Type 1 IFN deficiency in the absence of normal splenic architecture during lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection

The innate immune system uses different mechanisms to respond to infectious pathogens. Experiments evaluating the requirements for a type 1 IFN (IFN-alpha beta) response to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) resulted in the surprising discovery that mice deficient in B and T cell development, i.e., RAG-deficient and SCID, had profoundly reduced levels of IFN-alpha beta in serum and spleen, despite high viral replication. In addition to lacking an adaptive immune system, these strains exhibit aberrant splenic architecture, and the defect in type I IFN production was also observed in mice lacking normal splenic marginal zone (MZ) organization due to genetic deficiencies in B cell development or in cytokine functions required for development of the MZ, i.e., mu MT, lymphotoxin-alpha, and TNFR1. Interestingly, the IFN-alpha beta reduction was not observed after murine CMV infection. Depletion of phagocytic cells from normally developed spleens by treatment with clodronate-containing liposomes demonstrated that these populations were required for the type 1 IFN response to LCMV, but not to murine CMV, and for control of viral replication. Complete repopulation of the MZ was necessary to restore normal IFN-alpha beta production. In contrast, control of LCMV replication correlated with the return of CD11c(+) cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate the complexity and sophistication of the splenic MZ in sensing and responding to particular pathogens and reveal the importance of organ architecture in the production of type 1 IFN.