T cell hypo-responsiveness against Leishmania major in MAP kinase phosphatase (MKP) 2 deficient C57BL/6 mice does not alter the healer disease phenotype.

We have recently demonstrated that MAP kinase phosphatase 2 (MKP-2) deficient C57BL/6 mice, unlike their wild-type counterparts, are unable to control infection with the protozoan parasite Leishmania mexicana. Increased susceptibility was associated with elevated Arginase-1 levels and reduced iNOS activity in macrophages as well as a diminished T(H)1 response. By contrast, in the present study footpad infection of MKP-2(-/-) mice with L. major resulted in a healing response as measured by lesion size and parasite numbers similar to infected MKP-2(+/+) mice. Analysis of immune responses following infection demonstrated a reduced T(H)1 response in MKP-2(-/-) mice with lower parasite specific serum IgG2b levels, a lower frequency of IFN-γ and TNF-α producing CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and lower antigen stimulated spleen cell IFN-γ production than their wild-type counterparts. However, infected MKP-2(-/-) mice also had similarly reduced levels of antigen induced spleen and lymph node cell IL-4 production compared with MKP-2(+/+) mice as well as reduced levels of parasite-specific IgG1 in the serum, indicating a general T cell hypo-responsiveness. Consequently the overall T(H)1/T(H)2 balance was unaltered in MKP-2(-/-) compared with wild-type mice. Although non-stimulated MKP-2(-/-) macrophages were more permissive to L. major growth than macrophages from MKP-2(+/+) mice, reflecting their reduced iNOS and increased Arginase-1 expression, LPS/IFN-γ activation was equally effective at controlling parasite growth in MKP-2(-/-) and MKP-2(+/+) macrophages. Consequently, in the absence of any switch in the T(H)1/T(H)2 balance in MKP-2(-/-) mice, no significant change in disease phenotype was observed.

BALB/c mice deficient in CD4 T cell IL-4Rα expression control Leishmania mexicana Load although female but not male mice develop a healer phenotype.

Immunologically intact BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania mexicana develop non-healing progressively growing lesions associated with a biased Th2 response while similarly infected IL-4Rα-deficient mice fail to develop lesions and develop a robust Th1 response. In order to determine the functional target(s) for IL-4/IL-13 inducing non-healing disease, the course of L. mexicana infection was monitored in mice lacking IL-4Rα expression in specific cellular compartments. A deficiency of IL-4Rα expression on macrophages/neutrophils (in LysM(cre)IL-4Rα(-/lox) animals) had minimal effect on the outcome of L. mexicana infection compared with control (IL-4Rα(-/flox)) mice. In contrast, CD4(+) T cell specific (Lck(cre)IL-4Rα(-/lox)) IL-4Rα(-/-) mice infected with L. mexicana developed small lesions, which subsequently healed in female mice, but persisted in adult male mice. While a strong Th1 response was manifest in both male and female CD4(+) T cell specific IL-4Rα(-/-) mice infected with L. mexicana, induction of IL-4 was manifest in males but not females, independently of CD4(+) T cell IL-4 responsiveness. Similar results were obtained using pan-T cell specific (iLck(cre)IL-4Rα(-/lox)) IL-4Rα(-/-) mice. Collectively these data demonstrate that upon infection with L. mexicana, initial lesion growth in BALB/c mice is dependent on non-T cell population(s) responsive to IL-4/IL-13 while progressive infection is dependent on CD4(+) T cells responsive to IL-4.

MAP kinase phosphatase-2 plays a critical role in response to infection by Leishmania mexicana.

