The effect of Helicobacter hepaticus infection on immune responses specific to herpes simplex virus type 1 and characteristics of dendritic cells

Jatinder Gulani, Christopher C. Norbury, Robert H. Bonneau, Catherine S. Beckwith

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4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Infection of mice with Helicobacter hepaticus is common in research colonies, yet little is known about how this persistent infection affects immunologic research. The goal of this study was to determine whether H. hepaticus infection status can modulate immune responses specific to herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) and the phenotypic and functional characteristics of dendritic cells (DC) of mice. We compared virus-specific antibody and T cell-mediated responses in H. hepaticus-infected and noninfected mice that were inoculated intranasally with HSVl. The effect of H. hepaticus on the HSV1-specific antibody and T cell-mediated immune responses in superficial cervical and tracheobronchal lymph nodes (LN) did not reach statistical significance. Surface expression of the maturation-associated markers CD40, CD80, CD86, and MHCII and percentages of IL12p40- and TNFα-producing DC from spleen and colic LN in H. hepaticus-infected mice and noninfected mice were measured in separate experiments. Expression of CD40, CD86, and MHCII and percentages of IL12p40- and TNFα-producing DC from colic LN were decreased in H. hepaticus-infected mice. In contrast, H. hepaticus infection did not reduce the expression of these molecules by splenic DC. Expression of CD40, CD80, CD86, and MHC II on splenic DC from H. hepaticus-infected mice was increased after in vitro lipopolysaccharide stimulation. These results indicate that H. hepaticus infection can influence the results of immunologic assays in mice and support the use of H. hepaticus-free mice in immunologic research.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)534-544
Number of pages11
JournalComparative Medicine
Volume59
Issue number6
StatePublished - Dec 2009

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Veterinary

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