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Journal of Virology, September 2001, p. 8187-8194, Vol. 75, No. 17
Institute of Virology, Medical Center,
Friedrich Schiller University, D-07745 Jena, Germany
Received 12 March 2001/Accepted 29 May 2001
Clinical and laboratory investigations have demonstrated the
involvement of viruses and bacteria as potential causative agents in
cardiovascular disease and have specifically found coxsackievirus B3
(CVB3) to be a leading cause. Experimental data indicate that cytokines
are involved in controlling CVB3 replication. Therefore, recombinant CVB3 (CVB3rec) variants expressing the T-helper-1 (TH1)-specific gamma interferon (IFN-
0022-538X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.75.17.8187-8194.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Expression of Immunoregulatory Cytokines by
Recombinant Coxsackievirus B3 Variants Confers Protection against
Virus-Caused Myocarditis
) or the
TH2-specific interleukin-10 (IL-10) as well as the control
virus CVB3(muIL-10), which produce only biologically inactive
IL-10, were established. Coding regions of murine cytokines were cloned
into the 5' end of the CVB3 wild type (CVB3wt) open reading frame and
were supplied with an artificial viral 3Cpro-specific Q-G cleavage
site. Correct processing releases active cytokines, and the
concentration of IFN-
and IL-10 was analyzed by enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay and bioassays. In mice, CVB3wt was detectable in
pancreas and heart tissue, causing massive destruction of the exocrine
pancreas as well as myocardial inflammation and heart cell lysis. Most
of the CVB3wt-infected mice revealed virus-associated symptoms, and
some died within 28 days postinfection. In contrast, CVB3rec variants
were present only in the pancreas of infected mice, causing local
inflammation with subsequent healing. Four weeks after the first
infection, surviving mice were challenged with the lethal CVB3H3
variant, causing casualties in the CVB3wt- and
CVB3(muIL-10)-infected groups, whereas almost none of the
CVB3(IFN-
)- and CVB3(IL-10)-infected mice died and no
pathological disorders were detectable. This study demonstrates that
expression of immunoregulatory cytokines during CVB3 replication
simultaneously protects mice against a lethal disease and prevents
virus-caused tissue destruction.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Institute of
Virology, Medical Center, Friedrich Schiller University, Winzerlaer
Str. 10, D-07745 Jena, Germany. Phone: (49) 3641 657215. Fax: (49) 3641 657202. E-mail: i6hean{at}rz.uni-jena.de.
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