Elsevier

Virology

Volume 369, Issue 2, 20 December 2007, Pages 288-298
Virology

Rat coronaviruses infect rat alveolar type I epithelial cells and induce expression of CXC chemokines

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virol.2007.07.030Get rights and content
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Abstract

We analyzed the ability of two rat coronavirus (RCoV) strains, sialodacryoadenitis virus (SDAV) and Parker's RCoV (RCoV-P), to infect rat alveolar type I cells and induce chemokine expression. Primary rat alveolar type II cells were transdifferentiated into the type I cell phenotype. Type I cells were productively infected with SDAV and RCoV-P, and both live virus and UV-inactivated virus induced mRNA and protein expression of three CXC chemokines: CINC-2, CINC-3, and LIX, which are neutrophil chemoattractants. Dual immunolabeling of type I cells for viral antigen and CXC chemokines showed that chemokines were expressed primarily by uninfected cells. Virus-induced chemokine expression was reduced by the IL-1 receptor antagonist, suggesting that IL-1 produced by infected cells induces uninfected cells to express chemokines. Primary cultures of alveolar epithelial cells are an important model for the early events in viral infection that lead to pulmonary inflammation.

Keywords

Alveolar epithelium
Chemokine
Sialodacryoadenitis virus
Parker rat coronavirus
CINC-2
CINC-3
LIX
Neutrophil chemoattractant
IL-1 receptor antagonist

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Contributed equally to this work.