Glial cells of the human developing brain and B cells of the immune system share a common DNA binding factor for recognition of the regulatory sequences of the human polyomavirus, JCV

E. O. Major, K. Amemiya, G. Elder, S. A. Houff

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

89 Scopus citations

Abstract

Cells of the nervous system and the immune system perform phighly specialized functions which reflect the tissue‐specific regulation of their genes. However there are some functions between these two cell systems such as antigen presentation, cytokine release, and expression of MHC molecules which suggest a common mechanism for regulation of certain genes. We present data that extend this observation to in clude the recognition of specific neurotropic viral DNA sequences by glial cells and B cells. The experiments here provide evidence that both human glial cells and B cells possess nuclear DNA binding proteins that interact with nucleotide sequences on the regulatory region of the JC viral genome. These DNA binding proteins are present in human lymphoma B cell lines and fetal glial cultures. The fetal glial cultures are characterized as astrocytes by unique cDNA expression and the presence of GFAP. Data are also presented that demonstrate the presence of JCV infected B cells in brain tissue derived from progressive multifocal leucoehcephalopathy, the demyelinating disease caused by JCV infection. The possibility that the glial and B cell protein factor(s) responsible for recognition of the JCV genome belong to a family of proteins similar to known transcriptional control elements such as the Octamer binding proteins or Nuclear Factor‐1 is discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)461-471
Number of pages11
JournalJournal of Neuroscience Research
Volume27
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1990

Keywords

  • DNA binding proteins
  • gene regulation
  • glial and B cells

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Glial cells of the human developing brain and B cells of the immune system share a common DNA binding factor for recognition of the regulatory sequences of the human polyomavirus, JCV'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this