Antibodies specific to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) G protein CX3C motif potentiate M2-specific CD8+ T cell response

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract disease in infants, the elderly, and immunocompromised and there is no vaccine currently available. Natural infection does not induce durable immunity, which suggests the need for a humoral and cellular response to achieve complete protection. In the present study, we passively transferred antibodies specific to the CX3C motif of the RSV G protein to BALB/c mice prior to challenge. The lungs were washed seven days later and virus-specific T cells were enumerated. The results show that antibodies to the CX3C motif lead to an enhanced M2-specific CD8+ T cell response during infection. These findings suggest that antibodies to the CX3C region of the RSV region can potentiate a Th1 immune response and directly enhance the M2specific CD8+ T cell response.