Multi-spectral fluorescent reporter influenza viruses (Color-flu) as powerful tools for in vivo studies.

ABSTRACT: Seasonal influenza A viruses cause annual epidemics of respiratory disease; highly pathogenic avian H5N1 and the recently emerged H7N9 viruses cause severe infections in humans, often with fatal outcomes. Although numerous studies have addressed the pathogenicity of influenza viruses, influenza pathogenesis remains incompletely understood. Here we generate influenza viruses expressing fluorescent proteins of different colours ('Color-flu' viruses) to facilitate the study of viral infection in in vivo models. On adaptation to mice, stable expression of the fluorescent proteins in infected animals allows their detection by different types of microscopy and by flow cytometry. We use this system to analyse the progression of viral spread in mouse lungs, for live imaging of virus-infected cells

SUBMITTER: Fukuyama S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4389232 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature