Fig. 6.
ñ TNF-α deficient mice are resistant to NSV-induced glutamate downregulation and are protected from NSV-induced death. (A) Survival curves of both TNF-α−/− (n=13) and WT C57BL/6 (n=15) mice demonstrate a protection from mortality of the TNF-α-deficient mice compared to age-matched WT controls. (B) Viral titers in TNF-α deficient mice suggest that the virus persists in these animals. By day 8 no detectable virus is observed in the surviving WT mice, however viral titers are still elevated in the remaining TNF-α deficient mice. (C) GLT-1 protein expression in TNF-α-deficient mice at the indicated time points reveals a constitutive expression of GLT-1 in TNF-α−/− mice. (D) Glutamate uptake is significantly reduced (p <0.05) in the spinal cords of wild type mice 6 days post NSV infection while glutamate uptake in TNF-α-deficient mice is not significantly lowered after NSV infection.