A dendritic cell-based assay for measuring memory T cells specific to dengue envelope proteins in human peripheral blood

Peifang Sun*, Charmagne Beckett, Janine Danko, Timothy Burgess, Zhaodong Liang, Tadeusz Kochel, Kevin Porter

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Dengue envelope (E) protein is a dominant immune inducer and E protein-based vaccines elicited partial to complete protection in non-human primates. To study the immunogenicity of these vaccines in humans, an enzyme linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay for measuring interferon gamma (IFN-γ) production was developed. Cells from two subject groups, based on dengue-exposure, were selected for assay development. The unique feature of the IFN-γ ELISPOT assay is the utilization of dendritic cells pulsed with E proteins as antigen presenting cells. IFN-γ production, ranging from 53-513 spot forming units per million peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), was observed in dengue-exposed subjects as compared to 0-45 IFN-γ spot forming units in dengue-unexposed subjects. Further, both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and cells bearing CD45RO memory marker, were the major sources of IFN-γ production. The assay allowed quantification of E-specific IFN-γ-secreting memory T cells in subjects 9 years after exposure to a live-attenuated virus vaccine and live-virus challenge. Results suggested that the dendritic cell-based IFN-γ assay is a useful tool for assessing immunological memory for clinical research.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)175-181
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Virological Methods
Volume173
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2011

Keywords

  • Dengue
  • Dengue E protein
  • Human T cell
  • Human dendritic cell
  • Interferon ELISPOT

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