Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Modulation of mouse macrophage proteome induced by Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in vivo

Parasitol Res. 2011 May 17. [Epub ahead of print]

Modulation of mouse macrophage proteome induced by Toxoplasma gondii tachyzoites in vivo

Zhou DH, Yuan ZG, Zhao FR, Li HL, Zhou Y, Lin RQ, Zou FC, Song HQ, Xu MJ, Zhu XQ

SourceDepartment of Parasitology, College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, 510642, People's Republic of China.

Abstract
Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, which can invade and multiply within the macrophages of humans and most warm-blooded animals. Macrophages are important effector cells for the control and killing of intracellular T. gondii, and they may also serve as long-term host cells for the replication and survival of the parasite. In the present study, we explored the proteomic profile of macrophages of the specific pathogen-free Kunming mice at 24 h after infection with tachyzoites of the virulent T. gondii RH strain using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis combined with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight (TOF)/TOF tandem mass spectrometry. Totally, 60 differentially expressed protein spots were identified. Among them, 52 spots corresponded to 38 proteins matching to proteins of the mouse, including actin, enolase, calumenin, vimentin, plastin 2, annexin A1, cathepsin S, arginase-1, arachidonate 12-lipoxygenase, and aminoacylase-1. Functional prediction using Gene Ontology database showed that these proteins were mainly involved in metabolism, structure, protein fate, and immune responses. The findings provided an insight into the interactive relationship between T. gondii and the host macrophages, and will shed new lights on the understanding of molecular mechanisms of T. gondii pathogenesis.

PMID:21584632[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

1 comment:

Venkat said...

I would like to know what the environment around a macrophage would be (acidic or alkaline). Literature states the intracellular environment of a macrophage to be acidic but what about the extracellular environment of a macrophage? Awaiting your reply with supporting reference.