IL-21 signaling promotes early dissemination of KSHV infection in B lymphocytes

Abstract

AbstractKaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) extensively manipulates the host immune system and the cytokine milieu, and cytokines are known to influence the progression of KSHV-associated diseases. However, the precise role of cytokines in the early stages of KSHV infection remains undefined. Here, using our unique model of KSHV infection in tonsil lymphocytes, we investigate the influence of host cytokines on the establishment of KSHV infection in B cells. Our data demonstrate that KSHV manipulates the host cytokine microenvironment during early infection and susceptibility generally associated with downregulation of multiple cytokines. However, we show that IL-21 signaling promotes KSHV infection by promoting both plasma cell numbers and increasing KSHV infection in plasma cells. Our data reveal that IL-21 producing T cells, particularly Th17/Tc17 and central memory CD8+ T cells may represent immunological factors that modulate host-level susceptibility to KSHV infection. These results suggest that IL-21 plays a significant role in the early stages of KSHV infection in the human immune system and may represent a novel mechanism to be further explored in the context of preventing KSHV transmission.Author SummaryVery little is known about how KSHV is transmitted and how it initially establishes infection in a new human host and this lack of information limits our ability to prevent KSHV-associated cancers by limiting its person-to-person transmission. Saliva is thought to be the primary route of person-to-person transmission for KSHV, making the tonsil a likely first site for KSHV replication in a new human host. In particular, the tonsil is likely to be the first place KSHV is able to enter B cells, which are thought to be a major site of persistent infection. Our previous work identified plasma cells as a highly targeted cell type in early KSHV infection in cultured cells from human tonsil. In this study, we show that the human cytokine IL-21 promotes both overall KSHV infection and the establishment of infection in plasma cells. We also investigate the immunological mechanisms underlying this effect. Our results demonstrate that IL-21 and IL-21-producing cells are a novel factor that influences the initial establishment of KSHV infection in humans.