Down-regulation of IL-12 p40 gene in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice.

Academic Article

Abstract

  • We analyzed the mechanism that causes suppression of IL-12 p40 gene induction during Plasmodium berghei infection. Although IL-12 together with IFN-gamma plays an important role in protection against pathogenic infection, the IL-12 p70 protein production of infected macrophages is lower than that by the uninfected macrophages. We showed in the present study that the induction of IL-12 p40 gene but not IL-12 p35 gene in macrophages of P. berghei-infected mice was profoundly inhibited. The inhibition was induced by interaction with macrophages that had contacted with P. berghei-infected erythrocytes and was mediated by a soluble factor, IL-10. There was comparable activation of NF-kappaB in uninfected and infected cells. The induction of IFN-regulatory factor-1 gene was comparable in transcription level in uninfected and infected cells, while the unidentified complex formation of IFN-regulatory factor-1 was observed in infected cells. Therefore, the inhibition of the IL-12 p40 gene induction appeared to be regulated at transcriptional regulation level of the gene.

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    Keywords

  • Animals, Ascitic Fluid, Chemokines, DNA-Binding Proteins, Down-Regulation, Erythrocytes, Gene Expression Regulation, Interferon Regulatory Factor-1, Interleukin-10, Interleukin-12, Intracellular Fluid, Macrophage-1 Antigen, Malaria, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, NF-kappa B, Phagocytosis, Phosphoproteins, Plasmodium berghei, Transcriptional Activation

    • Digital Object Identifier (doi)

    Author List

  • Xu X; Sumita K; Feng C; Xiong X; Shen H; Maruyama S; Kanoh M; Asano Y

    • Start Page

  • 235

    • End Page

  • 241

    • Volume

  • 167

    • Issue

  • 1