CD4(+) T cell response in early erythrocytic stage malaria: Plasmodium berghei infection in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice.
Plasmodium berghei ANKA causes lethal malaria in mice. It is well established that C57BL/6 mice die early with fulminant symptoms including convulsion, whereas BALB/c mice survive this phase and die later of anemia and prostration. Early death in C57BL/6 mice has been considered to result from the adverse effects of inflammatory cytokines. To elucidate the CD4(+) T cell responses in early death due to severe malaria, the kinetics of CD4(+) T cells were compared by analyzing cell surface markers and the production of cytokines and transcription factors. The results revealed that cytokine production by CD4(+) T cells was induced as early as 5 days after infection and the maintenance of higher levels of IL-4 and IL-10 may be associated with the protection of BALB/c mice from early death. These results suggest that parasite control in the early phase of infection may be important for the development of an effective vaccine.
Shibui
Akiko
A
Research Institute for Biological Sciences, Tokyo University of Science, Chiba, Japan. shibui@rs.noda.tus.ac.jp
Hozumi
Nobumichi
N
Shiraishi
Chiharu
C
Sato
Yoshitaka
Y
Iida
Hajime
H
Sugano
Sumio
S
Watanabe
Junichi
J
D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D008288:Malaria / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018512:Parasitemia; D010962:Plasmodium berghei / Q000276:immunology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis
D016207:Cytokines; D014157:Transcription Factors