Type I IFN-signaling following Pneumocystis (PC)-infection and clearance in CD4 T cell-competent mice

Type I IFN-signaling suppresses an excessive IFN-{gamma} response and prevents lung damage and chronic inflammation following Pneumocystis (PC)-infection and clearance in CD4 T cell-competent mice. Type I IFN -signaling in pulmonary CD11c+ DCs and alveolar macrophages may prevent chronic inflammation following PC lung infection and clearance by suppressing an excessive IFN-g-response via the induction of SOCS1. IFNAR-/- and wildtype mice were both Pneumocystis infected via itratracheal instillation. Pulmonary CD11c+ cells were isolated from collagen digested lungs at day 7 and day 14 post infection from both wildtype and IFNAR-/- mice using a magnetic cell sorting technique from Miltenyi with CD11c microbeads. Cells from three individual animals per group were isolated and assessed. Comparison of 2 treatment types at 2 timepoints to determine whether type I IFN signaling is initiated in resident and early recruited pulmonary CD11c+ cells following Pneumocystis lung infection and whether this is relevant to the outcome of the inflammatory response during the initiation of clearance.