Suppression of innate immune pathology by regulatory T cells during Influenza A virus infection of immunodeficient mice.

ABSTRACT: The viral infection of higher vertebrates elicits potent innate and adaptive host immunity. However, an excessive or inappropriate immune response also may lead to host pathology that often is more severe than the direct effects of viral replication. Therefore, several mechanisms exist that regulate the magnitude and class of the immune response. Here, we have examined the potential involvement of regulatory T (Treg) cells in limiting pathology induced by influenza A virus (IAV) infection. Using lymphocyte-deficient mice as hosts, we showed that Treg cell reconstitution resulted in a significant delay in weight loss and prolonged survival following infection. The adoptively transferred Treg cells did not affect the high rate of IAV replication in the lungs of lymphocyte-deficient hosts, an

SUBMITTER: Antunes I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3004299 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature