Mt. Liu et al., Cutting edge: The T cell chemoattractant IFN-inducible protein 10 is essential in host defense against viral-induced neurologic disease, J IMMUNOL, 165(5), 2000, pp. 2327-2330
The contribution of the T cell chemoattractant chemokine IFN-inducible prot
ein 10 (IP-10) in host defense following viral infection of the CNS was exa
mined. IP-10 is expressed by astrocytes during acute encephalonyelitis in m
ouse hepatitis virus-infected mice, and the majority of T lymphocytes infil
trating into the CNS expressed the IP-10 receptor CXCR3. Treatment of mice
with anti-IP-10 antisera led to increased mortality and delayed viral clear
ance from the CNS as compared with control mice. Further, administration of
anti-IP-10 led to a >70% reduction (p less than or equal to 0.001) in CD4(
+) and CD8(+) T lymphocyte infiltration into the CNS, which correlated with
decreased (p less than or equal to 0.01) levels of IFN-gamma, These data i
ndicate that IP-10 functions as a sentinel molecule in host defense and is
essential in the development of a protective Th1 response against viral inf
ection of the CNS.