Neutrophil interaction with influenza-infected epithelial cells

An in vitro model system was used to study the early neutrophil response to influenza-infected epithelia. In the absence of serum, neutrophil adherence to influenza-infected confluent monolayers of Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells (MDCK) was approximately 590 times greater than neutrophil binding to control cultures. The leukocytes bound specifically to virus-infected cells. Neutrophil adherence to influenza-infected MDCK cells was monitored during the course of one replication cycle, and binding began at a time (4.5 hours) that coincided with viral protein insertion in the apical cell membrane. Ultrastructural examination at 4.5 hours showed that greater than 90% of the neutrophils adhered to the epithelial cell membrane in the absence of budding virus and, at 6.5 hours, 100% of the neutrophils adhered to the epithelium with emerging virions. The number of neutrophils bound to influenza-infected MDCK cells was not affected by the presence or absence of calcium or magnesium but did depend on the amount of viral inoculum and on the temperature of the culture. In direct contrast to hemadsorption of RBCs, neutrophil binding to influenza-infected MDCK cells was 100% greater at 37 degrees C than at 4 degrees C. The neutrophil surface molecules that bound influenza virus appeared to become functionally polarized because the adherence of neutrophils to budding influenza virus or to a virus-coated surface inhibited the neutrophils from binding additional influenza virus to their nonadherent surface.