Human herpesvirus 6 inhibits the proliferative responses of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) was recently isolated from the blood of immunosuppressed individuals and children with exanthem subitum. In this study, the effect of HHV-6 on the proliferative response of human peripheral blood lymphocytes was tested. T cell lines or human peripheral blood lymphocytes were infected with HHV-6 variant A, strain GS, or variant B, strain Z29. Infected and uninfected cell lysates were UV inactivated and sonicated; when lysates were added to peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HHV-6-seropositive adults, lymphoproliferative responses to antigens (tuberculin purified protein derivative or mumps) and mitogens (phytohemagglutinin or interleukin-2) were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. This inhibition was reversed by a rabbit anti-HHV-6(GS) antiserum, and inhibition was not due to cell lysis induced by viral infection, since cell death was not observed. This in vitro suppression of cellular immune responses by HHV-6 proteins may be relevant to the in vivo pathogenesis of HHV-6 and its relationship to human diseases.
Department of Pathology and Oncology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160-7232.
R T
RT
Horvat
M J
MJ
Parmely
B
B
Chandran
D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000276:immunology* / Q000502:physiology; D007700:Kinetics; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology*; D014779:Virus Replication
D000956:Antigens, Viral