Effect of mouse genotype on interferon production: III. Expression ofif-1 by peritoneal macrophages in vitro

Mapping complex traits using families of recombinant inbred strains: an overview and example of mapping susceptibility to Candida albicans induced illness phenotypes

This overview and data-based example indicate how large families of recombinant inbred (RI) strains can be used to identify genetic loci and genes that underlie complex phenotypic differences among inbred mice. The RI approach requires no a priori expectations or assumptions about mechanisms that influence the phenotype, other than that variability is partly heritable. RI strains, which are produced by inbreeding the F2 progeny of two parental strains for at least 20 generations, have two major advantages. First, numerous subjects with identical genotypes can be analyzed to determine the average phenotype associated with that genotype, and second, it becomes practical to systematically accumulate large genome and phenome data sets for entire RI families, including sequence data, transcriptomes for many organs, and cell types and extensive data on gene-by-pathogen interactions. This enables the construction of far more sophisticated models of disease cause and progression. To illustrate the use of the systems genetics approach to infectious disease, we designed a simple study using three complementary families of RI strains (CXB, BXD, and AXB/BXA) that are differentially susceptible to intravenous challenge with the yeast Candida albicans.

Interferon-induced expression of If-1h and If-1l alleles in Newcastle disease virus-infected mouse macrophages is associated with specific differences in viral gene transcription

We have studied the expression of cytokines and viral genes induced by Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and Sendai virus in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMM) and lymphocytes from C57BL/6 mice and the congenic line B6.C-H-28c. These mice carry the loci If-1h (high) or If-1l (low), respectively, that are responsible for up to tenfold differences in the interferon (IFN)-alpha, IFN-beta, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) response to NDV but not to Sendai virus. Only BMM but not spleen lymphocytes showed allele-specific differences in NDV-induced cytokine levels, indicating cell-specific If-1 expression. The If-1 locus harbors IFN-inducible gene(s) whose expression is prevented in the presence of cycloheximide. Our data provide evidence that the If-1l allele acts by specifically suppressing the cytokine response to NDV. Cytokine production was dependent on infectious virions, and kinetic analyses revealed a close correlation between the amount of viral transcripts and individual cytokine mRNA. BMM from lf-1l mice strongly restricted transcription of the NDV nucleoprotein (NP) gene, whereas BMM from If-1h mice supported NP transcription. Following treatment with IL-4, which inhibited constitutive IFN-beta gene expression, however, If-1l BMM became highly permissive for transcription of the viral NP gene and released high amounts of cytokines. We conclude that If-1l gene products are responsible for the low producer phenotype by efficiently interfering with NDV transcription, leading to strongly reduced intracellular levels of cytokine inducing viral dsRNA intermediates.

The in vitro expression patterns of individual type I interferon genes in Newcastle disease virus infected murine splenocytes and fibroblasts

Murine type I interferon levels present in mice sera following Newcastle disease virus infections are influenced by the If-1 locus. Sera interferon levels in C57BL/6 mice (If-1h allele) are 10- to 15-fold higher than in BALB/c mice (If-1(1) allele). The B6.C-H-28c strain, which carries BALB/c If-1(1) allele on C57BL/6 genomic background, has low interferon levels in sera. This study examined the expression of interferon alpha 1, alpha 4, alpha 5, alpha 6, alpha 9 and beta mRNAs at 7 hr after Newcastle disease virus infection of primary cells (splenocytes and mouse embryo fibroblasts) from C57BL/6, B6.C-H-28c and BALB/c mouse genotypes. Total RNA from these cells was reverse transcribed and all known type I interferon subtypes were amplified. The products were identified by differential hybridization to a panel of subtype specific oligonucleotides. The results show that the pattern of interferon subtypes examined in splenocytes did not differ between If-1h and If-1(1) allele carrying C57BL mice. However, when the genotype was different (BALB/c splenocytes) the pattern of type I interferon mRNAs seen was altered. This genotype-dependent expression was also seen in newcastle disease virus infected fibroblasts. Within a given mouse strain, there were also differences in the subtype response patterns detected in fibroblasts compared with those seen in splenocytes. In conclusion, the present study indicates that mouse genotype appears to be a major determinant of the subtype response pattern seen and tissue specific pattern differences are present within a given mouse genotype.

Strain differences in the somnogenic effects of interferon inducers in mice

Increased slow-wave sleep accompanies influenza infection in C57BL/6 mice but not BALB/c mice. These strains of mice possess different alleles of the genetic lucus If-1, which codes for high (If-1h; C57BL/6) and low (If-1(1); BALB/c) production of interferon (IFN), a putative sleep-inducing cytokine. To evaluate the contribution of the If-1 gene to differences in murine sleep propensity, sleep patterns were evaluated in mice treated with the IFN inducers polyinosinic:polycytidilic acid (pIC) or Newcastle disease virus (NDV), with influenza virus, or with murine interferon (IFN-alpha) or IFN-alpha/beta. As compared with baseline values, C57BL/6 mice exhibited increased slow-wave sleep after all three challenges, but BALB/c mice did not. Congenic B6.C-H28c mice, which bear the BALB/c allele for low IFN production on the C57BL/6 genetic background, showed enhanced slow-wave sleep after influenza infection but not after NDV. Exogenous IFN did not enhance slow-wave sleep in either C57BL/6 or BALB/c mice. These data suggest that the If-1 allele may influence the somnogenic responsiveness of mice under some conditions but that additional mechanisms may contribute to sleep enhancement during infectious disease.

