Objective: To explore the changes of mTOR signal pathway in HeLa cells under different nutritional conditions infected with Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3).
Methods: The HeLa cells were cultured with two methods: the conventional culture method cultured HeLa cells with medium with 10% fetal bovine serum for 24 h and changed the medium next day, and then infected with CVB3; the serum starvation method cultured HeLa cells with medium without fetal bovine serum for 24 h, and then infected with CVB3. The expression of the coat protein of CVB3, mTOR, p70S6K mRNA was detected with RT-PCR at different time points.
Results: The virus group showed the expressions of mTOR and p70S6K mRNA were significantly higher than those in the control group at 12 h and 24 h (P<0.05) in the conventional culture. The virus group showed the expressions of mTOR and p70S6K mRNA were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05) in the starvation serum. The expression of mTOR mRNA in the starvation serum virus group was higher than that in the conventional culture virus group (all P<0.05) and the control group. The expression of p70S6K mRNA was not significantly different in the two groups (P>0.05).
Conclusion: CVB3 can down-regulate the expressions of mTOR and p70S6K mRNA. The mTOR expression in the starvation serum is higher than that in the conventional culture.