The Interferon‐α/β Responses of Mice to Herpes Simplex Virus Studied at the Blood and Tissue Level In Vitro and In Vivo

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Murine mononuclear leucocytes from bone marrow, spleen, lymph node and blood stimulated in vitro by UV-irradiated Herpes simplex type I virus (HSV) produced about equal proportions of IFN-α and -β determined by immunoassay. Thymocytes produced only IFN-α. The frequency of IFN-α/β mRNA containing cells detected by in situ hybridization was highest with bone marrow (15 per 104 cells), followed by spleen (4/104), lymph node (2/104), blood (1/104) and thymus (0.2/104). Such IFN-α/β producing cells (IPCs) were heavily labelled in autoradiographs, each producing about 0.4 U of IFN. After one intravenous injection of UV-irradiated HSV in mice, high levels of IFN-α and -β were present in blood at 3–9 h and little or none at 24 h or later. Frequent cells strongly positive for IFN-α mRNA at in situ hybridization and for IFN-α/β at immunohistochemical staining were found almost exclusively in the marginal zones of spleens. Occasional IPCs were detected in lymph nodes but not in bone marrow, liver and kidneys. The marginal zone IPCs may be the major source of IFN in blood, and high splenic levels of IFN-α/β should have efficient antiviral and immunoregulatory functions.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: