# SLOW VIRUS INFECTIONS:  IMMUNOLOGIC AND VIRAL STUDIES

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 1987 · $144,388

## Abstract

The long term goal of this project is to define the mechanisms by which
viruses evade or suppress the immune response and establish a persistent
infection in the mammalian host.  Aleutian disease is an economically
important persistent infection of mink and ferrets caused by an autonomous
parvovirus.  Lesions in Aleutian disease are caused by immune complexes,
and can be prevented by immunosuppression.  Certain virus-host combinations
result in an unrestrained humoral immune response to viral proteins.
Aleutian disease is a good model for studying the interaction between a
virus and the host immune system, and the disease has similarities to human
rheumatologic disease.

The unrestrained humoral immune response to viral proteins in Aleutian
disease may be caused by infection of T suppressor lymphocytes, followed by
death or inactivation of these cells.  The types of lymphocytes infected in
vivo will be assessed by immunofluorescence and immunoenzyme staining of
separated lymphocyte populations.  The tropism of Aleutian disease virus
for differentiating lymphocytes will be studied by in vitro infection of
separated lymphocyte populations.  Since Aleutian disease virus is
processed in vivo by proteolytic enzymes, an experiment to determine if new
antigens are exposed by the proteolytic cleavage will be done.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3124546
- **Project number:** 5R01AI009476-18
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **SAM.gov UEI:** RN64EPNH8JC6
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID D PORTER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $144,388
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1976-06-01 → 1989-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3124546

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3124546, SLOW VIRUS INFECTIONS:  IMMUNOLOGIC AND VIRAL STUDIES (5R01AI009476-18). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3124546. Licensed CC0.

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