👤 Agnieszka Kabat

Inflammation is critical for controlling pathogens, but also responsible for symptoms of infectious diseases. IL-27 is an important regulator of inflammation and can limit development of IFNγ-producing Tbet+ CD4+ T (Th1) cells. IL-27 is thought to do this by stimulating IL-10 production by CD4+ T cells, but the underlying mechanisms of these immunoregulatory pathways are not clear. Here we studied the role of IL-27 signalling in experimental visceral leishmaniasis (VL) caused by infection of C57BL/6 mice with the human pathogen Leishmania donovani. We found IL-27 signalling was critical for the development of IL-10-producing Th1 (Tr1) cells during infection. Furthermore, in the absence of IL-27 signalling, there was improved control of parasite growth, but accelerated splenic pathology characterised by the loss of marginal zone macrophages. Critically, we discovered that IL-27 signalling limited glycolysis in Th1 cells during infection that in turn attenuated inflammation. Furthermore, the modulation of glycolysis in the absence of IL-27 signalling restricted tissue pathology without compromising anti-parasitic immunity. Together, these findings identify a novel mechanism by which IL-27 mediates immune regulation during disease by regulating cellular metabolism. Show less

Xenotropic and polytropic murine leukemia viruses (X-MLVs and P-MLVs) cross-interfere to various extents in non-mouse species and in wild Asian mice, suggesting that they might use a common receptor for infection. Consistent with this hypothesis, the susceptibility of some wild mice to X-MLVs has been mapped to the P-MLV receptor locus at the distal end of mouse chromosome 1. In this study, we report the isolation and characterization of a cDNA for the human X-MLV cell surface receptor (X-receptor) by using a human T lymphocyte cDNA library in a retroviral vector. The predicted X-receptor contains 696 amino acids with multiple hydrophobic potential membrane-spanning sequences and with weak homologies to the yeast proteins SYG1, of unknown function, and PHO81, which has been implicated in a system that regulates transport of inorganic phosphate. Expression of the X-receptor in Chinese hamster ovary cells, which are substantially resistant to P-MLVs and to X-MLVs, made them susceptible to both of these virus groups. The mouse homologue of the X-receptor was mapped by hybridization to the distal end of chromosome 1 at the same position as the P-MLV receptor gene Rmc1. These results strongly support the hypothesis that a common gene encodes the receptors for X-MLVs and P-MLVs, with the human X-receptor preferentially mediating X-MLV infections and the homologous protein of inbred mice mediating only P-MLV infections. We propose that X-MLVs and P-MLVs comprise a single family of retroviruses that have coevolved in response to diversification in X-receptor genes of the host. Show less