Monoclonal antibodies reactive with swine lymphocytes

A panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) with specificity for swine leukocytes was prepared by somatic cell hybridization with the use of spleen cells from mice immunized with swine thymocytes. The reactivity of two mAb (295/33 and 122/28), which both immunoprecipitated from the surface of swine leukocytes an antigen termed S-L2 with an apparent m.w. of 33 to 35 kilodaltons under reducing and 65 to 70 kilodaltons under nonreducing conditions, was investigated in detail. These mAb were reactive in indirect immunofluorescence with 50 to 60% of thymocytes, 35% of peripheral blood lymphocytes, and 55% of E rosette- positive cells; they were nonreactive with bone marrow cells, Ig+ B cells, nonrosetting lymphocytes, granulocytes, and monocytes. In functional studies, the elimination of S-L2+ cells partially reduced the proliferative response to concanavalin A and pokeweed mitogen but not to Staphylococcus aureus and lipopolysaccharide. The S-L2- subset proliferated well to alloantigens. Both cytolytic T effector cells and precursor cells carried the antigen S-L2 and could be depleted from heterogeneous cell populations by both antibodies in the presence of complement. These data suggest that the mAb 295/33 and 122/28 recognize a specific polypeptide present on the surface of swine cytolytic T cells. These antibodies will be useful in studies on the swine immune system

Gamma interferon-dependent clearance of cytomegalovirus infection in salivary glands

Cytomegalovirus (CMV), similar to other members of the Herpesviridae family, can establish both persistent and latent infections. Each of the CMVs that are found in many animal species replicates in the salivary gland, and oral secretion represents a source of horizontal transmission. Locally restricted replication characterizes the immunocompetent individual, whereas in the immunocompromised host, protean disease manifestations occur due to virus dissemination. The virus is cleared by immune surveillance, and CD8+ T lymphocytes play a major role. Remarkably, certain cell types of salivary gland tissues are exempt from CD8+ T-lymphocyte control of murine CMV infection and require the activity of CD4+ T lymphocytes. The results presented here suggest that this activity is a function of Th1 cells. Neutralization of endogenous gamma interferon abrogated the antiviral activity of Th1 cells but not that of CD8+ T lymphocytes in other tissues. Neutralization of endogenous gamma interferon did not interfere with the induction of the cellular and humoral immune response but acted during the effector phase. Recombinant gamma interferon could not replace the function of Th1 cells in vivo and had limited direct antiviral activity in vitro. The results therefore suggest that gamma interferon represents one, but not the only, essential factor involved in salivary gland clearance, establishment of CMV latency, and, eventually, the control of horizontal transmission

Efficacious control of cytomegalovirus infection after long-term depletion of CD8+ T lymphocytes

Although the relative contribution of different immune effector functions to clearing tissues of cytomegalovirus is controversial, the contribution of CD8+ T lymphocytes has generally been accepted as essential. In this report, we show that under certain conditions the CD8+ T-lymphocyte subset can be dispensable for clearance of cytomegalovirus. Mice depleted of the CD8+ T-lymphocyte subset eliminated infectious virus with a clearance kinetics similar to that of normal mice. Adoptive transfer studies revealed that the limitation of virus spread required the cooperation between the CD4+ subset and other cells. Comparison between protective functions generated in fully immunocompetent and in CD8- mice demonstrated that elimination of the CD8+ subset before infection altered the quality of the antiviral immune response. The compensatory protective activity gained by CD4+ cells in CD8- mice was absent in normal mice recovering from virus infection

Cytolytic T lymphocyte recognition of the murine cytomegalovirus nonstructural immediate-early protein pp89 expressed by recombinant vaccinia virus

The murine immediate-early (IE) protein pp89 is a nonstructural virus- encoded phosphoprotein residing in the nucleus of infected cells, where it acts as transcriptional activator. Frequency analysis has shown that in BALB/c mice the majority of virus-specific CTL recognize IE antigens. The present study was performed to assess whether pp89 causes membrane antigen expression detected by IE-specific CTL. Site-directed mutagenesis has been used to delete the introns from gene ieI, encoding pp89, for subsequent integration of the continuous coding sequence into the vaccinia virus genome. After infection with the vaccinia recombinant, the authentic pp89 was expressed in cells that became susceptible to lysis by an IE-specific CTL clone. Priming of mice with the vaccinia recombinant sensitized polyclonal CTL that recognized MCMV- infected cells and transfected cells expressing pp89. Thus, a herpesviral IE polypeptide with essential function in viral transcriptional regulation can also serve as a dominant antigen for the specific CTL response of the host

Site-restricted persistent cytomegalovirus infection after selective long-term depletion of CD4+ T lymphocytes

