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Identification of nitric oxide synthase 2 as an innate resistance locus against ectromelia virus infection
G Karupiah1, J H Chen, C F Nathan
1Host Defense Laboratory, Viral Engineering and Cytokines Group, Division of Immunology and Cell Biology, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. Guna.Karupiah@anu.edu.au
Abstract:
To assess whether nitric oxide synthase 2 (NOS2) fulfills the criteria of an innate resistance locus against an acute viral infection, we inoculated genetically deficient NOS2-/- mice with virulent ectromelia virus (EV), the causative agent of mousepox. NOS2-/- mice proved highly susceptible to EV yet showed no diminution in other well-characterized anti-EV immune responses, i.e. , gamma interferon secretion and NK cell and EV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte activities. Thus, the NOS2 locus can be considered a critical monogenic determinant of EV resistance that contributes to host survival.