title: Heligmosomoides bakeri antigen rescues CD4-positive T cells from glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis by Bcl-2 protein expression.
abstract: Heligmosomoides bakeri infection in mice is associated with a dominant CD4(+) T-cell response and with the activity of natural Treg cells with CD4(+) CD25(+) phenotype. The polarization of Th2 T-cell phenotype and the increase in the CD4(+) CD25(+) T cell population are regulated by glucocorticoids that induce apoptosis in CD4(+) CD25(-) T cells and inhibit apoptosis in CD4(+) CD25(+) T cells. However, exposure of mice to H. bakeri antigen induces a high glucocorticoid concentration in serum and a reduction in the number of CD4-positive; CD4(+) CD25(-) and CD4(+) CD25(+) apoptotic T cells in mesenteric lymph node cells. In this study to evaluate the in vitro effect of the anti-apoptotic property of H. bakeri antigen on T cells, apoptosis of these cells was induced by glucocorticoids-dexamethasone (Dex). Excretory-secretory (ES) antigen of the nematode prevented Dex-induced apoptosis in CD4-positive T cells with CD4(+) CD25(-) and CD4(+) CD25(High) phenotype by Bcl-2 protein expression. Contrary to the effect on CD4-positive T cells, survival of CD8(+) T cells was not connected with expression of Bcl-2 protein. This suggest that H. bakeri antigen modulates CD4-positive T cell sensitivity to glucocorticoid-induced apoptosis by induction of Bcl-2 protein.
authors.affiliation: Department of Parasitology, University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland. zuzia@biol.uw.edu.pl
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Donskow
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Drela
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doligalska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000947:Antigens, Helminth / Q000276:immunology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000633:toxicity*; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D014251:Trichostrongyloidea / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000947:Antigens, Helminth; D005938:Glucocorticoids; C508018:Il2ra protein, mouse; D053645:Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; C052617:Bcl2 protein, mouse