title: Anti-viral immunity induced by recombinant nucleoprotein of influenza A virus. II. Protection from influenza infection and mechanism of protection.
abstract: Protection against influenza A virus infection in mice immunized with recombinant nucleoprotein (rNP) was studied. Nucleoprotein-immune mice were protected against a lethal challenge with A/Puerto Rico/8/34 (A/PR8) virus but showed considerable morbidity before recovery. Local boosting of the immune system with rNP by intranasal immunization improved the protection in NP-immune mice, and the decrease in morbidity after infection was reflected in accelerated clearance of virus from lungs. However, immune, boosted mice also rapidly cleared an antigenically unrelated influenza B virus from their lungs. Mice immunized with rNP precipitated with alhydrogel, that subsequently developed significant resistance to virus infection, failed to generate detectable levels of class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-restricted killer cells. Furthermore, B10.A(5R) mice that are non-responders for NP-specific class I killer cells could also be protected by immunization with rNP. In contrast, rNP-immunized mice developed strong proliferative T-cell responses to rNP. These data argue for an important role for helper T cells rather than virus-specific class I cytotoxic T cells in protection against influenza virus infection induced by rNP.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Immunobiology, Wellcome Biotech, Langley Court, Beckenham, Kent, U.K.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Tite
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hughes-Jenkins
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Callaghan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dougan
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Russell
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Liew
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000276:immunology*; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins