title: Antiviral immune responses in mice deficient for both interleukin-2 and interleukin-4.
abstract: Antiviral immune responses of mice lacking interleukin-2 (IL-2) or IL-4 or both IL-2 and IL-4 (IL-2/4) were compared by using different viruses. Primary cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses against lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) were only moderately reduced in mice lacking IL-2 and were normal in mice lacking IL-4. Mice deficient in both interleukins exhibited variable and more strongly reduced but nevertheless in vivo protective LCMV-specific CTL responses. Similar results were obtained with vaccinia virus. Upon virus-specific restimulation in vitro, spleen cells from IL-2- and IL-2/4-deficient mice failed to generate CTL responses against virus-infected target cells, whereas the response of mice deficient in only IL-4 was comparable to that of control mice. The addition of IL-2 during in vitro restimulation completely restored the responses of both IL-2 and IL-2/4-deficient mice. T-helper-cell-independent immunoglobulin M and T-helper-cell-dependent immunoglobulin G antibody responses against vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein were within normal ranges for the various mutant mice. After LCMV infection, specific antibody responses against LCMV nucleoprotein were reduced four- to eightfold. These results show that mice lacking IL-2/4 have an overall tendency to exhibit more severely reduced CTL responses than IL-2- or IL-4-deficient mice. Nevertheless, and surprisingly, in vivo protective immune responses were mounted in the absence of IL-2/4, suggesting that besides a minor contribution from IL-4, other interleukins compensate in vivo for the lack of IL-2 in IL-2-deficient mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bachmann
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schorle
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kühn
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hengartner
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Zinkernagel
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Horak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000172:deficiency*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000172:deficiency*; D008216:Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / Q000276:immunology*; D008217:Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D014616:Vaccinia virus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007376:Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4