Fig. 3: Muscle infection is independent of virus injection location or species.
From: Skin muscle is the initial site of viral replication for arboviral bunyavirus infection
Mice were infected with 1 × 105 PFU LACV into the ear pinna (A, B, D), dermal back skin (C, D), or peritoneal cavity (E). Tissues, including muscle and skin, were removed at 48 hpi (A–C; n = 3 mice), 96 hpi (E; muscle only; n = 3 mice), or mice monitored for neurological disease (D). Fluorescence staining was performed with antibodies against muscle myosin (yellow, A–C; or green, F), LACV (magenta, A–C, E, F), GFP (green, A–C), or Hoechst dye for nuclei (blue, E) and representative images are shown from two independent staining experiments. Human muscle myoblasts were infected with LACV and infection evaluated by microscopy (F; multiplicity of infection (MOI) = 0.1) and cell viability monitored with PrestoBlue assay (G; n = 2 mock wells per time point and n = 3 LACV wells per time point). Data graphed as mean with error bars representing SD for n = . Inset image for (A) is 2.5x zoom. Arrowheads indicate cells positive for both myosin and LACV. Asterisks mark autofluorescent hair follicles. For neurological disease development, n = 3–4 mice across 2 cohorts. A, B, D are representative of 3 mice from each injection method. Scale bars represent 50 μm. Source data are provided as a Source Data file.
