Macrophage and T cell produced IL-10 promotes viral chronicity

PLoS Pathog. 2013;9(11):e1003735. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003735. Epub 2013 Nov 7.

Abstract

Chronic viral infections lead to CD8(+) T cell exhaustion, characterized by impaired cytokine secretion. Presence of the immune-regulatory cytokine IL-10 promotes chronicity of Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Virus (LCMV) Clone 13 infection, while absence of IL-10/IL-10R signaling early during infection results in viral clearance and higher percentages and numbers of antiviral, cytokine producing T cells. IL-10 is produced by several cell types during LCMV infection but it is currently unclear which cellular sources are responsible for induction of viral chronicity. Here, we demonstrate that although dendritic cells produce IL-10 and overall IL-10 mRNA levels decrease significantly in absence of CD11c(+) cells, absence of IL-10 produced by CD11c(+) cells failed to improve the LCMV-specific T cell response and control of LCMV infection. Similarly, NK cell specific IL-10 deficiency had no positive impact on the LCMV-specific T cell response or viral control, even though high percentages of NK cells produced IL-10 at early time points after infection. Interestingly, we found markedly improved T cell responses and clearance of normally chronic LCMV Clone 13 infection when either myeloid cells or T cells lacked IL-10 production and mice depleted of monocytes/macrophages or CD4(+) T cells exhibited reduced overall levels of IL-10 mRNA. These data suggest that the decision whether LCMV infection becomes chronic or can be cleared critically depends on early CD4(+) T cell and monocyte/macrophage produced IL-10.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / pathology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / pathology
  • Chronic Disease
  • Interleukin-10 / genetics
  • Interleukin-10 / immunology*
  • Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / genetics
  • Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / immunology*
  • Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis / pathology
  • Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / genetics
  • Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus / immunology*
  • Macrophages / immunology*
  • Macrophages / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Receptors, Interleukin-10 / genetics
  • Receptors, Interleukin-10 / immunology

Substances

  • IL10 protein, mouse
  • Receptors, Interleukin-10
  • Interleukin-10

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the ETH Zurich and the Swiss National Science Foundation (Grant No. 310030-129751 and 310030-146140 to AO) and SFB28-10 with project number F2810-B20 (URL http://www.jak-stat.at) to VS. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.