The immune characterization of interferon‐β responses in tuberculosis patients |
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| Authors: | Xiaofen Qiu Dalei Zhou Zulu Ye Yakang Long Tao Tang Xuan Su Jiangjun Ma |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Clinical Nursing, Sun Yat‐Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou, China;2. State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Department of Molecular Diagnostics, Sun Yat‐Sen University Cancer Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China;3. State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Department of Head and Neck, Sun Yat‐Sen University Cancer Center, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, China |
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| Abstract: | We aimed to assess the immunoregulatory effects of IFN‐β in patients with tuberculous pleurisy. IFN‐β, IFN‐γ and IL‐17 expression levels were detected, and correlations among these factors in different culture groups were analyzed. Pleural fluid mononuclear cells (PFMC) from tuberculous pleural effusions, but not peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy donors, spontaneously expressed IFN‐β, IL‐17 and IFN‐γ. Moreover, exogenous IFN‐β significantly inhibited the expression of IL‐17 in PFMC. By contrast, IFN‐β simultaneously enhanced the levels of IFN‐γ. To further investigate the regulation of IL‐17 and IFN‐γ by endogenous IFN‐β, an IFN‐β neutralizing antibody was simultaneously added to bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG)‐stimulated PFMC. IL‐17 expression was significantly increased, but IFN‐γ production was markedly decreased in the experimental group supplemented with the IFN‐β neutralizing antibody. Simultaneously, IL‐17 production was remarkably increased in the experimental group supplemented with the IFN‐γ neutralizing antibody. Taken together, in our study, we first found that freshly isolated PFMC, but not PBMC from healthy donors, spontaneously expressed IFN‐β, IL‐17 and IFN‐γ in vivo. Moreover, IFN‐β suppressed IL‐17 expression and increased IFN‐γ production. Furthermore, both IFN‐β and IFN‐γ down‐regulated IL‐17 expression. These observations suggest that caution is required when basing anti‐tuberculosis treatment on the inhibition of IFN‐β signaling. |
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| Keywords: | bacillus Calmette‐Gué rin (BCG) IFN‐β pleural fluid mononuclear cell (PFMC) |
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