GLIAL FIBRILLARY ACIDIC PROTEIN (GFAP) IMMUNOCHEMICAL PROFILE AFTER JUNIN VIRUS-INFECTION OF RAT CULTURED ASTROCYTES

Cultured astrocytes derived from newborn rat brain were inoculated wit h Junin virus (JV) to characterize their response to infection by mean s of their glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunochemical profi le. Samples from 1 to 11 days post-inoculation (pi), as well as matche d controls, were serially harvested for GFAP labeling by peroxidase-an tiperoxidase (PAP) method. It was only at day 3 that significantly gre ater values of GFAP staining (P < 0.05) were disclosed by three comple mentary approaches: image analysis, ELISA and immunoblot densitometry. Since such increase was abolished by Triton X-100 treatment, soluble GFAP fraction appeared responsible for the early though transient enha ncement of GFAP immunoreactivity that followed viral inoculation.