title: Pathways leading to interleukin-12 production and protective immunity in cutaneous leishmaniasis.
abstract: Leishmaniasis affects millions of people worldwide and continues to pose public health problem. There is extensive evidence supporting the critical role for IL-12 in initiating and maintaining protective immune response to Leishmania infection. Although gene deletion studies show that CD40-CD40L interaction is an important pathway for IL-12 production by antigen-presenting cells and subsequent development of protective immunity in cutaneous leishmaniasis, several studies have uncovered other pathways that could also lead to IL-12 production and immunity in the absence of intact CD40-CD40L signaling. Here, we review the literature on the role of IL-12 in the induction and maintenance of protective T cell-mediated immunity in cutaneous leishmaniasis and the different pathways leading to IL-12 production by antigen-presenting cells following Leishmania major infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg R3E 0T5, Canada. Electronic address: Ifeoma.okwor@umanitoba.ca.
authors.forename: Ifeoma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Okwor
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg R3E 0T5, Canada.
authors.forename: Jude E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Uzonna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D019013:CD40 Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D023201:CD40 Ligand / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D055786:Gene Knockout Techniques; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000378:metabolism*; D016773:Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D015398:Signal Transduction; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D019013:CD40 Antigens; D023201:CD40 Ligand; D018664:Interleukin-12
keywords: CD40; CD40 ligand; IL-12; Immunity; Infection; Leishmania major; Macrophage antigen 1; Th1 response