title: CD4(+) cells are indispensable for ulcer development in murine cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: One of the most characteristic clinical features in cutaneous leishmaniasis is the development of nodules followed by ulcerations at the site of infection. Leishmania amazonensis-infected mice show similar ulcerative lesions. Leishmania-infected severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice, however, have been shown to develop nonulcerative nodules. In the present study, the roles of T cells in ulceration were examined using SCID mice in cell reconstitution experiments. After development of nonulcerative nodules, SCID mice were inoculated with splenocytes from either Leishmania-infected or naive immunocompetent mice, resulting in ulceration in all mice. When naive splenocytes were depleted of CD4(+), CD8(+), or B220(+) cell populations and the remaining cells were injected into Leishmania-infected SCID mice after the development of nodules, only SCID mice inoculated with splenocytes depleted of CD4(+) cells did not show ulceration. The evidence obtained in this study clearly shows that the CD4(+) cell population is indispensable for ulceration in leishmaniasis lesions of SCID mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Immunology, School of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113, Japan.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terabe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuramochi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hatabu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sanjoba
authors.forename: K P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Onodera
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D017708:Leukocyte Transfusion; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016513:Mice, SCID; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012883:Skin Ulcer / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology