Prolonged induction of IL-8 gene expression in a human fibroblast cell line infected with reovirus serotype 1 strain Lang

Viruses which infect mucosal surfaces commonly infect these particular anat omical sites based on both the virion structure and the interaction of the virus with a particular microenvironment. We infected a human lung epitheli al cell line, a human gut epithelial cell line, and a human lung fibroblast cell line with reovirus 1/L to explore how this natural isolate of both th e lung and the gut may interact with mucosal surfaces. While reovirus infec tion of the gut and lung epithelial cell lines was lytic, a chronic infecti on was established in the human lung fibroblast cell line. All three cell l ines also produced interleukin-8 (IL-8) after infection with reovirus in, a nd IL-8 production was not dependent upon viral replication. A prolonged pr oduction of IL-8 was observed in the chronically infected lung fibroblast c ell line, suggesting that this mucosal population may be involved in the ge neration of inflammatory responses after the resolution of the initial lyti c infection of the epithelium. These studies provide an in vitro model syst em for analyzing the interaction of reovirus 1/L with resident mucosal cell populations. (C) 1999Academic Press.