Open AccessLow-dose IL-2 therapy invigorates CD8+ T cells for viral control in systemic lupus erythematosus
Author(s) -
Pengcheng Zhou,
Jiali Chen,
Jing He,
Ting Zheng,
Joseph Yunis,
Victor Makota,
Yannick O. Alexandre,
Fang Gong,
Xia Zhang,
Wuxiang Xie,
Yuhui Li,
Miao Shao,
Yanshan Zhu,
Jane E Sinclair,
Miao Miao,
Yaping Chen,
Kirsty R. Short,
Scott N. Mueller,
Xiaolin Sun,
Di Yu,
Zhanguo Li
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plos pathogens
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.719
H-Index - 206
eISSN - 1553-7374
pISSN - 1553-7366
DOI - 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009858
Subject(s) - lymphocytic choriomeningitis , immunology , medicine , immunopathology , cd8 , lupus erythematosus , virus , autoimmune disease , viral disease , systemic disease , connective tissue disease , immune system , antibody
Autoimmune diseases are often treated by glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive drugs that could increase the risk for infection, which in turn deteriorate disease and cause mortality. Low-dose IL-2 (Ld-IL2) therapy emerges as a new treatment for a wide range of autoimmune diseases. To examine its influence on infection, we retrospectively studied 665 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) including about one third receiving Ld-IL2 therapy, where Ld-IL2 therapy was found beneficial in reducing the incidence of infections. In line with this clinical observation, IL-2 treatment accelerated viral clearance in mice infected with influenza A virus or lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). Noticeably, despite enhancing anti-viral immunity in LCMV infection, IL-2 treatment exacerbated CD8 + T cell-mediated immunopathology. In summary, Ld-IL2 therapy reduced the risk of infections in SLE patients and enhanced the control of viral infection, but caution should be taken to avoid potential CD8 + T cell-mediated immunopathology.