Apoptotic pulsed dendritic cells induce a protective immune response against Toxoplasma

Parasite Immunol. 2008 Nov-Dec;30(11-12):620-9

Apoptotic pulsed dendritic cells induce a protective immune response against Toxoplasma gondii

Bertaux L, Mevelec MN, Dion S, Suraud V, Gregoire M, Berthon P, Dimier-Poisson I.

Université François Rabelais; INRA; UMR 0483 Université-INRA d'Immunologie Parasitaire et Vaccinologie, Biothérapies anti-infectieuses, IFR 136 Agents Transmissibles en Infectiologie, UFR des Sciences Pharmaceutiques, Montpellier, France.

Infection with the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii may cause severe sequelae in foetuses and life-threatening neuropathy in immunocompromised patients. We recently reported that vaccination with T. gondii-pulsed dendritic cells induces protective humoral and cellular immune responses against this intracellular pathogen in CBA/J mice. We assessed the feasibility of using a nonlive vaccine, by inducing the apoptosis of T. gondii-pulsed dendritic cells before injecting them into mice. Apoptosis was induced by culturing cells to confluence. We investigated whether these apoptotic T. gondii-pulsed dendritic cells elicited an immune response in vivo. Some studies have shown that immunization with apoptotic cells leads to the activation of innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. Our results are consistent with apoptotic cells having immunomodulatory properties in a model of parasite infection. We showed that the adoptive transfer of T. gondii-pulsed apoptotic dendritic cells elicited humoral and cellular Toxoplasma-specific immune responses with a Th1/Th2 profile, and conferred specific protection. The protective immune response induced was independent of inducible HSP70 production by apoptotic dendritic cells.

Publication Types:
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 19067843 [PubMed - in process]