IL-27 in Vaccine-Elicited Cellular Immunity

描述（由申请人提供）：在Toll样受体（TLR）和CD40激动剂存在的情况下，抗原免疫（TLR /CD40联合免疫）引起抗原特异性CD8+ T细胞的剧烈扩增，其反应指数大于单独使用任何一种激动剂引起的反应。在研究I型IFN （IFN）在TLR/CD40疫苗接种中的作用的最初资助目标的过程中，我们惊奇地发现，T细胞对任何含有TLR激动剂的佐剂的反应出乎意料地完全依赖于IL-27。这与牛痘或单核增生李斯特菌（LM）等传染性媒介的免疫接种形成鲜明对比，在这些媒介中，IL-27的影响可以忽略不计。因此，我们的数据揭示了IL-27在非传染性亚单位疫苗引发的细胞反应中具有特异性、专性和以前未被认识到的作用。鉴于我们的联合佐剂的效力引起细胞免疫，IL-27在细胞应答中的专性作用

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Immunization with antigen in the presence of agonists for both a Toll Like Receptor (TLR) and CD40 (combined TLR/CD40 immunization) elicits a vigorous expansion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells that is exponentially greater than the response elicited by either agonist alone. In the process of investigating our originally funded aims directed toward the role of type I IFN (IFN) in TLR/CD40 vaccination, we made the surprising discovery that the T cell response to any adjuvant containing a TLR-agonist is unexpectedly and completely dependent on IL-27. This is in sharp contrast to immunization with infectious vectors such as vaccinia or Listeria monocytogenes (LM) where the impact of IL-27 is negligible. Our data thus reveal a specific, obligate, and previously unappreciated role for IL-27 in non-infectious, subunit vaccine elicited cellular responses. Given the potency with which our combination adjuvant elicits cellular immunity, the obligate role of IL-27 in the cellular response to combined innate/CD40 vaccination is reason enough for further examination. The additional and unexpected reality that essentially all molecularly defined vaccine adjuvants require the participation of IL-27 for eliciting cellular responses only adds to the importance of the studies proposed in this application. To fully understand the role of IL-27 in vaccine-elicited cellular immunity, we will clarify i) the sites and magnitude of IL-27 production, ii) the required pattern f IL-27R expression, iii) the role of IL-27 elicited STAT1 and STAT3 activation in DCs and T cells, and iv) the mechanisms by which vaccination and infectious processes diverge in their degree of IL-27 dependency.