title: The roles of tumour necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 and interleukin-12 in murine cytomegalovirus infection.
abstract: The roles of the inflammatory cytokines tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-12, in murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) disease were investigated in susceptible BALB/c and resistant C57BL/6 mice. MCMV infection induced IL-1 and TNF-alpha production by peritoneal cells from BALB/c mice, as demonstrated previously in C57BL/6 mice. Overt ill-health and viral replication in the spleens of BALB/c mice were increased by in vivo treatment with soluble TNF-alpha receptors to inhibit the activity of this cytokine, whilst antibodies to IL-12 had a similar but more restricted effect C57BL/6 mice were not affected by either treatment, suggesting TNF-alpha and IL-12 are not critical for natural killer cell-mediated restriction of viral replication in the spleen. Soluble TNF-alpha receptors and antibodies to IL-12 also enhanced MCMV titres and numbers of viral antigen-positive cells in the livers of BALB/c mice and TNF-alpha receptors have similar effects in C57BL/6 livers. In contrast, IL-1 receptors improved the health of MCMV-infected BALB/c mice and reduced viral replication and hepatitis at some time-points. Mechanisms which may underlie these changes are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Australia.
authors.forename: S T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Yerkovich
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Olver
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lenzo
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Price
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000502:physiology; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005260:Female; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000276:immunology*; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018146:Muromegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000276:immunology*; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D007375:Interleukin-1; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D018664:Interleukin-12