FVB mice transgenic for the H-2Db gene become resistant to persistent infection by Theiler's virus

The DA strain of Theiler's virus causes a persistent infection of the white matter of the spinal cord with chronic inflammation and primary demyelination. Inbred strains of mice differ greatly in their susceptibility to this disease. It has been shown that both viral persistence and demyelination are controlled mainly by a gene located in the H-2D region. This raised the possibility that the H-2D gene itself controls viral persistence, which in turn determines demyelination. In the present work we introduced the H-2Db gene of resistant C57BL/6 mice into the genome of susceptible H-2q FVB mice and showed that the FVB mice become resistant to persistence of the infection and did not develop inflammatory lesions.