title: The Predominant CD4+Th1 Cytokine Elicited to Chlamydia trachomatis Infection in Women Is Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha and Not Interferon Gamma.
abstract: Chlamydia trachomatisinfection is the most prevalent bacterial sexually transmitted infection and can cause significant reproductive morbidity in women. There is insufficient knowledge ofC. trachomatis-specific immune responses in humans, which could be important in guiding vaccine development efforts. In contrast, murine models have clearly demonstrated the essential role of T helper type 1 (Th1) cells, especially interferon gamma (IFN-γ)-producing CD4+T cells, in protective immunity to chlamydia. To determine the frequency and magnitude of Th1 cytokine responses elicited toC. trachomatisinfection in humans, we stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 90 chlamydia-infected women withC. trachomatiselementary bodies, Pgp3, and major outer membrane protein and measured IFN-γ-, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-, and interleukin-2 (IL-2)-producing CD4+and CD8+T-cell responses using intracellular cytokine staining. The majority of chlamydia-infected women elicited CD4+TNF-α responses, with frequency and magnitude varying significantly depending on theC. trachomatisantigen used. CD4+IFN-γ and IL-2 responses occurred infrequently, as did production of any of the three cytokines by CD8+T cells. About one-third of TNF-α-producing CD4+T cells coproduced IFN-γ or IL-2. In summary, the predominant Th1 cytokine response elicited toC. trachomatisinfection in women was a CD4+TNF-α response, not CD4+IFN-γ, and a subset of the CD4+TNF-α-positive cells produced a second Th1 cytokine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4063-2566
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Kanupriya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Brian M O
authors.initials: BMO
authors.lastname: Ogendi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Rakesh K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Bakshi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Richa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kapil
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Christen G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Press
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA.
authors.forename: Steffanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sabbaj
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
authors.forename: Jeannette Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA wgeisler@uabmc.edu.
authors.forename: William M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Geisler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis / Q000276:immunology*; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C508594:IL2 protein, human; D007376:Interleukin-2; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma
keywords: Chlamydia trachomatis; Th1 responses; tumor necrosis factor