Abstract
Interferon-inducible GTPase LRG-47 (also named immune-related GTPase M, Irgm1) is a member of the p47 GTPase family that has been shown to regulate host resistance to intracellular pathogens. Little knowledge has been known about the role of LRG-47 in host’s responses to extracellular pathogens. To investigate possible roles of LRG-47 in the course of Schistosoma japonicum infection, LRG-47-deficient (LRG-47−/−) and wild-type (WT) mice were challenged with cercariae of S. japonicum, and the cellular and humoral responses in mice were analyzed. At the acute stage of S. japonicum infection, in contrast to WT mice, LRG-47−/− mice showed the significantly decreased egg burden, low schistosome-specific antibody response, and the decreased Th1 and increased Tc1 responses. Additionally, Schistosoma japonicum-specific egg antigen immunization also produced the similar humoral and cellular immune responses as S. japonicum infection. Taken together, these data suggested that the deficiency of LRG-47 might affect host’s CD4+ T cell immune response via the weakening of IFN-γ downstream signaling; however, the specific function of LRG-47 on dealing with extracellular worm needs to be further studied.
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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Project No. 81171593).
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Yanan Gao and Jingjiao Wu contributed equally to this work.
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Additional file 1
The level of TNF-α (A) and IL-4 (B) in the supernatant of splenocyte cultures of LRG-47-/- and WT mice at 6 weeks after S. japonicum infection by ELISA detection. Two independent infection experiments showed the similar results and here was the result of one experiment (n = 8). The level of TNF-α (C) and IL-4 (D) in the supernatant of splenocyte cultures of LRG-47-/- and WT mice at 3 weeks after immunization with SEA by ELISA detection. Two independent infection experiments showed the similar results and here was the result of one experiment (n = 4). Data are presented as the mean±SEM. *P < 0.05 (TIF 72 kb)
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Gao, Y., Wu, J., Zhang, M. et al. Mice lack of LRG-47 display the attenuated outcome of infection with Schistosoma japonicum . Parasitol Res 115, 1185–1193 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4853-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00436-015-4853-9