Pathogenic potential of borna disease virus lacking the immunodominant CD8 T-cell epitope.
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Borna disease virus (BDV) is a highly neurotropic, noncytolytic virus. Experimentally infected B10.BR mice remain healthy unless specific antiviral T cells that infiltrate the infected brain are triggered by immunization. In contrast, infected MRL mice spontaneously mount an antiviral T-cell response that can result in meningoencephalitis and neurological disease. The antiviral T cells may, alternatively, eliminate the virus without inducing disease if they are present in sufficient numbers before the virus replicates to high titers. Since the immune response of H-2(k) mice is directed mainly against the epitope TELEISSI located in the viral nucleoprotein N, we generated BDV mutants that feature TQLEISSI in place of TELEISSI. We show that adoptive transfer of BDV N-specific CD8 T cells induced neurological disease in B10.BR mice persistently infected with wild-type BDV but not with the mutant virus expressing TQLEISSI. Surprisingly, the mutant virus replicated less well in adult MRL wild-type mice than in mutant mice lacking mature CD8 T cells. Furthermore, when MRL mice were infected with the TQLEISSI-expressing BDV mutant as newborns, neurological disease was observed, although at a lower rate and with slower kinetics than in mice infected with wild-type virus. These results confirm that TELEISSI is the major CD8 T-cell epitope in H-2(k) mice and suggest that unidentified minor epitopes are present in the BDV proteome which are recognized rather efficiently by antiviral T cells if the dominant epitope is absent. (+info)
Enhanced polymerase activity confers replication competence of Borna disease virus in mice.
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We previously showed that mouse adaptation of cDNA-derived Borna disease virus (BDV) strain He/80(FR) was associated exclusively with mutations in the viral polymerase complex. Interestingly, independent mouse adaptation of non-recombinant He/80 was correlated with different alterations in the polymerase and mutations in the viral glycoprotein. We used reverse genetics to demonstrate that changes in the polymerase which improve enzymatic activity represent the decisive host range mutations. The glycoprotein mutations did not confer replication competence in mice, although they slightly improved viral performance if combined with polymerase mutations. Our findings suggest that the viral polymerase restricts the host range of BDV. (+info)
Hippocampal poly(ADP-Ribose) polymerase 1 and caspase 3 activation in neonatal bornavirus infection.
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Infection of neonatal rats with Borna disease virus results in a characteristic behavioral syndrome and apoptosis of subsets of neurons in the hippocampus, cerebellum, and cortex (neonatal Borna disease [NBD]). In the NBD rat hippocampus, dentate gyrus granule cells progressively degenerate. Apoptotic loss of granule cells in NBD is associated with accumulation of zinc in degenerating neurons and reduced zinc in granule cell mossy fibers. Excess zinc can trigger poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP-1) activation, and PARP-1 activation can mediate neuronal death. Here, we evaluate hippocampal PARP-1 mRNA and protein expression levels, activation, and cleavage, as well as apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) nuclear translocation and executioner caspase 3 activation, in NBD rats. PARP-1 mRNA and protein levels were increased in NBD hippocampi. PARP-1 expression and activity were increased in granule cell neurons and glia with enhanced ribosylation of proteins, including PARP-1 itself. In contrast, levels of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase mRNA were decreased in NBD hippocampi. PARP-1 cleavage and AIF expression were also increased in astrocytes in NBD hippocampi. Levels of activated caspase 3 protein were increased in NBD hippocampi and localized to nuclei, mossy fibers, and dendrites of granule cell neurons. These results implicate aberrant zinc homeostasis, PARP-1, and caspase 3 activation as contributing factors in hippocampal neurodegeneration in NBD. (+info)
Viral accessory protein X stimulates the assembly of functional Borna disease virus polymerase complexes.
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Borna disease: association with a maturation defect in the cellular immune response.
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Borna disease virus (BDV) is a negative-strand RNA virus which produces persistent infection in a variety of experimental animals. In the rat, the presence or absence of clinical signs of Borna disease, a characteristic, biphasic neurobehavioral illness, depends on host-related factors. A window of opportunity exists after birth wherein inoculation with BDV produces a persistently infected rat without signs of Borna disease or encephalitis (persistent, tolerant infection-newborn [PTI-NB] rat). Although immunopathological destruction of the nervous system does not occur in the PTI-NB rat, significant alterations in the development of the nervous system were noted, including site-specific lysis of neurons. Unlike the case with other pharmacologically produced, persistent, tolerant BDV infections, adoptive transfer of spleen cells from BDV-infected rats did not produce disease in the PTI-NB rats. PTI-NB rats developed Borna disease after being connected by parabiosis to rats with Borna disease. Bone marrow transplantation experiments revealed that bone marrow cells from PTI-NB rats produced Borna disease in lethally irradiated, BDV-infected recipient rats. Bone marrow from PTI-NB rats contained a complement of inflammatory cells capable of inducing Borna disease. Thus, the loss of BDV-specific cellular immunity appeared to occur after the release of cells from the bone marrow. (+info)
Protein X of Borna disease virus inhibits apoptosis and promotes viral persistence in the central nervous systems of newborn-infected rats.
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