Therapy of a fatal murine cytomegalovirus infection with thymic humoral factor (THF-gamma 2) treated immune spleen cells.
Infection of mice with murine cytomegalovirus (CMV) presents a model for the study of the role of the immune system in the pathogenesis of human CMV. We performed adoptive transfer experiments to evaluate the prospects for enhancing the anti-viral potential of murine CMV immune spleen cells by THF-gamma 2. Adult BALB/c mice resistant to murine CMV become highly susceptible following immunosuppression by cyclophosphamide. Recipient mice were injected with murine CMV and cyclophosphamide concomitantly, and 24 h later adoptive transfers of syngeneic immune spleen cells were performed. We showed that passive transfers of murine CMV immune spleen cells prevented the development of a fatal disease in 38% of the recipient mice. Daily injections of murine CMV immune donor mice with THF-gamma 2 enhanced considerably (93%) the therapeutic potential of virus-specific immune cells. These experiments provide direct evidence for the antiviral capacity of THF-gamma 2 through its immunomodulatory effect on immune T cells.
Rager-Zisman
B
B
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Zuckerman
F
F
Benharroch
D
D
Pecht
M
M
Burstein
Y
Y
Trainin
N
N
D000818:Animals; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology*; D013951:Thymus Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D013951:Thymus Hormones; C014859:thymic humoral factor; D003520:Cyclophosphamide