title: CD40-CD40L interaction in immunity against protozoan infections.
abstract: Activation of the immune system against protozoan infections relies particularly on two specific signals provided by cognate interaction of T cells with antigen presenting cells (APCs). The first signal is attributed to binding of the T-cell receptor (TCR) to peptide/MHC complexes on the surface of APCs, whereas the second signal is triggered through binding of several costimulatory molecules on the surface of APCs with their corresponding receptors on T cells. Among these costimulatory signallings, CD40/CD40L interactions have been particularly investigated in protozoan infection models with regard to their potential to amplify cell-mediated immunity against intracellular parasites. This article reviews current studies of the potential role of CD40/CD40L interaction in the modulation of immune responses against some protozoan parasites and highlights recent developments regarding manipulation of this interaction for promoting control of parasite infections.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Bactériologie Moléculaire, Département de Microbiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Libre de Bruxelles (U.L.B), 1070 Bruxelles, Belgium.
authors.forename: Mustapha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chamekh