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Infection and Immunity, March 2007, p. 1167-1176, Vol. 75, No. 3
0019-9567/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01026-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Characterization of Early Gamma Interferon (IFN-) Expression during Murine Listeriosis: Identification of NK1.1⁺ CD11c⁺ Cells as the Primary IFN--Expressing Cells

Shu-Rung Chang,¹ Kung-Jiun Wang,² Yan-Feng Lu,³ Lii-Jia Yang,³ Wei-Jie Chen,⁴ Yu-Hsiang Lin,⁴ Hsin-Hou Chang,⁵ and Shih-Lien Wang^6*

Department of Public Health,¹ Graduate Institute of Medical Science,² Department of Medicine,³ Department of Laboratory Medicine and Biotechnology,⁴ Graduate Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology,⁵ Graduate Institute of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Medicine, Tzu-Chi University, Hualien 970, Taiwan⁶

Received 30 June 2006/ Returned for modification 21 August 2006/ Accepted 28 November 2006

Though it is well established that gamma interferon (IFN-) is crucial to the early innate defense of murine listeriosis, its sources remain controversial. In this study, intracellular cytokine staining of IFN--expressing splenocytes early after Listeria monocytogenes infection revealed that NK1.1⁺, CD11c⁺, CD8⁺ T, and CD4⁺ T cells expressed IFN- 24 h after infection. Contrary to the previous report, most IFN-⁺ dendritic cells (DC) were CD8^– DC. Unexpectedly, almost all CD11c⁺ IFN--expressing cells also expressed NK1.1. These NK1.1⁺ CD11c⁺ cells represented primary IFN--expressing cells after infection. In situ studies showed these NK1.1⁺ CD11c⁺ cells were recruited to the borders of infectious foci and expressed IFN-. A significant NK1.1⁺ CD11c⁺ population was found in uninfected spleen, lymph node, blood, and bone marrow cells. And its number increased significantly in spleen, lymph node, and bone marrow after L. monocytogenes infection. Using interleukin-12 (IL-12) p40^–/– mice, IFN- expression was found to be largely IL-12 p40 dependent, and the number of IFN--expressing cells was only about one-third of that of wild-type mice. Moreover, the IFN- expression was absolutely dependent on live L. monocytogenes infection, as no IFN- was detected after inoculation of heat-killed L. monocytogenes. Our findings not only provide an insight into IFN- expression after in vivo infection but may also change the current perceptions of DC and natural killer cells.

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* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Graduate Institute of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Medicine, Tzu-Chi University, No. 701, section 3, Chung-Yan Road, Hualien 970, Taiwan. Phone: 886 3 8565301 7406. Fax: 886 3 8566724. E-mail: wangsltw{at}mail.tcu.edu.tw.

Published ahead of print on 11 December 2006.

Editor: R. P. Morrison

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Infection and Immunity, March 2007, p. 1167-1176, Vol. 75, No. 3
0019-9567/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.01026-06
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

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