Measles Virus-Induced Disruption of the Glial-Fibrillary-Acidic Protein Cytoskeleton in an Astrocytoma Cell Line (U-251)

A recombinant measles virus which expresses enhanced green fluorescent protein (MVeGFP) has been used to infect two astrocytoma cell lines (GCCM and U-251) to study the effect of virus infection on the cytoskeleton. Indirect immunocytochemistry was used to demonstrate the cellular localization of the cytoskeletal components. Enhanced green fluorescent protein autofluorescence was used to identify measles virus-infected cells. No alteration of the actin, tubulin, or vimentin components of the cytoskeleton was observed in either cell type, whereas a disruption of the glial-fibrillary-acidic protein filament (GFAP) network was noted in MVeGFP-infected U-251 cells. The relative amounts of GFAP present in infected and uninfected U-251 cells were quantified by image analysis of data sets obtained by confocal microscopy by using vimentin, another intermediate filament on which MVeGFP has no effect, as a control.