title: Airway epithelial cell response to human metapneumovirus infection.
abstract: Human metapneumovirus (hMPV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in infants, elderly and immunocompromised patients. In this study, we show that hMPV can infect in a similar manner epithelial cells representative of different tracts of the airways. hMPV-induced expression of chemokines IL-8 and RANTES in primary small alveolar epithelial cells (SAE) and in a human alveolar type II-like epithelial cell line (A549) was similar, suggesting that A549 cells can be used as a model to study lower airway epithelial cell responses to hMPV infection. A549 secreted a variety of CXC and CC chemokines, cytokines and type I interferons, following hMPV infection. hMPV was also a strong inducer of transcription factors belonging to nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB, interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) and signal transducers and activators of transcription (STATs) families, which are known to orchestrate the expression of inflammatory and immunomodulatory mediators.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA.
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spetch
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kolli
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Garofalo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Casola
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D018925:Chemokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000821:virology*; D006801:Humans; D050835:Interferon Regulatory Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D050832:Interferon-Stimulated Gene Factor 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D029121:Metapneumovirus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; D050835:Interferon Regulatory Factors; D050832:Interferon-Stimulated Gene Factor 3; D016328:NF-kappa B