MERS-CoV Infection and Its Impact on the Expression of TSLP Cytokine and IgG Antibodies: An In Vivo and In Vitro Study

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a proinflammatory cytokine produced by epithelial cells that is involved in the activation of allergic disorders. To date, no study has examined TSLP induction during Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) infection. Herein, we aimed to study the effects of the recombinant spike protein of MERS-CoV on TSLP production. Additionally, the effects of recombinant human TSLP (rhTSLP) on B cell survival and antibody production were investigated. B cells were separated using the Human B Cell Enrichment Kit, and B cell survival was measured using the WST-1 Assay Kit. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure TSLP levels in the sera of both MERS-CoV-infected (n=4; median age, 53 years) and healthy individuals (n=5; median age, 35 years). We showed that the group of infected patients had significantly higher levels of TSLP than healthy controls (37.6 pg/mL vs 19.8 pg/mL, *