ROLE OF IL-6 IN ACTIVATION OF T-CELLS FOR ACQUIRED CELLULAR-RESISTANCE TO LISTERIA-MONOCYTOGENES
- Author(s)
- Liu, ZQ; Simpson, RJ; Cheers, C;
- Details
- Publication Year 1994-06-01,Volume 152,Issue #11,Page 5375-5380
- Journal Title
- JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
- Publication Type
- Journal Article
- Abstract
- We have previously shown that IL-6 is a major cytokine in the serum of mice infected with the intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, and that injection of rIL-6 before, but not after, infection promotes the recovery of mice from listeriosis. Here we demonstrate that IL-6 is required in the early stages of infection, in that injection of anti-IL-6 Ab 24 or 4 h before infection, but not 24 h after, led to a massive increase in bacterial numbers 4 or more days after infection. On the other hand, injection of rIL-6 before infection significantly suppressed bacterial numbers in the liver and spleen 3 to 4 days after infection and increased the production of lFN-gamma by in vitro cultured CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in response to specific Ag. rIL-6 did not protect SCID mice, which lack both T and B lymphocytes, against Listeria infection. The protective effect of rIL-6 was neutralized by the injection of Ab to IFN-gamma. We conclude that IL-6 plays an essential role in the activation of T cells to produce IFN-gamma, the cytokine that is central to acquired cellular resistance to intracellular bacteria.
- Publisher
- AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS
- Keywords
- TUMOR-NECROSIS-FACTOR; RECOMBINANT MURINE INTERLEUKIN-6; DELAYED-TYPE HYPERSENSITIVITY; BACTERIAL-INFECTION; INTERFERON-GAMMA; IMMUNE-RESPONSE; MICE; PURIFICATION; PROTECTION; LYMPHOCYTES
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Creation Date: 1994-06-01 12:00:00