T cell mediated immunity during influenza B virus infections 3962

Abstract Description Influenza virus infections cause significant global morbidity and mortality. While both influenza A (IAV) and B (IBV) virus contribute to seasonal illness, IBV accounts for ∼50% of the influenza deaths in children and has been less studied due to more limited experimental tools and models. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a robust murine model for both the Victoria and Yamagata lineages of IBV. After establishing these models, we evaluated immune responses following a sublethal Victoria or Yamagata lineage IBV infection in C57Bl/6 mice. Our results showed that infection with both IBV lineages increased the number of total and antigen-experienced T cells in the lungs. To investigate further the antigen specificity of these T cells, we used in silico analysis and overlapping peptide arrays to ascertain epitopes in the hemagglutinin (HA) and nucleoprotein (NP) of IBV. Our preliminary results have identified two novel H-2b CD8 T cell epitopes in IBV NP, along with several new CD4 T cell epitopes. Further exploration of the T cell response to these epitopes and their role in protection could inform the development of vaccines that induce strong, long-lasting CD8 and CD4 T cell responses in addition to antibodies against IBV. Funding Sources NIH/NIAID R01AI168001, R01AI127565, R01AI141196, R01AI154458, R01AI154598 Topic Categories Viral Immunology (VIR)