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Functional changes in regulatory T cells during an experimental infection with sparganum (plerocercofid of S pirometra mansoni )
Author(s) -
Kim HyungRan,
Lee SuMin,
Won JongWha,
Lim Woosung,
Moon ByungIn,
Yang HyunJong,
Seoh JuYoung
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.297
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1365-2567
pISSN - 0019-2805
DOI - 10.1111/imm.12017
Subject(s) - biology , foxp3 , immune system , il 2 receptor , immunology , splenocyte , in vivo , microbiology and biotechnology , interleukin 10 , regulatory t cell , parasite hosting , cytokine , immunity , homeostasis , t cell , world wide web , computer science
Summary Regulatory T ( T reg) cells are important in the regulation of immune response, but the exact regulation of T reg‐cell function in vivo is still not well known. In the present study, we investigated the functional activity of CD 4 + CD 25 + T reg cells as well as the frequency and number of CD 4 + CD 25 + F ox P 3 + T reg cells in the spleens of experimentally infected mice with a tissue‐migrating parasite, sparganum (plerocercoid of S pirometra mansoni ) for 3 weeks. The results demonstrated fluctuations in the T reg‐cell function during the parasite infection, being up‐regulated at day 3, down‐regulated until day 14, and thereafter up‐regulated again at day 21. We also investigated the cytokine‐producing capability of the splenocytes to study the pattern of immune response of the mice to the parasite. The results showed decreased capabilities of interleukin‐2 ( IL ‐2), interferon‐γ ( IFN ‐γ) and IL ‐17α production, whereas IL ‐4‐producing and IL ‐10‐producing capabilities were increased along with the parasitic infection. Meanwhile, IL ‐6‐producing capability was increased to reach a peak at week 2, and thereafter was decreased to the baseline level. As a regulatory mechanism, we found that T reg‐cell function was attenuated in the presence of the crude extracts of sparganum, but was enhanced in the presence of the excretory–secretory products, suggesting that sparganum products were involved in the triggering and regulation of immune response in the acute and chronic phases, respectively. Results show that T reg cells are central in the immune homeostasis in vivo that is maintained by host–parasite interactions during the parasitic infection.