In this study we generated a novel dual specific phosphatase 4 (DUSP4) deletion mouse using a targeted deletion strategy in order to examine the role of MAP kinase phosphatase-2 (MKP-2) in immune responses. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced a rapid, time and concentration-dependent increase in MKP-2 protein expression in bone marrow-derived macrophages from MKP-2(+/+) but not from MKP-2(-/-) mice. LPS-induced JNK and p38 MAP kinase phosphorylation was significantly increased and prolonged in MKP-2(-/-) macrophages whilst ERK phosphorylation was unaffected. MKP-2 deletion also potentiated LPS-stimulated induction of the inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, IL-12p40, TNF-α, and also COX-2 derived PGE(2) production. However surprisingly, in MKP-2(-/-) macrophages, there was a marked reduction in LPS or IFNγ-induced iNOS and nitric oxide release and enhanced basal expression of arginase-1, suggesting that MKP-2 may have an additional regulatory function significant in pathogen-mediated immunity. Indeed, following infection with the intracellular parasite Leishmania mexicana, MKP-2(-/-) mice displayed increased lesion size and parasite burden, and a significantly modified Th1/Th2 bias compared with wild-type counterparts. However, there was no intrinsic defect in MKP-2(-/-) T cell function as measured by anti-CD3 induced IFN-γ production. Rather, MKP-2(-/-) bone marrow-derived macrophages were found to be inherently more susceptible to infection with Leishmania mexicana, an effect reversed following treatment with the arginase inhibitor nor-NOHA. These findings show for the first time a role for MKP-2 in vivo and demonstrate that MKP-2 may be essential in orchestrating protection against intracellular infection at the level of the macrophage.

Overexpression of the natural inhibitor of cysteine peptidases in Leishmania mexicana leads to reduced virulence and a Th1 response.

Leishmania mexicana cysteine peptidases (CPs) have been identified as important parasite virulence factors. More recently, a natural inhibitor of CPs (ICP) from L. mexicana has been characterized, and ICP mutants have been created. Infection of BALB/c mice with ICP null mutants or ICP reexpressing mutants resulted in nonhealing, progressively growing lesions albeit slightly attenuated compared with the growth of lesions produced by wild-type parasites. In contrast, BALB/c mice infected with mutants overexpressing ICP were able to significantly control lesion growth or heal. While BALB/c mice infected with wild-type parasites, ICP null mutants, or ICP reexpressing mutants produced significant antibody responses, including immunoglobulin E (IgE), no Th1 response, as indicated by antigen-induced splenocyte gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) production, could be demonstrated. In contrast, BALB/c mice infected with mutants overexpressing ICP produced significantly less antibody, particularly IgE, as well as significantly reduced splenocyte interleukin-4 and enhanced IFN-gamma production. BALB/c mice were able to resolve infection following infection with one ICP overexpressing clone, which was subsequently used for vaccination studies with BALB/c mice. However, no protection was afforded these mice when they were challenged with wild-type parasites. Nevertheless, two other mouse strains susceptible to L. mexicana, C3H and C57BL/6, vaccinated with overexpressing ICP mutants were able to control challenge infection associated with an enhanced Th1 response. This study confirms that L. mexicana CPs are virulence factors and that ICPs have therapeutic potential.

An essential role for IL-13 in maintaining a non-healing response following Leishmania mexicana infection.

A comparison of the growth of Leishmania mexicana in IL-4(-/-), IL-4Ralpha(-/-) and wild-type BALB/c mice demonstrated a disease exacerbative role for IL-13 as well as IL-4. Thus, while both IL-4(-/-) and IL-4Ralpha(-/-) mice were more resistant than wild-type controls to infection with L. mexicana, IL-4Ralpha(-/-) mice, which are unresponsive to IL-13 as well as IL-4, were significantly more resistant to parasite growth than their IL-4(-/-) counterparts. Cytokine and antibody analysis revealed a Th1-biased specific response in both infected IL-4(-/-) and IL-4Ralpha(-/-) mice compared with wild-type animals. Reconstituting SCID mice with IL-4(-/-), IL-4Ralpha(-/-) or wild-type splenocytes prior to infection demonstrated that the early onset of lesion growth was dependent on the presence of lymphocytes responding to IL-4 and/or IL-13, as lesions failed to develop in only the SCID IL-4Ralpha(-/-) reconstituted mice. An independent role for IL-13 in L. mexicana infection was demonstrated by comparing disease progression in IL-13(-/-), IL-4(-/-)/IL-13(-/-) and wild-type B6/129 mice. In contrast to IL-4(-/-)/IL-13(-/-) mice, which were resistant, IL-13(-/-) mice developed lesions similar in size to wild-type animals up to week 8 post-infection. However, in contrast to wild-type mice in which disease continued to progress, lesions eventually healed in IL-13(-/-) mice, in association with the development of a Th1 response. Collectively our results suggest that IL-4 plays a critical role in early lesion development, and that IL-13 plays a crucial part in maintaining a chronic non-healing infection.