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Morphological and biochemical characterisation of sensory neurons infected in vitro with rabies virus

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Abstract

This work was aimed at the morphological and biochemical characterisation of the most susceptible neuronal subpopulation to rabies virus (RABV) infection. Adult mouse DRG cultures were infected with RABV and double-processed for viral antigen detection and neuropeptides: calcitonine gene-related peptide (CGRP), galanin (GAL), substance P (SP), neuropeptide Y (NPY) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP). It was found that 56% of the neurons in culture were small (diameter <20 μm) but, in spite of this, 69% of the infected neurons had intermediate and large diameters (≥20 μm). More than 50% of infected neurons expressed NPY, VIP or SP, whereas no association was found between infected neurons and the presence of CGRP or GAL. Despite SP having been shown to be a small neuron marker, it was found that RABV infects medium and large-sized SP positive cells. RABV preference for larger neurons could explain part of the neuropathogenesis since it can be suggested that, following a rabid accident, the virus uses large neurons (mainly innervating muscle and joints) in vivo to be transported later on to the central nervous system.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dr. Niyibi Quiroga for her technical assistance, Jason Garry for patient translation and Dr. Phillip Lawrence for correcting the manuscript. This work was funded by Instituto Nacional para el Fomento de la Ciencia y la Tecnología (COLCIENCIAS, grant number 2104-05-10855) and the Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogota Colombia (INS, grant number 02/2000).

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  1. Marlén Martínez-Gutiérrez

    Present address: Programa de Estudio y Control de Enfermedades Tropicales-PECET, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellin, Colombia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Virología, Universidad El Bosque, Transversal 9A Bis No. 132-55, Edificio de Rectoría – Laboratorio 205, Bogota, Colombia

    Marlén Martínez-Gutiérrez & Jaime E. Castellanos

  2. Laboratorio de Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogota, Colombia

    Marlén Martínez-Gutiérrez & Jaime E. Castellanos

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  1. Marlén Martínez-Gutiérrez
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  2. Jaime E. Castellanos
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Correspondence to Jaime E. Castellanos.

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Martínez-Gutiérrez, M., Castellanos, J.E. Morphological and biochemical characterisation of sensory neurons infected in vitro with rabies virus. Acta Neuropathol 114, 263–269 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-007-0222-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-007-0222-9

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