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Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Millennium Institute for Vaccine Development and Technology Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) Background. Following infection with viruses, bacteria or protozoan parasites, naive antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells undergo a process of differentiation and proliferation to generate effector cells. Recent evidences suggest that the timing of generation of specific effector CD8(+) T cells varies widely according to different pathogens. We hypothesized that the timing of increase in the pathogen load could be a critical parameter governing this process. Methodology/Principal Findings. Using increasing doses of the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi to infect C57BL/6 mice, we observed a significant acceleration in the timing of parasitemia without an increase in mouse susceptibility. in contrast, in CD8 deficient mice, we observed an inverse relationship between the parasite inoculum and the timing of death. These results suggest that in normal mice CD8(+) T cells became protective earlier, following the accelerated development of parasitemia. the evaluation of specific cytotoxic responses in vivo to three distinct epitopes revealed that increasing the parasite inoculum hastened the expansion of specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells following infection. the differentiation and expansion of T. cruzi-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells is in fact dependent on parasite multiplication, as radiation-attenuated parasites were unable to activate these cells. We also observed that, in contrast to most pathogens, the activation process of T. cruzi-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells was dependent on MHC class II restricted CD4(+) T cells. Conclusions/Significance. Our results are compatible with our initial hypothesis that the timing of increase in the pathogen load can be a critical parameter governing the kinetics of CD4(+) T cell-dependent expansion of pathogen-specific CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells. Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, CINTERGEN, São Paulo, Brazil Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, Brazil Univ Fed Rio de Janeiro, Inst Biofis Carlos Chagas Filho, Ilha Fundao, Ctr Ciencias Saude, BR-21941 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, CINTERGEN, São Paulo, Brazil Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Microbiol Imunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, Brazil Millennium Institute for Vaccine Development and Technology: CNPq - 420067/2005-1 Web of Science

Leishmania and other parasites display several mechanisms to subvert host immune cell function in order to achieve successful infection. The ATP receptor P2X7, an agonist-gated cation channel widely expressed in macrophages and other cells of the immune system, is also coupled to inflammasome activation, IL-1 beta secretion, production of reactive oxygen species, cell death and the induction of the permeabilization of the plasma membrane to molecules of up to 900 Da. P2X7 receptors can function as an effective microbicidal triggering receptor in macrophages infected with several microorganisms including Mycobacteria tuberculosis, Chlamydia and Leishmania. We have previously shown that its expression is up-regulated in macrophages infected with L. amazonensis and that infected cells also display an increase in P2X7-induced apoptosis and membrane permeabilization to some anionic fluorescent dyes. In an independent study we recently showed that the phenomenon of macrophage membrane permeabilization can involve at least two distinct pathways for cations and anions respectively. Here, we re-addressed the effects of ATP-induced P2X7-associated phenomena in macrophages infected with L. amazonensis and demonstrated that the P2X7-associated dye uptake mechanisms are differentially modulated. While the membrane permeabilization for anionic dyes is up-modulated, as previously described, the uptake of cationic dyes is strongly down-modulated. These results unveil new characteristics of two distinct permeabilization mechanisms associated with P2X7 receptors in macrophages and provide the first evidence indicating that these pathways can be differentially modulated in an immunologically relevant situation. The possible importance of these results to the L. amazonensis escape mechanism is discussed.