Viral nucleic acid synthesis and antigen accumulation in pancreas and kidney of Pekin ducks infected with duck hepatitis B virus.

Liver, pancreas, and kidney from Pekin ducks infected with duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) were assayed for the presence of both viral antigen and replication-specific forms of viral nucleic acid. In young congenitally infected ducks, antigen was detectable in hepatocytes and bile duct epithelia, in kidney glomeruli and tubular epithelia, and in cells localized to pancreatic acini. In older experimentally infected ducks, antigen was detectable in hepatocytes, in glomeruli and tubular epithelia, and in cells localized to presumptive pancreatic alpha-islets. All but the glomeruli-associated viral antigen appeared to be localized to the cytoplasm of antigen-positive cells. Much of the glomeruli-associated antigen appeared to be extracellular and was detected in glomeruli that were positive for the accumulation of immunoglobulin, observations suggestive of the deposition of viral antigen-antibody complexes. As analyzed with bulk tissue, replication-specific forms of viral nucleic acid were detectable in liver and pancreas from the young congenitally infected ducks and in liver and kidney from the older experimentally infected ducks.

Differential reactivity of serum antibody from tumor-bearing 15I5 X 7(2) chickens for cross-reactive species of endogenous retroviral envelope glycoprotein.

Experiments were undertaken to determine if the sera of avian sarcoma virus-infected 15I5 X 7(2) chickens exhibit antibody reactivity for species of endogenous retroviral envelope glycoprotein expressed in 15I5 X 7(2) fibroblasts. Two viruses were used for infection of the 15I5 X 7(2) chickens, Pr-A and cl. 85; the envelope glycoprotein of Pr-A, but not of cl. 85, is antigenically cross-reactive with 15I5 X 7(2) endogenous retroviral envelope glycoprotein. Both the Pr-A and cl. 85-infected 15I5 X 7(2) chickens exhibited serum antibody reactivity for the envelope glycoprotein of the endogenous retrovirus RAV-O. In contrast, neither group of infected chickens exhibited detectable serum antibody reactivity for a distinct species of endogenous retroviral envelope glycoprotein, one which though antigenically cross-reactive with the envelope glycoprotein of RAV-O is expressed to much higher levels in 15I5 X 7(2) fibroblasts. Possible mechanisms to account for the observed pattern of antibody reactivity are discussed.

Expression of endogenous retroviral envelope antigen in Ig(+) B cells of immunized 15I5 X 71 chickens.

In a previous study (1), we observed that antigen cross-reactive with structural protein of the endogenous retrovirus RAV-O is expressed in splenic Ig(+) B lymphocytes of immunized 15I5 X 71 chickens. The present experiments were undertaken to determine the relationship of this antigen to viral gag- and env-coded antigenic specificities. As analyzed by immunofluorescence with several antisera, group-specific determinants of the gp85 envelope glycoprotein as well as viral-related type E-specific determinants were detectable in islands of Ig(+) splenocytes; antigenic determinants of viral gag protein were not detected in the splenic islands. These observations indicated that antigen cross-reactive with endogenous retroviral envelope glycoprotein is expressed in Ig(+) B cells.