title: A soluble receptor for interleukin-1 beta encoded by vaccinia virus: a novel mechanism of virus modulation of the host response to infection.
abstract: Vaccinia virus gene B15R is shown to encode an abundant, secretory glycoprotein that functions as a soluble interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor. This IL-1 receptor has novel specificity since, in contrast with cellular counterparts, it binds only IL-1 beta and not IL-1 alpha or the natural competitor IL-1 receptor antagonist. The vaccinia IL-1 beta receptor is secreted when expressed in a baculovirus system and competitively inhibited binding of IL-1 beta to the natural receptor on T cells. Deletion of B15R from vaccinia virus accelerated the appearance of symptoms of illness and mortality in intranasally infected mice, suggesting that the blockade of IL-1 beta by vaccinia virus can diminish the systemic acute phase response to infection and modulate the severity of the disease. The IL-1 beta binding activity is present in other orthopoxviruses.
authors.affiliation: Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, England.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alcamí
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014615:Vaccinia / Q000276:immunology; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C067847:B15R protein, Vaccinia virus