EVIDENCE THAT BRAIN CAPILLARY ENDOTHELIAL-CELLS CAN BE INFECTED WITH MURINE LEUKEMIA RETROVIRUS, LP-BM5

Some mice infected with murine leukaemia retrovirus, LP-BM5 including ecotropic, mink cell focus-inducing murine leukaemia virus, and a repl ication-defective genome, have been reported to show weakness, ataxia, or selective deficits in spatial learning after developing an immunod eficiency syndrome similar to human AIDS. In the central nervous syste m, astrocytes and microglial cells have been shown to be infected by t his virus. We present here findings that the ecotropic virus and defec tive genome can infect murine brain capillary endothelial cells, and i nfected endothelial cells show an impaired function as target cells ag ainst myelin basic protein (MBP) specific T cell clone. (C) 1996 Acade mic Press Limited