Death receptor ligation or exposure to perforin trigger rapid egress of the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii.
The obligate intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii chronically infects up to one-third of the global population, can result in severe disease in immunocompromised individuals, and can be teratogenic. In this study, we demonstrate that death receptor ligation in T. gondii-infected cells leads to rapid egress of infectious parasites and lytic necrosis of the host cell, an active process mediated through the release of intracellular calcium as a consequence of caspase activation early in the apoptotic cascade. Upon acting on infected cells via death receptor- or perforin-dependent pathways, T cells induce rapid egress of infectious parasites able to infect surrounding cells, including the Ag-specific effector cells.
Center for Infectious Medicine, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital-Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
Emma K
EK
Persson
Abela Mpobela
AM
Agnarson
Henrik
H
Lambert
Niclas
N
Hitziger
Hideo
H
Yagita
Benedict J
BJ
Chambers
Antonio
A
Barragan
Alf
A
Grandien
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D003602:Cytotoxicity, Immunologic; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D020297:Mice, Congenic; D054353:Perforin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053218:Receptors, Death Domain / Q000378:metabolism*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D019014:fas Receptor / Q000378:metabolism
D053218:Receptors, Death Domain; D019014:fas Receptor; D054353:Perforin; D020169:Caspases; D002118:Calcium