Disruption of CD40-CD40 ligand interactions results in an enhanced susceptibility to Leishmania amazonensis infection

  • Lynn Soong
  • , Jian Chao Xu
  • , Iqbal S. Grewal
  • , Peter Kima
  • , Jiaren Sun
  • , B. Jack Longley
  • , Nancy H. Ruddle
  • , Diane McMahon-Pratt
  • , Richard A. Flavell

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

275 Scopus citations

Abstract

To study the role of CD40 ligand (CD40L) in the host immune responses against intracellular pathogens, we infected CD40L knockout (CD40L(-/-)) mice with Leishmania amazonensis. Although wild-type mice were susceptible to infection and developed progressive ulcerative lesions, tissue parasite burdens in CD40L(-/-) mice were significantly higher. This heightened susceptibility to infection was associated with an impaired T cell and macrophage activation and altered inflammatory response, as reflected by low levels of IFNγ, lymphotoxin-tumor necrosis factor (LT-TNF), and nitric oxide (NO) production. Furthermore, CD40L(-/-) mice failed to generate a protective immune response after immunization. These results indicate an essential role of cognate CD40-CD40L interactions in the generation of cellular immune responses against an intracellular parasite.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)263-273
Number of pages11
JournalImmunity
Volume4
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1996
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology and Allergy
  • Immunology
  • Infectious Diseases

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