Mohammed Alsharifi

Cutting edge: Lectin like transcript-1 is a ligand for the inhibitory human NKR-P1A receptor

Increasingly, roles are emerging for C-type lectin receptors in immune regulation. One receptor whose function has remained largely enigmatic is human NKR-P1A (CD161), present on NK cells and subsets of T cells. In this study, we demonstrate that the lectin-like transcript-1 (LLT1) is a physiologic ligand for NKR-P1A. LLT1-containing liposomes bind to NKR-P1A+ cells, and binding is inhibited by anti-NKR-P1A mAb. Additionally, LLT1 activates NFAT-GFP reporter cells expressing a CD3ζ-NKR-P1A chimeric receptor; reciprocally, reporter cells with a CD3ζ-LLT1 chimeric receptor are stimulated by NKR-P1A. Moreover, LLT1 on target cells can inhibit NK cytotoxicity via interactions with NKR-P1A.

Increased Survival after Gemfibrozil Treatment of Severe Mouse Influenza

ABSTRACT Gemfibrozil, an agent that inhibits production of proinflammatory cytokines in addition to its clinically useful lipid-lowering activity, increased survival in BALB/c mice that were already ill from infection by influenza virus A/Japan/305/57 (H2N2). Gemfibrozil was administered intraperitoneally once daily from days 4 to 10 after intranasal exposure to the virus. Survival increased from 26% in vehicle-treated mice (n = 50) to 52% in mice given gemfibrozil at 60 mg/kg/day (n = 46) (P = 0.0026). If this principle translates to patients, a drug already approved for human use, albeit by a different route for another purpose, might be adapted relatively fast for use against influenza, conceivably including human infection with a derivative of the avian H5N1 strain.

Cytotoxic T Cells Are the Predominant Players Providing Cross-Protective Immunity Induced by γ-Irradiated Influenza A Viruses

ABSTRACT We previously demonstrated that a single dose of nonadjuvanted intranasal γ-irradiated influenza A virus can provide robust protection in mice against both homologous and heterosubtypic challenges, including challenge with an H5N1 avian virus strain. We investigated the mechanism behind the observed cross-protection to define which arms of the adaptive immune response are involved in mediating this protection. Studies with gene knockout mice showed the cross-protective immunity to be mediated mainly by T cells and to be dependent on the cytolytic effector molecule perforin. Adoptive transfer of memory T cells from immunized mice, but not of memory B cells, protected naïve recipients against lethal heterosubtypic influenza virus challenge. Furthermore, γ-irradiated influenza viruses induced cross-reactive Tc-cell responses but not cross-neutralizing or cross-protective antibodies. In addition, histological analysis showed reduced lung inflammation in vaccinated mice compared to that in unvaccinated controls following heterosubtypic challenge. This reduced inflammation was associated with enhanced early recruitment of T cells, both CD4+ and CD8+, and with early influenza virus-specific cytotoxic T-cell responses. Therefore, cross-protective immunity induced by vaccination with γ-irradiated influenza A virus is mediated mainly by Tc-cell responses.

Interferon type I responses in primary and secondary infections.

The mammalian host responds to a microbial infection with a rapid innate immune reaction that is dominated by type I interferon (IFN‐I) release. Most cells of vertebrates can respond to microbial attack with IFN‐I production, but the cell type responsible for most of the systemic IFN‐I release is thought to be plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). Besides its anti‐microbial and especially anti‐viral properties IFN‐I also exerts a regulatory role on many facets of the sequential adaptive immune response. One of these is being the recently described partial, systemic activation of the vast majority of B and T lymphocytes in mice, irrespective of antigen reactivity. The biological significance of this partial activation of lymphocytes is at present speculative. Secondary infections occurring within a short time span of a primary infection fail to elicit a similar lymphocyte activation response due to a refractory period in systemic IFN‐I production. This period of exhaustion in IFN‐I responses is associated with an increased susceptibility of the host to secondary infections. The latter correlates with well‐established clinical observations of heightened susceptibility of patients to secondary microbial infections after viral episodes.

Live Chimeric and Inactivated Japanese Encephalitis Virus Vaccines Differ in Their Cross-Protective Values against Murray Valley Encephalitis Virus

ABSTRACT The Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) serocomplex, which also includes Murray Valley encephalitis virus (MVEV), is a group of antigenically closely related, mosquito-borne flaviviruses that are responsible for severe encephalitic disease in humans. While vaccines against the prominent members of this serocomplex are available or under development, it is unlikely that they will be produced specifically against those viruses which cause less-frequent disease, such as MVEV. Here we have evaluated the cross-protective values of an inactivated JEV vaccine (JE-VAX) and a live chimeric JEV vaccine (ChimeriVax-JE) against MVEV in two mouse models of flaviviral encephalitis. We show that (i) a three-dose vaccination schedule with JE-VAX provides cross-protective immunity, albeit only partial in the more severe challenge model; (ii) a single dose of ChimeriVax-JE gives complete protection in both challenge models; (iii) the cross-protective immunity elicited with ChimeriVax-JE is durable (≥5 months) and broad (also giving protection against West Nile virus); (iv) humoral and cellular immunities elicited with ChimeriVax-JE contribute to protection against lethal challenge with MVEV; (v) ChimeriVax-JE remains fully attenuated in immunodeficient mice lacking type I and type II interferon responses; and (vi) immunization with JE-VAX, but not ChimeriVax-JE, can prime heterologous infection enhancement in recipients of vaccination on a low-dose schedule, designed to mimic vaccine failure or waning of vaccine-induced immunity. Our results suggest that the live chimeric JEV vaccine will protect against other viruses belonging to the JEV serocomplex, consistent with the observation of cross-protection following live virus infections.

