Depletion and reconstitution of macrophages in mice with vesicular stomatitis virus infection

Acting as the first line of host defense, macrophages play a central role in antiviral response. Here, we present a protocol for depletion and reconstitution of macrophages in mice with vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) infection. We describe steps for induction and isolation of peritoneal macrophages from CD45.2(+) donor mice, macrophage depletion in CD45.1(+) recipient mice, adoptive transfer of CD45.2(+) macrophages to CD45.1(+) recipient mice, and VSV infection. This protocol highlights the role of exogenous macrophages in antiviral response in vivo. For complete details on the use and execution of this profile, please refer to Wang et al.(1)