology; Chicken; Aves; Lymphocyte; Apoptosis
• ISSN: 0022-1317; 1465-2099
• DOI: 10.1099/0022-1317-75-7-1803

Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California 95616, U.S.A.
Chicken peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) show morphological and biochemical features of apoptosis (programmed cell death) when infected in vitro with infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). DNA extracted from IBDV-infected lymphocytes displayed an intense laddering pattern when visualized after agarose gel electrophoresis. IBDV-infected PBLs had significantly higher apoptotic and necrotic indices measured by acridine orange-ethidium bromide staining than did control lymphocytes. Electron micrographs of the IBDV-infected PBLs revealed features typical of apoptosis such as peripheral condensation of chromatin, blebbing of the plasma membrane and fragmentation of the nucleus and of the cell leading to the formation of apoptotic bodies. These findings indicate that IBDV, in addition to causing necrosis, can also induce apoptosis in avian lymphocytes in vitro .
Present address: Departamento de Patologia General, Instituto de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Caixa Postal 2486-31 270, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Received 20 October 1993;
accepted 14 January 1994.