Fig. 6

STING signaling limits MCMV replication in myeloid cells and restricts viral dissemination to LN. Schematic depiction of the viral reporter system that allows quantification of viral dissemination: a Upon growth of the reporter virus MCMV Δm157-flox-egfp in Cre expressing cells the loxP flanked STOP is removed from the viral genome and eGFP expression is constitutively induced. b Hepatocyte-derived MCMV does not infect other peripheral organs³⁶. c–d STING proficient and STING deficient mice expressing Cre either in myeloid cells (Lyz2Cre^+/−Tmem173^wt/wt, LysMCre⁺STING WT and Lyz2Cre^+/−Tmem173^−/−, LysMCre⁺STING KO mice, respectively) or in hepatocytes (AlbCre^+/−Tmem173^wt/wt, AlbCre⁺STING WT and AlbCre^+/− Tmem173^−/−, AlbCre⁺STING KO mice, respectively) were i.v. infected with 5 × 10⁵ pfu MCMVrep Δm157-flox-egfp and perfused at 3 and 8 dpi. Liver (Li), spleen (Sp), lung (Lu), heart (He), kidney (Ki), salivary glands (SG), inguinal lymph nodes (iLN), and cervical lymph nodes (cLN) were prepared and virus titers in pfu per g organ were analyzed by a plaque assay. GFP⁻ total MCMV plaques (gray circles) and GFP⁺ MCMVrec plaques (green circles) of c LysMCre⁺STING WT and LysMCre⁺STING KO mice or d AlbCre⁺STING WT and AlbCre⁺STING KO mice were counted using either a light microscope or a fluorescence microscope. Data represent at least two independently performed experiments. Error bars indicate mean ± s.e.m. (n = 7 for all analyzed genotypes; *p ≤ 0.0262, **p ≤ 0.0064; a two-tailed Mann–Whitney test was used to calculate p-values)