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The chemokine receptor CCR7 is a well-established homing receptor for dendritic cells (DCs) and T-cells. Interaction with the CCL19 and CCL21 ligands promotes priming of immune responses in lymphoid tissues; however, the mechanism underlying CCR7-induced immune responses against helminth parasite infection remains unknown. Thus, we examined the role of CCR7 in generating protective immune responses against intracellular Trichinella spiralis infection. The results showed significantly increased CCR7, CCL19 and CCL21 expression in the muscle tissue compared to that in the intestinal tissue in T. spiralis-infected mice. The CCR7-expressing DC population increased in the mesenteric and peripheral lymph nodes (PLNs) during T. spiralis infection. Notably, the number of CCR7-expressing cells in PLNs increased by more than 30% at 28 days post-infection; however, this increase was significantly inhibited in CCR7-blocked mice treated with CCR7-specific antibodies. T helper 2 (Th2)-and regulatory T (T reg )-related cytokine levels were also reduced by CCR7-specific antibody treatment. CCR7-blocked mice lost their resistance to T. spiralis infection in the muscle phase but not in the intestinal phase. Furthermore, fewer eosinophils around the nurse cells and reduced total and T. spiralis-specific IgE in the serum were observed in CCR7-blocked mice compared to those infected with only T. spiralis. CCR7 blockade led to the T. spiralis infection-induced suppression of Th2- and T reg -related cytokine production in vitro. These results suggest that CCR7 in DCs might play an essential role in host defence mechanisms against T. spiralis infection, particularly in the muscle stage of the infection, by accelerating Th2 and T reg cell responses., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: In a previous study, we found that Trichinella spiralis muscle larva excretory and secretory proteins (ES-P) most likely activate collagen synthesis via TGF-β/Smad signaling, and this event could influence collagen capsule formation., Methodology/principal Findings: In order to identify the specific collagen inducing factor, ES-P was fractionated by a Superdex 200 10/300 GL column. We obtained three large fractions, F1, F2, and F3, but only F3 had collagen gene inducing ability. After immunoscreening, 10 collagen inducing factor candidates were identified. Among them, TS 15-1 and TS 15-2 were identical to the putative trypsin of T. spiralis. The deduced TS 15-1 (M.W. = 72 kDa) had two conserved catalytic motifs, an N-terminal Tryp_SPc domain (TS 15-1n) and a C-terminal Tryp_SPc domain (TS 15-1c). To determine their collagen inducing ability, recombinant proteins (rTS 15-1n and rTS 15-1c) were produced using the pET-28a expression system. TS 15-1 is highly expressed during the muscle larval stage and has strong antigenicity. We determined that rTS 15-1c could elevate collagen I via activation of the TGF-β1 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo., Conclusion/significance: In conclusion, we identified a host collagen inducing factor from T. spiralis ES-P using immunoscreening and demonstrated its molecular characteristics and functions., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The muscle-stage larvae of the parasite Trichinella spiralis have the ability to survive within host muscle tissue by virtue of the formation a nurse cell-parasite complex, which is surrounded by collagen. The formation of the complex is initiated by excretory-secretory (ES) proteins produced by the parasite. To determine the mechanisms underlying collagen capsule formation, we investigated the expression levels of several types of collagen genes and TGF-βI signaling-related genes (Smad2 and Smad3) in muscle cells. Synthesis of type I, IV, and VI collagen, which are major constituents of the collagen capsule, significantly increased during T. spiralis infection. In addition, we found that expression of the protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) gene was significantly increased during this period. Expression levels of the collagen genes and TGF-βI, Smad2, and Smad3 were induced by ES proteins and a PAR2 agonist, whereas their enhanced expression levels were reduced by a PAR2 antagonist and serine protease inhibitors. To evaluate the involvement of PAR2 during T. spiralis infection in vivo, we infected wild-type and PAR2 knockout (KO) mice with T. spiralis. Expression levels of type I, IV, and VI collagen genes and TGF-βI signaling-related genes (Smad2 and Smad3) were also decreased in the PAR2 KO mice. Phosphorylation of Smad2/3, which was increased by T. spiralis infection, was significantly diminished in the PAR2 KO mice. In conclusion, ES proteins containing serine protease most likely activate collagen synthesis via PAR2 and TGF-βI signaling, and this event could influence collagen capsule formation., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The recruitment of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+T (Treg) cells is one of the most important mechanisms by which parasites down-regulate the immune system., Methodology/principal Findings: We compared the