TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex differences in susceptibility to viral infection of the central nervous system
AU - Barna, Maria
AU - Komatsu, Takashi
AU - Bi, Zhengbiao
AU - Reiss, Carol S.
N1 - Funding Information:
We gratefully thank Claudia Farb, Center for Neural Science, for the use of the cryostat and Ed O’Rourke for the gift of anti-VSV serum. We are also appreciative of provocative discussions during the course of this study with Dan Muller (University of Wisconsin, Madison), Christine Biron (Brown University), Tom Braciale (University of Virginia). Margaret Rice and Bruce Quinn (New York University School of Medicine), Ted Dawson (Johns Hopkins University). and Alice S. Huang (New York University). This work was funded by a grant to CSR from the National Instituteso f Health, AI-18083,a Bridge Grant from the NYU FAS, and a small grant from the NYU ResearchC hallenge Fund.
PY - 1996/6
Y1 - 1996/6
N2 - We have characterized striking differences in recovery of male and female BALB/c and BALB/c-H-2(dm2) (dm2) mice from an experimental neurotropic viral infection of the central nervous system (CNS). Following intranasal inoculation of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), assays of tissue homogenates from female mice produced lower viral titers. There was also a significant reduction in the spread of virus from the rostral to caudal end of the brain in female mice. Enhanced recovery by female mice of both strains in response to this viral insult correlates with increased levels of Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) types I, II, and III expression, an increased prevalence of reactive astrocytes, earlier and enhanced levels of expression of Major Histocompatabilty Complex (MHC) class II molecules on astrocytes, endothelial and microglial cells, and increased T cell infiltration in the female BALB/c mouse. Taken together, these findings document sexual dimorphism in CNS immunity, and may provide an understanding of some of the mechanisms underlying many sex-biased diseases.
AB - We have characterized striking differences in recovery of male and female BALB/c and BALB/c-H-2(dm2) (dm2) mice from an experimental neurotropic viral infection of the central nervous system (CNS). Following intranasal inoculation of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV), assays of tissue homogenates from female mice produced lower viral titers. There was also a significant reduction in the spread of virus from the rostral to caudal end of the brain in female mice. Enhanced recovery by female mice of both strains in response to this viral insult correlates with increased levels of Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) types I, II, and III expression, an increased prevalence of reactive astrocytes, earlier and enhanced levels of expression of Major Histocompatabilty Complex (MHC) class II molecules on astrocytes, endothelial and microglial cells, and increased T cell infiltration in the female BALB/c mouse. Taken together, these findings document sexual dimorphism in CNS immunity, and may provide an understanding of some of the mechanisms underlying many sex-biased diseases.
KW - BALB/c mice
KW - Central nervous system immunity
KW - Disease susceptibility
KW - Neutropic viral infection
KW - Sex-bias
KW - Sexual dimorphism
KW - T cell
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U2 - 10.1016/S0165-5728(96)00022-7
DO - 10.1016/S0165-5728(96)00022-7
M3 - Article
C2 - 8707928
AN - SCOPUS:0030176199
SN - 0165-5728
VL - 67
SP - 31
EP - 39
JO - Journal of Neuroimmunology
JF - Journal of Neuroimmunology
IS - 1
ER -