| First Author | Cannella D | Year | 2014 |
| Journal | Cell Rep | Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 5 | Pages | 928-37 |
| PubMed ID | 24582962 | Mgi Jnum | J:211712 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5576078 | Doi | 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.02.002 |
| Citation | Cannella D, et al. (2014) miR-146a and miR-155 delineate a MicroRNA fingerprint associated with Toxoplasma persistence in the host brain. Cell Rep 6(5):928-37 |
| abstractText | microRNAs were recently found to be regulators of the host response to infection by apicomplexan parasites. In this study, we identified two immunomodulatory microRNAs, miR-146a and miR-155, that were coinduced in the brains of mice challenged with Toxoplasma in a strain-specific manner. These microRNAs define a characteristic fingerprint for infection by type II strains, which are the most prevalent cause of human toxoplasmosis in Europe and North America. Using forward genetics, we showed that strain-specific differences in miR-146a modulation were in part mediated by the rhoptry kinase, ROP16. Remarkably, we found that miR-146a deficiency led to better control of parasite burden in the gut and most likely of early parasite dissemination in the brain tissue, resulting in the long-term survival of mice. |
