HUMORAL IMMUNITY IN THE CENTRAL-NERVOUS-SYSTEM OF LEWIS RATS INFECTEDWITH BORNA-DISEASE VIRUS

The aim of this study was to investigate the humoral immune response t o Borna disease (ED) virus in the brain of experimentally infected Lew is rats. Abundant IgG was detected in ED-rat brain with isotype variat ion throughout infection. IgG was locally produced as indicated by an intact blood-brain barrier, Ig kappa light chain mRNA-containing cells in brain and accumulation of virus-specific antibodies in cerebrospin al fluid. Treatment with ED-rat serum altered viral gene expression in persistently infected cultured rat glioblastoma cells. These data sug gest that antibodies, produced in the brain, may influence viral gene expression. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights res erved.