Comprehensive Analysis of Soluble Mediator Profiles in Congenital CMV Infection Using an MCMV Model

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 16; no. 2; p. 208
• Main Authors: Karner, Dubravka, Kvestak, Daria, Lisnic, Berislav, Cokaric Brdovcak, Maja, Juranic Lisnic, Vanda, Kucan Brlic, Paola, Hasan, Milena, Lenac Rovis, Tihana
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.01.2024; MDPI
• Subjects: Animals; Brain; Brain research; Central nervous system; chemokine; Chemokines; Congenital diseases; congenital human cytomegalovirus infection; cytokine; Cytokines; Cytomegalovirus; Cytomegalovirus Infections; Development and progression; Gene expression; Growth factors; HCMV; Humans; Immune response; Immunological research; Infections; Inflammation; Laboratory animals; Liver; Lymphokines; MCMV; Mice; Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1; Muromegalovirus; Neurodevelopmental disorders; Pathogenesis; Perinatal infection; Physiological aspects; Software; Statistical analysis; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Viruses; γ-Interferon; Croatia; United States > US; cytokine; chemokine; MCMV; congenital human cytomegalovirus infection; HCMV
• DOI: 10.3390/v16020208
• ISSN: 1999-4915

Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection may cause life-threatening disease and permanent damage to the central nervous system. The mouse model of CMV infection is most commonly used to study mechanisms of infection and pathogenesis. While essential to limit mouse CMV (MCMV) replication, the inflammatory responses, particularly IFNγ and TNFα, cause neurodevelopmental abnormalities. Other soluble mediators of the immune response in most tissues remain largely unexplored. To address this gap, we quantified 48 soluble mediators of the immune response, including 32 cytokines, 10 chemokines, 3 growth factors/regulators, and 3 soluble receptors in the spleen, liver, lungs, and brain at 9 and 14 days postinfection (dpi). Our analysis found 25 induced molecules in the brain at 9 dpi, with an additional 8 showing statistically elevated responses at 14 dpi. Specifically, all analyzed CCL group cytokines (CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, CCL7, and CCL11) were upregulated at 14 dpi in the brain. Furthermore, data revealed differentially regulated analytes across tissues, such as CCL11, CXCL5, and IL-10 in the brain, IL-33/IL-33R in the liver, and VEGF-a and IL-5 in the lungs. Overall, this study provides an overview of the immune dynamics of soluble mediators in congenital CMV.