RGD Reference Report - IL-21 is required for optimal antibody production and T cell responses during chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection. - Rat Genome Database

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IL-21 is required for optimal antibody production and T cell responses during chronic Toxoplasma gondii infection.

Authors: Stumhofer, Jason S  Silver, Jonathan S  Hunter, Christopher A 
Citation: Stumhofer JS, etal., PLoS One. 2013 May 7;8(5):e62889. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0062889. Print 2013.
RGD ID: 127285360
Pubmed: PMID:23667536   (View Abstract at PubMed)
PMCID: PMC3647013   (View Article at PubMed Central)
DOI: DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0062889   (Journal Full-text)

Previous studies have indicated that Il21r (-/-) mice chronically infected with Toxoplasma gondii display a defect in serum IgG; however, the basis for this antibody defect was not defined and questions remain about the role of IL-21 in promoting the production of IL-10, which is required to limit infection-induced pathology during toxoplasmosis. Therefore, Il21 (-/-) mice were challenged with T. gondii to determine whether IL-21 impacts the parasite-specific CD8(+) T cell response, its contribution to thymus-dependent antibody production after infection, and balance between protective and pathogenic responses. Whereas IL-21 has been implicated in the differentiation of IL-10 producing CD4(+) T cells no immune-mediated pathology was evident in Il21 (-/-) mice during the acute response, nor was there a defect in the development of this population in chronically infected Il21 (-/-) mice. However, Il21 (-/-) mice displayed a defect in IgG production after infection that correlated with a decrease in GC B cell numbers, the CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell numbers in the brain were reduced over the course of the chronic infection leading to a decrease in total IFN-γ production and an increase in parasite numbers associated with susceptibility to toxoplasmic encephalitis. Together, these results identify a key role for IL-21 in shaping the humoral and cellular response to T. gondii, but indicate that IL-21 has a limited role in regulating immunopathology.



RGD Manual Disease Annotations    Click to see Annotation Detail View

  
Object SymbolSpeciesTermQualifierEvidenceWithNotesSourceOriginal Reference(s)
IL21HumanAnimal Toxoplasmosis  ISOIl21 (Mus musculus) RGD 
Il21RatAnimal Toxoplasmosis  ISOIl21 (Mus musculus) RGD 
Il21MouseAnimal Toxoplasmosis  IMP  RGD 

Objects Annotated

Genes (Rattus norvegicus)
Il21  (interleukin 21)

Genes (Mus musculus)
Il21  (interleukin 21)

Genes (Homo sapiens)
IL21  (interleukin 21)


Additional Information