title: Lymph node cells from BALB/c mice with chronic visceral leishmaniasis exhibiting cellular anergy and apoptosis: involvement of Ser/Thr phosphatase.
abstract: Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) produced in BALB/c mice through intracardial administration of Leishmania donovani amastigotes was accompanied by hepatosplenomegaly with high organ parasite load and lymphadenopathy when followed up to 4-months or so. To elucidate the mechanism of immunosuppression associated with VL, we report here progressive impairment of the proliferative response of lymph node cells (lymphocytes) from infected animals (I-LNC) to in vitro stimulation with the combination of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin (Io) that could be related to the downregulation of PKC and MAP kinase (ERK 1/2) activation process. Further, pretreatment of I-LNC with the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA), but not with calyculin A or sodium orthovanadate, significantly restored their proliferative response as well as PMA-induced activation of PKC. A population of LNC (primarily T-lymphocytes) from chronically infected animals was shown to undergo apoptosis, the number of which increased considerably following PMA+ Io stimulation. The apoptotic pathway, which was followed through binding of cells to Annexin V, activation of caspase-3 and fragmentation of DNA, involved destabilization of mitochondria, probably as a result of downregulation of PKC and Bcl-2. Interestingly, prior incubation of I-LNC with OA reversed the state of cell cycle arrest (anergy) and apoptosis through progression of cells from G0/G1 to S and G2/M phases with transcriptional activation of IL-2 and IL-2R genes. Our results suggest that the cellular (immune) dysfunction in VL could be attributed to dephosphorylation of key molecules in the T-lymphocyte signaling pathway by Ser/Thr phosphatase leading to their inactivation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Bose Institute, P-1/12 CIT Scheme VII M, Kolkata, 700 054, India.
authors.forename: Piyali
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Parimal C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Sen
authors.forename: Asoke C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ghose
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017635:Clonal Anergy; D006224:Cricetinae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D015759:Ionomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007476:Ionophores / Q000494:pharmacology; D007893:Leishmania donovani / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000276:immunology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019319:Okadaic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494827:Bax protein, mouse; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007476:Ionophores; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C052617:Bcl2 protein, mouse; D019319:Okadaic Acid; D015759:Ionomycin; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate