title: Interleukin-12 primes CD4+ T cells for interferon-gamma production and protective immunity during Mycobacterium avium infection.
abstract: Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a crucial cytokine for the generation of a protective immune response against Mycobacterium avium infection. In contrast to infected control mice, IL-12-deficient mice were unable to control bacterial proliferation and their spleen T cells were almost unresponsive in vitro to specific antigens of M. avium. Susceptibility of mice deficient in IL-12 was similar to that of interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-deficient mice. These data indicate a crucial role of IL-12 in the development of a T-cell population able to produce IFN-gamma and to mediate protection against M. avium infection. Treatment of M. avium-infected mice with IL-12 induced CD4+ T cells with enhanced capacity to produce IFN-gamma as well as to confer increased protection against M. avium.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology of Infection, Institute for Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Flórido
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Appelberg
mesh_terms: D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D005260:Female; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000276:immunology*; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009162:Mycobacterium avium; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D018664:Interleukin-12; D007371:Interferon-gamma