Spleen cell cytokine secretion in Mycobacterium bovis BCG-infected mice

Abstract

Three susceptible mouse strains, i.e., BALB/c (H-2d), C57BL/6 (H-2b), and major histocompatibility complex-congenic BALB.B10 (H-2b), were infected intravenously with 4 x 10(6) CFU of live Mycobacterium bovis BCG and analyzed 4 weeks later for in vitro spleen cell cytokine secretion in response to purified protein derivative (PPD), BCG culture filtrate (CF), BCG cellular extract, total BCG, the purified extracellular 30-32-kDa antigen (the fibronectin-binding antigen 85), or the intracellular 65-kDa heat shock protein. C57BL/6 and BALB.B10 mice produced 5- to 10-fold more gamma interferon and interleukin-2 (IL-2) when stimulated with CF, PPD, and antigen 85 than BALB/c mice did. When stimulated with BCG extract and whole BCG, gamma interferon and IL-2 levels were generally lower and comparable in the three strains. IL-4 was detected in spleen cell culture supernatants from infected BALB/c mice but not from C57BL/6 or BALB.B10 mice. IL-5 could not be detected. C57BL/6 and BALB.B10 spleen cells also produced more tumor necrosis factor alpha and IL-6 after stimulation with PPD and CF than BALB/c cells did. Finally, BCG vaccination generated efficient protective immunity in C57BL/6 and BALB.B10 mice but not in BALB/c mice. These data suggest that secreted mycobacterial CF antigens selectively induce a strong TH1 response in BCG-infected C57BL/6 and BALB.B10 mice, whereas in BALB/c mice this response is partly counterbalanced by TH2 cells.

RecombinantMycobacterium bovisbacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) expressing mouse IL-18 augments Th1 immunity and macrophage cytotoxicity

“…Protective immunity against mycobacterial infection is primarily mediated by a cellular immune response of the Th1 type [41,49,[53][54][55]. IL-18, produced mainly by macrophages, plays a critical role in induction of cellular immunity.…”

DNA Injection in Combination with Electroporation: a Novel Method for Vaccination of Farmed Ruminants

“…Firstly, different species and even different breeds of the same species can develop diverse immune responses after vaccination with the same antigens. For example, it has been reported that mice of H-2 b and H2 d haplotype can develop Th1and Th2-type responses, respectively, after BCG vaccination [34,35]. Secondly, the balance between cellular and humoral immune responses induced following vaccination or infection could also be influenced by the nature of the antigens.…”

Host Responses and Antigens Involved in Protective Immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis

“…The T cell subset induced by mycobacterial infections may be influenced by the H-2 haplotype of the mice. A study by Huygen et al [199] examined cytokine production in vitro from spleen cells isolated from mice infected with BCG and while C57bl/6j mice (H-2B) mount a Th1 response, strains of the H-2D haplotype were found to be characterized by a substantial Th2 activation. The specificity of T cells generated at the height of infection is broad; a range of different culture filtrate antigens induce powerful proliferative responses and peak responses were reported to proteins in the region around 30 kDa and to small molecules below 12 kDa [22,200].…”