Cardiac Fibroblasts Aggravate Viral Myocarditis: Cell Specific Coxsackievirus B3 Replication

Figure 3

Viral infection and replication in different murine cell types. (a) CVB3 virus load in murine cardiac fibroblasts, murine cardiomyocytes, or murine macrophages was determined 6 hours after infection with 0.5 MOI CVB3. Here, cDNA transcribed with random primer was used. (b) Virus replication was determined by the ratio between detected CVB3 copy numbers 24 hours after infection and copy numbers 6 hours after infection. Copy numbers were determined using cDNA reverse transcribed with random primer. Ratios higher than one indicate virus replication. (c) Gene expression of Coxsackievirus-adenovirus receptor (CAR) was examined in cardiac fibroblasts, cardiomyocytes, and macrophages 24 hours after CVB3 infection and compared to the expression of noninfected control cells. (d) Western blot analysis revealed that CAR protein is detected in cardiac fibroblasts and is absent in macrophages (RAW cells). As endogenous control, α-actinin was performed. Data are plotted as mean ± SEM and ratios are plotted as box plots with median. ((a), (b)) Significantly different versus cardiac fibroblasts; ;  significantly different versus cardiomyocytes; ; (c) significantly different versus respective noninfected control; ; n.d.: not detectable.

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