title: Immunohistochemical analysis of the expression of cellular transcription NFκB (p65), AP-1 (c-Fos and c-Jun), and JAK/STAT in leprosy.
abstract: Leprosy is a disease whose clinical spectrum depends on the cytokine patterns produced during the early stages of the immune response. The main objective of this study was to describe the activation pattern of cellular transcription factors and to correlate these factors with the clinical forms of leprosy. Skin samples were obtained from 16 patients with the tuberculoid (TT) form and 14 with the lepromatous (LL) form. The histologic sections were immunostained with anti-c-Fos and anti-c-Jun monoclonal antibodies for investigation of AP-1, anti-NFκB p65 for the study of NFκB, and anti-JAK2, STAT1, STAT3, and STAT4 for investigation of the JAK/STAT pathway. Cells expressing STAT1 were more frequent in the TT form than in LL lesions (P = .0096), in agreement with the protective immunity provided by IFN-γ. STAT4 was also more highly expressed in the TT form than in the LL form (P = .0098). This transcription factor is essential for the development of a Th1 response because it is associated with interleukin-12. NFκB (p65) and STAT4 expression in the TT form showed a strong and significant correlation (r = 0.7556 and P = .0007). A moderate and significant correlation was observed between JAK2 and STAT4 in the TT form (r = 0.6637 and P = .0051), with these factors responding to interleukin-12 in Th1 profiles. The results suggest that STAT1, JAK2, and NFκB, together with STAT4, contribute to the development of cell-mediated immunity, which is able to contain the proliferation of Mycobacterium leprae.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000.
authors.forename: Luciana Mota
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000.
authors.forename: Kelly Emi
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.affiliation: Nucleo de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000.
authors.forename: Jorge Rodrigues
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: de Sousa
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000.
authors.forename: Juarez
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Souza
authors.affiliation: Nucleo de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000.
authors.forename: Hellen Thais
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Fuzii
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000.
authors.forename: Leonidas Braga
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000.
authors.forename: Francisca Regina Oliveira
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Carneiro
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000.
authors.forename: Tinara Leila
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: de Souza Aarão
authors.affiliation: Centro de Ciencias Biologicas e da Saude, Universidade do Estado do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000; Nucleo de Medicina Tropical, Universidade Federal do Para, Belem, Para, Brazil 66000-000. Electronic address: juarez@pesquisador.cnpq.br.
authors.forename: Juarez Antonio Simões
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Quaresma
mesh_terms: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D053614:Janus Kinase 2 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007918:Leprosy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology*; D009166:Mycobacterium leprae / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D050797:STAT4 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D016328:NF-kappa B; D050794:STAT1 Transcription Factor; C494079:STAT1 protein, human; D050797:STAT4 Transcription Factor; C494090:STAT4 protein, human; D018808:Transcription Factor AP-1; C507924:JAK2 protein, human; D053614:Janus Kinase 2
keywords: Cytokines; Immunopathology; Leprosy; M. leprae; Pathogenesis