Vaccination with cell immunoglobulin mucin-1 antibodies and inactivated influenza enhances vaccine-specific lymphocyte proliferation, interferon-gamma production and cross-strain reactivity.

Influenza virus causes a contagious and potentially serious infection of the upper respiratory tract. While neutralizing antibodies are protective against infection, the problem of antigenic drift remains, requiring the constant monitoring and development of new vaccines. The magnitude of this situation is underscored by the emergence of new potentially human pathogenic influenza strains, avian H5N1 being the most recent example. We present evidence that antibodies against T cell immunoglobulin mucin-1 (TIM-1), a recently identified immunomodulatory molecule, stimulate cellular immunity against influenza viruses and cross-strain immune reactivity. To determine potential immunostimulatory properties of anti-TIM-1, mice were vaccinated with inactivated influenza virus in the presence or absence of TIM-1-specific monoclonal antibodies. Development of cellular immunity against both the influenza strain used for immunization and serotypically distinct virus strains was monitored 3 weeks after vaccination by determining antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production. Results show that TIM-1 antibodies enhance antigen-specific cellular proliferation (P < 0.05) and interferon (IFN)-gamma production (P < 0.01). Using blocking anti-CD4 and CD8 antibodies, it was observed that antigen-specific cellular proliferation is CD4-dependent and that the majority of proliferating cells are CD4+. Finally, vaccination with inactivated influenza virus with TIM-1 antibody results in the significant (P < 0.001) induction of proliferation and IFN-gamma production upon stimulation with one of three serologically distinct strains. TIM-1 antibodies demonstrate an adjuvant effect promoting antigen-specific cellular proliferation and IFN-gamma production, which are important for the promotion of cell-mediated immunity. These results are the first to suggest that TIM-1 antibody may serve as a potent adjuvant in the development of new influenza virus vaccines.