Cytokine production by human herpesvirus 8-infected dendritic cells

We have shown previously that human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8)-infected dendritic cells (DCS) undergo incomplete maturation and have a defective antigen-presenting function. Here, we examined the effects of HHV-8 infection on cytokine production, which is critical to the function of DCs. We detected expression of interleukin (IL)-6, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1 alpha, MIP-1 beta, RANTES and IL-12p40 from 2 to 6 h post-infection, and these peaked by 15-24 h. Expression of these factors decreased 24-48 h post-infection, with the exception of TNF-alpha. which remained high throughout the entire 72 In. Interestingly, while IL-12p40 expression increased post-infection, bioactive IL-12p70 was not detected in the supernatants. These results suggest an intentional skewing of cytokine production in HHV-8-infected DCs towards induction of a Th2 response.