First Author | Tsunobuchi H | Year | 2000 |
Journal | Virology | Volume | 275 |
Issue | 1 | Pages | 57-66 |
PubMed ID | 11017787 | Mgi Jnum | J:64859 |
Mgi Id | MGI:1890053 | Doi | 10.1006/viro.2000.0455 |
Citation | Tsunobuchi H, et al. (2000) A protective role of interleukin-15 in a mouse model for systemic infection with herpes simplex virus. Virology 275(1):57-66 |
abstractText | To define the role of cytokine binding to the IL-2/IL-15Rbeta chain in protective immunity against systemic infection with herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2), IL-2/IL-15 receptor(R)beta knock-out mice were inoculated intraperitoneally with HSV-2 strain 186. IL-2/IL-15Rbeta-deficient mice were susceptible to systemic HSV-2 infection compared with their heterozygous littermates. The emergence of natural killer (NK) cells was impaired in IL-2/IL-15Rbeta knock-out mice, but CD4(+) T cell receptor (TCR) alphabeta(+) T cells were normally detected in the peritoneal cavity after infection with HSV-2. However, the generation of HSV-2-specific CD4(+) T helper (Th) 1 cells producing interferon-gamma was impaired in IL-2/IL-15Rbeta knock-out mice following HSV-2 infection. The serum IL-15 level in control mice was increased in the early stage after HSV-2 infection but was not detectable in IL-2/IL-15Rbeta knock-out mice. In vivo administration of recombinant IL-15 protected normal mice from HSV-2-induced lethality, accompanied by increases in numbers of NK cells and HSV-2-specific Th1 cells. Taken together, these results suggest that IL-15, using the IL-2/IL15Rbeta chain, plays an important role in mounting protective immunity during the course of systemic HSV-2 infection. Copyright 2000 Academic Press. |