title: IL-13 is associated with reduced illness and replication in primary respiratory syncytial virus infection in the mouse.
abstract: The role of IL-13 in respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) immunopathogenesis is incompletely described. To assess the effect of IL-13 on primary RSV infection, transgenic mice which either overexpress IL-13 in the lung (IL-13 OE) or non-transgenic littermates (IL-13 NT) were challenged intranasally with RSV. IL-13 OE mice had significantly decreased peak viral titers four days after infection compared to non-transgenic littermates. In addition, IL-13 OE mice had significantly lower RSV-induced weight loss and reduced lung IFN-gamma protein expression compared with IL-13 NT mice. In contrast, primary RSV challenge of IL-13 deficient mice resulted in a small, but statistically significant increase in viral titers on day four after infection, no difference in RSV-induced weight loss compared to wild type mice, and augmented IFN-gamma production on day 6 after infection. In STAT1-deficient (STAT1 KO) mice, where primary RSV challenge produced high levels of IL-13 production in the lungs, treatment with an IL-13 neutralizing protein resulted in greater peak viral titers both four and six days after RSV and greater RSV-induced weight loss compared to mice treated with a control protein. These results suggest that IL-13 modulates illness from RSV-infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, T-1218 MCN, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232-2650, USA.
authors.forename: Weisong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.forename: Martin L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Jack A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Elias
authors.forename: Zhou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Durbin
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Colasurdo
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rutigliano
authors.forename: Constance L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Chiappetta
authors.forename: Kasia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goleniewska
authors.forename: Jamye F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: O'Neal
authors.forename: Barney S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: R Stokes
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Peebles
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000502:physiology*; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D018357:Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D012136:Respiratory Syncytial Viruses / Q000502:physiology; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor / Q000235:genetics; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D018793:Interleukin-13; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor; C494080:Stat1 protein, mouse; D007371:Interferon-gamma