FLOW CYTOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX (MHC) CLASS-II ANTIGEN EXPRESSION ON BRAIN-CELLS FROM BORNA-DISEASE VIRUS-INFECTED RATS WITHOUT AN INTERVENING IN-VITRO CULTURE STEP

Borna disease virus (BDV) infects astrocytes in the Lewis rat brain. B DV-infected astrocytes have been shown to express MHC class II in vitr o but not in vivo. Using a sensitive fluorescence-activated cytometric technique, we now report the detection of MHC class II on freshly har vested S100-positive cells from BDV-infected rat brain, without an int ervening in vitro culture step. These data support the hypothesis that astrocytes from BDV-infected rats express MHC class II on their surfa ce and, thus, are potential participants in the encephalitic response to BDV infection. (C) 1997 Academic Press.