Abstract

Recently there has been renewed interest in poxvirus pathogenesis. Vaccinia virus (VACV) serves as a useful model for the study of poxvirus infection in vivo. Understanding how vaccinia virus generates immunity necessitates an appreciation for how this virus interacts with dendritic cells (DC), which are the most potent activators of naïve T cells. A number of in vitro studies have shown that DC infected with VACV fail to undergo maturation. However, the effect of VACV infection on DC in vivo remains less defined. We have found that following intravenous administration of vaccinia virus, both CD8+ and CD8 dendritic cells are infected. The number of infected DC peaks at 6 hours and is highly decreased by 24h postinfection. Dendritic cells infected with vaccinia virus have an immature phenotype. However, non-infected dendritic cells, both CD8+ and CD8 subsets, show increased expression of CD80, CD86, and CD40, suggesting that there is a generalized maturation of non-infected DC. In contrast to the generalized upregulation of costimulatory molecules, cytokine analysis suggests that only a subset of these mature DC may be relevant for activation of T cells, as IL-12 production is restricted to a small percentage of cells. These findings provide new insights into the control of DC maturation in vivo following vaccinia virus infection.

This work was supported by NIH grant P01 AI60642.

This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://dbpia.nl.go.kr/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights)
You do not currently have access to this article.