The neuroadapted Kilham strain of the mumps virus produces lethal encephalitis in newborn hamsters after intracerebral inoculation. The pathogenesis of this encephalitis is not fully understood, but recently, apoptosis and associated cytokine production have been recognized to be major pathologic mechanisms by which viruses cause injury to neuronal host cells. To analyze the main factors producing brain injury in this viral encephalitis, the following questions were investigated: (1) does the virus induce neuronal apoptosis and (2) does expression of cytokines regulate the induction of neuronal apoptosis? Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) was used as a marker of neuronal apoptosis and TUNEL-positive neurons were widespread in the infected cerebral cortex. DNA fragmentation yielding DNA ladders characteristic of apoptosis was also observed in infected hamster brain tissue. Apoptotic cells in infected brains were observed after the appearance of inflammatory changes. Overexpression of IL-1 beta, but not TNF-alpha or Fas-L, was clearly detected in infected brains, as determined by Western blot and RT-PCR. Immunohistochemistry revealed a striking correlation between IL-1 beta expression and neuronal apoptosis. Injection of recombinant IL-1 beta into normal hamster brain resulted in neuronal apoptosis in cerebral cortex. On the other hand, neutralizing IL-1 beta antibodies decreased the number of cells undergoing apoptosis in infected hamster brains and subsequent death. We conclude that the fatal encephalitis induced by the Kilham strain of the mumps virus is mediated by immunopathological processes and that overexpression of IL-1 beta, which mediates the induction of neuronal apoptosis, may play a major role in these processes.
Copyright 2001 Academic Press.