Apoptotic Plasmodium-infected hepatocytes provide antigens to liver dendritic cells

Malaria starts with infection of the host liver by Plasmodium sporozoites. Inoculation with radiation-attenuated Plasmodium sporozoites induces complete protection against malaria. Protection is mediated by dendritic cells (DCs) and CD8(+) T cells, but the source of parasite antigens mediating this response remains unclear. Here, we show that hepatocytes infected with irradiated Plasmodium sporozoites undergo apoptosis shortly after infection. Infection with irradiated sporozoites induces the recruitment of DCs to the liver, where they phagocytose apoptotic infected hepatocytes containing parasite antigens. We propose that apoptotic Plasmodium-infected hepatocytes provide a source of parasite antigens for the initiation of the protective immune response.