title: Antigen presentation capacity of murine macrophages infected with Leishmania amazonensis amastigotes.
abstract: Leishmania-infected M phi are potential candidates for the presentation of parasite Ag to Leishmania-specific CD4+ T lymphocytes. To assess whether infected cells could function as APC, we examined the ability of bone marrow-derived M phi infected with Leishmania amazonensis amastigotes to stimulate various CD4+, l-Ad- or l-Ed-restricted T-cell hybridomas specific for the bacteriophage lambda repressor cl protein, the human chorionic gonadotropin or OVA. A reduced capacity of infected M phi to present native Ag to most T-cell hybridomas tested was noted that was probably a result of a lower expression on their plasma membrane of stimulatory [la-peptide] complexes. Neither a reduced Ag uptake nor an altered Ag processing appeared to be at the origin of the partial inability of infected M phi to present Ag. As regards the level of plasma membrane la expression, no quantitative difference could be detected between uninfected and infected M phi. Moreover, after fixation with paraformaldehyde, the ability of plasma membrane la molecules to bind immunogenic peptides was apparently not reduced in infected M phi. So, these cells most likely expressed functional la molecules on their cell surface. Interestingly, infected M phi and M phi infected then cured by a treatment with a leishmanicidal compound were similarly impaired in their capacity to present native Ag or peptides to the hybridomas, and no recovery was noted even 24 h after the leishmanicidal treatment. Furthermore, infected M phi and M phi incubated with heat-killed amastigotes or with an amastigote homogenate exhibited similar inhibitions of Ag presentation. Taken together, these results suggest that the functional failure of infected M phi to present exogenous Ag could be because either of interferences with the events leading to the meeting of la molecules with peptides derived from these exogenous Ag or to a competition for binding to la molecules between these peptides and parasite molecules.
authors.affiliation: Unité d'Immunophysiologie Cellulaire, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prina
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jouanne
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: de Souza Lão
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szabo
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Guillet
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Antoine
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D000941:Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000276:immunology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D006825:Hybridomas; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D007894:Leishmania mexicana / Q000276:immunology*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010047:Ovalbumin / Q000276:immunology; D010455:Peptides / Q000276:immunology; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D014764:Viral Proteins; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins
chemical_list: D000941:Antigens; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D007376:Interleukin-2; D010455:Peptides; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; D054334:Viral Regulatory and Accessory Proteins; C016649:phage repressor proteins; D010047:Ovalbumin