Type I interferon signaling limits reoviral tropism within the brain and prevents lethal systemic infection

In vivo and ex vivo models of reoviral encephalitis were utilized to delineate the contribution of type I interferon (IFN) to the host’s defense against local central nervous system (CNS) viral infection and systemic viral spread. Following intracranial (i.c.) inoculation with either serotype 3 (T3) or serotype 1 (T1) reovirus, increased expression of IFN-α, IFN-β, and myxovirus-resistance protein (Mx1; a prototypical IFN stimulated gene) was observed in mouse brain tissue. Type I IFN receptor deficient mice (IFNAR(−/−)) had accelerated lethality, compared to wildtype (B6wt) controls, following i.c. T1 or T3 challenge. Although viral titers in the brain and eyes of reovirus infected IFNAR(−/−) mice were significantly increased, these mice did not develop neurologic signs or brain injury. In contrast, increased reovirus titers in peripheral tissues (liver, spleen, kidney, heart, and blood) of IFNAR(−/−) mice were associated with severe intestinal and liver injury. These results suggest that reovirus-infected IFNAR(−/−) mice succumb to peripheral disease rather than encephalitis per se. To investigate the potential role of type I IFN in brain tissue, brain slice cultures (BSCs) were prepared from IFNAR(−/−) mice and B6wt controls for ex vivo T3 reovirus infection. Compared to B6wt controls, reoviral replication and virus-induced apoptosis were enhanced in IFNAR(−/−) BSCs indicating that a type I IFN response, initiated by resident CNS cells, mediates innate viral immunity within the brain. T3 reovirus tropism was extended in IFNAR(−/−) brains to include dentate neurons, ependymal cells, and meningeal cells indicating that reovirus tropism within the CNS is dependent upon type I interferon signaling.