Immunologic injury of cultured cells infected with measles virus. I. role of IfG antibody and the alternative complement pathway.

Abstract

In these studies, a number of human cell lines including epithelial, neural, glial, and lymphoid cells infected with several strains of measles virus were found to be lysed upon incubation with fresh sera from humans containing antibody measles virus. In all instances, the cytolytic event was mediated by alternative complement (C) pathway without a significant contribution from classical pathway. In contrast, isolated measles virus in conjunction with antibody was found to selectively activate the classical C pathway. Measles antibodies of the IgG class, but not the IgA class, possessed cytolytic potential against cells infected with measles virus. Human IgG antibodies could directly activate the alternative C pathway. No defect was found in cytolytic measles antibody in sera or cerebrospinal fluid from patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, nor was the alternative C pathway impaired in sera from these patients. Sera from newborn humans exhibited a functional alternative C pathway.

Lysis of measles virus-infected cells by the purified cytolytic alternative complement pathway and antibody.

“…the above experiments and in previous studies (1,2); maximum 51Cr release correlated with morphological cell death. Kinetic studies showed that lysis of infected cells coated with IgG began at 30 min and was maximal by 60-90 min.…”

“…In initial studies, lysis was assessed by the eosin microcytotoxicity assay as in previous studies (1,2). A small-scale SlCr-release assay was developed to facilitate quantitation of lysis while still enabling the use of small volumes of reagents.…”

Inherited deficiency of the second component of complement. Rheumatic disease associations.

“…The functions specific to the early components of the classical pathway include fixation by immune complexes, in viral neutralization, at least in fluid phase as distinct from cell surfaces (44,45). A defect of opsonizing activity in C2d serum has been reported, although this has not been found consistently (46).…”

Cell-Mediated Immunity during Natural Measles Infection

“…Osunkoya et al (6) suggested this was because of a transient reduction in number of T lymphocytes as a result of cytopathic destruction, and this idea has been supported by the work of Joseph et al (13) who have shown immune lysis of measles-infected HeLa cells by antibody and complement. They also showed that in vitro both T and B lymphocytes 'Abbreviations used and monocytes can be infected by measles virus (14).…”