title: Characterization of Leishmania infantum thiol-dependent reductase 1 and evaluation of its potential to induce immune protection.
abstract: The need to develop an effective vaccine against leishmaniasis to prevent the 2 million new cases each year led to the search for antigens able to elicit protection against infection with Leishmania. In this study, we have characterized a parasite-specific protein of Leishmania infantum named thiol-dependent reductase 1 (TDR1). The protein is present in both life cycle stages of L. infantum with a notable higher expression in the amastigote forms, suggesting a role in the interaction between the parasite and the mammalian host. Thiol-dependent reductase 1 is localized in the cytosol, although we were able to detect the protein in the culture medium of both promastigotes and axenic amastigotes, and consequently, TDR1 is considered an excreted/secreted molecule of the parasite. Therefore, we have evaluated the potential of TDR1 recombinant protein to protect against experimental challenge with L. infantum parasites using a murine model. Despite a reduction in spleen parasite load in the chronic phase of disease, TDR1 administration was not effective in the protection of Balb/c mice against visceral leishmaniasis and thus TDR1 do not have a crucial role in the modulation of mammalian host immune response, as observed with its protein counterpart Tc52 of Trypanosoma cruzi.
authors.affiliation: IBMC-Instituto de Biologia Molecular e Celular, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Silvestre
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ouaissi
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Coombs
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cordeiro-da-Silva
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000276:immunology*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000276:immunology*; D059208:Parasite Load; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000469:parasitology; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D010088:Oxidoreductases