We have established a murine model system for exploring the ability of a CD4 subset-deficient host to cope with cytomegalovirus infection, and reported three findings. First, an antiviral response of the CD8 subset of T lymphocytes could be not only initiated but also maintained for a long period of time despite a continued absence of the CD4 subset, whereas the production of antiviral antibody proved strictly dependent upon help provided by the CD4 subset. Second, no function in the defense against infection could be ascribed as yet to CD4-CD8- T lymphocytes, which were seen to accumulate to a new subset as a result of depletion of the CD4 subset. This newly arising subset did not substitute for CD4+ T lymphocytes in providing help to B lymphocytes, and was also not effective in controlling the spread of virus in host tissues. As long as a function of these cells in the generation and maintenance of a CD8 subset-mediated response is not disproved, caution is indicated with concern to an autonomy of the CD8 subset. Third, even though with delay, the CD8+ effector cells raised in the CD4 subset- deficient host were able of clear vital tissues from productive infection and to restrict asymptomatic, persistent infection to acinar glandular epithelial cells in salivary gland tissue

All for One and One for All: Herpesviral MicroRNAs Close in on Their Prey

Herpesviruses subvert immune cell activation by inhibiting NK cell receptor (NKG2D)-activating ligands such as MICB. A human cytomegalovirus microRNA was recently shown to repress MICB expression. Nachmani et al. (2009) extend this finding to two other human herpesviruses, providing evidence for a conserved functional role of viral microRNAs despite no sequence conservation among them

II. Detection of an antigen on resting T cells down-regulated after activation

The expression of an antigen on porcine T lymphocytes detected by murine monoclonal antibody (mAb) 8/1 was investigated by functional studies and dual-parameter immunofluorescence. mAb 8/1 reacts with greater than 95% of thymocytes and in peripheral blood with all T lymphocytes and with cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage, but not with B cells, erythrocytes, and platelets. Pretreatment of peripheral blood lymphocytes with mAb 8/1 plus complement abrogated the proliferative response in vitro to mitogen, soluble antigen, and MHC determinants. Dual-parameter immunofluorescence revealed that resting porcine T8+ as well as T4+ lymphocytes express the 8/1 antigen, whereas after in vitro activation, cell surface expression of the antigen was low or absent in both T cell subsets. Thus, the 8/1 antigen represents a marker that discriminates between resting and activated T lymphocytes. Distribution and functional criteria indicate that 8/1 represents a novel marker not described before for any other mammalian species

Antibodies Are Not Essential for the Resolution of Primary Cytomegalovirus Infection but Limit Dissemination of Recurrent Virus

Virus shedding from the epithelial cells of the serous acini of salivary glands is a major source for the horizontal transmission of cytomegalovirus. These cells are, different to other tissues, exempt from CD8 T lymphocyte control. CD4 T lymphocytes are essential to terminate the productive infection. Here, we prove that T-B cooperation and the production of antibodies are not required for this process. For the infection with murine cytomegalovirus, mutant mice were used which do not produce antibodies because of a disrupted membrane exon of the immunoglobulin # chain gene. Also, in these mice the virus clearance from salivary glands is a function of CD4 T lymphocytes. However, these mice clear the virus and establish viral latency with a kinetics that is distinguishable from normal mice. Reactivation from virus latency is the only stage at which the absence of antibodies alters the phenotype of infection. In immunoglobulindeficient mice, virus recurrence results in higher virus titers. The adoptive serum transfer proved that antibody is the limited factor that prevents virus dissemination in the immunodeficient hos

CD4-helper-independent antiviral function of CD8-positive memory T lymphocytes derived from latently infected donors

The ability of memory T lymphocytes derived from latently infected mice to control murine cytomegalovirus disease in the immunocompromised host was studied by adoptive transfer experiments. At a stage of pathogenesis when virus had already colonized target tissues, a therapeutic antiviral function could be ascribed to the CD8+ subset. This in vivo function was not restricted to sites in which intravenously infused lymphocytes usually are trapped or home in, such as the lungs or the spleen, respectively, but was also evident in the adrenal glands, a site to which antiviral effector cells have to specifically migrate. Specific infiltration of adrenal gland cortical tissue by donor-derived CD8+ memory T lymphocytes was demonstrated. CD4+ memory T lymphocytes had no antiviral effect by themselves and also were not required for the function of the CD8+ effector cells in this short-term immunotherapy model. These findings should help settle the debate about which subset of T lymphocytes comprises the effector cells that can directly control cytomegalovirus infection in the murine model system

Late phase inhibition of murine cytomegalovirus replication by synergistic action of interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor

We have shown previously that the antiviral function of CD4+ T lymphocytes against murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is associated with the release of interferon- (IFN-). We now demonstrate that IFN- and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) display synergism in their antiviral activity. As little as 2 ng/ml of IFN- and TNF- reduced the virus yield by about three orders of magnitude. There was no effect on immediate early (IE) and early (E) gene expression as far as the candidate genes IE1, E1 and those encoding the major DNA-binding protein and the DNA polymerase were concerned. Late gene transcription, assayed by the candidate genes encoding glycoprotein B and the MCMV homologue of ICP 18.5, was blocked and MCMV DNA replication was found to be reduced but not halted. The most prominent finding of the cytokine effect, seen by electron microscopy, was an alteration of nucleocapsid formation. Altogether, the synergism is multifaceted and acts at more than one stage during viral morphogenesis. Because the cytokines clearly do not act at an early stage of infection we conclude that the mode of cytokine activity differs between alpha- and betaherpesviruses