Interferon-alpha generation in mice responding to challenge with UV-inactivated herpes simplex virus

In humans with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, an interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) response by a specialized blood mononuclear cell to herpes simplex virus (HSV) in vitro is associated with resistance to opportunistic infections. A cell type of unknown lineage, designated the natural IFN-producing cell (NIPC), has been identified preliminarily as the source of these IFNs and may have a role in other host defense functions. Earlier studies suggested the existence of analogous HSV-responsive cell populations in mice. The role specifically of IFN-alpha in the murine system, however, has not been characterized. Using IFN bioassay and neutralization with antisera against Type I IFNs and IFN-beta, we have defined the types and sources of IFNs produced by mice in response to in vivo and in vitro challenge with UV-inactivated HSV. After intraperitoneal inoculation with HSV, BALB/c and C57Bl/6 strains produced characteristically different levels of serum IFNs that appeared principally to be IFN-alpha. The response of mononuclear cells from these mice differed from that of the intact mouse. Isolated cells from bone marrow and spleen released detectable IFNs much later than did whole animals, and the IFNs produced by marrow, spleen, and peritoneal cells were usually neutralized by the anti-IFN-beta. Only bone marrow cells produced detectable amounts of IFN-alpha. Both intact mice and their cells became refractory to restimulation with similar kinetics.

Downregulation of Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-dependent IFN-alpha/beta production in macrophages by IFN-induced gene products of the locus If-1

We have found that in cultured mouse bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM), endogenous IFN-beta specifically regulates Newcastle disease virus (NDV) induced interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta synthesis, possibly by influencing the activity of genes within the regulatory locus If-1. Comparison of anti-IFN-beta-treated BMDM from C57BL/6 mice and the congenic line B.6C-H28c carrying the high (h) or low (l) producer allele of If-1, respectively, revealed a much stronger response of the If-1l allele to exogenous IFN-alpha treatment. Twenty IU rIFN-alpha 4 were sufficient to induce nearly complete suppression of NDV-induced IFN-alpha and IFN-beta production in BMDM from B6.C-H28c mice, but had no effect on the IFN-alpha/beta response induced by Sendai virus, another member of the paramyxovirus group. Simultaneous treatment of BMDM with cycloheximide inhibited the suppressive effect of rIFN-alpha 4, indicating that IFN induced the expression of one or several new proteins encoded by gene(s) within the If-1l locus which are responsible for the NDV-specific downregulation of IFN-alpha/beta production. A time course analysis indicated that the suppressive activity of IFN-induced If-1l gene products took 12 h to develop. It was preceded by an opposite priming effect, leading to enhancement of the early IFN-alpha/beta response to NDV measured 5 h after infection. This priming effect in BMDM was, however, only visible during an 8-h period of IFN-alpha treatment, whereas in the continued presence of IFN for 12 h or longer, priming was superimposed by the inhibitory action of the If-1l gene products.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Identification by in situ hybridization of IFN-beta-producing murine macrophages obtained from high and low interferon producers

Resident peritoneal macrophages obtained from If-1h and If-1l mice were induced in vitro with Newcastle disease virus. Then, 3, 5 and 7 h after induction, the cells were fixed and analysed for the presence of Mu IFN-beta mRNA by in situ hybridization, using a 35S-labelled Mu IFN-beta cDNA as a probe. The number of cells that were scored positive was the same in cultures derived from high responder If-1h and from low responder If-1l mice, and reached 100% of the cells present in the cultures. This result highly suggests that low responder mice have the same number of IFN-producing cells as high responders, and that the difference in production is not due to an increased number of producer cells in high responders.

Generation of lipopolysaccharide-induced interferon in spleen cell cultures. I. Genetic analysis and cellular requirements

Incubation of murine spleen-cell cultures with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces interferon (IF) production. Maximal IF levels are obtained after incubation with 100 microgram/ml for 10 h. Two inbred mouse strains differing in their ability to generate LPS-induced IF in spleen-cell cultures were used: C3H/eB, which generates high levels of IF (about 60 units/ml), and C3H/HeJ, which fails to generate detectable quantities of IF. In a genetic analysis these strains were hybridized and IF production was determined in spleen-cell cultures from F1 and F2 generations, and from backcrosses of F1 hybrids to parent strains. The results indicate that, in parent strains, a single dominant autosomal gene is responsible for differences in IF production in spleen cultures. LPS-induced IF in spleen-cell cultures resists pH 2 for as long as 48 h, but is labile to heating at 56 degrees C for 30 min. Both macrophages and lymphocytes must be present in cultures for generation of LPS-induced IF. By using mixed cultures of macrophages and lymphocytes from C3H/eB and C3H/HeJ mice, it was shown that macrophages have to interact directly with LPS to enable IF production in the cultures.