Antibody Production Remains Intact Despite Loss of Bone Marrow B cells in Murine Norovirus Infected Stat1-/- Mice

Comp Med. 2021 Dec 1;71(6):502-511. doi: 10.30802/AALAS-CM-21-000054. Epub 2021 Nov 18.

Abstract

Murine norovirus (MNV), which can be used as a model system to study human noroviruses, can infect macrophages/ monocytes, neutrophils, dendritic, intestinal epithelial, T and B cells, and is highly prevalent in laboratory mice. We previously showed that MNV infection significantly reduces bone marrow B cell populations in a Stat1-dependent manner. We show here that while MNV-infected Stat1-/- mice have significant losses of bone marrow B cells, splenic B cells capable of mounting an antibody response to novel antigens retain the ability to expand. We also investigated whether increased granulopoiesis after MNV infection was causing B cell loss. We found that administration of anti-G-CSF antibody inhibits the pronounced bone marrow granulopoiesis induced by MNV infection of Stat1-/- mice, but this inhibition did not rescue bone marrow B cell losses. Therefore, MNV-infected Stat1-/- mice can still mount a robust humoral immune response despite decreased bone marrow B cells. This suggests that further investigation will be needed to identify other indirect factors or mechanisms that are responsible for the bone marrow B cell losses seen after MNV infection. In addition, this work contributes to our understanding of the potential physiologic effects of Stat1-related disruptions in research mouse colonies that may be endemically infected with MNV.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibody Formation
  • Bone Marrow
  • Caliciviridae Infections*
  • Macrophages
  • Mice
  • Norovirus*
  • STAT1 Transcription Factor

Substances

  • STAT1 Transcription Factor
  • Stat1 protein, mouse