Lymphocytic choriomeningitis and alpha-chemokines

IP-10 and its receptor CXCR3 play an important role in lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM). During the course of LCM in mice not only cells of the immune system but also central nervous system (CNS) resident cells are actively involved in both the pro- and the counter-inflammatory immune circuits. A central role for IP-10 in regulating the accumulation of effector T cells at sites of CNS inflammation, with no apparent compensatory effect of other CXCR3 ligands, has been shown. The producers of IP-10 are mainly resident cells of the CNS, and astrocytes are the dominant expressors in the neural parenchyma, not microglial cells or recruited bone marrow-derived cell types. These results are consistent with a mode suggesting a bidirectional interplay between resident cells of the CNS and the recruited virus-specific T cells with astrocytes as active participants in the local antiviral host response.