| First Author | Ierna MX | Year | 2009 |
| Journal | Infect Immun | Volume | 77 |
| Issue | 9 | Pages | 3879-85 |
| PubMed ID | 19564380 | Mgi Jnum | J:152250 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:4357727 | Doi | 10.1128/IAI.01461-08 |
| Citation | Ierna MX, et al. (2009) Transmembrane tumor necrosis factor alpha is required for enteropathy and is sufficient to promote parasite expulsion in gastrointestinal helminth infection. Infect Immun 77(9):3879-85 |
| abstractText | To study the specific role of transmembrane tumor necrosis factor (tmTNF) in protective and pathological responses against the gastrointestinal helminth Trichinella spiralis, we compared the immune responses of TNF-alpha/lymphotoxin alpha (LTalpha)(-/-) mice expressing noncleavable transgenic tmTNF to those of TNF-alpha/LTalpha(-/-) and wild-type mice. The susceptibility of TNF-alpha/LTalpha(-/-) mice to T. spiralis infection was associated with impaired induction of a protective Th2 response and the lack of mucosal mastocytosis. Although tmTNF-expressing transgenic (tmTNF-tg) mice also had a reduced Th2 response, the mast cell response was greater than that observed in TNF-alpha/LTalpha(-/-) mice and was sufficient to induce the expulsion of the parasite. T. spiralis infection of tmTNF-tg mice resulted in significant intestinal pathology characterized by villus atrophy and crypt hyperplasia comparable to that induced following the infection of wild-type mice, while pathology in TNF-alpha/LTalpha(-/-) mice was significantly reduced. Our data thus indicate a role for tmTNF in host defense against gastrointestinal helminths and in the accompanying enteropathy. Furthermore, they also demonstrate that TNF-alpha is required for the induction of Th2 immune responses related to infection with gastrointestinal helminth parasites. |
