학술논문

Follicular helper T cells promote liver pathology in mice during Schistosoma japonicum infection
Document Type
Academic Journal
Source
PLoS Pathogens. May 1, 2014, Vol. 10 Issue 5
Subject
California
Illinois
Language
English
ISSN
1553-7366
Abstract
Introduction Schistosomiasis remains a major public health problem in many developing countries in tropical and subtropical regions, which affects approximately 200 million people worldwide [1,2]. Following Schistosoma japonicum and mansoni [...]
Following Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection, granulomatous responses are induced by parasite eggs trapped in host organs, particular in the liver, during the acute stage of disease. While excessive liver granulomatous responses can lead to more severe fibrosis and circulatory impairment in chronically infected host. However, the exact mechanism of hepatic granuloma formation has remained obscure. In this study, we for the first time showed that follicular helper T (Tfh) cells are recruited to the liver to upregulate hepatic granuloma formation and liver injury in S. japonicum-infected mice, and identified a novel function of macrophages in Tfh cell induction. In addition, our results showed that the generation of Tfh cells driven by macrophages is dependent on cell-cell contact and the level of inducible costimulator ligand (ICOSL) on macrophages which is regulated by CD40-CD40L signaling. Our findings uncovered a previously unappreciated role for Tfh cells in liver pathology caused by S. japonicum infection in mice.