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Journal of Virology, December 2003, p. 12742-12752, Vol. 77, No. 23
0022-538X/03/$08.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.77.23.12742-12752.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Department of Microbiology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996,1 Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw Agricultural University, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland2
Received 15 May 2003/ Accepted 25 August 2003
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-deficient mice (8) and to immunopotentiate DNA vaccination (9). It is now becoming clear that the outcome of an immune response to a foreign antigen relies on the early innate environment established during the induction of that response. Consequently, this may require stimulation that can specifically alter the biology of antigen-presenting cells, leading to higher expression of costimulatory molecules, cytokines, and other auxiliary molecules, which in turn lower the threshold for stimulation of T-cell responses (4). In this study we hypothesized that if the kinetics of immune induction are combined with distribution of the response arising from a mucosal heterologous prime-and-boost (prime/boost) strategy of immunization, heightened immunity against HSV would result. In such a scenario plasmid DNA-encoded CCR7L would favorably influence the kinetics of T-cell priming by promoting immunocompetent cell migration to the site of immunization. Conversely, the intranasal route of immune induction would advantageously exploit the common-mucosa concept to distribute the response distally. To prove this hypothesis, first we explored the intranasal route of immunization and incorporation of plasmid DNA-encoded CCR7L at both prime and boost stages of immunization. Second, we examined the extent and duration of the immunity generated when this prime/boost strategy is used for vaccination against HSV. Indeed, using the mucosal route of immunization we have previously shown (7) that a robust mucosal and systemic immune response is achieved when mice are primed with recombinant vaccinia virus encoding glycoprotein B (rVVgB) of HSV and boosted with plasmid DNA encoding the same protein. Our results show that plasmid DNA-encoded chemokines may modulate the influx of immunocompetent cells to the site of immunization and therefore lead to enhanced induction of the immune response against HSV. When applied in a mucosal heterologous prime/boost strategy of immunization against HSV, pCCR7L was capable of directing a highly protective immune response at a distal mucosal site. Moreover, the protective efficacy of this vaccination approach appears to be long term.
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Plasmid DNA. CCL19- and CCL21-encoding cloning plasmids were a kind gift from A. Zlotnik (DNAX Research Institute, Palo Alto, Calif.) and J. G. Cyster (University of California, San Francisco). They were inserted into expression vector pCI-neo as described elsewhere (8). Plasmid DNA encoding gB of HSV-1 KOS has been described in detail elsewhere (25). Plasmid DNA was prepared as described by Kuklin et al. (21) with a slight modification. Briefly, following precipitation with polyethylene glycol the plasmid DNA was further subjected to endotoxin removal as follows. A 3 M solution of sodium acetate was added to plasmid DNA at a ratio of 1:10 and brought to a total volume of 1.0 ml with endotoxin-free water. The plasmid DNA was then incubated on ice for 5 min. Triton X-114 (0.03 volumes; Sigma, St. Louis, Mo.) was added to the samples, which were thoroughly mixed and then incubated at 50°C for 5 min. The aqueous phase containing DNA was removed following centrifugation at 14,000 rpm in an Eppendorf 5415c centrifuge. DNA samples were subjected to another round of Triton X-114 and finally precipitated with 96% ethanol. The result of the Limulus amebocyte lysate test (Charles River Endosafe, Charleston, S.C.) was 0.11 endotoxin unit/ml.
Peptide synthesis. HSV-gB498-505 (SSIEFARL), specific for major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) (H-2b)-restricted CD8+ T cells was synthesized by Genemed Synthesis Inc. (South San Francisco, Calif.). The peptide was dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), aliquoted, and stored at -20°C until use. Unless otherwise stated the peptide was used at a concentration of 5 µg/2 x 106 cells.
