QUANTIFICAÇÃO DE T-BET POR RT-qPCR EM LINFONODO POPLITEO DE CÃES COM LEISHMANIOSE VISCERAL.

The immune response of dogs with Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis (CVL) presents an altered cytokine profile, with a predominance of proinflammatory cytokines (resistance) or antiinflammatory (susceptibility). There is an imbalance between Th1 and Th2 responses in affected animals. The evaluation of transcription factors such as T-bet is essential for understanding the role of citokine imbalance in CVL. Popliteal lymph nodes were evaluated in sixteen symptomatic dogs in the city of Araçatuba, SP, CVL-endemic area. The control group was composed of five dogs from routine necropsy of the Department of Pathology from FCAV-UNESP, SP, free area from CVL. The evaluation of the relative expression of T-bet was performed by RT-qPCR and normalized to β-actin gene. The animals in the symptomatic group showed higher expression of this transcription factor (p <0.05) when compared to control animals. This result demonstrates that T-bet participates in the differentiation of CD4 + lymphocytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]