2023-04-27 03:30:13
A research team has developed a method to localize TBE viruses in the brain. It was shown that the virus takes different paths and infects different cell types. But where do the differences come from?
The dreaded Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBE) can be severe encephalitis that can lead to long-term disabilities. Currently there is no curative treatment for TBE – the most important measures are to prevent the infection by avoiding it tick bites and the Vaccination. A new study now shows that TBE infects different cells in different parts of the brain, depending on whether the immune system of the data subject is activated or not.
Virus Signpost
In one study, microbiologist Prof. Anna Överby and her research team mapped out how TBE virus infects the brain and causes encephalitis. To do this, the scientists developed a method with which they could localize the viruses in the brains of mice in three dimensions and thus understand which specific parts of the brain were infected with the virus. The method – which is based on a combination of image analysis and studies of gene expression in different cell types – works like a kind of map of the virus in the brain.
Different immune responses
During the mapping, the researchers noticed that there is a difference between the spread of the virus in the brains of mice with and without an innate immune response: Depending on whether the mouse’s innate immune system responded to the virus, it infected different regions of the brain. A detailed look at the infected brain regions revealed that the immune system not only influenced the spread of the virus, but also the cell types that were infected in the affected brain regions.
Activated microglia
It turned out that in cases in which the immune system in the brain could not be activated, the Microglia have been infected. The task of the brain immune cells is actually to prevent and eliminate the infection in advance. In contrast, mice that were able to activate their immune system in the brain were particularly affected Neurons infected. It is already known that innate immune system play an important role in preventing the TBE virus from damaging the brain, but it was previously unclear where and which cells they infect.
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“Understanding how the virus behaves in the brain and how it activates the immune system is a crucial step in the development of effective treatments and preventive measures against this difficult disease,” explains Överby. “The results underline the importance of the immune system for TBE-infected people. In addition, with the new imaging methods we have developed and their combination with the analysis of the gene expression of individual cells, we have opened up new possibilities for studying viruses that infect the brain,” says Överby.
This text is based on a press release of the Swedish Research Council. You can find the original publication here.
Image source: Nik Shuliahin, unsplash
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