Genetically determined resistance to mouse hepatitis virus 3 is expressed in hematopoietic donor cells in radiation chimeras.

Differences in mouse hepatitis virus 3 (MHV3) sensitivity among mouse strains are mainly determined by H-2-related and -nonrelated genetic factors. Reciprocal chimerism was therefore established between two H-2a compatible pairs of strains that differ widely in their susceptibility to MHV3: a) A/J and B10.A, respectively resistant and highly susceptible; b) A/J and A/Sn, respectively resistant and semisusceptible. Chimeric mice were challenged with 100 LD50 of MHV3, 30 or 90 days after X-irradiation (900 R) and bone marrow reconstitution. Results showed that sensitivity of recipients was similar either to that of the recipient strain or to that of the donor strain when chimeric mice were tested 30 or 90 days, respectively, after reconstitution. In addition, no paralysis occurred in surviving animals. These data indicate, therefore, that resistance or susceptibility to MHV3 is expressed intrinsically in some population(s) of hematopoietic-derived cells, which is radioresistant and has a life span of more than 30 days and less than 90 days. Additional experiments showed that X-irradiated A/J recipients reconstituted with A/J bone-marrow cells were protected against MHV3 challenge with spleen cells, with a mixture of spleen cell populations or of adherent spleen cells and thymocytes originating from A/J donors. Transfer of protection to recipients by using similar cell populations provided by semisusceptible A/Sn donors required the administration of five times more cells. Results suggest that two complementary mechanisms are required to confer resistance to MHV3: a) a gene(s) for resistance that may operate at the level of macrophages, and b) cells capable of mounting an efficient immune response. The reduced efficiency of A/Sn spleen cells suggests that semisusceptibility to MHV3 may be related to partial quantitative or functional immune defect.