Faculty Research 1990 - 1999

CD8+ T lymphocytes are not required for murine resistance to human filarial parasites.

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1992

Keywords

Animal, Brugia: im, Disease-Models-Animal, Elephantiasis-Filarial: im, Mice, Mice-Inbred-BALB-C, Mice-Mutant-Strains, Mice-SCID, SUPPORT-U-S-GOVT-P-H-S, Suppressor-Cells: im

First Page

744

Last Page

746

JAX Source

J Parasitol 1992 Aug;78(4):744-6

Grant

AI30046, AI30389, GM20069-20

Abstract

Mice are resistant to the establishment of infection with the nematode parasite Brugia malayi, an etiologic agent of human lymphatic filariasis. We have recently shown that T and B lymphocyte-deficient C.B.-17 scid/scid mice are permissive for infection with this parasite, whereas coisogenic C.B.-17+/+ mice are resistant. This observation suggests that T and B lymphocytes that comprise the antigen-specific immune system orchestrate murine resistance to B. malayi. In order to define the component of the antigen-specific immune response that is responsible for this resistance, we have tested the susceptibility of beta 2M-/- mice to infection with B. malayi L3 larvae. These mice are homozygous for insertional disruption of their B2m genes, which encode beta 2-microglobulin, the small subunit of the major histocompatibility (MHC) antigens. They do not express beta 2-microglobulin and, as a consequence, fail to express the class I major histocompatibility antigens, and they do not develop the CD8+ class I MHC-restricted cytotoxic T cell subset. We find that these mice are completely resistant to B. malayi, indicating that the CD8+ T lymphocyte subset is not an obligate requirement for murine resistance to human filarial parasites.

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