Infection of a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line with human herpesvirus 6 variant A.

A retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line (K-1034) was examined for its susceptibility to human herpesvirus 6 variant A (HHV-6A). Exposure of K-1034 cells to HHV-6A induced the formation of multinucleated giant cells, which was suppressed by an inhibitor of viral DNA synthesis. In the giant cells, herpesvirus nucleocapsids were demonstrated by electron microscopy and the viral glycoprotein B was detected by immunofluorescence assay.

Enhanced cytopathic effect of human cytomegalovirus on a retinal pigment epithelium cell line, K-1034, by serum-free medium.

Although human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) predominantly infects epithelial cells in vivo, the majority of studies of HCMV gene expression and replication have been conducted using non-epithelial cell lines in part because of the absence of a good experimental system using epithelial cells. To address the nature of epithelial cell infection, we investigated the susceptibility of an epithelial cell line (K-1034) established from the retinal pigment epithelium to HCMV infection. This cell line exhibited high susceptibility to HCMV, as evidenced by detection of one of the immediate early antigens, IE2, in the nuclei of more than 80% of K-1034 cells at 24 h following inoculation at a multiplicity of infection of 3 plaque forming units per cell.

[Evaluation of risk factors of interferon-associated retinopathy in patients with type C chronic active hepatitis].

The risk factors of retinopathy associated with administration of interferon have not been fully clarified. We prospectively examined the retinal condition in 50 patients with type C chronic active hepatitis during alpha-interferon treatment. 43 patients (86%) were shown to have retinopathy during the course of interferon treatment, and were divided into three groups.

Morphologic and chromosomal study of a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line.

A spontaneously established cell line of human retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) was investigated morphologically and studied by chromosomal analysis. Even after the 100th passage, cultured cells maintained epithelioid morphology, and had numerous microvilli and membrane-bound small dense bodies which looked like lysosomes. Abundant rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were observed in the cytoplasm, suggesting that these cells were metabolically active.

Demonstration of varicella-zoster virus antigens in the vitreous aspirates of patients with acute retinal necrosis syndrome.

Four cases of acute retinal necrosis (ARN) syndrome were studied virologically. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) antigen was demonstrated by immunofluorescence in cells from vitreous aspirates of two cases. No herpes simplex virus (HSV) or cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens were detected by the same technique.