Abstract
Cerebral malaria is a deadly complication of Plasmodium infection and involves blood brain barrier (BBB) disruption following infiltration of white blood cells. During experimental cerebral malaria (ECM), mice inoculated with Plasmodium berghei ANKA-infected red blood cells develop a fatal CM-like disease caused by CD8+ T cell-mediated pathology. We found that treatment with interleukin-15 complex (IL-15C) prevented ECM, whereas IL-2C treatment had no effect. IL-15C-expanded natural killer (NK) cells were necessary and sufficient for protection against ECM. IL-15C treatment also decreased CD8+ T cell activation in the brain and prevented BBB breakdown without influencing parasite load. IL-15C induced NK cells to express IL-10, which was required for IL-15C-mediated protection against ECM. Finally, we show that ALT-803, a modified human IL-15C, mediates similar induction of IL-10 in NK cells and protection against ECM. These data identify a regulatory role for cytokine-stimulated NK cells in the prevention of a pathogenic immune response. NK cells can display both pro-inflammatory and regulatory function, but their role in the pathogenesis of malaria is not fully understood. Burrack et al. demonstrate that IL-15 complex (IL-15C) therapy prevents mice from succumbing to experimental cerebral malaria (ECM). IL-15C treatment stimulates NK cells to produce IL-10, suppressing the pathogenic CD8+ T cell response during ECM.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 760-772.e4 |
Journal | Immunity |
Volume | 48 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Apr 17 2018 |
Keywords
- CD8 T cells
- IL-10
- IL-15
- NK cells
- cerebral malaria
- cytokine complexes
- immunopathology
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases