Dataset Information

The role of myelin in Theiler's virus persistence in the central nervous system.

ABSTRACT: Theiler's virus, a picornavirus, persists for life in the central nervous system of mouse and causes a demyelinating disease that is a model for multiple sclerosis. The virus infects neurons first but persists in white matter glial cells, mainly oligodendrocytes and macrophages. The mechanism, by which the virus traffics from neurons to glial cells, and the respective roles of oligodendrocytes and macrophages in persistence are poorly understood. We took advantage of our previous finding that the shiverer mouse, a mutant with a deletion in the myelin basic protein gene (Mbp), is resistant to persistent infection to examine the role of myelin in persistence. Using immune chimeras, we show that resistance is not mediated by immune responses or by an efficient recruitment of inflammatory cells into the central nervous system. With both in vivo and in vitro experiments, we show that the mutation does not impair the permissiveness of neurons, oligodendrocytes, and macrophages to the virus. We demonstrate that viral antigens are present in cytoplasmic channels of myelin during persistent infection of wild-type mice. Using the optic nerve as a model, we show that the virus traffics from the axons of retinal ganglion cells to the cytoplasmic channels of myelin, and that this traffic is impaired by the shiverer mutation. These results uncover an unsuspected axon to myelin traffic of Theiler's virus and the essential role played by the infection of myelin/oligodendrocyte in persistence.

SUBMITTER: Roussarie JP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1797621 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide. The study of DNA tumor-inducing viruses and their oncoproteins as a causative agent in cancer initiation and tumor progression has greatly enhanced our understanding of cancer cell biology. The initiation of oncogenesis is a complex process. Specific gene mutations cause functional changes in the cell that ultimately result in the inability to regulate cell differentiation and proliferation effectively. The human neurotropic Polyomavirus JC (JCV) belongs to the family Polyomaviridae and it is the causative agent of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), which is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in an immunosuppressed state. Sero-epidemiological studies have indicated JCV infection is prevalent in the population (85%) and that initial infection usually occurs during childhood. The JC virus has small circular, double-stranded DNA that includes coding sequences for viral early and late proteins. Persistence of the virus in the brain and other tissues, as well as its potential to transform cells, has made it a subject of study for its role in brain tumor development. Earlier observation of malignant astrocytes and oligodendrocytes in PML, as well as glioblastoma formation in non-human primates inoculated with JCV, led to the hypothesis that JCV plays a role in central nervous system (CNS) tumorigenesis. Some studies have reported the presence of both JC viral DNA and its proteins in several primary brain tumor specimens. The discovery of new Polyomaviruses such as the Merkel cell Polyomavirus, which is associated with Merkel cell carcinomas in humans, ignited our interest in the role of the JC virus in CNS tumors. The current evidence known about JCV and its effects, which are sufficient to produce tumors in animal models, suggest it can be a causative factor in central nervous system tumorigenesis. However, there is no clear association between JCV presence in CNS and its ability to initiate CNS cancer and tumor formation in humans. In this review, we will discuss the correlation between JCV and tumorigenesis of CNS in animal models, and we will give an overview of the current evidence for the JC virus's role in brain tumor formation.

Dataset Information

The role of myelin in Theiler's virus persistence in the central nervous system.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure