Peptide regulatory factors and optimization of vaccines

The peptide regulatory factors (PRFs), variously termed cytokines, lymphokines, interleukins, colony stimulating factors, interferons, etc., play a key role in the quantitative and qualitative regulation of protective responses--both in initiating immunological and inflammatory responses and in mediating and controlling the effector mechanisms that protect the body against micro-organisms. The process of immunization--involving antigen-presentation, lymphocyte-activation and clonal proliferation--depends on the action of a variety of PRFs. The function of accessory cells--the dendritic cells, macrophages, etc.--is stimulated by PRFs such as interferon-gamma, IL-1, TNF, GM-CSF and IL-4. The activation and expansion of T-lymphocytes requires IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, interferon-gamma, IL-6 and probably IL-7. Likewise, the activation and expansion of B-lymphocytes is regulated by PRFs such as IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7 and interferon-gamma. It is likely, although unproven, that PRFs also regulate the differentiation of B-cells to memory cells. Successful vaccination requires the immune system to be primed in such a way that natural challenge with a micro-organism or its products evokes an immune response that has the qualitative and the quantitative characteristics of both the humoral and cellular responses. Antibody class is critically influenced by particular PRFs, e.g. interferon-gamma regulates IgG2a; IL-4, IgE and IgG1; IL-5 and TGF-beta, IgA. PRFs are both produced by and regulate the T-lymphocytes which have key roles in protective responses--either directly, viz. the cytotoxic T-lymphocytes important in protection against certain viruses, or indirectly through the secretion of PRFs that regulate the speed, magnitude and quality of antibody cellular responses. The recruitment and enhanced production and function of granulocytic and phagocytic cells involves a number of T-lymphocyte PRFs including GM-CSF, IL-3, IL-5, IL-4, and IL-6. We do not have a good understanding of the fine-tuning of cellular responses nor of how infection with different pathogens results in different types of inflammatory responses; it is clear, however, that certain cellular responses are due to the action of specific PRFs, e.g. IL-3 induces a mastocytosis and IL-5 an eosinophilia. There is increasing evidence that the relative levels of different PRFs are important determinants of the effectiveness of responses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)