Journal
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
Volume 176, Issue 3, Pages 1834-1839Publisher
AMER ASSOC IMMUNOLOGISTS
DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.176.3.1834
Keywords
-
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Signaling through exposed phosphatidylserine (PS) is fundamental for the TGF beta(1)-dependent, noninflammatory phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. This same mechanism operates in the internalization of amastigotes of Leishmania (L) amazonensis (L(L)a) in a process quoted as apoptotic mimicry. Now we show that the host modulates PS exposure by the amastigotes and, as a consequence, BALB/c mice-derived amastigotes expose significantly more PS than those derived from C57BL/6 mice. Due to this difference in the density of surface PS molecules, the former are significantly more infective than the latter, both in vivo, in F, (BALB/c X C57BL/6) mice, and in vitro, in thioglycollate-derived macrophages from this same mouse strain. PS exposure increases with progression of the lesion and reaches its maximum value in amastigotes obtained at the time point when the lesion in C57BL/6 mice begins to decrease in size and the lesions in BALB/c mice are still growing in size. Synthesis of active TGF beta(1) induction of IL-10 message, and inhibition of NO synthesis correlate with the amount of surface PS displayed by viable (propidium iodide-negative) infective amastigote. Furthermore, we also show that, similar to what happens with apoptotic cells, amastigotes of L(L)a are internalized by macropinocytosis. This mechanism of internalization is consistent with the large phagolysosomes characteristic of L(L)a infection. The intensity of macrophage macropinocytic activity is dependent on the amount of surface PS displayed by the infecting amastigote.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available