Cytokine production of CD8+ immune T cells but not of CD4 + T cells from Toxoplasma gondii-infected mice is polarized to a type 1 response following stimulation with tachyzoite-infected macrophages

Renee Miller, Xiangshu Wen, Bradley Dunford, Xisheng Wang, Yasuhiro Suzuki

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

23 Scopus citations

Abstract

To examine whether cytokine production of CD4+ immune T cells and CD8+ immune T cells in Toxoplasma gondii-infected mice differ in their responses to infected cells and to soluble antigens of the parasite, we compared the production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-4, and IL-10 by the immune T cell populations following in vitro stimulation with tachyzoite-infected macrophages and tachyzoite lysate antigens (TLA). Both CD4+ and CD8+ immune T cells produced large amounts of IFN-γ in response to either infected macrophages or TLA, but the CD4+ T cells produced greater amounts of the cytokine than did the CD8+ T cells with both stimulations. Both T cell populations also produced IL-2 after stimulation with infected macrophages, whereas only CD4+ T cells did when stimulated with TLA. CD4+ immune T cells also produced large amounts of IL-4 and IL-10 after stimulation with infected macrophages, but CD4+ T cells did not. These results indicate that CD4+ immune T cells produce IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, and IL-10 in response to infected macrophages, whereas CD8+ immune T cells produce predominantly IFN-γ and IL-2. Since IL-4 and IL-10 could suppress IFN-γ-mediated protective mechanisms against the parasite, the production of these cytokines by CD4+ immune T cells in response to infected cells could negatively affect their protective activity in vivo.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)787-792
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Interferon and Cytokine Research
Volume26
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2006

Funding

FundersFunder number
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseasesR01AI047730
Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Immunology
    • Cell Biology
    • Virology

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