Effector CD8+ T lymphocytes against liver stages of Plasmodium yoelii do not require gamma interferon for antiparasite activity.
The protective immune response against liver stages of the malaria parasite critically requires CD8(+) T cells. Although the nature of the effector mechanism utilized by these cells to repress parasite development remains unclear, a critical role for gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) has been widely assumed based on circumstantial evidence. However, the requirement for CD8(+) T-cell-mediated IFN-gamma production in protective immunity to this pathogen has not been directly tested. In this report, we use an adoptive transfer strategy with circumsporozoite (CS) protein-specific transgenic T cells to examine the role of CD8(+) T-cell-derived IFN-gamma production in Plasmodium yoelii-infected mice. We show that despite a marginal reduction in the expansion of naive IFN-gamma-deficient CS-specific transgenic T cells, their antiparasite activity remains intact. Further, adoptively transferred IFN-gamma-deficient CD8(+) T cells were as efficient as their wild-type counterparts in limiting parasite growth in naive mice. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that IFN-gamma secretion by CS-specific CD8(+) T cells is not essential to protect mice against live sporozoite challenge.
Chakravarty
Sumana
S
Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Malaria Research Institute, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615 N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Baldeviano
G Christian
GC
Overstreet
Michael G
MG
Zavala
Fidel
F
D019264:Adoptive Transfer; D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000172:deficiency / Q000276:immunology*; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D010967:Plasmodium yoelii / Q000276:immunology*; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D013154:Spleen / Q000276:immunology
D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C041595:circumsporozoite protein, Protozoan; D007371:Interferon-gamma