Journal
INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY & VISUAL SCIENCE
Volume 56, Issue 6, Pages 3763-3775Publisher
ASSOC RESEARCH VISION OPHTHALMOLOGY INC
DOI: 10.1167/iovs.15-16900
Keywords
mast cell; herpes simplex virus type-1; innate immunity; cornea
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD, USA) [R01 EY021238]
- Research to Prevent Blindness (New York, NY, USA)
- Presbyterian Health Foundation Presidential Professor Award (Oklahoma City, OK, USA)
- National Eye Institutes Core Grant (Bethesda, MD, USA) [EY021725]
- [T32EY023202]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
PURPOSE. The contributions of mast cells (MCs) to immunologic defense against pathogens in the eye are unknown. We have characterized pericorneal MCs as tissue-resident innate sentinels and determined their impact on the immune response to herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV-1), a common ocular pathogen. METHODS. The impact of mast cells on the immune response to HSV-1 infection was investigated using MC-deficient KitW-sh mice. Virus titers, inflammatory cytokine production, eicosanoid profiles, cellular immune responses, and ocular pathology were evaluated and compared with C57BL/6J mice during an acute corneal HSV-1 infection. RESULTS. Corneas of KitW-sh mice have higher viral titers, increased edema, and greater leukocyte infiltration following HSV-1 infection. Following infection, cytokine profiles were slightly elevated overall in KitW-sh mice. Eicosanoid profiles were remarkably different only when comparing uninfected corneas from both groups. Neutrophils within infected corneas expressed HSV-1 antigen, lytic genes, and served as a disease-causing vector when adoptively transferred into immunocompromised animals. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells did not infiltrate into the cornea or suppress the expansion, recruitment, or cytokine production by CD8(+) T cells following acute HSV-1 infection. CONCLUSIONS. Collectively, these findings provide new insight into host defense in the cornea and the pathogenesis of HSV-1 infection by identifying previously unacknowledged MCs as protective innate sentinels for infection of the ocular surface and reinforcing that neutrophils are detrimental to corneal infection.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available