Suppression of endothelin system in Vero cells latently infected with influenza virus B/Lee/40.

Abstract

In Vero cells latently infected with influenza virus B/Lee/40 (L/V cells), the endothelin (ET) system was examined as a possible mediator in pathogenesis of latent viral infection by radioimmunoassay (RIA) and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase reaction (RT-PCR). During viral latency of more than two months, ET secretion, preproendothelin-1 (PPET-1) mRNA, and endothelin receptor subtype A (ETAR) mRNA within the cells remained suppressed. Our data indicate that not only the release of ET-1 was downregulated at the transcriptional level but also ETAR mRNA was downregulated rather than upregulated compensatively in L/V cells.