effects of Treg cells from Trichinella spiralis-infected mice and uninfected mice on experimental allergic airway inflammation in order to understand the functions of parasite-induced Treg cells. After four weeks of T. spiralis infection, we isolated Foxp3-GFP-expressing cells from transgenic mice using a cell sorter. We injected CD4+Foxp3+ cells from T. spiralis-infected [Inf(+)Foxp3+] or uninfected [Inf(-)Foxp3+] mice into the tail veins of C57BL/6 mice before the induction of inflammation or during inflammation. Inflammation was induced by ovalbumin (OVA)-alum sensitization and OVA challenge. The concentrations of the Th2-related cytokines IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid and the levels of OVA-specific IgE and IgG1 in the serum were lower in mice that received intravenous application of Inf(+)Foxp3+ cells [IV(inf):+(+) group] than in control mice. Some features of allergic airway inflammation were ameliorated by the intravenous application of Inf(-)Foxp3+ cells [IV(inf):+(-) group], but the effects were less distinct than those observed in the IV(inf):+(+) group. We found that Inf(+)Foxp3+ cells migrated to inflammation sites in the lung and expressed higher levels of Treg-cell homing receptors (CCR5 and CCR9) and activation markers (Klrg1, Capg, GARP, Gzmb, OX40) than did Inf(-)Foxp3+ cells., Conclusion/significance: T. spiralis infection promotes the proliferation and functional activation of Treg cells. Parasite-induced Treg cells migrate to the inflammation site and suppress immune responses more effectively than non-parasite-induced Treg cells. The adoptive transfer of Inf(+)Foxp3+ cells is an effective method for the treatment and prevention of allergic airway diseases in mice and is a promising therapeutic approach for the treatment of allergic airway diseases.

Recently, attempts have been made to use parasites as novel candidates for live vaccine vectors against solid tumors. In this study, we examined the effects of Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) infection on solid tumor growth and metastasis. After oral infection with T. spiralis larvae, B16-F10 cells were injected subcutaneously and intravenously into C57BL/6 mice to evaluate tumor growth and metastatic potential, respectively. Tumor growth and lung metastases in T. spiralis infected mice were significantly reduced compared with control mice. To elucidate the mechanism of tumor reduction by parasitic infection, we conducted cytokine arrays using mouse serum. CXCL9 and CXCL10 were increased in the infection group and decreased in the infection-tumor group. However, the expression level was not changed in the infection-metastasis group compared to the infection or control-metastasis groups. Although SDF-1 and IL-4 were increased in the infection group, there was no significant change in expression in the infection-tumor group or the infection-metastasis group. Additionally, IL-4 and KC were increased in the infection-tumor group compared to the control-tumor group, but there was no difference in expression between the control-metastasis group and the infection-metastasis group. CXCL13 was significantly increased in the infection-metastasis group only. These results suggest that T. spiralis infection reduced tumor growth and metastasis through a complex transition in cytokine regulation profiles including CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL13., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In order to know the effect of pre-existing Trichinella spiralis infection on experimentally induced intestinal inflammation and immune responses, we induced colitis in T. spiralis-infected mice and observed the severity of colitis and the levels of Th1, Th2, and regulatory cytokines and recruitment of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T (regulatory T; T(reg)) cells. Female C57BL/6 mice were infected with 250 muscle larvae; after 4 weeks, induction of experimental colitis was performed using 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). During the induction period, we observed severity of colitis, including weight loss and status of stool, and evaluated the disease activity index (DAI). A significantly low DAI and degree of weight loss were observed in infected mice, compared with uninfected mice. In addition, colon length in infected mice was not contracted, compared with uninfected mice. We also observed a significant increase in production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and IFN-γ, in spleen lymphocytes treated with DSS; however, such an increase was not observed in infected mice treated with DSS. Of particular interest, production of regulatory cytokines, IL-10 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, in spleen lymphocytes showed a significant increase in mice infected with T. spiralis. A similar result was observed in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN). Subsets of the population of T(reg) cells in MLN and spleen showed significant increases in mice infected with T. spiralis. In conclusion, T. spiralis infection can inhibit the DSS-induced colitis in mice by enhancing the regulatory cytokine and T(reg) cells recruitment.

Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) infection in muscle is characterized by the vascular network for the nurse cell-larva complex. We showed in a previous report that thymosin β4 was up-regulated during nurse cell formation by T. spiralis. As thymosin β4 (Tβ4) is the actin-sequestering protein that regulates actin polymerization, the expression pattern of β-actin during the nurse cell formation was analyzed. The protein level of β-actin in muscle fibers 10 days after infection was significantly increased, and its expression remained high in the nurse cells for six weeks. In order to investigate the functional relationship between Tβ4 and β-actin, localization of two proteins was analyzed. Immunofluorescence showed that Tβ4 and β-actin were co-localized in the T. spiralis-infected nurse cells from 10 days to six weeks. The expression patterns of other actin-binding proteins, including thymosin β10 (Tβ10), subunits of the Arp2/3 complex, subunits of Capping protein, profilin, and cofilin, were also analyzed at the mRNA level. Tβ10 expression was also increased during nurse cell formation. Expressions of the Arp2/3 complex was increased at 21 days after infection and Capping proteins was increased during nurse cell formation but shows different expression patterns, depending on the subunit. Profilin and cofilin were specifically increased in the muscle fibers from 14 days after infection. These data show that Tβ4 and β-actin are over-expressed during nurse cell formation upon T. spiralis infection and may be involved in nurse cell formation along with other actin-binding proteins., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis) has been reported to up-regulate the expression of the angiogenic molecule vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) during nurse cell formation. In order to analyze the induction of angiogenesis by T. spiralis, the expression patterns of angiogenesis-related proteins were investigated by immunohistochemical analysis. VEGF expression was induced in the infected muscles at an early stage of infection (10 days after infection) and diminished after 3 weeks. Thymosin β4, a major factor which induces VEGF, showed increased expression in muscle fibers 10 days after infection, and the expression remained high in the nurse cells for 6 weeks, when the formation of the nurse cell complex was completed. The hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α showed a diffuse expression pattern around the infected muscle fibers and was strongly expressed in inflammatory cells but was not related to the hypoxic condition caused by nurse cell formation. Localization of the hypoxic regions by the hypoxia marker, pimonidazole showed T. spiralis infection does not induce a hypoxic condition in nurse cells. These results suggest that the expression of VEGF and thymosin β4 induce angiogenesis and the expression of thymosin β4 remained elevated to potentially regulate nurse cell formation and maintenance., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

In order to get a better understanding of the role of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) in type 2 helper T (Th2) cell responses against Trichinella spiralis infection, we analyzed Th2 responses in T. spiralis-infected PAR2 knockout (KO) mice. The levels of the Th2 cell-secreted cytokines, IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 were markedly reduced in the PAR2 KO mice as compared to the wild type mice following infection with T. spiralis. The serum levels of parasite-specific IgE increased significantly in the wild type mice as the result of T. spiralis infection, but this level was not significantly increased in PAR2 KO mice. The expression level of thymic stromal lymphopoietin, IL-25, and eotaxin gene (the genes were recently known as Th2 response initiators) of mouse intestinal epithelial cells were increased as the result of treatment with T. spiralis excretory-secretory proteins. However, the expression of these chemokine genes was inhibited by protease inhibitor treatments. In conclusion, PAR2 might involve in Th2 responses against T. spiralis infection.

In an effort to define the mechanism underlying the host immune downregulation inherent to Trichinella spiralis infection, we compared the levels of Th1, Th2, and regulatory cytokines and CD4(+)CD25(+) forkhead box P3 (FoxP3)(+) T (T(reg)) cell recruitment, as well as cellular pathology in the airway between T. spiralis infected and uninfected asthma-induced mice. After the induction of allergic airway inflammation, we noted influxes of inflammatory cells into the peribronchial tree. However, in the T. spiralis infection groups, cellular infiltration was minimal around the bronchial tree, with only a smattering of inflammatory cells. In the OVA-challenged group after T. spiralis infection, the numbers of macrophages and eosinophils in the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid were reduced by 23% and 52%, respectively, as compared to those of the OVA-challenged group. Airway hyperresponsiveness of OVA-challenged mice after T. spiralis infection was significantly suppressed as compared to the OVA-only challenged mice. The T. spiralis-infected mice exhibited a significant reduction in IL-5 concentrations relative to that noted in the OVA-challenged group (p<0.01). Nevertheless, the regulatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β levels were increased significantly as the result of T. spiralis infection, and we verified the recruitment of T(reg) cells in lung draining lymph nodes via T. spiralis infection. Therefore, T(reg) cells, which were recruited by T. spiralis infection, might ameliorate lung function and reduce allergic airway inflammation., (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In order to obtain greater insight into the relevant genomic expression patterns of Trichinella spiralis, 992 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were collected from a cDNA library of T. spiralis muscle stage larvae and assembled into 60 clusters and 385 singletons. Of them, 445 (44.7%) ESTs were annotated to their homologous genes, and small fractions were matched to known genes of nematodes. The annotated ESTs were classified into 25 eukaryotic orthologous groups (KOG). Cytochrome C oxidase (34 clones) was found to be most frequent species.