Transcriptomic profiling and immune gene expression analysis of canine DH82 cells (co)infected by Leishmania infantum, Leishmania tarentolae and their hybrid

Information from the abstract

The co-occurrence of Leishmania infantum and Leishmania tarentolae in sympatric geographic areas raises questions about their immunological interactions in vertebrate hosts, suggesting a protective effect of the latter species in the course of canine leishmaniasis. This study aimed to characterize the transcriptome profile and cytokine gene expression of canine DH82 macrophage cells infected in vitro by L. infantum , L. tarentolae , their hybrid strain (i.e., Linf/Ltar ) and with both Leishmania species. The transcriptional profiles of cells infected were assessed at 72 h post-infection by RNA-seq analysis and RT-qPCR (reverse transcriptase qPCR) assay. All strains established cell infection with a progressive decline in parasite burden rate over time points. Transcriptomic analysis indicated that L. infantum (i.e., padj < 0.01; gene count = 19) and Linf/Ltar hybrid strains (i.e., padj < 0.01, gene count = 16) induced a transcriptional changes involving gene of inflammatory pathways, while L. tarentolae elicited a weaker response, associated with metabolic processes (i.e., padj > 0.05), reflecting a less transcriptional changes in genes associated with macrophages and inflammatory responses. The coinfection with both Leishmania species resulted in the largest number of differentially expressed genes and the strongest enrichment of inflammatory pathways (i.e., padj < 0.01, gene count = 21). These findings were further supported by moderate to strong IL-6 gene expression induced by L. infantum (up to 1.13 relative fold change), Linf/Ltar hybrid (up to 1.30 relative fold change), and coinfection with both Leishmania species (up to 2.26 relative fold change), as well as by a relatively high IL-12 gene expression (up to 1.74 relative fold change) for L. tarentolae . Overall, the results provided evidence that L. infantum and L. tarentolae may induce distinct transcriptional response in canine macrophages, and particularly in genes associated with immune and inflammatory processes.

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Related topics: Research on Leishmaniasis Studies · Leprosy Research and Treatment · Trypanosoma species research and implications