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J. Virol. doi:10.1128/JVI.02583-06
Copyright (c) 2006, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

TGF- Enhances RSV Replication and TNF- Induction in Human Epithelial Cells

Laboratory of Respiratory Biology, National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: imani{at}niehs.nih.gov.

	Abstract

Asthma is characterized as a chronic inflammatory disease associated with significant tissue remodeling. Patients with asthma are more susceptible to viral-induced exacerbation which subsequently can lead to increased rates of hospitalization and mortality. While the most common cause of asthma-related deaths is from respiratory viral infections, the underlying factor in the lung environment which renders asthmatic subjects more susceptible to viral exacerbation are not yet identified. Since TGF- is a critical cytokine for lung tissue remodeling and asthma phenotype, we have focused on the effects of TGF- on viral replication and viral-induced inflammation. Treatment of human epithelial cells with TGF- increased respiratory syncytial virus replication by approximately 4 fold. TNF- mRNA and protein expression were also significantly increased above RSV infection alone. The increase in RSV replication and TNF- expression after TGF- treatment was concomitant with an increase in viral-induced p38 MAPK activation. Our data reveal a novel effect for TGF- on RSV replication and provide a potential mechanism for the exaggerated inflammatory response observed in asthmatic subjects during respiratory viral infections.