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Humoral and cell‐mediated immune responses in humans to the NSP4 enterotoxin of rotavirus
Author(s) -
Johansen Kari,
Hinkula Jorma,
Espinoza Felix,
Levi Mikael,
Zeng Carl,
Rudén Ulla,
Vesikari Timo,
Estes Mary,
Svensson Lennart
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9071(199911)59:3<369::aid-jmv18>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - immune system , rotavirus , biology , virology , enterotoxin , immunology , humoral immunity , antibody , cellular immunity , virus , gene , biochemistry , escherichia coli
Rotavirus nonstructural protein NSP4 has recently been suggested to function as a viral enterotoxin and play a role in the pathophysiological mechanism whereby rotaviruses induce diarrhea. The ability of rotavirus NSP4 to stimulate a humoral immune response was examined in naturally infected children and adults, rotavirus vaccinated children, as well as a cellular immune response in adults. In this study, 10 of 10 naturally infected children and 9 of 10 rotavirus‐vaccinated children showed a weak humoral IgG immune response to recombinant NSP4 (rNSP4) and/or a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 114–134 of NSP4. Modest serum IgG antibody responses were detected in 20 of 20 adults. A cellular immune response to rNSP4 and/or NSP4 114–134 were detected in 8 of 10 adults measured either as a T‐cell proliferative response (7 of 10), an increased production of IL‐2 (6 of 10), or increased production of interferon‐γ (8 of 10). These results indicate that NSP4 induces a humoral immune response in humans and show for the first time that NSP4 stimulates a cellular immune response, possibly including cytolytic T‐cells. J. Med. Virol. 59:369–377, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.