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. 2016 Apr 21;31(3):219–228. doi: 10.1007/s12250-016-3754-0

Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells are fully permissive for human cytomegalovirus infection

Guan-Hua Qiao 1, Fei Zhao 1, Shuang Cheng 1,✉, Min-Hua Luo 1,✉
PMCID: PMC8193448  PMID: 27105639

Abstract

Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a leading infectious cause of birth defects. Previous studies have reported birth defects with multiple organ maldevelopment in congenital HCMV-infected neonates. Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a group of stem/progenitor cells that are multi-potent and can self-renew, and they play a vital role in multi-organ formation. Whether MSCs are susceptible to HCMV infection is unclear. In this study, MSCs were isolated from Wharton’s jelly of the human umbilical cord and identified by their plastic adherence, surface marker pattern, and differentiation capacity. Then, the MSCs were infected with the HCMV Towne strain, and infection status was assessed via determination of viral entry, replication initiation, viral protein expression, and infectious virion release using western blotting, immunofluorescence assays, and plaque forming assays. The results indicate that the isolated MSCs were fully permissive for HCMV infection and provide a preliminary basis for understanding the pathogenesis of HCMV infection in non-nervous system diseases, including multi-organ malformation during fetal development.

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Keywords: human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), susceptibility, umbilical cord, Wharton’s jelly

Footnotes

ORCID: 0000-0001-9255-0453

ORCID: 0000-0001-9352-0643

Contributor Information

Shuang Cheng, Phone: +86-27-87197953, FAX: +86-27-87197600, Email: chengshuang@wh.iov.cn.

Min-Hua Luo, Phone: +86-27-87197600, FAX: +86-27-87197600, Email: luomh@wh.iov.cn.

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