Immunization. Female C57BL/6 mice were divided into six groups. Group 1 was immunized intranasally at day 0 (prime) with 107 PFU of rVVgB/mouse and 100 µg of plasmid DNA encoding a CCR7L (pCCL19 or pCCL21), and then at day 14 (boost) mice were boosted with 100 µg of pCCR7L and 100 µg of plasmid DNA encoding glycoprotein B of HSV (pgB). Groups 2 to 6 were immunized intranasally with rVVgB (prime) and pgB (boost), ß-galactosidase (ß-Gal; both prime and boost); UV-inactivated HSV-1 KOS (107 PFU before inactivation) (prime only), and PBS (prime and boost), respectively. Primary responses were measured at day 14 postboost, and memory responses were measured at day 60 postboost. Serum samples and genital tract wash fluids were also collected at days 14 and 60 postboost for antibody analysis.
Preparation of spleen, LN, lung dendritic, and genital tract cell suspensions. At various times lungs, spleens, lymph nodes (LN; appropriately peribronchial, cervical, mesenteric, and iliac), and genital tracts were removed. Spleens and LN were minced and passed through a metal sieve, and finally red blood cells (RBC) were lysed with RBC lysis buffer (Sigma) and washed three times in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. Genital tracts were surgically removed, minced, and digested with 1 mg of collagenase D (Roche, Penzberg, Germany)/ml for 45 min at 37°C with agitation. Finally the cells were washed and suspended in RPMI 1640. Lung DCs were prepared by digesting lungs with 0.5 mg of collagenase D/ml. CD11c+ DCs were positively selected with anti-CD11c+ magnetic microbeads by magnetic activated-cell sorting (MACS) (Miltenyi Biotec, Auburn, Calif.).
IFN-
enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay.
MultiScreen HA sterile plates (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.) were coated overnight with a capture anti-gamma interferon (IFN-
) antibody (BD Biosciences Pharmingen, San Diego, Calif.) in carbonate buffer, pH 9.6. Before plating the cells, the plates were washed with PBS three times and blocked with RPMI 1640 (Sigma) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. Responder cells (106) from spleens, LN, or lungs of immunized and control mice were added to each first well and further serially diluted twofold. A constant number (2.5 x 105 cells) of stimulator cells was added to each well, followed by 20 U of IL-2 (Hemagen, Columbia, Md.). Stimulator cells were prepared from naive mouse spleens and pulsed with HSV-gB498-505 for 1.5 h at 37°C and finally X-irradiated (3,000 rads). Plates were placed at 37°C in an incubator for 48 to 72 h. Subsequently, plates were washed with PBS-Tween, followed by addition of biotinylated IFN-
(BD Biosciences Pharmingen) and incubation at 4°C overnight. Afterwards plates were washed in PBS-Tween, followed by addition of peroxidase-conjugated streptavidin (Jackson Immunoresearch, San Francisco, Calif.) and incubation at 37°C for 1.5 h. Finally plates were washed and incubated with 9-amino-9-ethylcarbazole (Sigma) for 10 to 20 min or until color developed. Spots were enumerated under dissecting microscope.
Intracellular cytokine staining. Spleen or LN cells from vaccinated and control mice were added to a 96-well plate at a concentration of 106 cells per well and stimulated with 2.5 µg of HSVgB498-505 in the presence of GolgiPlug (BD Biosciences Pharmingen) and 50 U of IL-2 (Hemagen) for 5 h at 37°C. Further, the cell samples were processed basically as described by Kumaraguru and Rouse (22). The anti-CD8 fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) antibody was purchased from Caltag Laboratories, Burlingame, Calif. All other antibodies were purchased from BD Biosciences Pharmingen.
