Immunity to Polyomavirus Infection: The Polyoma Virus-Mouse Model

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Phillip A. Swanson, Emory University; Aron E Lukacher, Emory University; Eva Szomolanyi-Tsuda, University of Massachusetts
• Language: English
• Date: 2009-08
• Publisher: Elsevier: 12 months
• Publication Version: Author Accepted Manuscript (After Peer Review)
• Copyright Statement: © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.semcancer.2009.02.003
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Seminars in Cancer Biology
• ISSN: 1044-579X
• Volume: 19
• Issue: 4
• Start Page: 244
• End Page: 251
• Grant/Funding Information: Work described in this review was supported by National Cancer Institute grants R01CA71971, R01CA100644 (A.E. Lukacher) and R01CA66644 (E. Szomolanyi-Tsuda).
• Keywords: Polyoma virus; Mouse; Cellular Immunity; Humoral Immunity
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Immunology; Health Sciences, Pathology

Abstract

A ubiquitous clinically silent murine pathogen, polyoma virus has enjoyed long-term co-evolution with the mouse, a highly tractable and genetically and immunologically informative small animal model. Thus, polyoma virus has provided a valuable experimental construct to decipher the host immune mechanisms that come into play to control systemic low-level persistent viral infections. Impaired immunosurveillance for infected cells puts the murine host at risk both to injury resulting from excessive direct virus cytolysis and development of virus-induced tumors. In this review, we present our current understanding of the multifaceted immune response invoked by the mouse to maintain détente with this potentially deleterious persistent natural pathogen, and discuss implications of these studies for therapeutic interventions for human polyomavirus infection.