Comparison of human cytomegalovirus growth in MRC‐5 human fibroblasts, brain, and choroid plexus cells in vitro

Abstract

Cell cultures derived from human brain, choroid plexus, and human lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) were infected with the Towne strain of human cytomegalovirus (CMV). The cytopathic effect, beginning 24-48 hours after infection, was characterized by foci of enlarged rounded cells that spread slowly and eventually coalesced to destroy the entire monolayer within one week. Cowdry type A inclusion bodies and herpes virus nucleocapsids were seen in infected cells. CMV-specific antigen was demonstrated by immunofluorescence in fibroblasts and astrocytic cells of brain cultures and in cells of choroid plexus cultures as well as in MRC-5 fibroblasts. Despite these morphologic and immunochemical similarities the growth of CMV differed in cells of brain and choroid plexus origin as compared with MRC-5 cells. In brain and choroid plexus cell cultures most of the virus remained cell-associated throughout the observation period of one week, whereas in MRC-5 cells the CMV was found in both cell-associated and cell-free fractions of harvested material.

Human Cytomegalovirus Persistent Infection in a Human Central Nervous System Cell Line: Production of a Variant Virus with Different Growth Characteristics

“…(10 p.f.u./cell), although the amounts of infectious virus produced in these two cultures were more than 100-fold lower than that in HEL cultures which are fully permissive for HCMV replication. The interaction of HCMV with human brain and choroid plexus cell cultures has been examined by Wroblewska et al (1981), who found that these cell cultures have an ability to support HCMV replication and that the replicated virus remained cell-associated. Moreover, our experiments to study the fate of HCMV-infected CNS lines demonstrated that the 118MGC cultures enter into a long-term (for more than 1 year) persistent infection with HCMV.…”

Primary chimpanzee skin fibroblast cells are fully permissive for human cytomegalovirus replication

“…Progress in applying the full power of recombinant DNA-based technology to the study of this medically important virus has been hampered by the limited types of cells fully permissive for virus replication. In general, high titre yields of laboratory virus strains can only be obtained by infection of primary diploid fibroblast cells (LaFemina & Hayward, 1988;Kari et al, 1992;Wroblewska et al, 1981). Nevertheless, in an examination of a panel of human cell lines for the ability to sustain productive HCMV replication, Smith (1986) has shown that a human epithelial cell is as able to support HCMV replication as fibroblast cells.…”

Processing of human cytomegalovirus envelope glycoproteins in and egress of cytomegalovirus from human astrocytoma cells

“…In vitro models of HCMV brain cell infection have been established to attempt to gain a better understanding of HCMV replication in brain cells. In vitro, HCMV is capable of replicating in primary brain cells and several cell lines of nervous tissue origin (Wroblewska et al, 1981;Ogura et al, 1986;Kari & Gehrz 1986;Duclos et al, 1989;Poland et al, 1990). Primary brain cells are capable of producing infectious HCMV; however, these cells are slow to release infectious virus, 60 to 70% of infectious HCMV remaining cell-associated 9 to 11 days post-infection (p.i.).…”

“…In contrast, 60 to 70% of the infectious HCMV made in fibroblast ceils is released into the culture medium 9 to 11 days p.i. (Wroblewska et al, 1981). Thus, the egress of HCMV from primary brain cells appears to be impaired relative to that from fibroblast cells.…”