Repair of the UL21 locus in pseudorabies virus Bartha enhances the kinetics of retrograde, transneuronal infection in vitro and in vivo.

ABSTRACT: The attenuated pseudorabies virus (PRV) strain Bartha contains several characterized mutations that affect its virulence and ability to spread through neural circuits. This strain contains a small genomic deletion that abrogates anterograde spread and is widely used as a retrograde-restricted neural circuit tracer. Previous studies showed that the retrograde-directed spread of PRV Bartha is slower than that of wild-type PRV. We used compartmented neuronal cultures to characterize the retrograde defect and identify the genetic basis of the phenotype. PRV Bartha is not impaired in retrograde axonal transport, but transneuronal spread among neurons is diminished. Repair of the U(L)21 locus with wild-type sequence restored efficient transneuronal spread both in vitro and in vivo. It is likely

SUBMITTER: Curanovic D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2620901 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature