Trypanosoma cruzi Exploits Wnt Signaling Pathway to Promote Its Intracellular Replication in Macrophages

VOLPINI, XIMENA; AMBROSIO, LAURA; FOZZATTI, LAURA; INSFRÁN, CONSTANZA; STEMPIN, CINTHIA; CERVI, LAURA; MOTRÁN, CRISTINA

Frontiers in Immunology

Frontiers Media S.A.

Año: 2018 vol. 9

uring the acute phase of Trypanosoma cruzi infection, macrophages can act as host cells for the parasites as well as effector cellsin the early anti-parasitic immune response. Thus the targeting of specific signaling pathways could modulate macrophages response to restrict parasite replication and instruct an appropriate adaptive response. Recently, it has become apparent that Wnt signaling pathway exerts immunomodulatory functions during inflammation and infection. Here, we tested the hypothesis that during T. cruzi infection, the activation of Wnt signaling pathway in macrophages plays a role in modulating the inflammatory/tolerogenic response and therefore regulating the control of parasite replication. In this report, we show that early after T. cruzi infection of bone marrow derived macrophages (BMM), b-catenin was activated and Wnt3a, Wnt5a, and some Frizzed receptors as well as target genes of Wnt/b-catenin pathway were up‐regulated, with Wnt proteins signaling sustaining