Antigen-specific IL-2 secretion correlates with NK cell responses after immunization of Tanzanian children with the RTS,S/AS01 malaria vaccine

Amir Horowitz, Julius Hafalla, Elizabeth King, John Lusingu, Denise Dekker, Amanda Leach, Philippe Moris, Joe Cohen, Johan Vekemans, Tonya Villafana, Patrick Corran, Chris Drakeley, Lorenz Von Seidlein, Eleanor M Riley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

RTS,S/AS01, a vaccine targeting pre-erythrocytic stages of Plasmodium falciparum, isundergoing clinical trials. We report an analysis of cellular immune responseto component Ags of RTS,S—hepatitis B surface Ag (HBs) and P. falciparum circumsporozoite(CS) protein—among Tanzanian children in a phase IIb RTS,S/AS01E trial. RTS,S/AS01 E vaccineesmake stronger T cell IFN-γ, CD69, and CD25 responses to HBs peptides than docontrols, indicating that RTS,S boosts pre-existing HBs responses. T cell CD69and CD25 responses to CS and CS-specific secreted IL-2 were augmented by RTS,Svaccination. Importantly, more than 50% of peptide-induced IFN-γ+ lymphocytes were NK cells, and the magnitude of the NK cellCD69 response to HBs peptides correlated with secreted IL-2 concentration. CD69and CD25 expression and IL-2 secretion may represent sensitive markers ofRTS,S-induced, CS-specific T cells. The potential for T cell-derived IL-2 toaugment NK cell activation in RTS,S-vaccinated individuals, and the relevanceof this for protection, needs to be explored further.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)5054-5062
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Immunology
Volume188
Issue number10
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 May 2012

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