CULTURE CHARACTERIZATION AND VIRAL-INFECTION OF AORTIC SMOOTH-MUSCLE CELLS FROM JAPANESE-QUAIL SUSCEPTIBLE TO ATHEROSCLEROSIS

Proliferation of aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs), an important featu re of atherosclerosis, occurs in the early stage of the disease in Jap anese quail when fed an atherogenic diet. Quail aortic SMCs were isola ted from a total of 32 quail and cultured in Eagle's minimum essential medium supplemented with 10% bovine fetal serum. Studies were carried out to characterize the cells in vitro. They grew actively in the ear ly passages, but began to develop cytopathic changes after 3-4 passage s and eventually cell death. The pathobiology had similarities to viru s infected cells. Whole-mount electron microscopic examination detecte d virus-like particles in the cultured cells. All cell lines tested we re positive for viral infection as screened by DNA dot blot hybridizat ion using a genomic library of Marek's disease herpesvirus as a probe. However, the attempt to isolate the virus was unsuccessful. In summar y, these cell lines are believed to be infected by a putative quail he rpesvirus. Results of this in vitro cellular study support previous fi ndings that the atherosclerosis susceptible quail are latently infecte d in vivo. Future studies will be needed to determine whether the viru s plays a role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis in this animal m odel. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.