The role of CD4+T cells in host protective responses against cutaneous Leishmaniasis using genome-wide transcriptomics.

Leishmania major is a protozoan parasite and infection in the human host causes severe cutaneous Leishmaniasis. The study aims to determine how signaling via the IL-4Rα on CD4+T cells causes susceptibility to L. major. We compared gene expression patterns early during infection in CD4+ T cells in the absence or presence of IL-4Rα signaling. Non-healer BALB/c mice with a deletion of the IL-4Rα on all cells (IL-4Rα-/-) or CD4+ T cells only (iLCKcreIL-4Rαlox/-) and their controls (wild-type (WT) C57BL/6, WT BALB/c and littermate IL-4Rαlox/-) were subcutaneously infected with L. major. As expected, the C57BL/6 “healer” mice produced a predominant TH1 response, whereas the iLCKcreIL-4Rα-/lox mice and susceptible BALB/c mice produced a TH2 response.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Division of Immunology

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Smith, Liezel C

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Brombacher, Frank
• Schwegmann, Anita

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/3118

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/3118