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Parasite antigen-driven basophils are a major source of IL-4 in human filarial infections.
- Source :
-
Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) [J Immunol] 2004 Feb 15; Vol. 172 (4), pp. 2439-45. - Publication Year :
- 2004
-
Abstract
- Basophil contribution to the IL-4 pool in filarial infections was assessed using PBMC from 20 patients with active filarial infections and from 9 uninfected subjects. Patient basophils released histamine in response to Brugia malayi Ag (BmAg). They also released IL-4 within 2 h after exposure to BmAg, as assessed by intracellular cytokine flow cytometry. This IL-4 induction was Ag specific, as IL-4 was not detected in BmAg-exposed basophils obtained from uninfected subjects. Although there were, on average, 64 times more CD4(+) T cells than basophils in the peripheral circulation of filaria-infected patients, the absolute numbers of basophils and CD4(+) T cells producing IL-4 per 100000 PBMC were equivalent (geometric mean: 16 IL-4-producing basophils/100000 PBMC vs 22 IL-4-producing CD4(+) T cells/100000 PBMC). Basophils also released IL-4 in response to both low and high concentrations of BmAg, whereas CD4(+) T cells released IL-4 only after incubation with a high concentration of BmAg, raising the possibility that basophils, due to their lower threshold for activation, may actually release IL-4 more frequently than CD4(+) T cells in vivo. Furthermore, IL-4 production in vitro by Ag-stimulated purified basophils or CD4(+) T cells provided evidence that basophils release greater quantities of IL-4 per cell than CD4(+) T cells in response to BmAg. These results suggest that, when Ag-specific IgE is present in a filaria-infected individual, basophils function to amplify the ongoing Th2 response by releasing IL-4 in greater amounts and possibly more frequently than CD4(+) T cells in response to filarial Ag.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Basophils metabolism
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes immunology
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes metabolism
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes parasitology
Cell Count
Cells, Cultured
Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic
Female
Histamine Release immunology
Humans
Interleukin-13 biosynthesis
Interleukin-4 metabolism
Lymphocyte Count
Male
Antigens, Helminth physiology
Basophils immunology
Basophils parasitology
Brugia malayi immunology
Filariasis immunology
Filariasis parasitology
Interleukin-4 biosynthesis
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0022-1767
- Volume :
- 172
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950)
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 14764715
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.172.4.2439