STUDY OF GALECTIN-8 ROLE IN MURINE Trypanosoma cruzi INFECTION

CARLA PASCUALE; ADRIANO BERTELLI; HERNAN GARCIA RIVELLO; TRIBULATTI, MARÍA VIRGINIA; GABRIELA LEVY; CAMPETELLA, OSCAR; MARÍA SUSANA LEGUIZAMÓN

Mar del Plata

Congreso; X Congreso de Protozoología y Enfermedades Parasitarias; 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Protozoología

Galectin-8 is distributed in different tissues and in the endothelium, which links it to various processes such as migration, apoptosis induction, and platelets activation, and to the role as pro-inflammation molecule. No information is available on Gal-8 in infections by Trypanosoma cruzi. We have started the analysis assaying various murine infection models combined with T. cruzi strains to induce different evolution. We studied Gal-8 expression in different organs during the acute period of the infection in BALB/cJ mice, using the RA strain (DTU TcVI). Assays were conducted at 17 days post-infection (dpi) with parasitemia levels ranging 7x105-1.5x 106 trypomastigotes/ml. qRT-PCR showed a significant decrease on Gal-8 expression in infected mice hearts. Organs were analyzed in triplicate and normalized to host beta-actin expression. C57BL/6J (WT) and Gal-8KO four month old males were infected with the Ac strain, (DTU TcI), which induces chronic infection (survival 90%). Parasitemia was similar between groups (followed up to 80 dpi). At four months pi, Gal-8KO mice showed more exacerbated splenomegaly than infected WT mice. The weight of infected Gal8-KO mice's spleen was significantly larger (p=0.0079) than the WT counterpart, while the heart's and liver's weight were similar between groups. HE-stained spleen tissue samples showed greater degree of follicular hyperplasia in Gal-8KO along with numerous secondary follicles, a higher number of centerblasts and a pronounced amount of plasmocytes, when compared to WT both infected and normal. In Gal-8KO, while follicle structure was maintained, there was important lymphocyte movement towards the red pulp. These preliminary results show, for the first time, that T. cruzi modulates Gal-8 expression. The splenomegaly seen in Gal- 8KO mice could suggest the involvement of this galectin in the development of polyclonal activity, induced by T. cruzi infection.