PRIMARY HUMAN MAST CELL ANTIVIRAL AND PRO-INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES TO RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV)

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of infant bronchiolitis and the leading cause of their hospitalization worldwide. It is also linked to airway hyper-responsiveness. Mast cells are essential in allergies and the immune response to pathogens, and can produce various mediators that influence vascularity, bronchoconstriction, and immune cell recruitment to sites of infection. Since mast cells are abundant in the airways at the site of RSV infection, we examined the human mast cell response to RSV in vitro and the role type I interferons, major antiviral cytokines, play in such a response. Our data show that human mast cells responded to restricted RSV infection by producing pro-inflammatory chemokines and cytokines some of which were dependent on type I IFN response (CXCL10 and CCL4), while others were not (CCL5 and VEGF-A). Mast cell production of these mediators may enhance inflammation and effector cell recruitment during RSV disease.