FIG 9.

Loss of functional gap junction communication between astrocytes after virus infection. Confluent astrocyte monolayers were infected with MHV-A59 at MOIs of 2 and 5 for 24 h, and mock-infected control cells were maintained in parallel. (A) The cells were scrape loaded with 4 mg/ml Lucifer yellow (LY), which was allowed to diffuse through gap junctions. Following scrape loading of LY (arrow), the dye was transferred to a greater distance in control astrocytes than in infected astrocytes at an MOI of either 2 or 5. The average distance of LY spread was measured and expressed as a ratio of the distance spread in virus-infected versus mock-infected cells. (B) The average dye spread in infected cells was significantly reduced to 46.3% ± 0.6% (for an MOI of 2; **, P < 0.01) or 53.6% ± 5.96% (for an MOI of 5; **, P < 0.01) of the spread measured in mock-infected cells. The small difference in spread between cells infected at an MOI of 2 and 5 was not statically significant. The mean ± SEM measurements of three different experiments are shown.