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Journal of Virology, December 1999, p. 10208-10213, Vol. 73, No. 12
Department of Microbiology,
Received 5 May 1999/Accepted 8 September 1999
Viral myocarditis affects an estimated 5 to 20% of the human
population. The antiviral cytokine beta interferon (IFN-
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 Is Required for
Viral Induction of Beta Interferon in Primary Cardiac Myocyte
Cultures
) is critical for protection against viral myocarditis in mice. That is,
nonmyocarditic reoviruses induce myocarditis in mice that lack
IFN-
/
, and nonmyocarditic reoviruses both induce more IFN-
and
are more sensitive to the antiviral effects of IFN-
than myocarditic
reoviruses in primary cardiac myocyte cultures. Induction of IFN-
in
certain cell types involves viral activation of the transcription
factor interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3). To address whether IRF-3
can induce IFN-
in cardiac myocytes, primary cardiac myocyte
cultures and control L929 cells were transfected with a plasmid
constitutively expressing IRF-3. Overexpression of IRF-3 resulted in
induction of IFN-
in the absence of viral infection in both cell
types. To address whether IRF-3 is required for viral induction of
IFN-
, cell cultures were transfected with a plasmid constitutively
expressing a dominant negative IRF-3 protein. The dominant negative
IRF-3 reduced reovirus induction of IFN-
in control L929 cells and
completely eliminated induction in primary cardiac myocyte cultures.
This provides the first identification of a cardiac cellular factor
required for viral induction of IFN-
and the first report of any
cell type requiring IRF-3 for this response.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Microbiology, Pathology, and Parasitology, College of Veterinary
Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606. Phone:
(919) 515-4480. Fax: (919) 515-3044. E-mail:
barbara_sherry{at}ncsu.edu.
Journal of Virology, December 1999, p. 10208-10213, Vol. 73, No. 12
0022-538X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
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