Induction of protective immunity by primed B-1 cells in Toxoplasma gondii -infected B cell-deficient mice

Mei Chen1, Hye-Seong Mun, Lian-Xun Piao

  • 1Department of Infection and Host Defense, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Inohana, Chiba, Japan.

Microbiology and Immunology
|December 26, 2003
PubMed

We examined the role of B-1 cells in protection against Toxoplasma gondii infection using B cell-deficient mice (muMT mice). We found that primed but not naïve B-1 cells from wild-type C57BL/6 mice protected B cell-deficient recipients from challenge infection. All muMT mice transferred with primed B-1 cells survived more than 5 months after T. gondii infection, whereas 100% of muMT mice transferred with naïve B-1 cells succumbed by 18 days after infection. Additionally, high expression of both T help (Th) 1- and Th2-type cytokines and a high level of nitric oxide production were observed in T. gondii-infected muMT mice transferred with primed B-1 cells. Thus, it was clearly demonstrated that B-1 cells play an important role in host protection against T. gondii infection in muMT mice.

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