Use of mRNA differential display to study the action of lymphocyte subsets in vivo and application to a murine model of herpes simplex virus infection.

Depletion of lymphocyte subsets in vivo using monoclonal antibodies against cell surface markers has helped to define the roles for these subsets in many immune processes. However, in some cases the mechanisms through which these lymphocytes act remain partially elucidated or completely unknown. A new approach to these biological problems is the use of transcriptional analyses to find mRNAs whose abundance in tissues is altered by depletion of lymphocyte subsets. We have verified the use mRNA differential display (DD) for this purpose and applied it in a study of CD8(+) lymphocyte mediated clearance of herpes simplex virus (HSV) from the nervous systems of experimentally infected mice. The results of the differential displays and characterisation of a large mRNA identified using this strategy are presented.