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J Virol. 2019 Sep 11. pii: JVI.01262-19. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01262-19. [Epub ahead of print]
Type I and type III interferons differ in their adjuvant activities for influenza vaccines.
Ye L1, Ohnemus A1, Ong LC2, Gad HH3, Hartmann R3, Lycke N2, Staeheli P4,5.
Author information
1 Institute of Virology, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. 2 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. 3 Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. 4 Institute of Virology, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany peter.staeheli@uniklinik-freiburg.de. 5 Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract
Type I and type III interferons (IFN) can promote adaptive immune responses in mice and improve vaccine-induced resistance to viral infections. The adjuvant effect of type III IFN (IFN-λ) specifically boosts mucosal immunity by an indirect mechanism, involving IFN-λ-induced production of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a cytokine that activates immune cells. To date it remained unclear whether the previously described adjuvant effect of type I IFN (IFN-α/β) would also depend on TSLP and whether type I IFN stimulates different antibody subtypes. Here we show that after infection with a live attenuated influenza virus, mice lacking functional type I IFN receptors failed to produce normal amounts of virus-specific IgG2c and IgA antibodies. In contrast, mice lacking functional IFN-λ receptors contained normal levels of virus-specific IgG2c but had reduced IgG1 and IgA antibody levels. When applied together with protein antigen, IFN-α stimulated the production of antigen-specific IgA and IgG2c to a greater extent than IgG1, irrespective of whether the mice expressed functional TSLP receptors and irrespective of whether the vaccine was applied by the intranasal or the intraperitoneal route. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the adjuvant activities of type I and type III IFNs are mechanistically distinct.IMPORTANCE Interferons can shape antiviral immune responses, but it is not understood well how they influence vaccine efficacy. We find that type I IFN preferentially promotes the production of antigen-specific IgG2c and IgA antibodies after infection with a live attenuated influenza virus or after immunization with influenza subunit vaccines. By contrast, type III IFN specifically enhances influenza virus-specific IgG1 and IgA production. The adjuvant effect of type I IFN was not dependent on TSLP which is essential for the adjuvant effect of type III IFN. Type I IFN boosted vaccine-induced antibody production after immunization by the intranasal or the intraperitoneal route, whereas type III IFN exhibited its adjuvant activity only when the vaccine was delivered by the mucosal route. Our findings demonstrate that type I and type III IFNs trigger distinct pathways to enhance the efficacy of vaccines. This knowledge might be used to design more efficient vaccines against infectious diseases.
Copyright ? 2019 American Society for Microbiology.
PMID: 31511392 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01262-19
Type I and type III interferons differ in their adjuvant activities for influenza vaccines.
Ye L1, Ohnemus A1, Ong LC2, Gad HH3, Hartmann R3, Lycke N2, Staeheli P4,5.
Author information
1 Institute of Virology, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. 2 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. 3 Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. 4 Institute of Virology, Medical Center University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany peter.staeheli@uniklinik-freiburg.de. 5 Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
Abstract
Type I and type III interferons (IFN) can promote adaptive immune responses in mice and improve vaccine-induced resistance to viral infections. The adjuvant effect of type III IFN (IFN-λ) specifically boosts mucosal immunity by an indirect mechanism, involving IFN-λ-induced production of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a cytokine that activates immune cells. To date it remained unclear whether the previously described adjuvant effect of type I IFN (IFN-α/β) would also depend on TSLP and whether type I IFN stimulates different antibody subtypes. Here we show that after infection with a live attenuated influenza virus, mice lacking functional type I IFN receptors failed to produce normal amounts of virus-specific IgG2c and IgA antibodies. In contrast, mice lacking functional IFN-λ receptors contained normal levels of virus-specific IgG2c but had reduced IgG1 and IgA antibody levels. When applied together with protein antigen, IFN-α stimulated the production of antigen-specific IgA and IgG2c to a greater extent than IgG1, irrespective of whether the mice expressed functional TSLP receptors and irrespective of whether the vaccine was applied by the intranasal or the intraperitoneal route. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the adjuvant activities of type I and type III IFNs are mechanistically distinct.IMPORTANCE Interferons can shape antiviral immune responses, but it is not understood well how they influence vaccine efficacy. We find that type I IFN preferentially promotes the production of antigen-specific IgG2c and IgA antibodies after infection with a live attenuated influenza virus or after immunization with influenza subunit vaccines. By contrast, type III IFN specifically enhances influenza virus-specific IgG1 and IgA production. The adjuvant effect of type I IFN was not dependent on TSLP which is essential for the adjuvant effect of type III IFN. Type I IFN boosted vaccine-induced antibody production after immunization by the intranasal or the intraperitoneal route, whereas type III IFN exhibited its adjuvant activity only when the vaccine was delivered by the mucosal route. Our findings demonstrate that type I and type III IFNs trigger distinct pathways to enhance the efficacy of vaccines. This knowledge might be used to design more efficient vaccines against infectious diseases.
Copyright ? 2019 American Society for Microbiology.
PMID: 31511392 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.01262-19