CD271+ Mesenchymal Stem Cells as a Possible Infectious Niche for Leishmania infantum.
Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a serious and fatal disease. Therapeutic drugs are toxic and non-sterilizing. The etiological agents Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani cause active and asymptomatic diseases. Effective drugs to treat VL exist but unfortunately, post-treatment relapses are common. Little is known why drugs are non-sterilizing or how these intracellular pathogens can escape treatment. Here, using a murine model of VL we found that CD271+/Sca1+ bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are readily infected in vitro and in vivo by L. infantum. Because BM-MSCs express potent drug efflux pumps, e.g., ABCG2 it is possible that this unique intracellular infectious niche could allow L. infantum to escape anti-parasite drugs.
The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge Massachusetts, United States of America.|Department of Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Physiology and Molecular Biology, Institute for Biological and Natural Sciences, Triângulo Mineiro Federal University, Uberaba, MG, Brazil.
Carolina S
CS
Lopes
The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge Massachusetts, United States of America.
Nada
N
Daifalla
The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge Massachusetts, United States of America.
Bikul
B
Das
Department of Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Physiology and Molecular Biology, Institute for Biological and Natural Sciences, Triângulo Mineiro Federal University, Uberaba, MG, Brazil.
Valdo
V
Dias da Silva
The Forsyth Institute, Cambridge Massachusetts, United States of America.
Antonio
A
Campos-Neto
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D018314:Leishmania infantum / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007898:Leishmaniasis, Visceral / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D055153:Stem Cell Niche
D017475:Receptors, Nerve Growth Factor; C517634:Ngfr protein, mouse