title: CXCL9 is important for recruiting immune T cells into the brain and inducing an accumulation of the T cells to the areas of tachyzoite proliferation to prevent reactivation of chronic cerebral infection with Toxoplasma gondii.
abstract: T cells are required to maintain the latency of chronic infection with Toxoplasma gondii in the brain. Here, we examined the role of non-glutamic acid-leucine-arginine CXC chemokine CXCL9 for T-cell recruitment to prevent reactivation of infection with T. gondii. Severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice were infected and treated with sulfadiazine to establish a chronic infection. Immune T cells from infected wild-type mice were transferred into the SCID mice in combination with treatment with anti-CXCL9 or control sera. Three days later, sulfadiazine was discontinued to initiate reactivation of infection. Numbers of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells isolated from the brains were markedly less in mice treated with anti-CXCL9 serum than in mice treated with control serum at 3 days after sulfadiazine discontinuation. Amounts of tachyzoite (acute stage form of T. gondii)-specific SAG1 mRNA and numbers of foci associated with tachyzoites were significantly greater in the former than the latter at 5 days after sulfadiazine discontinuation. An accumulation of CD3(+) T cells into the areas of tachyzoite growth was significantly less frequent in the SCID mice treated with anti-CXCL9 serum than in mice treated with control serum. These results indicate that CXCL9 is crucial for recruiting immune T cells into the brain and inducing an accumulation of the T cells into the areas where tachyzoites proliferate to prevent reactivation of chronic T. gondii infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Eri
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Qila
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sa
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Morgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brogli
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky.
authors.forename: Tomoya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia.
authors.forename: Xisheng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, Maryland.
authors.forename: Jitender P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Dubey
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky; Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia. Electronic address: yasu.suzuki@uky.edu.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D054370:Chemokine CXCL9 / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D016513:Mice, SCID; D014122:Toxoplasma / Q000276:immunology*; D014123:Toxoplasmosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D054370:Chemokine CXCL9; C485969:Cxcl9 protein, mouse