P-12 Association of human polyomavirus JC with peripheral blood cell subpopulations

• Published in: Journal of neurovirology Vol. 11
• Main Authors: Doerries, K, Sbiera, S, Husstedt, I W, Arendt, G, Doerries, R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.01.2005
• ISSN: 1355-0284

Lifelong persistence of human polyomaviruses is asymptomatic in the immunocompetent individual. In contrast, in immunoimpaired risk group patients JC virus infection can be associated with severe destruction of brain tissue and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Since huPyV DNA is regularly found in normal brain or kidney autopsy samples, it can be assumed that the virus is disseminated to its sites of persistence long before the disease process is initiated. One possible route of invasion could be the migration of infected peripheral blood cells (PBCs) into organ parenchyma or even direct introduction of circulating virus by infection of ependymal or endothelial cells. Previous studies have shown that PBCs of nonPML patients and healthy individuals carried huPyV DNA. PCR analyses on cell free plasma demonstrated the presence of viral DNA suggesting that infection is active during persistence and virus regularly circulates in the blood. In order to understand the interplay of circulating virus, affected PBCs and their role in the virus life cycle we analysed circulating virus, characterized affected PBC subpopulations in single cell analyses by fluorescence in situ hybridization with JCV-specific digoxygenin-labeled probes and localized virus DNA intracellularly in PML, risk group patients and healthy individuals. JCV hybridizing signals were found in B and T lymphocytes, in monocytes and in granulocytes. Intracellular localization indicates cell-associated as well as virus-specific interaction of JCV with affected cells. These findings support the idea that circulating cells play a role in the JCV life cycle and disease progress by continuous dissemination of virus into diseased organs.