Influenza virus A infection induces interleukin-8 gene expression in human airway epithelial cells.

Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, Baltimore, MD.

To determine the role of the airway epithelial cell in mediating virus-induced inflammation, we infected primary cultures of human airway epithelial cells with human influenza type A/Port Chalmers/72 (H3N2). After two days, the medium was collected for measurement of the chemotactic cytokine interleukin-8 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The RNA was extracted from the cells for analysis of interleukin-8 mRNA by Northern blot analysis. Interleukin-8 production was more than doubled by viral infection, while interleukin-8 mRNA was increased four-fold. Thus induction of interleukin-8 gene expression in virus-infected airway epithelium may be an important early step leading to virus-induced airway inflammation.

PMID: 1516705 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]