Role of Trypanosoma cruzi autoreactive T cells in the generation of cardiac pathology.
Chagas disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, affects several million people in Central and South America. About 30% of chronic patients develop cardiomyopathy probably caused by parasite persistence and/or autoimmunity. While several cross-reactive antibodies generated during mammal T. cruzi infection have been described, very few cross-reactive T cells have been identified. We performed adoptive transfer experiments of T cells isolated from chronically infected mice. The results showed the generation of cardiac pathology in the absence of parasites. We also transferred cross-reactive SAPA-specific T cells and observed unspecific alterations in heart repolarization, cardiac inflammatory infiltration, and tissue damage.
Gironès
Núria
N
Centro de Biología Molecular, CSIC-UAM, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
Carrasco-Marin
Eugenio
E
Cuervo
Henar
H
Guerrero
Néstor Adrián
NA
Sanoja
Cristina
C
John
Sparrow
S
Flores-Herráez
Reyes
R
Fernández-Prieto
Lorena
L
Chico-Calero
Isabel
I
Salgado
Hugo
H
Carrión
Javier
J
Fresno
Manuel
M
D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity / Q000276:immunology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D018716:Molecular Mimicry / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000276:immunology*