CD4+ T Cell Frequencies and Th1/Th2 Cytokine Patterns Expressed in the Acute and Memory Response to Respiratory Syncytial Virus I-Ed-Restricted Peptides

The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-specific frequencies and cytokine expression patterns of acute and memory CD4+ T cells from RSV strain-A- and strain-B-infected BALB/c mice were determined following restimulation with a panel of 14 predicted RSV I-Ed peptides from NSP-2, M, SH, F, and L proteins. Ten of fourteen peptides stimulated intracellular Th1 and/or Th2 cytokines in CD4+ T cells from the mediastinal lymph nodes (MLN) and spleens of RSV strain-A- or strain-B-immune BALB/c mice. Spleen cells exhibited a predominant Th2 cytokine expression pattern after peptide stimulation, whereas MLN cells exhibited a mixed Th1/Th2 cytokine pattern. For a few peptides, there were differences in the Th1/Th2 cytokine response to peptides from the homologous versus heterologous RSV group. None of the 10 peptides induced both Th1 and Th2 cytokines in cells from similarly immunized mice. The frequency and breadth of cytokine expression by I-Ed-restricted CD4+ T cells to peptide stimulation was diminished in the memory response.