Interferon-γ—central mediator of protective immune responses against the pre-erythrocytic and blood stage of malaria

Journal of Leukocyte Biology

Matthew B. B. McCall¹  Robert W. Sauerwein¹ 

[1] Department of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The NetherlandsDepartment of Medical Microbiology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

关键词: human;    falciparum;    cytokine;    innate;    adaptive;    vaccine;   

DOI  :  10.1189/jlb.0310137

学科分类：生理学

来源: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

【 摘 要 】

Immune responses against Plasmodium parasites, the causative organisms of malaria, are traditionally dichotomized into pre-erythrocytic and blood-stage components. Whereas the central role of cellular responses in pre-erythrocytic immunity is well established, protection against blood-stage parasites has generally been ascribed to humoral responses. A number of recent studies, however, have highlighted the existence of cellular immunity against blood-stage parasites, in particular, the prominence of IFN-γ production. Here, we have undertaken to chart the contribution of this prototypical cellular cytokine to immunity against pre-erythrocytic and blood-stage parasites. We summarize the various antiparasitic effector functions that IFN-γ serves to induce, review an array of data about its protective effects, and scrutinize evidence for any deleterious, immunopathological outcome in malaria patients. We discuss the activation and contribution of different cellular sources of IFN-γ production during malaria infection and its regulation in relation to exposure. We conclude that IFN-γ forms a central mediator of protective immune responses against pre-erythrocytic and blood-stage malaria parasites and identify a number of implications for rational malaria vaccine development.

【 授权许可】

Unknown