Disruption of Parasite hmgb2 Gene Attenuates Plasmodium berghei ANKA Pathogenicity.

Eukaryotic high-mobility-group-box (HMGB) proteins are nuclear factors involved in chromatin remodeling and transcription regulation. When released into the extracellular milieu, HMGB1 acts as a proinflammatory cytokine that plays a central role in the pathogenesis of several immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. We found that the Plasmodium genome encodes two genuine HMGB factors, Plasmodium HMGB1 and HMGB2, that encompass, like their human counterparts, a proinflammatory domain. Given that these proteins are released from parasitized red blood cells, we then hypothesized that Plasmodium HMGB might contribute to the pathogenesis of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM), a lethal neuroinflammatory syndrome that develops in C57BL/6 (susceptible) mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA and that in many aspects resembles human cerebral malaria elicited by P. falciparum infection. The pathogenesis of experimental cerebral malaria was suppressed in C57BL/6 mice infected with P. berghei ANKA lacking the hmgb2 gene (Δhmgb2 ANKA), an effect associated with a reduction of histological brain lesions and with lower expression levels of several proinflammatory genes. The incidence of ECM in pbhmgb2-deficient mice was restored by the administration of recombinant PbHMGB2. Protection from experimental cerebral malaria in Δhmgb2 ANKA-infected mice was associated with reduced sequestration in the brain of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells, including CD8(+) granzyme B(+) and CD8(+) IFN-γ(+) cells, and, to some extent, neutrophils. This was consistent with a reduced parasite sequestration in the brain, lungs, and spleen, though to a lesser extent than in wild-type P. berghei ANKA-infected mice. In summary, Plasmodium HMGB2 acts as an alarmin that contributes to the pathogenesis of cerebral malaria.

Briquet S ，Lawson-Hogban N ，Boisson B ，Soares MP ，Péronet R ，Smith L ，Ménard R ，Huerre M ，Mécheri S ，Vaquero C ... -  《-》

The transcription factor T-bet regulates parasitemia and promotes pathogenesis during Plasmodium berghei ANKA murine malaria.

Oakley MS ，Sahu BR ，Lotspeich-Cole L ，Solanki NR ，Majam V ，Pham PT ，Banerjee R ，Kozakai Y ，Derrick SC ，Kumar S ，Morris SL ... -  《-》

A genetically hmgb2 attenuated blood stage P. berghei induces crossed-long live protection.

Briquet S ，Lawson-Hogban N ，Peronet R ，Mécheri S ，Vaquero C ... -  《PLoS One》

CD4+ CD25+ regulatory T cells suppress CD4+ T-cell function and inhibit the development of Plasmodium berghei-specific TH1 responses involved in cerebral malaria pathogenesis.

Nie CQ ，Bernard NJ ，Schofield L ，Hansen DS ... -  《-》

Establishment of a murine model of cerebral malaria in KunMing mice infected with Plasmodium berghei ANKA.

Ding Y ，Xu W ，Zhou T ，Liu T ，Zheng H ，Fu Y ... -  《-》