title: Production of key molecules by ocular neutrophils early after herpetic infection of the cornea.
abstract: Herpes simplex virus infection of the eye can result in a blinding inflammatory lesion that is a T cell mediated immunopathological reaction. A prominent early event following HSV infection is neutrophil invasion of the corneal stroma. These cells may be involved in viral clearance and may influence the nature of the anti HSV T cell response which subsequently occurs. This article measures the expression of some key molecules which could participate in viral clearance and immune modulation. Using RT-PCR and in-situ hybridization, both corneal and peritoneal neutrophils were shown to be sources of iNOS and TNF alpha molecules which likely contribute to antiviral activity. Neutrophils also produce the cytokine IL-12, a key molecule which modulates the CD4+ T cell response to a type which mediates immunopathology. The present results indicate that neutrophils play an important role in the pathogenesis of herpetic ocular lesions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996-0845, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daheshia
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanangat
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Rouse
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016849:Keratitis, Herpetic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism*