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Infection and Immunity, August 2002, p. 4534-4538, Vol. 70, No. 8
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.8.4534-4538.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Departments of Medicine,1 Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030,2 Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 522423
Received 22 February 2002/ Returned for modification 3 April 2002/ Accepted 11 April 2002
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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Murine Taenia crassiceps cysticercosis has been used as an experimental model for human T. solium cysticercosis (18, 20, 32, 36, 37). As in the human infection, live parasites produce little or no inflammation, whereas dying parasites initiate a chronic granulomatous reaction. We have previously studied and grouped granulomas that are associated with murine cysticercosis into four stages based on the histologic appearance of the degenerating parasite; the early stages are characterized by dying degenerating parasite remnants, and in the later stages there are no clearly identifiable parasites (29). Early-stage granulomas were also found to predominantly express Th1 cytokines, whereas interleukin-4 (IL-4) was expressed in the later granulomas (29). The mediators leading to initiation and control of the granulomatous inflammation are unknown.
Recent studies have shown that neuropeptides modulate the host immune response to parasites. Substance P (SP) is a short polypeptide involved in pain transmission (it is especially associated with inflammation) (17). SP is made by nerves, endothelial cells, and cells of the immune system. Receptors for SP are widely distributed throughout the body on neurons, endothelial cells, and immunocytes, such as lymphocytes and macrophages (5, 38). Binding of SP to its specific receptor is required for the maximal granulomatous response in murine schistosomiasis (3). In addition, SP stimulates the production of cytokines, including gamma interferon (IFN-
) and proinflammatory cytokines like IL-1ß, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-
) (1, 2, 13, 26, 31).
Somatostatin, another neuropeptide, counteracts the effects of SP and mediates analgesic effects by inhibiting the pain induced by noxious agents (15, 16, 25, 28, 30). Macrophages, after stimulation by IFN-
and TNF-
, produce large amounts of somatostatin, while lymphocytes express somatostatin receptors (4, 9, 10, 39). Somatostatin analogues have anti-inflammatory activities and suppress the production of proinflammatory Th1 cytokines (19, 31). Schistosome-infected animals treated with somatostatin analogues form smaller granulomas (11). We therefore hypothesized that neuropeptides might play a role in regulation of the granulomatous response in cysticercosis. To test this hypothesis, we compared expression of the neuropeptides SP and somatostatin after infection at different granuloma stages.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Granuloma staging. Histologic stages of the granulomas were determined as follows. Stage 1 granulomas showed areas of histologically intact tegument of dead parasites and other areas where there was infiltration of host cells. Stage 2 granulomas displayed no areas of normal tegument of the parasite with intact morphology of dead parasites, including a cyst cavity with infiltration of lymphocytes. In stage 3 granulomas there was no evidence of a parasitic cyst cavity, but there was a suggestion of the underlying degenerating parasite morphology and there was complete infiltration of host mononuclear cells. Stage 4 granulomas had no clearly identifiable parasite elements and consisted of only host cells and debris.
Cytokine cDNAs, plasmids, and preparation of 35S-labeled riboprobes. pBluescript SK(-) plasmids containing cDNA for murine SP precursor (preprotachykinin) and somatostatin (provided by J. V. Weinstock, University of Iowa) were prepared by using ion-exchange chromatography (Qiagen Inc., Chatsworth, Calif.) and a previously standardized protocol (29, 41). The plasmid cDNA were linearized with appropriate restriction enzymes. Antisense and sense RNA probes were synthesized by in vitro transcription by using T3 or T7 polymerases along with 250 µCi of 35S-labeled UTP, 20 U of RNasin, 0.5 mM unlabeled ATP, 0.5 mM unlabeled GTP, 0.5 mM unlabeled CTP, 0.1 M dithiothreitol, and transcription buffers in diethyl pyrocarbonate-treated water, using a commercial kit (Amersham Life Science, Inc., Arlington Heights, Ill.) (29, 41). The template was digested with RNase-free DNase; the labeled probe was precipitated with ethanol and salt, washed with alcohol, and suspended in dithiothreitol.
