Expression of heme oxygenase-1 is associated with abortion caused by Brucella abortus infection in pregnant mice.
Brucella abortus is a facultative intracellular pathogen that can survive inside macrophages and trophoblast giant (TG) cells, and the causative agent of brucellosis. In the present study, we found that expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in TG cells is correlated with abortion induced by B. abortus infection in pregnant mice. Expression of HO-1 in the placenta was decreased by B. abortus infection and treatment with cobalt-protoporphyrin (Co-PP), which is known to up-regulate HO-1 expression, inhibited abortion due to the bacterial infection. In TG cells, treatment with Co-PP was shown to up-regulate HO-1, whereas its expression was decreased by B. abortus infection. Such down-regulation of HO-1 in the TG cells was enhanced by IFN-gamma treatment. HO-1 down-regulation in TG cells due to knockdown or IFN-gamma treatment served to induce cell death caused by B. abortus infection. These results suggest that down-regulation of HO-1 in TG cells due to B. abortus infection is an important event in infectious abortion.
Tachibana
Masato
M
Department of Applied Veterinary Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro-shi, Hokkaido 080-8555, Japan.
Watanabe
Kenta
K
Yamasaki
Yuki
Y
Suzuki
Hiroshi
H
Watarai
Masahisa
M
D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D000818:Animals; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000662:veterinary; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology
D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1