Age-dependent differences in type I interferon, IL-12 and pro-inflammatory cytokine production by porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells in response to pseudorabies virus-infected cells
Pseudorabies virus is a porcine alphaherpesvirus that causes devastating disease with high mortality in young piglets but much milder, mainly respiratory, problems in older pigs. Here, we report marked age-dependent differences in the cytokine response profile of primary porcine peripheral blood mon...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Immunology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1596490/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Pseudorabies virus is a porcine alphaherpesvirus that causes devastating disease with high mortality in young piglets but much milder, mainly respiratory, problems in older pigs. Here, we report marked age-dependent differences in the cytokine response profile of primary porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to pseudorabies virus (PRV)-infected cells. Notably, IFN-α and IL-12 production in response to PRV remains low to almost undetectable in piglets up to 8.5 weeks of age, followed by a marked increase in older piglets, which coincides with age-related shifts in PRV symptomatology. Additionally, we found that PBMC from newborn piglets exhibit a high IL-6 and IL-10 production which, in combination with the low IL-12 levels, suggests a suppressed Th1 immune response, similar to neonatal humans and mice. Our results reveal a remarkable age-dependent difference in PBMC cytokine response to PRV and provide a basis to identify cytokines or adjuvants that shift the neonatal immune response towards a Th1 response, potentially improving outcomes of severe viral infections in the neonatal period in both pigs and humans. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1664-3224 |