Historically, chloroviruses were thought to be very limited in their range of hosts for infection. More specifically, green algae was thought to be the only suitable hosts for chloroviruses. In 2014, a study conducted by John Hopkins University and University of Nebraska-Lincoln yielded a major surprise - gene sequences resembling those of the pathogen Acanthocystis turfacea chlorella virus 1, also referred to as ACTV-1, were discovered in the throat swabs of human participants. In a new study, ACTV-1 tagged with fluorescent dye was introduced to macrophage cells that play a detrimental role in the immune responses of humans, mice, and other mammals. After putting together a 3-D image of the mouse cells, researchers concluded that ACTV-1 was successful in its infection of the mammal cells. Before eventual apoptosis, the macrophages displayed various signs of evident viral infection. A three-fold increase of ATCV-1 was detected within the first 24 hours of introduction, suggesting that the chlorovirus could replicate within the macrophage cells. A post viral spike in interleukin 6, a cellular protein linked to particular neurological diseases and decreased spatial spatial learning, was recorded. An increase in nitric oxide, a signal molecule known to result in memory impairment when overproduced, was also observed.
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| (Credit: University of Communications/University of Nebraska-Lincoln) The optical image above shows a cell (blue) infected with ACTV-1 (pink dots).
Thomas M. Petro, Irina V. Agarkova, You Zhou, Robert H. Yolken, James L. Van Etten, David D. Dunigan. Response of mammalian macrophages to challenge with the chlorovirus ACTV-1. Journal of Virology, 2015; JVI.01254-15 DOI: 10.1128/JV1.0154-15
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