Protection from liver-stage malaria is dependent on a fine balance between the number of infected hepatocytes and effector CD8+ T cells

Alexandra Spencer,Rhea Longley,Teresa Lambe,Anita Gola,Adrian Hill

doi:10.1186/1475-2875-13-s1-p83

Abstract

Background Since the demonstration of sterile protection afforded by injection of irradiated sporozoites, CD8 T cells have been shown to play a significant role in protection from liver-stage malaria. This is, however, dependent on the presence of an extremely high number of circulating effector cells, thought to be necessary to scan, locate and kill infected hepatocytes in the short time that parasites are present in the liver. To this day very little is known about the T cell response to malaria in the liver, therefore we have utilized an adoptive transfer system in mice to elucidate the kinetics of CD8 T cell mediated protection following sporozoite challenge.

Highlights

Protection from liver-stage malaria is dependent on a fine balance between the number of infected hepatocytes and effector CD8+ T cells
Since the demonstration of sterile protection afforded by injection of irradiated sporozoites, CD8+ T cells have been shown to play a significant role in protection from liver-stage malaria
This is, dependent on the presence of an extremely high number of circulating effector cells, thought to be necessary to scan, locate and kill infected hepatocytes in the short time that parasites are present in the liver

Summary

Introduction

Since the demonstration of sterile protection afforded by injection of irradiated sporozoites, CD8+ T cells have been shown to play a significant role in protection from liver-stage malaria. Protection from liver-stage malaria is dependent on a fine balance between the number of infected hepatocytes and effector CD8+ T cells From Challanges in malaria research: Core science and innovation Oxford, UK. Background Since the demonstration of sterile protection afforded by injection of irradiated sporozoites, CD8+ T cells have been shown to play a significant role in protection from liver-stage malaria.

Results

Conclusion