Antibody limits in vivo murid herpesvirus-4 replication by IgG Fc receptor-dependent functions

• Published in: Journal of general virology 2009-11, Vol.90 (11), p.2592-2603
• Main Authors: Wright, Debbie E, Colaco, Susanna, Colaco, Camilo, Stevenson, Philip G
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adoptive Transfer; Animal; Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal - immunology; Antibodies, Viral - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Immunoglobulin G - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; Microbiology; Miscellaneous; Neutralization Tests; Receptors, Fc - immunology; Rhadinovirus - immunology; Rhadinovirus - physiology; Serum - virology; Viral Plaque Assay; Virology; Virus Replication; Whole Body Imaging
• ISSN: 0022-1317; 1465-2099
• DOI: 10.1099/vir.0.014266-0

1 Division of Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, UK 2 Immunobiology Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK Correspondence Philip G. Stevenson pgs27{at}cam.ac.uk Antibody is an important antiviral defence. However, it is considered to do little against human gamma-herpesviruses, which establish predominantly latent infections regulated by T cells. One limitation on analysing these infections has been that latency is already well-established at clinical presentation; early infection may still be accessible to antibody. Here, using murid herpesvirus-4 (MuHV-4), we tested the impact of adoptively transferred antibody on early gamma-herpesvirus infection. Immune sera and neutralizing and non-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) all reduced acute lytic MuHV-4 replication. The reductions, even by neutralizing mAbs, were largely or completely dependent on host IgG Fc receptors. Therefore, passive antibody can blunt acute gamma-herpesvirus lytic infection, and does this principally by IgG Fc-dependent functions rather than by neutralization.