Alphaviruses are a group of enveloped viruses transmitted by mosquitoes. Many alphaviruses are neurotropic, being able to produce encephalitis in humans and animals. Among alphaviruses, both Semliki Forest (SFV) and Sindbis virus (SIN) have been extensively studied as models of viral pathogenicity. In mice, SFV and SIN can infect neurons in the central nervous system and virulent strains induce...

FIG. 1. Effect of incr-easing substrate concentrations upon the magnitude of reaction with three influenza virus enzymes. Substrate in 0.5 si phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), pH 6 as indicated, and PBS to a total of 0.25 ml (human ac-GP, 4 mg/ ml; ovo, 40 mg/nil; PSM, 30 mg/ml), 0.05 ml of enzyme. Enzymes for these studies were virus concentrates prepared from infected chorioallantoic fluid by ...

A novel neuronal model (PC12EN cells), obtained by somatic hybridization of rat adrenal medullary pheochromocytoma (PC12) and bovine adrenal medullary endothelial (BAME) cells, was developed. PC12EN cells maintained numerous neuronal characteristics: they expressed neuronal glycolipid conjugates, synthesized and secreted catecholamines, and responded to differentiative agents with neurite outgr...

We have recently demonstrated that increased blood-CNS barrier permeability and CNS inflammation in a conventional mouse model of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis are dependent upon the production of peroxynitrite (ONOO(-)), a product of the free radicals NO* and superoxide (O2*(-)). To determine whether this is a reflection of the physiological contribution of ONOO(-) to an immune respo...

Recombinant Sindbis viruses are important tools in neuroscience because they combine rapid and high transgene expression with a capacity to carry large transgenes. Currently, two packaging systems based on the defective helper (DH) RNAs DH(26S)5'SIN and DH-BB(tRNA;TE12) are available for generating recombinant Sindbis virus that is neurotropic (able to infect neurons and potentially other cells...

Cell-intrinsic innate immune responses mediated by the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) are often vital for early pathogen control, and effective responses in neurons may be crucial to prevent the irreversible loss of these critical central nervous system cells after infection with neurotropic pathogens. To investigate this hypothesis, we used targeted molecular and g...