Encephalitis in experimental Coxsackie B-3 infection

The pathogenesis of Coxsackie group B viruses in experimental infection

The experimental findings show that in mouse-adapted strains of different Coxsackie group B types of virus, distinctly varied patterns of pathogenesis exist. In the particular host population under study, both of the B-3 strains examined are peculiarly cardiotropic for 17-day-old mice and adult mice. In contrast, the B-1 strain, while mildly cardiotropic for sucklings, neither propagates nor produces lesions in the 17-day weanlings. The age factor does not seem to have any effect upon two strains of B-5 viruses which show the same degree of moderate cardiotropism in sucklings and weanlings.It can be seen from observations made upon the brown fat that lesions are produced in adult mice with all but B-2 virus. Interpretation of the heart lesion, however, is complicated by the appearance of heart lesions in control animals of this age. These heart lesions were not observed in the control sucklings or weanlings. In spite of this, there is evidence that the B-3 virus induces specific heart lesions in adult mice.It would appear that the B-2, B-4, and the Kita strain of B-5 provoke a marked inflammatory cell response in the brain which distinguishes them from the other strains.

The murine CAR homolog is a receptor for coxsackie B viruses and adenoviruses

Complementary DNA clones encoding the murine homolog (mCAR) of the human coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) were isolated. Nonpermissive CHO cells transfected with mCAR cDNA became susceptible to infection by coxsackieviruses B3 and B4 and showed increased susceptibility to adenovirus-mediated gene transfer. These results indicate that the same receptor is responsible for virus interactions with both murine and human cells. Analysis of receptor expression in human and murine tissues should be useful in defining factors governing virus tropism in vivo.

Expression and distribution of the receptors for coxsackievirus B3 during fetal development of the Balb/c mouse and of their brain cells in culture

This study was designed mainly to determine the relationships between the expression and distribution of the cellular receptor proteins for coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) and susceptibility of mouse brain cells during fetal development of Balb/c mice. Immunoblot analysis of fetal extracts demonstrated that the CVB3 receptor proteins were first expressed at day 14 of the fetal stage, and that maximal expression of the cellular receptor occurred at near term or newborn stage. Results also suggested that newborn mouse brain tissue expressed much larger quantities of viral receptor proteins, compared to other tissues. In vitro studies showed that both mouse neurons and astrocytes could be infected by two CVB3 strains, pantropic CVB3 Nancy strain (CVB3N) and myocardiotropic CVB3 Woodruff strain (CVB3W). CVB3N, however, replicated and grew to high titer in primary astrocyte cultures and in primary neuron cultures, whereas, primary astrocyte cultures were relatively resistant to CVB3W. Virus binding assays revealed that CVB3N bound faster and in greater amounts to mouse brain cells than CVBW. These two virus strains, however, were found to share the same receptor specificity by virus competition assays. The number of virus binding sites for CVB3 on newborn mouse brain cells was approximately 1.8 x 10(4) per cell. The data suggested that preferential expression of the cellular receptors on newborn mouse brain cells may be related to their high susceptibilities to CVB3 infection.

Receptor proteins on newborn Balb/c mouse brain cells for coxsackievirus B3 are immunologically distinct from those on HeLa cells

Newborn Balb/c mice are highly susceptible to infection by the six coxsackievirus serotypes of group B (CVB) and it is known that receptor for these viruses are in highest concentration in the brain as compared to other tissues. Therefore, proteins from the brain tissues of these animals were solubilized (Brain-Ext) and characterized for the identification of mouse brain receptor (MBR) proteins. Virus-blot analyses of Brain-Ext suggested that each of three virus variants of CVB3-(N, W and RD) recognized four receptor proteins designated p46, p44, p36 and p33 according to their molecular size. Similar analyses of cultured neurons from newborn Balb/c mice revealed the presence of the same four receptor proteins, while astrocytes appeared to possess only p46 and/or p44. Isoelectric focusing of Brain-Ext, focused MBR proteins in the pH range 4.0-8.5, with a peak around pH 5.7. P46 was found to be neuraminidase sensitive. A polyclonal rat antiserum (anti-MBR) protected cultured neurons and astrocytes against infection by CVB3, inhibited virus binding to these cells and recognized the same four receptor proteins on western-blots as detected on virus-blots by CVB3. However, a rabbit polyclonal anti-HeLa cell antiserum, which strongly binds to HeLa cells and protects them from CVB3 infection, neither recognized any of the receptor proteins in western-blot analyses of Brain-Ext nor inhibited CVB3 infection on cultured neurons and astrocytes. Conversely, anti-MBR did not recognize any of the receptor proteins by western-blot analysis of HeLa cell extracts nor did it inhibit CVB3 infection of HeLa cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)