Antibody ELISA. A standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was done to quantitate the gB-specific antibody in the serum and genital wash fluids as described previously (7). Briefly, ELISA plates were coated overnight at 4°C with gB protein (Chiron, Emeryville, Calif.). For standards goat anti-mouse IgG or rabbit anti-mouse IgA was used for coating plates. Subsequently, the plates were washed with PBS containing Tween 20 three times and blocked with 3% skim milk. Mouse IgG was added to standards, and test samples were serially diluted twofold, incubated for 2 h at 37°C, and then incubated with goat anti-mouse IgG-conjugated horseradish peroxidase (HRP) (IgG-HRP) for 1 h. All antibodies were purchased from Southern Biotechnology Associates, Birmingham, Ala. For measurement of IgA levels in genital tract lavage fluid, biotinylated goat anti-mouse IgA was first added for 2 h at 37°C and then peroxidase-conjugated streptavidin (Jackson ImmunoResearch, West Grove, Pa.) was added. Finally, ABTS [2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzthiazolinesulfonic acid)] was added, and plates were incubated at room temperature for 10 min. After color development antibody concentrations were calculated with an automated ELISA reader (Spectra MAX340; Molecular Devices, Sunnyvale, Calif.).
Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) assay. A standard 4-h 51Cr release assay was performed to assess cytolytic activity of the CD8+ T cells isolated from immunized and control mice as described elsewhere (8). Briefly, splenocytes or LN cells from immune or control mice were expanded in vitro for 5 days by restimulation with irradiated syngeneic HSV-gB498-505-pulsed (5 µg/2 x 106 cells) splenocytes. After expansion effector cells were then incubated with MHC-matched target cells (MC38; mouse colon adenocarcinoma) pulsed with HSV-gB498-505 at various effector-to-target cell ratios for 4 h. Total release was determined by adding 5% Triton X-100 (Sigma) to target cells. 51Cr release was assessed in a gamma counter (LKB-Wallac, Turku, Finland), and data were corrected by the formula [(experimental release - spontaneous release)/(total release - spontaneous release)] x 100.
Virus challenge. Mice are irregularly susceptible to genital infection with HSV unless synchronized into diestrus (11, 18). To synchronize the ovarian cycle, mice were injected subcutaneously with 2 mg of medroxyprogesterone (Pharmacia & Upjohn, Kalamazoo, Mich.)/mouse. Five days later each mouse was anesthetized with avertin and infected intravaginally with 107 PFU of HSV MacKrae. Every day a specimen of the genital tract lavage was collected for virus titration and antibody assay. Mice were monitored daily for clinical illness and pathology, scored according to criteria reported by Gallichan et al. (13) as follows: 0, no apparent infection; 1, mild inflammation of the external genitals, redness, and moderate swelling of external genitals; 3, severe redness and inflammation; 4, genital ulceration and severe inflammation; 5, hind limb paralysis and death.
Statistics.
Appropriate significant differences were calculated with Student's t test. P values
0.05 were considered to be statistically significant.
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Lung DCs increase in number upon administration of pCCR7L.
DCs highly express CCR7 upon activation and migrate to the peripheral LN, where they participate in naive-T-cell priming. Hence, coadministration of pCCR7L intranasally was primarily targeted at manipulating respiratory tract DCs so as to enhance the antigen uptake and presumably augment priming of T cells. We first assessed the numbers of DCs in the lung upon administration of pCCR7L, this being the primary site, among others, at which immune induction initiates after intranasal immunization. Mice were instilled plasmid DNA encoding CCR7L alone or together with rVVgB or rVVgB and pgB separately in both nares. Lungs and peribronchial LN (PBLN) were removed for assessment each day until 5 days to show the effect of ectopic expression of pCCR7L in the respiratory tract. Indeed there was a notable increase in the CD11c+ DCs, with numbers rising approximately 3.5-fold for pCCL19 and pCCL21 individually and 7-fold for mice given pCCR7L and rVVgB on days 3 and 4 (Fig. 1A). More CD11c+ DCs accumulated in the lungs when pCCR7L was codelivered with rVVgB than when pCCR7L was delivered alone. pCCL21, in comparison to pCCL19 induced slightly larger mobilization of DCs, as was evident from day 2 after administration, although the differences between means were insignificant (P
0.05). However, the increase in number of CD11c+ DCs in all groups treated with pCCR7L was significantly higher (P
0.05) than that for control animals which received the plasmid vector encoding the irrelevant protein ß-Gal or naive mice that were given PBS. The numbers of CD11c+ DCs in PBLN (Fig. 1B) were higher in the first 48 h following immunization but decreased thereafter. This coincided with high accumulation of CD11c+ DCs in the lungs on the third day onwards. The accumulation of CD11c+ DCs observed in our study is therefore attributed to the expression of pCCR7L in the lung environment.
