Tweet
Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol
. 2023 Jul 11.
doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00062.2023. Online ahead of print. Influenza A virus infection during pregnancy causes immunological changes in gut-associated lymphoid tissues of offspring mice
Stella Liong 1 , Mark A Miles 1 , Mitra Mohsenipour 1 , Felicia Liong 1 , Elisa L Hill-Yardin 2 , Stavros Selemidis 3
Affiliations
Maternal influenza A virus (IAV) infection during pregnancy can affect offspring immune programming and development. Offspring born from influenza-infected mothers are of increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders and have impaired respiratory mucosal immunity against pathogens. The gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) represents a large proportion of the immune system in the body and plays an important role in gastrointestinal homeostasis. This includes immune modulation to antigens derived from food or microbes, gut microbiota composition, and gut-brain axis signalling. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of maternal IAV infection on mucosal immunity of the GI tract in the offspring. There were no major anatomical changes to the gastrointestinal tract of offspring born to influenza-infected dams. In contrast, maternal IAV did affect mucosal immunity of offspring, showing regional differences in immune cell profiles within distinct GALT. Neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells infiltration was increased in the caecal patch offspring from IAV-infected dams. In the Peyer's patches, only activated CD4+ T cells were increased in IAV offspring. IL-6 gene expression was also elevated in the caecal patch but not in the Peyer's patches of IAV offspring. These findings suggest that maternal IAV infection perturbs homeostatic mucosal immunity in the offspring gastrointestinal tract. This could have profound ramifications on the gut-brain axis and mucosal immunity in the lungs leading to increase susceptibility to respiratory infections and neurological disorders in the offspring later in life.
Keywords: Peyer's patches; caecal patch; inflammation; influenza A virus; pregnancy.
. 2023 Jul 11.
doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00062.2023. Online ahead of print. Influenza A virus infection during pregnancy causes immunological changes in gut-associated lymphoid tissues of offspring mice
Stella Liong 1 , Mark A Miles 1 , Mitra Mohsenipour 1 , Felicia Liong 1 , Elisa L Hill-Yardin 2 , Stavros Selemidis 3
Affiliations
- PMID: 37431584
- DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00062.2023
Maternal influenza A virus (IAV) infection during pregnancy can affect offspring immune programming and development. Offspring born from influenza-infected mothers are of increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders and have impaired respiratory mucosal immunity against pathogens. The gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) represents a large proportion of the immune system in the body and plays an important role in gastrointestinal homeostasis. This includes immune modulation to antigens derived from food or microbes, gut microbiota composition, and gut-brain axis signalling. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of maternal IAV infection on mucosal immunity of the GI tract in the offspring. There were no major anatomical changes to the gastrointestinal tract of offspring born to influenza-infected dams. In contrast, maternal IAV did affect mucosal immunity of offspring, showing regional differences in immune cell profiles within distinct GALT. Neutrophils, monocytes/macrophages, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells infiltration was increased in the caecal patch offspring from IAV-infected dams. In the Peyer's patches, only activated CD4+ T cells were increased in IAV offspring. IL-6 gene expression was also elevated in the caecal patch but not in the Peyer's patches of IAV offspring. These findings suggest that maternal IAV infection perturbs homeostatic mucosal immunity in the offspring gastrointestinal tract. This could have profound ramifications on the gut-brain axis and mucosal immunity in the lungs leading to increase susceptibility to respiratory infections and neurological disorders in the offspring later in life.
Keywords: Peyer's patches; caecal patch; inflammation; influenza A virus; pregnancy.