Sammanfattning

The proteoglycan serglycin (SG) is expressed by different innate and adaptive immune cells, e.g. mast cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, where SG contributes to correct granule storage and extracellular activity of inflammatory mediators. Here the serglycin-deficient (SG(-/-)) mouse strain was used to investigate the impact of SG on intestinal immune responses during infection with the non-invasive protozoan parasite Giardia intestinalis. Young (asymptotic to 11 weeks old) oral gavage-infected congenic SG(-/-) mice showed reduced weight gain as compared with the infected SG(+/+) littermate mice and the PBS-challenged SG(-/-) and SG(+/+) littermate mice. The infection caused no major morphological changes in the small intestine. However, a SG-independent increased goblet cell and granulocyte cell count was observed, which did not correlate with an increased myeloperoxidase or neutrophil elastase activity. Furthermore, infected mice showed increased serum IL-6 levels, with significantly reduced serum IL-6 levels in infected SG-deficient mice and decreased intestinal expression levels of IL-6 in the infected SG-deficient mice. In infected mice the qPCR analysis of alarmins, chemokines, cytokines, and nitric oxide synthases (NOS), showed that the SG-deficiency caused reduced intestinal expression levels of TNF-alpha and CXCL2, and increased IFN-gamma, CXCL1, and NOS1 levels as compared with SG-competent mice. This study shows that SG plays a regulatory role in intestinal immune responses, reflected by changes in chemokine and cytokine expression levels and a delayed weight gain in young SG(-/-) mice infected with G. intestinalis.

Nyckelord

serglycin proteoglycan; knockout mouse; infection; Giardia intestinalis; innate intestinal immunity

Publicerad i

Frontiers in Immunology
2021, Volym: 12, artikelnummer: 677722
Utgivare: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA

SLU författare

• Li, Zhiqiang

  • Institutionen för husdjurens biovetenskaper, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    
  • Guizhou Medical University

• Åbrink, Magnus

  • Institutionen för husdjurens biovetenskaper, Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet
    

UKÄ forskningsämne

Immunologi inom det medicinska området


Publikationens identifierare

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2021.677722

Permanent länk till denna sida (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/113303