Intranasal Flu Vaccine Protective against Seasonal and H5N1 Avian Influenza Infections

Background Influenza A (flu) virus causes significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, and current vaccines require annual updating to protect against the rapidly arising antigenic variations due to antigenic shift and drift. In fact, current subunit or split flu vaccines rely exclusively on antibody responses for protection and do not induce cytotoxic T (Tc) cell responses, which are broadly cross-reactive between virus strains. We have previously reported that γ-ray inactivated flu virus can induce cross-reactive Tc cell responses. Methodology/Principal Finding Here, we report that intranasal administration of purified γ-ray inactivated human influenza A virus preparations (γ-Flu) effectively induces heterotypic and cross-protective immunity. A single intranasal administration of γ-A/PR8[H1N1] protects mice against lethal H5N1 and other heterotypic infections. Conclusions/Significance Intranasal γ-Flu represents a unique approach for a cross-protective vaccine against both seasonal as well as possible future pandemic influenza A virus infections.

Type I Interferons Trigger Systemic, Partial Lymphocyte Activation in Response to Viral Infection

The vast majority of both T and B cells in mice were found to up-regulate cell surface expression of the early activation markers CD69 and CD86, but not CD25, within 24 h of infection with Semliki Forest virus. Kinetics and magnitude of activation marker expression was dependent on live virus, dose, and correlated with strain virulence. Activation marker expression declined to baseline levels over the next 96 h. This very early “activation” of such a high percentage of lymphocytes required the presence of type I IFN receptor genes, was inducible with poly(I:C), and correlated with IFN-I levels in serum. We conclude that virus-induced IFN-I release systemically affects most of the hosts T and B cells by triggering them rapidly and independently of Ag-reactivity into a semiactivated state.

Effect of inactivation method on the cross-protective immunity induced by whole 'killed' influenza A viruses and commercial vaccine preparations.

We have recently shown that intranasal (i.n.) administration of gamma-irradiated A/PR/8 [A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (H1N1)] protects mice against lethal avian influenza A/Vietnam/1203/2004 (H5N1) and other heterosubtypic influenza A infections. Here, we used gamma-irradiated, formalin- and UV-inactivated A/PC [A/Port Chalmers/1/73 (H3N2)] virus preparations and compared their ability to induce both homologous and heterosubtypic protective immunity. Our data show that, in contrast to i.n. vaccination with formalin- or UV-inactivated virus, or the present commercially available trivalent influenza vaccine, a single dose of gamma-ray-inactivated A/PC (gamma-A/PC) conferred significant protection in mice against both homologous and heterosubtypic virus challenges. A multiple immunization regime was required for formalin-inactivated virus preparations to induce protective immunity against a homotypic virus challenge, but did not induce influenza A strain cross-protective immunity. The highly immunogenic gamma-A/PC, but not formalin- or UV-inactivated A/PC, nor the currently available subvirion vaccine, elicited cytotoxic T-cell responses that are most likely responsible for the cross-protective and long-lasting immunity against highly lethal influenza A infections in mice. Finally, freeze-drying of gamma-A/PC did not affect the ability to induce cross-protective immunity.

Exhaustion of Type I Interferon Response following an Acute Viral Infection

Viral infections often cause a period of heightened susceptibility to a secondary infection but the cause of this phenomenon is unknown. We found that a primary viral infection in mice rapidly triggers an IFN-I-dependent partial activation state in the majority of B and T lymphocytes, which reverts to a resting phenotype within 5 days. When a secondary infection with an unrelated virus occurred 5 to 9 days after the primary infection, no recurrence of marked activation of lymphocytes was observed. This was not due to an inherent inability of the previously activated cells to undergo renewed partial activation, because they responded when challenged with virus after transfer into “naive” recipients. Instead, the failure to respond optimally resided in the original host’s incapacity to mount an IFN-I response to the secondary infection during this time period. Thus, transient immunosuppression through exhaustion of IFN-I production during an acute viral infection creates a time period of enhanced susceptibility to secondary infection.

NK cell-mediated immunopathology during an acute viral infection of the CNS

Natural killer (NK) and cytotoxic T (Tc) cells are prime effector populations in the antiviral response of the host. Tc cells are essential for recovery from many viral diseases but may also be responsible for immunopathology. The role of NK cells in recovery from viral infections is less well established. We have studied acute virulent Semliki Forest virus (vSFV) infection of the central nervous system in C57BL/6J mice, which was mainly controlled by NK cells without marked Tc cell involvement. We show that mice with defects in the Fas and/or granule exocytosis pathways of cytotoxicity are more resistant to lethal vSFV infection than wild‐type mice. On the other hand, mice defective in the IFN‐γ response are more sensitive than wild‐type mice, whereas mice lacking the Tc cell compartment (β‐2 microglobulin‐deficient mice) exhibit susceptibility similar to wild‐type mice. The additional finding that depletion of NK cells significantly delayed the mean time to death but did not prevent mortality in SFV‐infected B6 mice suggests that cytolytic activity of NK cells is detrimental, while IFN‐γ production is beneficial for recovery from SFV infection. This is the first study illustrating an NK cell‐mediated immunopathological outcome to an acute viral infection.