West Nile Virus Capsid Triggers Brain Inflammation

This finding was published in the December 2002 online edition of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Investigators from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, USA) found that the WNV-capsid by itself induced rapid nuclear condensation and cell death in tissue culture. Apoptosis was induced through the mitochondrial pathway resulting in caspase-9 activation and downstream caspase-3 activation.

"Despite the fact that West Nile virus is a global health threat, we understand very little of the pathogenesis of the disease caused by this virus,” said senior author Dr. David Weiner, associate professor in the University of Pennsylvania's department of pathology and laboratory medicine. "Overall, our data suggest that WNV-Cp may interact with host cell proteins to induce apoptosis in the host cell. Identifying these proteins will likely give more insight into the biology of West Nile.”




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