Immune response to a major Trypanosoma cruzi antigen, cruzipain, is

GUIÑAZÚ N, PELLEGRINI A, GIORDANENGO L, AOKI MP, CANO R, RODRIGUES. GEA S

MICROBES AND INFECTION

Año: 2004 p. 1250 - 1250

1286-4579

ALB/c mice immunized with cruzipain, a major Trypanosoma cruzi antigen, produce specific and autoreactive immune responses against heart myosin, associated with cardiac functional and structural abnormalities. Preferential activation of theTh2 phenotype and an increase in cell populations expressing CD19+, Mac-1+ andGr-1+ markers were found in the spleens of these mice. The aim of the presentstudy was to investigate whether cardiac autoimmunity could be induced bycruzipain immunization of C57BL/6 mice and to compare the immune responseelicited with that of BALB/c mice. We demonstrate that immune C57BL/6splenocytes, re-stimulated in vitro with cruzipain, produced high levels ofIFNgamma and low levels of IL-4 compatible with a Th1 profile. In contrast toBALB/c mice, spleens from cruzipain immune C57BL/6 mice revealed no significantchanges in the number of cells presenting CD19+, Mac-1+ and Gr-1+ markers. Anincreased