Heterogeneity of Antiviral Responses in the Upper Respiratory Tract Mediates Differential Non-lytic Clearance of Influenza Viruses.

ABSTRACT: Influenza viruses initiate infection in the upper respiratory tract (URT), but early viral tropism and the importance of cell-type-specific antiviral responses in this tissue remain incompletely understood. By infecting transgenic lox-stop-lox reporter mice with a Cre-recombinase-expressing influenza B virus, we identify olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) as a major viral cell target in the URT. These cells become infected, then eliminate the virus and survive in the host post-resolution of infection. OSN responses to infection are characterized by a strong induction of interferon-stimulated genes and more rapid clearance of viral protein relative to other cells in the epithelium. We speculate that this cell-type-specific response likely serves to protect the central nervous system from infe

SUBMITTER: Dumm RE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7462569 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature