The kinetics of proinflammatory cytokines in murine peritoneal macrophages infected with envelope protein-glycosylated or non-glycosylated West Nile virus

The envelope (E) protein glycosylation status of the New York strain of West Nile (WN) virus is an important determinant of virus neuroinvasiveness. To elucidate the determinant of the difference between E protein-glycosylated and non-glycosylated WN virus infections, the cytokine expression of murine peritoneal macrophages infected with each virus was examined. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α and interleukin (IL)-1β were up-regulated with replication of the E protein-glycosylated virus. Interferon (IFN) β and IL-6 were up-regulated with the clearance of both viruses. These results suggest that TNFα and IL-1β expression are related to the virulence of E protein-glycosylated WN virus.