Journal
IMMUNOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 94, Issue 1-2, Pages 35-37Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.imlet.2004.04.001
Keywords
Th1/Th2; infectious immunity-parasite; cytokines; knockout
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Interleukin-18 (IL-18) plays an important role in innate and acquired immunity. IL-18 gene deficient (IL-18-/-) mice of the 129 x CD1 strain were reported to be more susceptible to Leishmania major infection than the wild-type mice. In contrast U18-/- mice of the C57BL/6 background were found to be as resistant as the wild-type (WT) mice. To resolve this discrepancy, IL-18 gene deficiency was introduced by backcrossing on to the highly susceptible BALB/c, or the moderately resistant DBA/1 backgrounds. Here we have demonstrated that BALB/c IL-18-/- mice were more resistant to L. major infection than WT BALB/c mice, whereas DBA/1 IL-18-/- mice were markedly more susceptible than their WT littermates. BALB/c IL-18-/- mice produced less IFNgamma and IL-4, whereas DBA/1 IL-18ko mice produced more IFNgamma and IL-4 than their respective WT controls. These result clearly demonstrate that the role of IL- 18 in resistance or susceptibility to L. major is determined by host genetic background. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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