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Rodent blood-stage Plasmodium survive in dendritic cells that infect naive mice.
- Source :
-
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America [Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A] 2011 Jul 05; Vol. 108 (27), pp. 11205-10. Date of Electronic Publication: 2011 Jun 20. - Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- Plasmodium spp. parasites cause malaria in 300 to 500 million individuals each year. Disease occurs during the blood-stage of the parasite's life cycle, where the parasite is thought to replicate exclusively within erythrocytes. Infected individuals can also suffer relapses after several years, from Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale surviving in hepatocytes. Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium malariae can also persist after the original bout of infection has apparently cleared in the blood, suggesting that host cells other than erythrocytes (but not hepatocytes) may harbor these blood-stage parasites, thereby assisting their escape from host immunity. Using blood stage transgenic Plasmodium berghei-expressing GFP (PbGFP) to track parasites in host cells, we found that the parasite had a tropism for CD317(+) dendritic cells. Other studies using confocal microscopy, in vitro cultures, and cell transfer studies showed that blood-stage parasites could infect, survive, and replicate within CD317(+) dendritic cells, and that small numbers of these cells released parasites infectious for erythrocytes in vivo. These data have identified a unique survival strategy for blood-stage Plasmodium, which has significant implications for understanding the escape of Plasmodium spp. from immune-surveillance and for vaccine development.
- Subjects :
- Animals
Animals, Genetically Modified
Antigens, CD metabolism
Dendritic Cells immunology
Dendritic Cells ultrastructure
Erythrocytes parasitology
Female
Green Fluorescent Proteins genetics
Humans
Membrane Glycoproteins metabolism
Mice
Mice, Inbred C57BL
Microscopy, Electron, Transmission
Plasmodium immunology
Plasmodium berghei genetics
Plasmodium berghei growth & development
Plasmodium berghei pathogenicity
Plasmodium chabaudi pathogenicity
Plasmodium yoelii pathogenicity
Recombinant Proteins genetics
Virulence
Dendritic Cells parasitology
Malaria parasitology
Plasmodium growth & development
Plasmodium pathogenicity
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1091-6490
- Volume :
- 108
- Issue :
- 27
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 21690346
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1108579108