In situ hybridization. In situ hybridization was performed with sections made from granulomas obtained from T. crassiceps-infected BALB/c mice as described previously (29, 41). The paraffin in paraffin-embedded sections of granulomas was removed by treatment with xylene, and the sections were rehydrated with decreasing concentrations of ethanol (90 to 70% ethanol). Sections were incubated with the prehybridization buffer for 1 h and then with the 35S-UTP-labeled probe in an in situ hybridization cocktail for 3 h. Adjacent serial sections were examined with antisense (experimental) and sense (negative control) probes. After hybridization, the slides were washed twice with 2x SSC (1x SSC is 0.15 M sodium chloride plus 0.015 M sodium citrate), incubated for 20 min with 50% formamide in 2x SSC, washed six times in decreasing concentrations of 2x SSC, and digested with RNase (37°C, 30 min) to remove nonhybridized probe. The slides were then immersed in autoradiographic emulsion NTB2 (Kodak Eastman Co., Rochester, N.Y.) for 48 h at 24°C, developed with Kodak Dektol developer, fixed with Kodak fixer, and counterstained with Giemsa stain. The optimal concentration of probe that gave a positive signal with minimal background was assessed for each probe by using murine brain sections as a positive control. The sense strand of each probe was used as a negative control. Following in situ hybridization, the slides were examined by bright-field microscopy, and the number of cells overlaid with numerous silver granules was expressed as follows: 1+ (one or two positive cells per slide), 2+ (more than two positive cells per slide but less than one positive cell per low-power field [x20 lens]), 3+ (about one positive cell per low-power field but less than one positive cell per high-power field [x40 lens]), or 4+ (one or more positive cells per high-power field).
Immunohistochemistry. Immunoperoxidase staining was performed on 5-µm-thick frozen or paraformaldehyde-fixed granuloma sections by using the avidin-biotin method, an automated immunostainer (Biogenex), and polyclonal rabbit antibody to murine SP (1:20; Chemicon, Temecula, Calif.) and somatostatin (1:50; Chemicon). Murine brain tissue sections were used as a positive control. Slides were considered positive if brown staining was noted within the cytoplasm of cells at a level above the level of the nonspecific signal in tissue cells. Positive slides were graded on a scale from 1+ to 3+ (1+, <10% of the leukocytes were stained; 2+, 10 to 20% of the leukocytes were stained; 3+, >20% of the leukocytes were stained).
| RESULTS |
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| DISCUSSION |
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, and proinflammatory cytokines like IL-1ß, as well as TNF-
(1, 2, 13, 26, 31). Thus, SP is thought to be an important upregulator of the granulomatous response. By contrast, somatostatin analogues suppress the production of proinflammatory Th1 cytokines (19, 31). Infected animals treated with somatostatin analogues form smaller granulomas (11). This leads to a paradigm in which early expression of SP causes enhancement of the granulomatous response. As this response progresses, somatostatin is expressed, which in turn downregulates the response. Significantly, a similar pattern of sequential expression of these neuropeptides occurred in our cysticercosis model. The association of SP with early-stage granulomas suggests that SP may play a similar role in cysticercosis by inducing early granuloma formation. The expression of somatostatin later is consistent with an anti-inflammatory role in the late stages of granuloma formation. While the present study was performed with heavily parasitized mice, we expect the same results for mice that are less heavily parasitized. In our previous studies, we noted that early-stage granulomas expressed predominantly Th1 cytokines, whereas Th2 cytokines were expressed only in the late stages (29). It is tempting to speculate that differential expression of SP and somatostatin in the early and late stages of granulomas may promote the Th1-to-Th2 cytokine shift in the granulomas surrounding dying T. crassiceps cysts.
Neuropeptides are known modulators of epileptogenic responses. SP can evoke epileptiform responses in neurons (24). Intrahippocampal administration of SP triggered status epilepticus in a process resembling human epilepsy (21). In contrast, somatostatin modulates classical neurotransmission and has anticonvulsant properties in experimental models of seizures (33-35). At present, the relevance of neuropeptides for the pathophysiology of neurocysticercosis is unknown. In preliminary studies, we have also observed induction of seizures in rodents by extracts derived from early murine cysticercal granulomas. Understanding which inflammatory modulators are present in the different stages of the granulomas, which mediators are epileptogenic, and which modulators inhibit seizure responses may open up possibilities for treatment of neurocysticercosis seizures with specific antagonists or analogues. Further studies are also required to demonstrate expression of neuropeptides in response to human infection with T. solium, within the central nervous system, and in association with seizures.
| ACKNOWLEDGMENTS |
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This study was supported by the Baylor Center for AIDS Research Core Support (grant AI36211 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases).
| FOOTNOTES |
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