Plasmodium berghei-infected primary hepatocytes process and present the circumsporozoite protein to specific CD8+ T cells in vitro

SE Bongfen, R Torgler, JF Romero, L Renia… - The Journal of …, 2007 - journals.aai.org
SE Bongfen, R Torgler, JF Romero, L Renia, G Corradin
The Journal of Immunology, 2007journals.aai.org
A substantial and protective response against malaria liver stages is directed against the
circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and involves induction of CD8+ T cells and production of
IFN-γ. CSP-derived peptides have been shown to be presented on the surface of infected
hepatocytes in the context of MHC class I molecules. However, little is known about how the
CSP and other sporozoite Ags are processed and presented to CD8+ T cells. We
investigated how primary hepatocytes from BALB/c mice process the CSP of Plasmodium …
Abstract
A substantial and protective response against malaria liver stages is directed against the circumsporozoite protein (CSP) and involves induction of CD8+ T cells and production of IFN-γ. CSP-derived peptides have been shown to be presented on the surface of infected hepatocytes in the context of MHC class I molecules. However, little is known about how the CSP and other sporozoite Ags are processed and presented to CD8+ T cells. We investigated how primary hepatocytes from BALB/c mice process the CSP of Plasmodium berghei after live sporozoite infection and present CSP-derived peptides to specific H-2K d-restricted CD8+ T cells in vitro. Using both wild-type and spect−/− P. berghei sporozoites, we show that both infected and traversed primary hepatocytes process and present the CSP. The processing and presentation pathway was found to involve the proteasome, Ag transport through a postendoplasmic reticulum compartment, and aspartic proteases. Thus, it can be hypothesized that infected hepatocytes can contribute in vivo to the elicitation and expansion of a T cell response.
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