title: Frequencies of IFN gamma- and IL-4-producing cells during Mycobacterium bovis BCG infection in two genetically susceptible mouse strains: role of alpha/beta T cells and NK1.1 cells.
abstract: Frequencies of IFN gamma- and IL-4-producing spleen cells in response to Mycobacterium bovis BCG infection were determined in C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice. Both mouse strains express equal innate susceptibility to M. bovis BCG (Bcgs), but differ in their NK1.1 and T-cell activities. M. bovis BCG infection induced higher frequencies (f approximately 1/500) of antigen-induced IFN gamma-secreting spleen cells in C57BL/6 mice as compared to BALB/c mice (f approximately 1/8000). Concanavalin A stimulated almost equal numbers of IFN gamma-secreting cells in both mouse strains (f approximately 1/50). Treatment with anti-NK1.1 mAb of M. bovis BCG-infected C57BL/6 mice did not alter frequencies of IFN gamma-secreting cells. Equally low numbers of antigen-induced IL-4-producing cells (f approximately 1/3000) were determined in both C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice during M. bovis BCG infection and treatment of C57BL/6 mice with anti-NK1.1 mAb had no measurable effect on IL-4 producers. Finally, frequencies of IFN gamma-producing cells were markedly reduced (10-fold) in M. bovis BCG-infected TCR-beta-/- gene deletion mutants as compared to their heterozygous controls. Our findings verify that M. bovis BCG infection primarily induces IFN gamma-secreting alpha/beta T cells of TH1 type and show that the frequencies of these IFN gamma producers differ in the two Bcgs mouse strains C57BL/6 and BALB/c.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Munk
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kaufmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004198:Disease Susceptibility / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D013045:Species Specificity; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma