IFN-γ-Induced Macrophage Antileishmanial Mechanisms in Mice: A Role for Immunity- Related GTPases Irgm1 and Irgm3 in Leishmania donovani Infection in the Liver

摘要

In C57BL/6 mice, Leishmania donovani infection in the liver provoked IFN-γ induced expression of the immunity-related GTPases (IRG), Irgm1 and Irgm3. To gauge the antileishmanial effects of these macrophage factors in the liver, intracellular infection was analyzed in IRG-deficient mice. In early- (but not late-) stage infection, Irgm3^−/− mice failed to properly control parasite replication, generated little tissue inflammation and were hyporesponsive to pentavalent antimony (Sb) chemotherapy. Observations limited to early-stage infection in Irgm1^−/− mice demonstrated increased susceptibility and virtually no inflammatory cell recruitment to heavily-parasitized parenchymal foci but an intact response to chemotherapy. In L. donovani infection in the liver, the absence of either Irgm1 or Irgm3 impairs early inflammation and initial resistance; the absence of Irgm3, but not Irgm1, also appears to impair the intracellular efficacy of Sb chemotherapy.