Mouse Anti-Human IFNE Monoclonal Antibody, clone 094414

Tuberculosis (TB) pathologic lesions in rhesus macaques resemble those in humans. The expression levels of several host TB candidate genes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of six rhesus macaques experimentally infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis were quantified pre-infection and at several dates post-infection. Quantitative measures of TB histopathology in the lungs including: granuloma count, granuloma size, volume of granulomatous and non-granulomatous lesions, and direct bacterial load, were used as the outcomes of a multi-level Bayesian regression model in which expression levels of host genes at various dates were used as predictors. The results indicate that the expression levels of TR4, CD40, CD40L, FAS (CD95) and TNF in PBMC were associated with quantitative measures of the severity of TB histopathologic lesions in the lungs of the study animals. Moreover, no reliable association between the expression levels of IFNE in PBMCs and the severity of TB lesions in the lungs of the study animals was found. In conclusion, PBMC expression profiles derived from the above-listed host genes might be appropriate biomarkers for probabilistic diagnosis and/or prognosis of TB severity in rhesus macaques. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Interferon epsilon (IFN epsilon) is a type I IFN with unusual patterns of expression and therefore, function. It is constitutively expressed by reproductive tract epithelium and regulated by hormones during estrus cycle, reproduction, and menopause and by exogenous hormones. The IFNe protein is encoded by a gene in the type I IFN locus, binds to IFNAR1 and 2 which are required for signaling via the JAK STAT pathway. Its affinity for binding receptors and transducing signals is less potent than IFN alpha or beta subtypes in vitro. Nevertheless, in vivo experiments indicate its efficacy in regulating mucosal immune responses and protecting from bacterial and viral infections. These studies demonstrate a different mechanism of action to type I IFNs. In this organ system with dynamic fluxes in cellularity, requirement to tolerate an implanted fetus, and be protected from disease, there is co-option of a special IFN from a family of effective immunoregulators, with unique controls and modified potency to make it a safe and effective constitutive reproductive tract cytokine.