Objective: To investigate the molecular characteristic of interferon-gamma mediating protective immunity against schistosomiasis japonica in mice.
Methods: CD4+ T cells were isolated from spleens of mice infected with Schistosoma japonicum at different time-points. The cDNA microarray technique combined with RT-PCR was used to explore IFN-gamma inducible GTPase family gene expression profile of CD4+ T cell. IGTP, a representative IFN-gamma, inducible GTPase having vital anti-infection activity, was amplified from spleen of BALB/c mice using RT-PCR, then cloned into pGEM(r)-T easy vector for sequencing.
Results: IFN-gamma inducible GTPase family had the similar characteristic over the course of S. japonicum infection. The gene expression of these members were up-regulated or had little change at 3 wk post-infection, then down-modulated from 6 wk to 13 wk post-infection, which was also confirmed by RT-PCR. As for IGTP, two inserts were identified after sequencing. One was 142 bp shorter than another, but the fragment was lost due to low annealing temperature.
Conclusion: There is a dramatic inhibition of IFN-gamma pathway and IFN-gamma-dependent anti-infective immunity during the infection of S. japonicum.