Fig. 6

MSCs prevent JEV propagation via interferon expression. a The viral load of JEV in the brain was assessed by detecting E protein through immunofluorescence, and the fluorescence intensity was analyzed using ImageJ (PBS n= 3, JEV n= 6, JEV + MSC n= 6; three sections per mouse, five fields per section). The staining showed that MSC treatment decreased the viral load in mice brains at 6 dpi. b Total RNA of the whole brain from each mouse was extracted, and the viral load of JEV was assessed by qRT-PCR (PBS n= 2, JEV n= 5, JEV + MSC n= 5) at 6 dpi. c For the in vitro experiments, Neuro2a cells were co-cultured with different numbers of MSCs and infected with JEV at multiplicity of infection (MOI) = 1, and the viral titer was detected 48 h later by qRT-PCR (left panel). Neuro2a cells and MSCs were co-cultured at a ratio of 1:1, and JEV was added at MOI = 0.1. The cells were then harvested at 24, 48, 72, and 96 h after infection, and the viral titer was determined by qRT-PCR (right panel). d Neuro2a cells were co-cultured with MSCs in a noncontact transwell system at a ratio of 10:1, and Neuro2a cells were infected with JEV at MOI = 1. The Neuro2a cells and MSCs were harvested 48 h later, and the viral copy number in Neuro2a cells and the expression of interferon (IFN)-β and IFN-α in MSCs was detected by qRT-PCR. The data represent the mean ± SEM for three independent experiments. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01. 1 MSCs, 2 MSCs co-cultured with JEV-infected Neuro2a cells, JEV Japanese encephalitis virus, MSC mesenchymal stem cell, PBS phosphate-buffered saline