Interleukin-27 inhibits vaccine-enhanced pulmonary disease following respiratory syncytial virus infection by regulating cellular memory responses

J Virol. 2012 Apr;86(8):4505-17. doi: 10.1128/JVI.07091-11. Epub 2012 Feb 1.

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most important cause of lower respiratory tract disease in young children. In the 1960s, infants vaccinated with formalin-inactivated RSV developed a more severe disease characterized by excessive inflammatory immunopathology in lungs upon natural RSV infection. The fear of causing the vaccine-enhanced disease (VED) is an important obstacle for development of safe and effective RSV vaccines. The recombinant vaccine candidate G1F/M2 immunization also led to VED. It has been proved that cellular memory induced by RSV vaccines contributed to VED. Interleukin-27 (IL-27) and IL-23 regulate Th1, Th17, and/or Th2 cellular immune responses. In this study, mice coimmunized with pcDNA3-IL-27 and G1F/M2 were fully protected and, importantly, did not develop vaccine-enhanced inflammatory responses and immunopathology in lungs after RSV challenge, which was correlated with moderate Th1-, suppressed Th2-, and Th17-like memory responses activated by RSV. In contrast, G1F/M2- or pcDNA3-IL-23+G1F/M2-immunized mice, in which robust Th2- and Th17-like memory responses were induced, developed enhanced pulmonary inflammation and severe immunopathology. Mice coimmunized with G1F/M2 and the two cytokine plasmids exhibited mild inflammatory responses as well as remarkable Th1-, suppressed Th2-, and Th17-like memory responses. These results suggested that Th1-, Th2-, and Th17-like memory responses and, in particular, excessive Th2- and Th17-like memory responses were closely associated with VED; IL-27 may inhibit VED following respiratory syncytial virus infection by regulating cellular memory responses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunity, Cellular*
  • Immunity, Humoral
  • Immunologic Memory*
  • Inflammation Mediators / metabolism
  • Interleukin-17 / metabolism*
  • Lung Diseases / immunology*
  • Lung Diseases / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / immunology*
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / prevention & control
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines / immunology*
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines / metabolism
  • Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / immunology*
  • Th1 Cells / immunology
  • Th17 Cells / immunology
  • Th2 Cells / immunology
  • Vaccines, DNA / immunology
  • Vaccines, DNA / metabolism

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Inflammation Mediators
  • Interleukin-17
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccines
  • Vaccines, DNA