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ISSN
1672-9145
Acta Biochim Biophys Sin
2005, 37(4): 254–264
CN 31-1940/Q
Gene Transcription Profile in Mice Vaccinated with
Ultraviolet-attenuated Cercariae of Schistosoma japonicum Reveals
Molecules Contributing to Elevated IFN-g Levels
Xiang ZHU, Zhao-Song ZHANG*,
Min-Jun JI, Hai-Wei WU*, Yong WANG,
Xiao-Ping CAI, Lei ZHANG, Shu-Ying HU, Lin-Lin FU, Feng LIU, Chuan SU, and
Guan-Ling WU
Department of Pathogenic Biology, Nanjing Medical University,
Nanjing 210029, China
Abstract Vaccination with ultraviolet-attenuated cercariae of Schistosoma
japonicum induced protective immunity against challenge infection in
experimental animal models. Our preliminary study on the transcription levels
of IFN-g and IL-4 in splenic CD4+ T cells revealed that
attenuated cercariae elicited predominantly a Th1 response in mice at the early
stage, whereas normal cercariae stimulated primarily Th2-dependent responses.
Further analysis on the gene profile of the skin-draining lymph nodes
demonstrated that the levels of IFN-g were significantly higher in vaccinated mice
than those in infected mice at day 4, 7 and 14 post-vaccination or
post-infection. However, for IL-12 and IL-4, the potent inducers of Th1 and Th2
responses, respectively, as well as IL-10, there were no differences over the
course of the experiment between the infected and vaccinated mice. To explore
the underlying factors that may potentially contribute to elevated IFN-g in vaccinated
mice, the mRNA profiles of the skin-draining lymph nodes at day 4 post-exposure
were compared using oligonucleotide microarrays. Within the 847 probe sets with
increased signal values, we focused on chemokines, cytokines and relevant
receptors, which were validated by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. A comprehensive
understanding of the immune mechanisms of attenuated cercariae-induced
protection may contribute to developing efficient vaccination strategies
against S. japonicum, especially during the early stage of infection.
Key words Schistosoma japonicum;
attenuated cercariae; oligonucleotide microarray; IFN-g; chemokines
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Received: December 15, 2004 Accepted: March 2, 2005
This work was supported by the Qinglan Award from the Jiangsu
Provincial Education Committee (2001) and a grant from the National Natural
Science Foundation of China (No. 30271166)
*Corresponding authors:
Hai-Wei Wu: Tel, 86-25-86862793; Fax, 86-25-86508960; E-mail,
[email protected]
Zhao-Song Zhang: Tel, 86-25-86862774; Fax, 86-25-86508960; E-mail,
[email protected]