title: CD4+ and CD8+ mediated cellular immune response to recombinant influenza nucleoprotein.
abstract: The stimulatory properties of soluble recombinant influenza nucleoprotein (NP) on purified CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells from young and elderly individuals were studied. Recombinant influenza NP failed to induce proliferation of resting CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the absence of IL-2. Addition of small amounts of IL-2, however, led to strong proliferation of resting CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells from young and elderly donors. NP-reactive CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell lines from both age groups grew equally well under long-term culture conditions. T cell lines raised to live influenza virus could recognize recombinant influenza NP and showed a substantial proliferative response. Stimulation of CD8(+) T cells is presumably due to cross-presentation, as EBV-transformed MHC class I-positive cell lines, which are incapable of antigen processing, stimulated live influenza virus-reactive CD8(+) T cell lines when loaded with NP-derived immunodominant peptides but not following loading with the whole NP molecule. Vaccines containing recombinant influenza NP might confer cross-protective immunity and could therefore be especially useful in cases of major epidemics or pandemics.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Biomedical Aging Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Rennweg 10, A-6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gschoesser
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Almanzar
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Hainz
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ortin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schonitzer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schild
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saurwein-Teissl
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Grubeck-Loebenstein
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D016827:CD8 Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005260:Female; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015704:CD4 Antigens; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D007376:Interleukin-2; C048842:NP protein, Influenza A virus; D019590:Nucleocapsid Proteins; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D014758:Viral Core Proteins