title: In vitro simulation of immunosuppression caused by Trypanosoma brucei.
abstract: Macrophage populations derived from Trypanosoma brucei-infected mice suppress both interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) expression. A prostaglandin-independent mechanism accounts for the suppression of IL-2R expression, while the suppression of IL-2 is prostaglandin-dependent. A macrophage hybridoma cell line (i.e. 2C11-12) was used to mimic the parasite-induced immunosuppression in vitro. It was found that 2C11-12 cells acquired a suppressive potential in vitro following interaction with opsonized living parasites. T. brucei-pulsed 2C11-12 cells failed to block IL-2 secretion in the presence of indomethacin but still suppressed the IL-2R expression. In contrast, addition of living T. brucei parasites to the cultures caused a complete suppression of IL-2 secretion and IL-2R expression, even in the presence of indomethacin. Hence, the addition of excess living parasites to the cultures could cause a depression which was different from the suppression associated with infection, whereas the addition of parasite-pulsed 2C11-12 cells mimicked the situation occurring during infection. This model system can be adopted as a suitable tool to unravel the mechanisms underlying the suppression of IL-2R expression during T. brucei infections.
authors.affiliation: Instituut voor Molekulaire Biologie, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sileghem
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Darji
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Baetselier
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000276:immunology; D006825:Hybridomas / Q000276:immunology; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051379:Mice; D008954:Models, Biological; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000032:analysis; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014353:Trypanosomiasis, African / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2