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FIG. 1. Administration of pCCR7L i.n. increases the numbers of lung DCs. C57BL/6 mice 5 to 6 weeks of age were given i.n. 100 µg of plasmid DNA encoding CCR7L (pCCL19 or pCCL21) with or without rVVgB, vector plasmid DNA encoding ß-Gal, or PBS. Lungs and PBLN were removed on days 1 to 5, and DCs were isolated by positive selection with CD11c+ microbeads by MACS, stained with a monoclonal antibody against CD11c FITC, and analyzed by flow cytometry. (A) Comparison of lung CD11c+ DCs from various treatment groups on days 1 to 5; (B) CD11c+ DCs in PBLN following i.n. codelivery of pCCR7L.
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(Fig. 2B). This observation suggests that additional antigen presentation upon codelivery of pCCR7L may take place in the lungs. However, additional data are required to support this observation. Collectively, these data show that ectopic expression of pCCR7L affects the mobility and function of DCs in the respiratory tract, more so because the DCs isolated from lungs of mice immunized with rVVgB and pCCR7L were functional antigen-presenting cells, as demonstrated by their ability to activate the splenocytes from HSV-primed mice.
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FIG. 2. CD11c+ DCs isolated from lungs and PBLN of pCCR7L-treated mice are capable of activating CD8+ T cells from mice previously primed with HSV. Mice were treated with pCCR7L, ß-Gal, or PBS i.n., and 3 days later pCCR7L-treated mice were immunized i.n. with rVVgB. One group was infected with rVVgB only. An IFN- ELISPOT assay was performed to quantitate the functional capability of CD11c+ DCs originating from lungs and PBLN of pCCR7L-treated and control mice. Seven days following immunization lungs and PBLN were removed and CD11c+ DCs were prepared, purified by MACS, and incubated with splenocytes from mice primed earlier with HSV. CD11c+ DCs (2 x 104) were added to 105 splenocytes per well. (A) Spot-forming cells after stimulation with lung or PBLN CD11c+ DCs; (B) IFN- secretion by CD8+ T cells isolated from lungs of pCCR7L-treated mice upon restimulation in vitro with HSV-gB498-505. Intracellular staining for IFN- was performed as described in Materials and Methods.
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0.05) from those in nonimmunized mice, which did not generate antibody levels above background (Table 1). The highest IgG concentration was observed in serum of mice immunized with inactivated HSV. We particularly focused on the defense mechanisms engaged at distal mucosal sites following i.n. immunization. Accordingly, we examined the antibody levels in the genital tract of pCCR7L-treated and non-pCCR7L-treated mice. Codelivery of pCCR7L at both prime and boost led to a clear increase in the genital tract IgA and IgG (Table 1) compared to no pCCR7L treatment. However, the genital tract antibody levels were lower than serum antibody levels. Because the vaccinated animals did not develop overt pathological lesions, we assumed that the antibody may have contributed to virus resolution. This suggests that Ig found in the genital tract after the primary immune response to vaccination may participate in neutralizing infecting virus. However, IgA levels in serum measured at the memory phase decreased about threefold in mice immunized with rVVgB and pgB and those coadministered pCCR7L. Even then the pCCR7L-treated mice had at least twofold-higher levels of serum IgG than non-pCCR7L-treated animals. Surprisingly, very little or no antigen-specific IgA was found in the genital tract in the memory phase. It appears that pCCR7L influenced the IgG and IgA levels in both mucosal and systemic compartments in the primary responses. In the studies described above we did not directly examine the neutralizing capacity of the antibodies generated against HSV using the described vaccination protocol. |
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TABLE 1. pCCR7L codelivery with rVVgB and pgB influences serum and genital tract wash fluid antibody levelsa
