Differential role of T regulatory and Th17 in Swiss mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA and Plasmodium yoelii.

The outcome of malaria infection is determined, in part, by the balance of pro-inflammatory and regulatory immune responses. Host immune responses in disease including malaria are finely regulated by the opposing effects of Th17 and T regulatory (Treg) cells. Here we have examined the role of Treg cells and Th17 cells during malaria infection and find that low levels of Treg cells possibly influence the outcome of infections with the lethal strain of Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA). In contrast, high level of Treg cells may influence the outcome of nonlethal Plasmodium yoelii NXL (P. yoelii) infections. We observed decreased expressions of key regulators of Treg inductions-TGF-β, CD4IL-2 and IL-10 during PbA infection, whereas their expression remains high during P. yoelii infection. On the other hand TNF-α, IL-6, IFN-γ and IL-23 expression is high during PbA infection and lower during P. yoelii infection. Thus, results from this study suggest that the differential expression of Treg and Th17 might have a key role on host pathogenesis during malaria infection. The high level of IL-6 and low level of TGF-β may composite of the advantaged local microenvironment for the production of Th17 cells in the spleen of the PBA infected mice and vice verse during nonlethal P. yoelii.

Keswani T ，Bhattacharyya A 《-》

Dendritic cells subsets mediated immune response during Plasmodium berghei ANKA and Plasmodium yoelii infection.

The roles of dendritic cells (DCs) in mediating immunity against Plasmodium infection have been extensively investigated, but immune response during pathogenesis of malaria is still poorly understood. In the present study, we compared the splenic DCs phenotype and function during P. berghei ANKA (PbA) or P. yoelii (P. yoelii) infection in Swiss mice. We observed that PbA-infected mice developed more myeloid and mature DCs capable of secreting IL-12, while P. yoelii-infected mice had more plasmacytoid and immature DCs secreting higher levels of IL-10. Expression of FoxP3, IL-17, TGF-β and IL-6 were also different between these two infections. Thus, these results suggest that the phenotypic and functional subsets of splenic DCs are key factors for regulating immune responses to PbA and P. yoelii infections.

Keswani T ，Sengupta A ，Sarkar S ，Bhattacharyya A ... -  《-》

Role of TGF-β and IL-6 in dendritic cells, Treg and Th17 mediated immune response during experimental cerebral malaria.

The role of cytokines in Plasmodium infection have been extensively investigated, but pro and anti inflammatory cytokines mediated imbalance during malaria immune-pathogenesis is still unrevealed. Malaria is associated with the circulating levels of Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), but association between these two cytokines in immune response remains largely obscured. Using mouse model, we proposed that IL-6 and TGF-β are involved in immune regulation of dendritic cells (DC), regulatory T cells (Treg), T-helper cells (Th17) during P. berghei ANKA (PbA) infection. Association between the cytokines and the severity of malaria was established with anti-TGF-β treatment resulting in increased parasitemia and increased immunopathology, whereas; anti-IL-6 treatment delays immunopathology during PbA infection. Further, splenocytes revealed differential alteration of myeloid DC (mDC), plasmocytoid DC (pDC), Treg, Th17 cells following TGF-β and IL-6 neutralization. Interestingly anti-TGF-β reduces CD11c+CD8+ DC expression, whereas anti-IL-6 administration causes a profound increase during PbA infection in Swiss mice. We observed down regulation of TGF-β, IL-10, NFAT, Foxp3, STAT-5 SMAD-3 and upregulation of IL-6, IL-23, IL-17 and STAT-3 in splenocytes during PbA infection. The STAT activity probably plays differential role in induction of Th17 and Treg cells. Interestingly we found increase in STAT-3 and decrease in STAT-5 expression during PbA infection. This pattern of STAT indicates that possibly TGF-β and IL-6 play a crucial role in differentiation of DCs subsets and Treg/Th17 imbalance during experimental cerebral malaria (ECM).

Keswani T ，Sarkar S ，Sengupta A ，Bhattacharyya A ... -  《-》

Concurrent infection with Heligmosomoides polygyrus suppresses anti-Plasmodium yoelii protection partially by induction of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) Treg in mice.

Tetsutani K ，Ishiwata K ，Ishida H ，Tu L ，Torii M ，Hamano S ，Himeno K ，Hisaeda H ... -  《-》

IL-2 contributes to maintaining a balance between CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and effector CD4+ T cells required for immune control of blood-stage malaria infection.

Berretta F ，St-Pierre J ，Piccirillo CA ，Stevenson MM ... -  《-》