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Title: Natural Killer Cells in Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Infection

Author
item Toka, Felix
item NFON, CHARLES - ORISE, ARS PIADC FELLOW
item ENDSLEY, JANICE - UNIV OF TEXAS, GALVESTON
item Ferman Ii, Geoffrey
item ESTES, D. MARK - UNIV OF TEXAS, GALVESTON
item Golde, William

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/30/2007
Publication Date: 5/18/2007
Citation: Toka, F., Nfon, C.K., Endsley, J., Ferman Ii, G.S., Estes, D., Golde, W.T. 2007. Natural Killer Cells in Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Infection. 94th Annual Meeting of The American Association of Immunologists, Inc., P 22

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease of cloven-hoofed animals. Immunological knowledge required to design a rational vaccine against FMDV is presently limited. We examined the reactivity of swine and cattle NK cells following infection for their capability to express intracellular perforin, to kill a human tumor cell line target in vitro, and to secret IFN'gamma. The cytotoxicity of NK cells from non-infected animals against the K562 cells is low with baseline levels at 5-15% in swine and 15-20% in cattle. Stimulation with rhIL-2 or rhIL-12 plus rhIL-15, increased the lytic activity against K562 cells. Infection with FMDV inhibited swine NK cell lytic activity but did not significantly increase IFN gamma secretion during the acute infection. Perforin expression increased but did not correlate with the killing capability of the swine NK cells. Infection of cattle with FMDV initially activated the NK cells to increase target cell lysis. NK cell IFN gamma secretion and perforin expression were slightly elevated upon infection and coincided with this lytic activity. These results are a further indication of immune evasion by FMDV effecting swine by inhibiting NK cell function. The potential to manipulate the innate immune responses is discussed in the context of designing rapid acting vaccines for foot-and-mouth disease.