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and their potential to lyse HSV-gB498-505-pulsed targets. At 14 days after boosting with pgB or pgB and pCCR7L, splenocytes and mesenteric LN (MLN) cells were isolated and stimulated in vitro with HSV-gB498-505 for 5 h and then stained intracellularly for IFN-
or were stimulated with syngeneic irradiated splenocytes pulsed with HSV-gB498-505 for 72 h in an IFN-
ELISPOT assay. Both assays demonstrated that the T-cell population isolated from pCCR7L-treated mice contained CD8+ T cells that were capable of secreting IFN-
upon restimulation in vitro (Fig. 3). However, in the acute immune response (Fig. 3A) the difference between mice primed with rVVgB and boosted with pgB only and those that were coadministered pCCR7L was not as clear as the difference in serum Ig levels, on which pCCR7L boost codelivery appeared to have exerted a synergistic effect. A possible explanation could be that rVVgB itself induces a strong immune response and as such appears to overshadow the effect of pCCR7L, at least in the primary phase. However, the responses measured in the memory phase (Fig. 3B) differed significantly between the groups that were given pCCR7L and the mice treated with rVVgB and pgB only (Fig. 3B). There was at least a threefold reduction in the number of IFN-
-producing cells among immune cells isolated from mice immunized with rVVgB and pgB only compared to the number among cells isolated from mice in the same group but analyzed in the primary phase. The pCCL19-coadministered mice showed nearly a twofold reduction, and the pCCL21-coadministered mice showed only a slight decrease compared to similar response in the same group analyzed in the primary phase. Interestingly, memory CD8+ T cells from pCCR7L-treated mice rapidly responded to short-term ex vivo restimulation (5-h intracellular cytokine staining assay) with HSV-gB498-505 by secreting IFN-
(Fig. 4). Therefore, it appears that pCCR7L codelivery may give rise to functional memory CD8+ T cells.
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FIG. 3. CD8+ T cells isolated from mice treated with pCCR7L have the capacity to produce more IFN- than CD8+ T cells from non-pCCR7L-treated mice. IFN- secretion by CD8+ T cells isolated from spleen, MLN, and genital tract was assessed by in vitro stimulation with splenocytes pulsed with gB498-505 in ELISPOT assays. CD8+ T cells were examined at 14 (A; acute phase) and 60 days (B; memory phase) after boost. Data are from a representative experiment of two performed.
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FIG. 4. Spleen memory CD8+ T cells from pCCR7L-treated mice secreted IFN- upon restimulation ex vivo more rapidly than CD8+ T cells from non-pCCR7L-treated mice. The cells were isolated at 60 days postboost and assayed for IFN- production ex vivo by intracellular cytokine staining. Spleen cells (106) were incubated in the presence of 2.5 µg of HSV-gB498-505, 50 U of IL-2, and GolgiPlug for 5 h and subsequently stained with anti-CD8+-FITC and anti-IFN- -phycoerythrin (PE) antibodies (except for groups treated with UV-inactivated HSV and PBS, for which IFN- -FITC and CD8+-PE were used). FITC-conjugated rat anti-IgG was used for the isotype control (data not shown). Cytometry and data analysis were performed with FACScan and Cell Quest, respectively. Figures show representative data from two independent experiments.
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FIG. 5. Induction of SSIEFARL-specific cytolytic activity in mice vaccinated intranasally with rVVgB with or without codelivery of pCCR7L. Splenocytes and MLN were isolated on the 14th (primary phase) and 60th (memory phase) days postboost from vaccinated and control mice and expanded in vitro with syngeneic irradiated splenocytes pulsed with gB498-505 (specific for MHC-I-restricted CD8+ T cells) for 5 days, followed by a 51Cr release assay using MHC-matched MC38 (mouse colon adenocarcinoma) cells pulsed with gB498-505 as the targets. Data were corrected with the formula described in Materials and Methods. E:T ratio, effector-to-target cell ratio.
