IMMUNOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO INFLUENZA INFECTION IN NH PRIMATES

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

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Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. Primary support for the subproject and the subproject's principal investigator may have been provided by other sources, including other NIH sources. The Total Cost listed for the subproject likely represents the estimated amount of Center infrastructure utilized by the subproject, not direct funding provided by the NCRR grant to the subproject or subproject staff. The goal of this project is to use a nonhuman primate infection model, combined with genomic analyses of specific cell types isolated from the blood and lymph of infected animals, to define influenza virus-host interactions and the innate and adaptive immune responses to infection. During the current reporting period, we focused on establishing the techniques and parameters for sorting cells by flow cytometry (using a newly acquired FACS Aria instrument) and for optimizing the timing and methods for harvesting RNA and protein from isolated cells for subsequent analysis of cellular gene expression and protein abundance. Unfortunately, a large number of technical hurdles were uncovered in the effort to obtain suitable RNA from sorted cell populations. Despite repeated efforts, only low-quality RNA could be obtained from sorted cells. Our choice to examine an influenza infection model was largely premised on the interest of the Immunology Core to do a detailed characterization of sorted immune cell subsets. Other nonhuman primate influenza-infection models have already been generally characterized by the Katze Laboratory, including ongoing proteomics investigations with the Smith Laboratory. Consequently, the difficulty in obtaining sorted cells suitable for RNA isolation greatly diminished the potential scientific impact of this investigation. For this reason, we have chosen to focus attention on a different nonhuman primate model where the overall scientific questions are not so highly dependent on the performance of cell sorting. In consideration of unmet needs in the scientific community, we have redirected our resources to performing an acute SIV-infection study;details are given elsewhere in the progress report, under the general narrative for the Division of Functional Genomics and Infectious Disease.