Acanthamoeba culbertsoni elicits soluble factors that exert anti-microglial cell activity.
Acanthamoeba culbertsoni is an opportunistic pathogen that causes granulomatous amoebic encephalitis (GAE), a chronic and often fatal disease of the central nervous system (CNS). A hallmark of GAE is the formation of granulomas around the amoebae. These cellular aggregates consist of microglia, macrophages, lymphocytes, and neutrophils, which produce a myriad of proinflammatory soluble factors. In the present study, it is demonstrated that A. culbertsoni secretes serine peptidases that degrade chemokines and cytokines produced by a mouse microglial cell line (BV-2 cells). Furthermore, soluble factors present in cocultures of A. culbertsoni and BV-2 cells, as well as in cocultures of A. culbertsoni and primary neonatal rat cerebral cortex microglia, induced apoptosis of these macrophage-like cells. Collectively, the results indicate that A. culbertsoni can apply a multiplicity of cell contact-independent modes to target macrophage-like cells that exert antiamoeba activities in the CNS.
Harrison
Jenica L
JL
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Medicine, 1101 E. Marshall Street, Richmond, VA 23298-0678, USA.
Ferreira
Gabriela A
GA
Raborn
Erinn S
ES
Lafrenaye
Audrey D
AD
Marciano-Cabral
Francine
F
Cabral
Guy A
GA
D000048:Acanthamoeba / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D018925:Chemokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D057131:Immune Evasion; D051379:Mice; D017628:Microglia / Q000276:immunology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D051381:Rats; D057057:Serine Proteases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology
D018925:Chemokines; D016207:Cytokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D057057:Serine Proteases