Experimental rabies virus infection of p75 neurotrophin receptor-deficient mice

The low-affinity neurotrophin (NT) receptor, p75(NTR), has complex biologic functions. A recent report provided evidence that the p75(NTR) is a rabies virus receptor in cultured BSR cells. We studied the experimental infection of 6-day-old p75(NTR)-deficient mice with the challenge virus standard strain of fixed rabies virus inoculated intracerebrally. The mice developed a fatal encephalitis. There were morphologic changes of apoptotic cell death involving neurons in widespread areas of the brain, which were associated with in situ evidence of oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation. The findings were very similar to those that we previously reported in wild-type ICR mice of the same age. If the p75(NTR) is an important receptor of rabies virus in animal hosts, then a greater effect on the clinical and pathologic features of rabies virus-infected p75(NTR)-deficient mice would have been expected.