DA strain and other TO subgroup strains of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) cause a chronic demyelinating disease in mice with a persistent restricted virus infection. The demyelinating lesions in One of the goals of our work is to define the molecular determinants for the TO subgroup strains' biological activities (viz., the demyelinating activity, virus persistence, and restricted virus expression) and to characterize the mechanisms of action. We have described a protein, L*, which is synthesized in TO subgroup strains (but not in non-demyelinating TMEV strains) in addition to the polyprotein. L* is initiated 13 molecules downstream from the initiation codon for the DA polyprotein and is in a different reading frame. The presence of a viral protein that is synthesized out of frame with the polyprotein is unique among picornaviruses. Virus with a mutation in L* is no longer capable of inducing the late white matter disease, indicating that this protein is critical for the demyelinating disease. Recent unpublished data show that: L* is critical for virus persistence; L* inhibits a virus-induced apoptosis that is induced in certain cells (e.g., macrophages); L* inhibits an antiviral cytolytic (CTL) T cell response (and therefore mouse strains susceptible to the late demyelinating disease fail to raise an antiviral CTL response following DA virus infection - and therefore virus persists). There is a rather unique control of L* expression, viz., a cell-type specific regulation of translation initiation from one or the other alternative AUGs, either leading to an increased synthesis of L* (with the generation of a restricted virus expression and the inhibition of virus-induced apoptosis and of the virus-specific CTL response) or of the polyprotein (with the accumulation of capsid proteins and cell lysis). In this proposal, we seek to further delineate the function of L* protein and its role in DA-induced demyelinating disease. We will characterize the effect of L* in vitro and in vivo and whether the synthesis of L* vs. polyprotein varies in different cells.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS037958-04
Application #
6394018
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-NLS-3 (01))
Program Officer
Utz, Ursula
Project Start
1998-07-20
Project End
2003-06-30
Budget Start
2001-07-01
Budget End
2002-06-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$251,388
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Chicago
Department
Neurology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
225410919
City
Chicago
State
IL
Country
United States
Zip Code
60637
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Stavrou, Spyridon; Ghadge, Ghanashyam; Roos, Raymond P (2011) Apoptotic and antiapoptotic activity of L protein of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus. J Virol 85:7177-85
Stavrou, Spyridon; Feng, Zongdi; Lemon, Stanley M et al. (2010) Different strains of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus antagonize different sites in the type I interferon pathway. J Virol 84:9181-9
Stavrou, Spyridon; Baida, Gleb; Viktorova, Ekaterina et al. (2010) Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus L* amino acid position 93 is important for virus persistence and virus-induced demyelination. J Virol 84:1348-54
Baida, Gleb; Popko, Brian; Wollmann, Robert L et al. (2008) A subgenomic segment of Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus RNA causes demyelination. J Virol 82:5879-86
Lin, Xiaoqi; Ma, Xiaoxing; Rodriguez, Moses et al. (2004) CD4+ T cells are important for clearance of DA strain of TMEV from the central nervous system of SJL/J mice. Int Immunol 16:1237-40
Lin, Xiaoqi; Ma, Xiaoxing; Rodriguez, Moses et al. (2003) Membrane lymphotoxin is required for resistance to Theiler's virus infection. Int Immunol 15:955-62
Pilipenko, E V; Viktorova, E G; Guest, S T et al. (2001) Cell-specific proteins regulate viral RNA translation and virus-induced disease. EMBO J 20:6899-908