Screening for Toxoplasma gondii-regulated transcriptional responses in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages

Infect Immun. 2006 Mar;74(3):1916-23. doi: 10.1128/IAI.74.3.1916-1923.2006.

Abstract

Toxoplasma gondii-infected macrophages are blocked in production of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-12 (IL-12) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) upon activation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Here, we used pathway-focused cDNA arrays to identify additional T. gondii-regulated transcriptional responses. Parasite infection decreased 57 (inclusive of IL-12 and TNF-alpha) and increased expression of 7 of 77 LPS-activated cytokine and cytokine-related genes. Interestingly, we found that the LPS-induced transcriptional response of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 was synergistically increased by T. gondii, results that we validated by conventional reverse transcription-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Importantly, although the parasite exerted disparate effects in LPS-signaling leading to TNF-alpha versus IL-10 production, both responses required functional Toll-like receptor 4. We suggest that these effects represent parasite defense mechanisms to avoid or delay induction of antimicrobial activity and/or T-cell-mediated immunity during Toxoplasma infection.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Interleukin-10 / biosynthesis*
  • Interleukin-10 / immunology
  • Lipopolysaccharides / pharmacology*
  • Macrophages / drug effects*
  • Macrophages / immunology
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Macrophages / parasitology*
  • Mice
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis*
  • Toxoplasma / growth & development
  • Toxoplasma / pathogenicity
  • Toxoplasma / physiology*

Substances

  • Lipopolysaccharides
  • Interleukin-10