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Influenza-Induced Production of Interferon-Alpha is Defective in Geriatric Individuals

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Abstract

Background

The majority of deaths (90%) attributed to influenza are in person’s age 65 or older. Little is known about whether defects in innate immune responses in geriatric individuals contribute to their susceptibility to influenza.

Objective

Our aim was to analyze interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from young and geriatric adult donors, stimulated with influenza A or Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands. IFN-alpha is a signature anti-viral cytokine that also shapes humoral and cell-mediated immune responses.

Results

Geriatric PBMCs produced significantly less IFN-alpha in response to live or inactivated influenza (a TLR7 ligand) but responded normally to CpG ODN (TLR9 ligand) and Guardiquimod (TLR7 ligand). All three ligands activate plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). While there was a modest decline in pDC frequency in older individuals, there was no defect in uptake of influenza by geriatric pDCs.

Discussion and Conclusion

Influenza-induced production of IFN-alpha was defective in geriatric PBMCs by a mechanism that was independent of reduced pDC frequency or viability, defects in uptake of influenza, inability to secrete IFN-alpha, or defects in TLR7 signaling.

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Abbreviations

ASA:

Aspirin

CAD:

Coronary artery disease

COPD:

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

CVA:

Cerebrovascular accident

DC:

Dendritic cell

IFN:

Interferon

PBMCs:

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells

pDC:

Plasmacytoid DC

TLR:

Toll-like receptor

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by AI077056 (to L.R. and D.C), McGregor Fund grant (to D.C) and Veterans Affairs GRECC and CSR&D Merit grant (D.C. and T.H.). Flow cytometry was performed at the CWRU/UH Center for AIDS Research (NIH Grant AI36219). We thank Megan Ermler for assistance with infecting Vero E6 cells, Scott Howell at Visual Sciences Research Center (NIH Grant P30-EY11373) for assistance with microscopy, Gareth Hardy for IFN-beta analysis and Lucy Jury at the Cleveland VA for help procuring blood samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Cleveland VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    David H. Canaday & Thomas R. Hornick

  2. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    David H. Canaday, Naa Ayele Amponsah & Leola Jones

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Daniel J. Tisch

  4. Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Wolstein 6530, 2103 Cornell Rd., Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA

    Lakshmi Ramachandra

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  1. David H. Canaday
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Correspondence to Lakshmi Ramachandra.

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Canaday, D.H., Amponsah, N.A., Jones, L. et al. Influenza-Induced Production of Interferon-Alpha is Defective in Geriatric Individuals. J Clin Immunol 30, 373–383 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-010-9374-9

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