Borna disease virus. A possible etiologic factor in human affective disorders?

Borna disease virus is a unique neurotropic agent that appears to have a predilection for the limbic area of the brain. In some animal species, it can produce a behavioral syndrome characterized by aggressive and passive phases. This syndrome has suggested an analogy to certain human affective disorders. In this preliminary study, we examined the possible involvement of Borna disease virus in the etiology of human mood disorders by assaying for virus-specific antibodies in 265 patients with unipolar or bipolar depression and 105 normal, healthy volunteers. Twelve patients (4.5%) and none of the healthy controls demonstrated this antibody in their serum samples. It will be necessary to replicate and extend these intriguing preliminary results to determine if Borna disease virus is possibly involved in the pathogenesis of affective disorders in humans.

Detection of serum antibodies to Borna disease virus in patients with psychiatric disorders

Borna disease virus causes a rare meningoencephalitis in horses and sheep and has been shown to produce behavioral effects in some species. The possibility that the Borna virus is associated with mental disorders in humans was evaluated by examining serum samples from 979 psychiatric patients and 200 normal volunteers for the presence of Borna virus-specific antibodies. Antibodies were detected by the indirect immunofluorescence focus assay. Antibodies to the virus were demonstrated in 16 of the patients but none of the normal volunteers. The patients with the positive serum samples were characterized by having histories of affective disorders, particularly of a cyclic nature. Further studies are needed to define the possible involvement of Borna virus in human psychiatric disturbances.

The formation, isolation, and biological activity of a cytokinin 7-glucoside

The cytokinin, 6-benzylaminopurine, is converted to its 7-glucoside in intact seedlings, organ slices, and tissue cultures from several plants. The ribonucleoside and 5'-ribonucleotide appear transiently, and the general metabolic sequence seems to be nearly identical in the four plant species thus far studied. The glucoside persists for long periods in plant tissues, while all other forms of the cytokinin are rapidly metabolized and disappear within a few hours. A procedure for the isolation in pure form of the glucoside is described.