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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
immunology and microbiology
Human cord blood CD4
+
CD25
hi
regulatory T cells suppress prenatally acquired T cell responses to Plasmodium falciparum antigens
Journal of Immunology, Volume 186, No. 5, Year 2011
Notification
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Description
In malaria endemic regions, a fetus is often exposed in utero to Plasmodium falciparum blood-stage Ags. In some newborns, this can result in the induction of immune suppression.We have previously shown these modulated immune responses to persist postnatally, with a subsequent increase in a child's susceptibility to infection. To test the hypothesis that this immune suppression is partially mediated by malaria-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs) in utero, cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) were obtained from 44 Kenyan newborns of women with and without malaria at delivery. CD4+CD25lo T cells and CD4+CD25hi FOXP3+ cells (T regs) were enriched from CBMC. Treg frequency and HLA-DR expression on Tregs were significantly greater for Kenyan as compared with North American CBMC (p < 0.01). CBMC/CD4+ T cells cultured with P. falciparum blood-stage Ags induced production of IFN-γ, IL-13, IL-10, and/or IL-5 in 50% of samples. Partial depletion of CD25hi cells augmented the Ag-driven IFN-γ production in 69% of subjects with malaria-specific responses and revealed additional Ag-reactive lymphocytes in previously unresponsive individuals (n = 3). Addition of Tregs to CD4+CD25lo cells suppressed spontaneous and malaria Ag-driven production of IFN-γ in a dose-dependent fashion, until production was completely inhibited in most subjects. In contrast, T regs only partially suppressed malaria-induced Th2 cytokines. IL-10 or TGF-β did not mediate this suppression. Thus, prenatal exposure to malaria blood-stage Ags induces Tregs that primarily suppress Th1-type recall responses to P. falciparum blood-stage Ags. Persistence of these Tregs postnatally could modify a child's susceptibility to malaria infection and disease. Copyright © 2011 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.
Authors & Co-Authors
Mackroth, Maria Sophia
United States, Cleveland
Case School of Medicine
Malhotra, Indu J.
United States, Cleveland
Case School of Medicine
Mungai, Peter L.
United States, Cleveland
Case School of Medicine
Koech, David Kiprotich
Kenya, Nairobi
Kenya Medical Research Institute
Muchiri, Eric M.
Kenya, Nairobi
Ministry of Health Nairobi
King, Christopher L.
United States, Cleveland
Case School of Medicine
United States, Cleveland
Veterans Affairs Research Service
Statistics
Citations: 59
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.4049/jimmunol.1001188
ISSN:
00221767
e-ISSN:
15506606
Research Areas
Infectious Diseases
Maternal And Child Health
Participants Gender
Female