TLR4-mediated activation of MyD88 signaling induces protective immune response and IL-10 down-regulation in Leishmania donovani infection.

In visceral leishmaniasis, a fragmentary IL-12 driven type 1 immune response along with the expansion of IL-10 producing T-cells correlates with parasite burden and pathogenesis. Successful immunotherapy involves both suppression of IL-10 production and enhancement of IL-12 and nitric oxide (NO) production. As custodians of the innate immunity, the toll-like receptors (TLRs) constitute the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The TLR-signaling cascade initiated following innate recognition of microbes shapes the adaptive immune response. Whereas numerous studies have correlated parasite control to the adaptive response in Leishmania infection, growing body of evidence suggests that the activation of the innate immune response also plays a pivotal role in disease pathogenicity. In this study, using a TLR4 agonist, a Leishmania donovani (LD) derived 29 kDa β 1,4 galactose terminal glycoprotein (GP29), we demonstrated that the TLR adaptor myeloid differentiation primary response protein-88 (MyD88) was essential for optimal immunity following LD infection. Treatment of LD-infected cells with GP29 stimulated the production of IL-12 and NO while suppressing IL-10 production. Treatment of LD-infected cells with GP29 also induced the degradation of IKB and the nuclear translocation of NF-kB, as well as rapid phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and p54/56 JNK. Knockdown of TLR4 or MYD88 using siRNA showed reduced inflammatory response to GP29 in LD-infected cells. Biochemical inhibition of p38 MAPK, JNK or NF-kB, but not p42/44 ERK, reduced GP29-induced IL-12 and NO production in LD-infected cells. These results suggested a potential role for the TLR4-MyD88–IL-12 pathway to induce adaptive immune responses to LD infection that culminated in an effective control of intracellular parasite replication.

Células con propiedades inmunoreguladoras y su impacto en la patogénesis de la sepsis / Cells with immunoregulatory properties and their impact in the pathogenesis of sepsis

Sepsis, defined as a systemic inflammatory response syndrome caused by an infection, is a significant cause of mortality worldwide. It is currently accepted that death associated to sepsis is due to an immune hyperactivation state involving the development of a broad proinflammatory response along with alterations in the coagulation system. It is now clear that besides the inflammatory events, the clinical course of sepsis is characterized by the development of an anti-inflammatory response that could lead to death in its attempt to balance the initial response. The purpose of this review is to summarize current mechanisms that explain the pathogenesis of sepsis, underlying the role that cells with immunoregulatory properties play during the course of this complex syndrome. A better understanding of these processes will contribute in the search of more successful therapeutic strategies.

El síndrome de respuesta sistémica consecuencia de una infección, denominado sepsis, constituye una causa significativa de muerte en el mundo. Históricamente se ha aceptado que la muerte por sepsis se debe a un estado de hiperactivación inmunológica, que implica el desarrollo de una vasta respuesta pro-inflamatoria acompañada de alteraciones en el sistema de coagulación. Ahora es claro que además de los sucesos inflamatorios, el curso clínico de la sepsis se caracteriza por el desarrollo de una respuesta anti-inflamatoria que busca contrarrestar la respuesta inicial, y es ésta finalmente en gran parte responsable de la muerte de los pacientes. El propósito de esta revisión es resumir los mecanismos actuales que explican la patogénesis de la sepsis, y específicamente el papel que desempeñan las subpoblaciones celulares con propiedades inmuno-reguladoras durante el curso de la enfermedad. El mejor entendimiento de estos procesos contribuirá a la búsqueda de estrategias terapéuticas más exitosas.

Autoimmunity in Chagas' disease

This paper reports on research that has been carried out over the last 25 years, aiming at the understanding of basic mechanisms associated with Chagas'disease lesions. Early papers that showed evidence for a role of autoimmunity in the pathogenesis of the disease have been followed by an increasing number of publications in this field, but several intricate immunologic features remains to be understood. In fact, the multidisciplinary research work that has been done in several laboratories sheds light on some molecular features of very intricate immunological mechanisms in this disease. However, the Typanosoma cruzi-induced, clinically recognized immunologic manifestations still require further research in the fields of parasitology, biochemistry, molecular biology and immunology in order to unravel their pathogenetic mechanisms.