Enrichment of IFN-? producing cells in different murine adipose tissue depots upon infection with an apicomplexan parasite.

ABSTRACT: Here we report that lean mice infected with the intracellular parasite Neospora caninum show a fast but sustained increase in the frequency of IFN-?-producing cells noticeable in distinct adipose tissue depots. Moreover, IFN-?-mediated immune memory could be evoked in vitro in parasite antigen-stimulated adipose tissue stromal vascular fraction cells collected from mice infected one year before. Innate or innate-like cells such as NK, NK T and TCR??(+) cells, but also CD4(+) and CD8(+) TCR?(+) lymphocytes contributed to the IFN-? production observed since day one of infection. This early cytokine production was largely abrogated in IL-12/IL23 p40-deficient mice. Moreover, production of IFN-? by stromal vascular fraction cells isolated from these mice was markedly lower than that of wild-type counterparts upon stimulation with parasite antigen. In wild-type mice the increased IFN-? production was concomitant with up-regulated expression of genes encoding interferon-inducible GTPases and nitric oxide synthase, which are important effector molecules in controlling intracellular parasite growth. This increased gene expression was markedly impaired in the p40-deficient mice. Overall, these results show that NK cells but also diverse T cell populations mediate a prompt and widespread production of IFN-? in the adipose tissue of N. caninum infected mice.

SUBMITTER: Teixeira L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4802212 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature