PMID: 9549727Apr 29, 1998Paper

Degeneration of the cerebellar granule cell layer in transgenic mice expressing genes of human foamy virus

Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology
J LampeA Aguzzi

Abstract

Transgenic mice expressing various combinations of structural and regulatory genes of human foamy virus (HFV) develop a neurodegenerative syndrome. delta gpe transgenic mice (which express the auxiliary bel-1 and bet genes along with truncated forms of gag, pol, and env) develop a severe neurological syndrome consisting mainly of spastic tetraparesis and blindness, and show neuronal loss in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. In addition, mice in two of eight delta gpe lines developed an ataxic gait. Here we studied the phenotype of these two lines, and show that these mice exhibit progressive degeneration of their cerebellar granule cells beginning at 4-8 weeks of age. Transgenic mRNA and HFV proteins accumulate in cerebellar granule cells immediately before the onset of degeneration. The Purkinje cell layer is largely unaffected by this pathological process. Probably due to the loss of granule cell processes, the cerebellar molecular layer is narrowed in the late stages of the disease. These findings indicate that HFV gene products can be neurotoxic for cerebellar granule cells.

References

Nov 1, 1992·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·S LagayeR Emanoil-Ravier
Feb 1, 1991·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·A RethwilmV ter Meulen
Jan 1, 1973·Archiv für die gesamte Virusforschung·D YoungJ K Clarke
May 1, 1995·Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology : Official Publication of the International Retrovirology Association·P J Harris, R Curry
May 1, 1995·Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology : Official Publication of the International Retrovirology Association·W HeneineJ E Kaplan
Mar 10, 1995·Virology·M Schweizer, D Neumann-Haefelin
May 1, 1994·AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses·M SchweizerD Neumann-Haefelin
Oct 1, 1994·The Journal of General Virology·H HahnA Rethwilm
Sep 1, 1993·Journal of Virology·G BaunachA Rethwilm
Mar 31, 1999·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·A J RaeberC Weissmann

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

May 8, 2002·Nature Reviews. Neuroscience·Minh Dang NguyenSerge Rivest

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Ataxias

Ataxia is a neurological condition characterized by lack of voluntary coordination of muscle movements including loss of coordination, balance, and speech. Discover the latest research on different types of ataxias here.