Immunomodulation by Trichinella spiralis: primary versus secondary response to phosphorylcholine-containing antigens.
The present work was designed to determine in detail the capacity of the nematode Trichinella to modulate the plaque-forming cell (PFC) response of BCF1 mice to the parasite's own antigens. To this end, we studied the PFC responses shown by infected and non-infected BCF1 mice using as the target antigen phosphorylcholine, an epitope which is found in the parasite. From the results presented here, the following conclusions can be drawn: i) Trichinella spiralis is capable of modulating the immunoresponse to thymus-dependent (TD), but not to thymus-independent (TI), parasite antigens; ii) Trichinella spiralis suppresses the PFC response to the parasite-derived TD antigen FCp1 (a particulate antigen containing PC) during the muscle stage of its life cycle, but does not affect the responses to other parasite-derived PC-bearing antigens; this seems to indicate that the suppressive activity exerted by Trichinella is highly specific; iii) anti-PC PFC production in the secondary response was also suppressed by the parasite. Finally, the inability of the FCp1 antigen to induce detectable anti-PC PFC, other than IgM, is discussed.
Leiro
J
J
Departamento de Microbiología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Santamarina
M T
MT
Sernández
L
L
Sanmartín
M L
ML
Ubeira
F M
FM
D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology*; D002794:Choline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008819:Mice, Nude; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014234:Trichinella / Q000276:immunology; D014235:Trichinellosis / Q000276:immunology*
D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D000939:Epitopes; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; D002794:Choline