Disruption of Nod-like Receptors Alters Inflammatory Response to Infection but Does Not Confer Protection in Experimental Cerebral Malaria

Research relating to host inflammatory processes during malaria infection has focused on Toll-like receptors, membrane-bound receptors implicated in innate sensing, and phagocytosis of parasitized erythrocytes by host cells. This is the first study to examine the role of Nod proteins, members of the Nod-like receptor (NLR) family of cytoplasmic proteins involved in pathogen recognition, in a murine model of cerebral malaria (Plasmodium berghei ANKA, PbA). Here, we find that nod1nod2(-/-) mice infected with PbA show no difference in survival or parasitemia compared with wild-type infected animals. However, cytokine levels, notably those associated with NLR activation including interleukin (IL)1-beta KC, and MCP-1, and proteins linked to malaria pathogenesis, such as interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), were decreased in the nod1nod2(-/-) animals. We therefore demonstrate for the first time that Nod proteins are activated in response to parasites, and they play a role in regulating host inflammatory responses during malaria infection.