Divergent antiviral roles of amphibian (Xenopus laevis) macrophages elicited by colony-stimulating factor-1 and interleukin-34

What is it about?

Amphibians are facing a worldwide threat of extinction, to which not only chytrid fungus but also ranavirus pathogens are heavily contributing to these losses. In turn, macrophage-lineage cells are crucial both to amphibian anti-ranaviral immunity and to the infection strategies of these pathogens. Our study reveals that two growth factors: macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and the structurally unrelated interleukin-34 (IL-34) cytokine acting on the same macrophage receptor have opposing effects on tadpole host resistance to ranavirus infection. Notably, lIL-34 increases resistance to infection. This marks the first report establishing a functional difference between M-CSF- and IL-34-derived macrophages in vertebrate antiviral immunity.

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