Disruption of P2X7 Signaling Increases Susceptibility to Cerebral Toxoplasmosis.

Disruption of P2X7 Signaling Increases Susceptibility to Cerebral Toxoplasmosis. Am J Pathol. 2019 Jan 14;: Authors: Abreu Moreira-Souza AC, Rangel TP, Batista da Silva SR, Figliuolo VR, Baggio Savio LE, Schmitz F, Takiya C, Wyse ATS, Vommaro RC, Coutinho-Silva R Abstract Toxoplasmosis is a neglected disease that affects millions of individuals worldwide. Toxoplasma gondii infection is an asymptomatic disease, with lethal cases occurring mostly in HIV patients and organ transplant recipients. Nevertheless, atypical strains of T. gondii in endemic locations cause severe pathology in healthy individuals. Toxoplasmosis has no cure but it can be controlled by the pro-inflammatory immune response. The P2X7 purinergic receptor is involved in many inflammatory events and has been associated with genes that confer resistance against toxoplasmosis in humans. In vitro studies reported parasite killing following P2X7 receptor activation in various cell types. To understand the contribution of P2X7 during cerebral toxoplasmosis, wild-type and P2rx7 knockout mice were infected orally with T. gondii and their pathological profiles were analyzed. We found that all P2rx7-/- mice died eight weeks post-infection with increased number of cysts and fewer inflammatory infiltrates in their brains. The cytokines interleukin-1β, interleukin-12, tumor necrosis factor-α and reactive oxygen species were absent or reduced in P2rx7-/- mice. Taken together, the...
Source: The American Journal of Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Am J Pathol Source Type: research