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-secreting CD8+ T cells that could rapidly respond upon peptide stimulation at short term (Fig. 7). The IFN-
levels observed in these CD8+ T cells may suggest that the enhanced potential to secrete IFN-
has a notable protective role against mucosal challenge with a highly pathogenic strain of HSV.
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FIG. 6. Postchallenge cytolytic potential of CD8+ T cells isolated from pCCR7L-immunized mice. The CTL assay was performed as described in Materials and Methods. Cells were isolated from mice at 5 days postchallenge. This is a representative experiment of two performed. E:T ratio, effector-to-target cell ratio.
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FIG. 7. Postchallenge IFN- secretion by CD8+ T cells. Sixty days after the boosting dose (memory phase) mice were synchronized with 2 mg of medroxyprogesterone/mouse and 5 days later were infected with McKrae at 107 PFU/mouse intravaginally. Five days later mice were sacrificed and CD8+ T cells were isolated from the iliac LN and spleen. To assess IFN- production by intracellular cytokine staining, 106 cells were stimulated with 2.5 µg of HSV-gB498-505 for 5 h in the presence of brefeldin A and IL-2 and stained with anti-IFN- -FITC and anti-CD8+-phycoerythrin and then analyzed by flow cytometry. Data are representative of two independent experiments performed.
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-producing CD8+ T cells (both in the ELISPOT assay [data not shown] and intracellular cytokine staining) were detected in genital tract cell suspension, as well as the iliac LN and spleen (Fig. 7). However, irrespective of the vaccine combination assessed, virus still replicated in the genital tract epithelium, indicating that no complete prevention of infection was achieved by the vaccination, although the titers were drastically reduced in pCCR7L-coadministered animals and those that were given inactivated virus. |
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TABLE 2. Mean log10 titers of virus in the genital tract wash fluid collected each day for 9 days following challenge with 107 PFU of the McKrae strain of HSV/mouse
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FIG. 8. Survival rates for pCCR7L-vaccinated and non-pCCR7L-vaccinated mice after intravaginal challenge at 60 days after boost immunization. Four mice were used per group and were synchronized by injecting 2 mg of medroxyprogesterone per mouse subcutaneously. Five days later each mouse was anaesthetized with avertin and infected intravaginally with 107 PFU of HSV MacKrae. Each day a specimen of the genital tract wash fluid was collected for virus titration. Mice were monitored daily for clinical illness and pathology, scored according to criteria reported by Gallichan et al. (13) as follows: 0, no apparent infection; 1, mild inflammation of the external genitals and redness and moderate swelling of external genitals; 3, severe redness and inflammation; 4, genital ulceration and severe inflammation; 5, hind limb paralysis and death.
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(MIP-1
) and MIP-1ß mRNA in lungs of mice following infection with influenza virus. Therefore, the efficient induction of cellular immune responses observed was presumably orchestrated by the strong interaction of the lung DCs and T cells.
