Toxoplasma gondii mitogen-activated protein kinases are associated with inflammasome activation in infected mice

Microbes Infect. 2016 Jul 27. pii: S1286-4579(16)30098-3. doi: 10.1016/j.micinf.2016.07.004. [Epub ahead of print]

Wang S¹, Wang Z¹, Gu Y¹, Li Z¹, Li Z¹, Wei F², Liu Q³.

Toxoplasma gondii can activate the nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat-containing proteins NLRP1/3 inflammasomes, which mediate host resistance to the infection. Here we showed that deletion of mitogen-activated protein kinases MAPK1 and MAPK2 of type I parasite decreases acute virulence in mice, characterized by low levels of interleukin (IL)-18, NLRP1/3, ASC, and caspase-1, and high levels of IL-10 and interferon (IFN)-β transcripts. Additionally, the mutants increased phosphorylation of STAT1, and decreased phosphorylation of STAT3. These findings suggest that MAPKs are associated with inflammasome activation in T. gondii-infected mice, which may contribute to new insight into the pathogenesis of T. gondii infection.
Copyright © 2016 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

KEYWORDS:

IFN-β; IL-18; Toxoplasma gondii; inflammasome; mitogen-activated protein kinase

PMID:

27475900

DOI:

10.1016/j.micinf.2016.07.004

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