Programmed cell death in MHV-induced demyelination.

Abstract

Coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) strain A59 causes severe acute hepatitis, focal meningoencephalitis, and chronic demyelinating disease of the spinal cord. It serves as an experimental model for multiple sclerosis. MHV-2 causes acute hepatitis and meningitis. The pathogenesis of MHV-induced demyelination in mice is not clear and a potential mechanism of apoptosis was suggested. Previous studies showed apoptotic T cells, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in demyelinating areas following MHV-JHM infection (Barac-Latas et al 1997). However, the distribution of demyelination has been suggested to correlate better with macrophage infiltration than with the apoptotic cells (Wu and Perlman 1999). In the chronic demyelinating disease induced by Theiler’s virus, apoptotic astrocytes were found in demyelinating lesions (Palma et al 1999). In experimental allergic encephalitis, the disease was much milder in mice lacking Fas-Fas ligand molecules, suggesting that apoptosis plays a role in the disease (Waldner et al 1997).KeywordsDemyelinating LesionMouse Hepatitis VirusSevere Acute HepatitisNational Multiple Sclerosis SocietyExperimental Allergic EncephalitisThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.