In vitro acquisition of resistance against herpes simplex virus by permissive murine macrophages

Summary This study has documented that peritoneal macrophages (PM) from adult mice of strains DBA/2J, BALB/c and AKR can support productive replication of herpes simplex virus (HSV) strains Thea and Haase. Simian virus 40 transformed PM of C57 BL/6J origin yielded high titers of Thea and Haase, whereas normal PM from adult mice of the same genetic background were infected abortively. The evidence obtained suggested that multiplication of PM per se is insufficient to allow HSV replication. PM from DBA/2J mice, immune to HSV or Listeria monocytogenes lacked the capacity to support productive replication of HSV. PM from nonimmune, adult DBA/2J or suckling C57BL/6J mice acquired the potential to effectively restrict HSV replication when preincubated for 24 hours with 72 hours old MLC supernatant. These macrophages could also inhibit HSV replication if pretreated with supernatant from cultures of specific antigen stimulated, HSV or Listeria immune spleen lymphocytes (SL). Likewise, supernatant from concanavalin A stimulated SL also possessed the capacity to confer resistance against HSV replication in otherwise permissive PM. Sensitized T cells proved to be essential for the generation of active supernatants. Active supernatants had the potential to confer resistance against HSV replication within mouse but not chick or hamster embryo cells. The other characteristics of the soluble mediator included: instability at pH 2, inactivation by trypsin but not by DNase or RNase and persistence of activity when exposed to 56° C for 20 minutes.With 3 Figures