Cytokines Produced in Response to Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection of ARPE-19 Cells Stimulate Lymphocyte Chemotaxis

Abstract

Posterior uveitis is an ocular complication that can occur with reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV). It may lead to loss of vision due to retinal detachment and chronic inflammation, which often causes more severe disease than the virus infection itself. To increase our understanding of the immune response, we infected the retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line, ARPE-19, with cell-associated VZV and compared its response to that of the MeWo cell line using multiplex assays. We observed (1) a difference in the magnitude and kinetics of cytokine responses between the 2 cell types and (2) differential migration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells towards these cytokines. Thus, our data provide information about the cytokine and lymphocytic responses to VZV infection of RPE cells, thereby providing a useful platform for future studies to address mechanisms underlying the immunopathology of VZV-associated posterior uveitis.

Keywords: ARPE-19; RPE (retinal pigment epithelium); VZV; inflammation; viral uveitis.