Parasite antigen-specific regulation of Th1, Th2, and Th17 responses in Strongyloides stercoralis infection.
Anuradha, R .; Saravanan, M.; Dolla, C . K.; Kumaran, P . P.; Nutman, T.B .; Babu, S .
Journal of Immunology; 2015; 195; 2241-2250.
Abstract: Chronic helminth infections are known to be associated with modulation of Ag-specific CD4 + T responses. However, the role of CD4 + T cell responses in human infection with Strongyloides stercoralis is not well defined. To examine the role of CD4 + T cells expressing Th1, Th2, and Th17 cytokines in strongyloidiasis, we compared the frequency (F o ) of these subsets in infected (INF) individuals with F o in S. stercoralis –uninfected (UN) individuals. INF individuals exhibited a significant decrease in the spontaneous and Ag-specific F o of both monofunctional and dual-functional Th1 cells compared with UN. Similarly, INF individuals also exhibited significantly decreased F o of monofunctional and dual-functional Th17 cells upon Ag stimulation compared with UN. In contrast, both the spontaneous and the Ag-induced Fo of monofunctional and dual-functional Th2 cells was significantly increased in INF compared with UN individuals. This differential T cell response was predominantly Ag specific because it was abrogated upon control Ag or mitogen stimulation. The regulation of Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells was predominantly dependent on IL-10, whereas the regulation of Th2, but not Th1 or Th17, cells was also dependent on TGF- b . In addition, treatment of S. stercoralis infection significantly increased the Ag-specific F o of Th1 and Th17 cells and decreased the F o of Th2 cells in INF individuals. Thus, S. stercoralis infection is characterized by a parasite Ag-dependent regulation of monofunctional and dual-functional Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, a regulation also reversible by antihelminthic treatment.
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