title: Involvement of the cytokine MIF in the snail host immune response to the parasite Schistosoma mansoni.
abstract: We have identified and characterized a Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) family member in the Lophotrochozoan invertebrate, Biomphalaria glabrata, the snail intermediate host of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni. In mammals, MIF is a widely expressed pleiotropic cytokine with potent pro-inflammatory properties that controls cell functions such as gene expression, proliferation or apoptosis. Here we show that the MIF protein from B. glabrata (BgMIF) is expressed in circulating immune defense cells (hemocytes) of the snail as well as in the B. glabrata embryonic (Bge) cell line that has hemocyte-like features. Recombinant BgMIF (rBgMIF) induced cell proliferation and inhibited NO-dependent p53-mediated apoptosis in Bge cells. Moreover, knock-down of BgMIF expression in Bge cells interfered with the in vitro encapsulation of S. mansoni sporocysts. Furthermore, the in vivo knock-down of BgMIF prevented the changes in circulating hemocyte populations that occur in response to an infection by S. mansoni miracidia and led to a significant increase in the parasite burden of the snails. These results provide the first functional evidence that a MIF ortholog is involved in an invertebrate immune response towards a parasitic infection and highlight the importance of cytokines in invertebrate-parasite interactions.
authors.affiliation: Institut Pasteur de Lille, CIIL, Lille, France; Inserm, U 1019, Lille, France; Univ Lille Nord de France, Lille, France; CNRS, UMR 8204, Lille, France.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baeza Garcia
authors.forename: Raymond J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Pierce
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gourbal
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Werkmeister
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Colinet
authors.forename: Jean-Marc
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Reichhart
authors.forename: Colette
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dissous
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Coustau
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001700:Biomphalaria / Q000196:embryology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006224:Cricetinae; D006434:Hemocytes / Q000502:physiology*; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000469:parasitology; D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D033661:Oocysts / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering / Q000494:pharmacology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012555:Schistosomiasis mansoni / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D008263:Macrophage Migration-Inhibitory Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D034741:RNA, Small Interfering; D011994:Recombinant Proteins