It is required that DCs migrate to T-cell areas of secondary lymphoid organs in order to present antigen and prime naive T cells, resulting in development of an antigen-specific adaptive immunity (5). However, our studies show that this might not be an absolute prerequisite since antigen presentation can take place in nonlymphoid tissue too (2). A recent report (37) shows that exogenously applied CCL21 and CCL19 were capable of recruiting green fluorescent protein+ CD44low T cells to nonlymphoid tissue. In the LN the stromal cells create an environment where CCR7+ naive T cells and CCR7+ DCs are brought together at local high concentration of CCL21, thus establishing a physical interaction leading to T-cell activation (3). DCs isolated from the lungs of pCCR7L-treated mice were capable of activating CD8+ T cells to produce IFN-
just as CD8+ T cells isolated from the same lungs were capable of responding to specific peptide stimulus. This effect was observed relatively early in the immune response, suggesting that these immune cells acquired these capabilities within the site of immune induction. However, irrespective of the protocol used, vaccination resulted in detectable response in the distal target mucosa, since antigen-specific responses could be detected in the distal mucosa during the primary phase. It is surprising that antigen-specific CD8+ T cells appeared in the genital mucosa at considerable levels relatively quickly after exposure to virus challenge, i.e., 3 to 5 days postexposure, compared to their appearance in naive animals, in which the immune response resembled that to a primary infection. Most likely the memory CD8+ T cells do not reside exclusively in the genital mucosa but are rapidly recruited to this site since we did not detect these cells in the prechallenge genital tracts, i.e., 60 days postboost. A similar suggestion has been reported before (28, 30). When the cellular responses in the prechallenge phase, i.e., at 60 days, were measured, cytolytic and IFN-
-producing CD8+ T cells could be detected in lymphoid tissue, spleen, and MLN. The cell-mediated immune response generated against antigen-specific targets is the most efficient form of immunity. The fact that highly cytolytic CD8+ T cells could be detected in the spleen indicates the potential of mucosal vaccination to induce systemic responses as well. A recent report (1, 38) shows that central memory CD8+ T cells that develop after antigen has disappeared regain the capability to home to secondary lymphoid tissue. These memory cells are characterized by reexpression of CD62L and CCR7 and are highly proliferative upon reencounter with antigen. This could explain the rapid recall of CD8+ T cells to the genital tract mucosa after challenge with HSV McKrae. What remains unexplained is the lack of these cells within the genital mucosa in the absence of infection. It is clear from these results that upon virus challenge immunized mice are capable of mobilizing the CD8+ T cells to the genital tract to combat the infection, indicating an unconditional requirement for T cells in mediating protection of the genital mucosa. Although data indicating the CD4+ T-cell contribution to protection were not included in this report, the protective role of CD8+ T cells only should not be overstated since this activity of T cells is shared between CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in HSV infection. T-cell depletion studies (31) showed that both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are involved in vaginal mucosa immunity against HSV-2, but CD4+ T cells were more important in protection against primary infection while CD8+ T cells appeared to be of significance largely during the memory response (27, 29). On the other hand Harandi et al. (15) showed that in CD4-/- mice virus-specific IFN-
production and delayed-type hypersensitivity responses were impaired, which led to rapid death of CD4-/- mice upon challenge with HSV-2. The observed effect of vaccinating with rVVgB and pgB and codelivery of pCCR7L is consequently the interplay between the kinetics of the resulting immune response provided for by the enhancing effect of pCCR7L expression and the distribution accounted for by the common-mucosa system concept, allowing homing of responding immune cells to distal mucosa surfaces.
Our results show that ectopic expression of CCR7L at the site of immunization enhances the immune response against HSV, with CCR7L acting as a molecular adjuvant. This is characterized by a high frequency of functional CD8+ T cells. Although the levels of acute immune response in both pCCR7L-coadministered and non-pCCR7L-treated mice are comparable, the memory responses are different, bringing into question what CD8+ T-cell-priming mechanism is engaged upon pCCR7L coadministration. While previous work (9) showed the efficacy of pCCR7L in studies involving DNA-only immunization, we have extended those studies in a more robust heterologous prime/boost vaccination strategy and show that a mucosal approach with incorporation of pCCR7L elicits a distal mucosal memory response that is long term and capable of protecting the mice during a vaginal challenge with a lethal dose of HSV McKrae. Also what remains to be assessed is the precise role in this vaccination setup of CD4+ T cells, which appear to be involved in the immune response (not shown). Whatever the mechanism employed, it appeared to favor the development of a memory CD8+ T-cell pool that is capable of protecting the mice upon challenge with infectious HSV.
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-secreting CD4+ T cells in innate and adaptive immune control of genital herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in mice. J. Gen. Virol. 82:845-853.
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