Infection of HLA-DR1 transgenic mice with a human ...[J Virol. 2009] - PubMed Result

Infection of HLA-DR1 transgenic mice with a human : "J Virol. 2009 Apr 22. [Epub ahead of print]

Infection of HLA-DR1 transgenic mice with a human isolate of influenza A (H1N1) primes a diverse CD4 T cell repertoire that includes CD4 T cells with heterosubtypic cross-reactivity to avian (H5N1) influenza.
Richards KA, Chaves FA, Sant AJ.

David H. Smith Center for Vaccine Biology and Immunology, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14642.

The specificity of the CD4 T cell immune response to influenza is influenced by the genetic complexity of the virus and periodic encounter with variant subtypes and strains.

In order to understand what controls CD4 T cell reactivity to influenza virus proteins and how the influenza-specific memory compartment is shaped over time, it is first necessary to understand the diversity of the primary CD4 T cell response.

In the study reported here, we have used an unbiased approach to evaluate the peptide specificity of CD4 T cells elicited after live influenza infection.

We have focused on four viral proteins that have distinct intracellular distribution in infected cells, including hemagglutinin, neuraminidase, nucleoprotein, and the NS1 protein, which is expressed in infected cells but excluded from virion particles.

Our studies revealed extensive diversity of influenza-specific CD4 T cells that includes T cells for each viral protein and for unexpected immunogenicity of the NS1 protein.

Due to the recent concern about pandemic avian influenza and because CD4 T cells specific for HA and NA may be particularly useful for promoting production of neutralizing antibody to influenza virus, we have also evaluated the ability of HA and NA-specific CD4 T cells elicited by a circulating H1N1 strain to cross-react with related sequences found in an avian H5N1 virus and find substantial cross-reactivity, suggesting that seasonal vaccines may help promote protection against avian influenza."