Open AccessIn Vitro Activation of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus in Ramified Microglial Cells from Asymptomatically Infected Cats
Author(s) -
Andreas Hein,
J. P. Martín,
Rüdiger Dörries
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.617
H-Index - 292
eISSN - 1070-6321
pISSN - 0022-538X
DOI - 10.1128/jvi.75.17.8090-8095.2001
Subject(s) - biology , feline immunodeficiency virus , microglia , virology , peripheral blood mononuclear cell , virus , reverse transcriptase , in vitro , viral replication , cell culture , in vivo , lentivirus , immunology , rna , viral disease , inflammation , gene , biochemistry , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology
Intravenous infection of cats with feline immunodeficiency virus was used as a model system to study activation of virus replication in brain-resident microglial cells in vitro. Virus release by ramified microglial cells isolated from subclinically infected animals was detectable in cell-free tissue culture supernatant only by reverse transcription and nested PCR of gag-specific RNA sequences and not by virion-associated reverse transcriptase activity. In contrast, cocultivation of in vivo-infected microglial cells with mitogen-activated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) regularly allows detection of high virus yields in cell-free tissue culture fluid. Besides uptake and multiplication of microglia-derived virus in PBMC, release of virus from microglia is stimulated by cell contact with PBMC. The data suggest that T lymphocytes patrolling the central nervous system could reactivate the semilatent state of lentiviruses in microglial cells in the course of clinically silent central nervous system infection.