Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Triggers Immunological Changes in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissues in a Sex-Dependent Manner in Adulthood

Severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection during early life has been linked to gut dysbiosis, which correlates with increased disease severity and a higher risk of developing asthma later in life. However, the impact of such early-life RSV infections on intestinal immunity in adulthood rema...

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Main Authors: Stella Liong, Felicia Liong, Mitra Mohsenipour, Elisa L. Hill-Yardin, Mark A. Miles, Stavros Selemidis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Cells
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/20/1728
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author Stella Liong
Felicia Liong
Mitra Mohsenipour
Elisa L. Hill-Yardin
Mark A. Miles
Stavros Selemidis
author_facet Stella Liong
Felicia Liong
Mitra Mohsenipour
Elisa L. Hill-Yardin
Mark A. Miles
Stavros Selemidis
author_sort Stella Liong
collection DOAJ
description Severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection during early life has been linked to gut dysbiosis, which correlates with increased disease severity and a higher risk of developing asthma later in life. However, the impact of such early-life RSV infections on intestinal immunity in adulthood remains unclear. Herein, we show that RSV infection in 3-week-old mice induced persistent differential natural killer (NK) and T cell profiles within the lungs and gastrointestinal (GI) lymphoid tissues (GALT) in adulthood. Notably, male mice exhibited more pronounced RSV-induced changes in immune cell populations in both the lungs and GALT, while female mice displayed greater resilience. Importantly, early-life RSV infection was associated with the chronic downregulation of CD69-expressing T lymphocytes, particularly T regulatory cells in Peyer’s patches, which could have a significant impact on T cell functionality and immune tolerance. We propose that RSV infection in early life is a trigger for the breakdown in immune tolerance at mucosal surfaces, with potential implications for airways allergic disease, food allergies, and other GI inflammatory diseases.
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series Cells
spelling doaj-art-70e4a2abb68f48cfb7b28fe823b78b162025-08-20T02:11:12ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092024-10-011320172810.3390/cells13201728Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Triggers Immunological Changes in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissues in a Sex-Dependent Manner in AdulthoodStella Liong0Felicia Liong1Mitra Mohsenipour2Elisa L. Hill-Yardin3Mark A. Miles4Stavros Selemidis5Centre for Respiratory Science and Health, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Bundoora, VIC 3082, AustraliaCentre for Respiratory Science and Health, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Bundoora, VIC 3082, AustraliaSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Bundoora, VIC 3082, AustraliaSchool of Health and Biomedical Sciences, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Bundoora, VIC 3082, AustraliaCentre for Respiratory Science and Health, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Bundoora, VIC 3082, AustraliaCentre for Respiratory Science and Health, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University, Bundoora, VIC 3082, AustraliaSevere respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection during early life has been linked to gut dysbiosis, which correlates with increased disease severity and a higher risk of developing asthma later in life. However, the impact of such early-life RSV infections on intestinal immunity in adulthood remains unclear. Herein, we show that RSV infection in 3-week-old mice induced persistent differential natural killer (NK) and T cell profiles within the lungs and gastrointestinal (GI) lymphoid tissues (GALT) in adulthood. Notably, male mice exhibited more pronounced RSV-induced changes in immune cell populations in both the lungs and GALT, while female mice displayed greater resilience. Importantly, early-life RSV infection was associated with the chronic downregulation of CD69-expressing T lymphocytes, particularly T regulatory cells in Peyer’s patches, which could have a significant impact on T cell functionality and immune tolerance. We propose that RSV infection in early life is a trigger for the breakdown in immune tolerance at mucosal surfaces, with potential implications for airways allergic disease, food allergies, and other GI inflammatory diseases.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/20/1728Peyer’s patchcecal patchinflammationrespiratory syncytial virusT cells
spellingShingle Stella Liong
Felicia Liong
Mitra Mohsenipour
Elisa L. Hill-Yardin
Mark A. Miles
Stavros Selemidis
Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Triggers Immunological Changes in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissues in a Sex-Dependent Manner in Adulthood
Cells
Peyer’s patch
cecal patch
inflammation
respiratory syncytial virus
T cells
title Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Triggers Immunological Changes in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissues in a Sex-Dependent Manner in Adulthood
title_full Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Triggers Immunological Changes in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissues in a Sex-Dependent Manner in Adulthood
title_fullStr Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Triggers Immunological Changes in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissues in a Sex-Dependent Manner in Adulthood
title_full_unstemmed Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Triggers Immunological Changes in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissues in a Sex-Dependent Manner in Adulthood
title_short Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Infection Triggers Immunological Changes in Gut-Associated Lymphoid Tissues in a Sex-Dependent Manner in Adulthood
title_sort early life respiratory syncytial virus rsv infection triggers immunological changes in gut associated lymphoid tissues in a sex dependent manner in adulthood
topic Peyer’s patch
cecal patch
inflammation
respiratory syncytial virus
T cells
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/13/20/1728
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