Cell Rep. 2014 Feb 25. pii: S2211-1247(14)00081-3. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.02.002. [Epub ahead of print]

miR-146a and miR-155 Delineate a microRNA Fingerprint Associated with Toxoplasma Persistence in the Host Brain

Cannella D¹, Brenier-Pinchart MP¹, Braun L¹, van Rooyen JM², Bougdour A¹, Bastien O³, Behnke MS⁴, Curt RL¹, Curt A¹, Saeij JP⁵, Sibley LD⁴, Pelloux H¹, Hakimi MA⁶.

 

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.
Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PMID:

24582962

[PubMed - as supplied by publisher]