A Systems Immunology Approach to Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Function in Cytopathic Virus Infections

Plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC)-mediated protection against cytopathic virus infection involves various molecular, cellular, tissue-scale, and organism-scale events. In order to better understand such multiscale interactions, we have implemented a systems immunology approach focusing on the analysis of the structure, dynamics and operating principles of virus-host interactions which constrain the initial spread of the pathogen. Using high-resolution experimental data sets coming from the well-described mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) model, we first calibrated basic modules including MHV infection of its primary target cells, i.e. pDCs and macrophages (Mφs). These basic building blocks were used to generate and validate an integrative mathematical model for in vivo infection dynamics. Parameter estimation for the system indicated that on a per capita basis, one infected pDC secretes sufficient type I IFN to protect 103 to 104 Mφs from cytopathic viral infection. This extremely high protective capacity of pDCs secures the spleen's capability to function as a ‘sink’ for the virus produced in peripheral organs such as the liver. Furthermore, our results suggest that the pDC population in spleen ensures a robust protection against virus variants which substantially down-modulate IFN secretion. However, the ability of pDCs to protect against severe disease caused by virus variants exhibiting an enhanced liver tropism and higher replication rates appears to be rather limited. Taken together, this systems immunology analysis suggests that antiviral therapy against cytopathic viruses should primarily limit viral replication within peripheral target organs.Author Summary: Human infections with highly virulent viruses, such as 1918 influenza or SARS-coronavirus, represent major threats to public health. The initial innate immune responses to such viruses have to restrict virus spread before the adaptive immune responses fully develop. Therefore, it is of fundamental practical importance to understand the robustness and fragility of the early protection against such virus infections mediated by the type I interferon (IFN) response. Because of the inherent complexity of the virus-host system, we have used mathematical modeling to predict the sensitivity of the kinetics and severity of infection to variations in virus and host parameters. Our results suggest that the spleen represents a robust sink system for systemic virus infection and that this system is able to cope with substantial variations in IFN secretion and virus production. However, the system is very fragile to only minor increases in the virus growth rate in peripheral tissues. Collectively, the mathematical approach described in this study allows us to identify the most robust virus and host parameters during early cytopathic virus infection and can serve as a paradigm for systems immunology analyses of multiscale virus-host interaction of many life-threatening cytopathic virus infections.