Increased capacity for interleukin-2 synthesis parallels disease progression in mice infected with Leishmania major.
Lymph node cells of BALB/c mice with progressive leishmaniasis produced sixfold more interleukin-2 (IL-2) in culture than those of healing C57BL/6 mice. IL-2 synthesis also increased in C57BL/6 mice made susceptible by IL-12 or gamma interferon deficiency. However, IL-2 mRNA levels in vivo did not reflect IL-2 production in vitro. Because IL-2 contributes to the pathogenesis of progressive leishmaniasis, the functional significance of these findings should be further explored.
Heinzel
F P
FP
Division of Geographic Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the VA Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA. fxh10@po.cwru.edu
Rerko
R M
RM
Hujer
A M
AM
Maier
R A
RA
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D018320:Leishmania major / Q000276:immunology*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology
D007376:Interleukin-2; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma