Distribution of rabies virus, interferon and interferon-mediated enzymes in the brains of virus-infected rats.

The distribution of rabies virus, interferon and interferon-mediated enzymes, pppA(2'p5'A)n synthetase (2-5A synthetase) and poly(rI) . poly(rC)-Sepharose-bound protein kinase, was studied in different regions of the brains of rabies virus-infected rats. A broad range of virus infectivity was found in the brain stem, cerebellum, cortex, hippocampus and striatum. Similarly, the levels of interferon were variable (2500 to 60 000 units/mg protein in tissue extracts) in the different brain regions studied but were unrelated to the corresponding infectivities . The level of 2-5A synthetase and protein kinase was enhanced several-fold in the individual brain regions and the degree of such enhancement was correlated with the level of interferon.