Sex and prior exposure jointly shape innate immune responses to a live herpesvirus vaccine.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Both sex and prior exposure to pathogens are known to influence responses to immune challenges, but their combined effects are not well established in humans, particularly in early innate responses critical for shaping subsequent outcomes.

Methods

We employed systems immunology approaches to study responses to a replication-defective, herpes simplex virus (HSV) 2 vaccine in men and women either naive or previously exposed to HSV.

Results

Blood transcriptomic and cell population profiling showed substantial changes on day 1 after vaccination, but the responses depended on sex and whether the vaccinee was naive or previously exposed to HSV. The magnitude of early transcriptional responses was greatest in HSV naive women where type I interferon (IFN) signature

SUBMITTER: Cheung F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9844983 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature