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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Dissecting Host-virus Interaction in Lytic Replication of a Model Herpesvirus
Published on: October 7, 2011
Role of tachykinins in the host response to murine gammaherpesvirus infection
C M Payne1, C J Heggie, D G Brownstein
1Laboratory for Clinical and Molecular Virology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 1QH, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Tachykinins function not only as neurotransmitters but also as immunological mediators. We used infection of tachykinin-deficient (PPT-A(-/-)) mice and wild-type controls with murine gammaherpesvirus to assess the role of tachykinins in the host response to a virus infection. Although infection was ultimately controlled in PPT-A(-/-) mice, there were higher titers of infectious virus in the lungs, accompanied by a more rapid influx of inflammatory cells. Clearance of latently infected cells from the spleen was also delayed. This is the first report of the direct influence of tachykinins in the host response to a virus infection.
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