Role of IFNGR1 in pregnant mice infected with Plasmodium berghei

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K08451
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Parasitology (including sanitary zoology)
• Research Institution: Kyorin University
• Principal Investigator: Kobayashi Fumie 杏林大学, 医学部, 教授 (20118889)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 新倉 保 杏林大学, 医学部, 学内講師 (30407019) ; 井上 信一 杏林大学, 医学部, 学内講師 (20466030)
• Research Collaborator: YOKOTA NATSUKI
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: マラリア / 妊娠 / 重症化 / 胎盤 / 接着 / 炎症 / IFNGR1 / 生体イメージング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Malaria during pregnancy is a major public health problem in malaria-endemic regions. Placental malaria has been reported to be correlated with adverse pregnancy outcomes such as fetal growth restriction, stillbirth, premature delivery. However, the immunopathogenesis of placental pathology during severe malaria is poorly understood. Recently, we found that fetal mortality in IFN-γ receptor 1-deficient (IFNGR1-KO) C57BL/6J mice infected with rodent malaria parasites, Plasmodium berghei NK65 (PbNK65) was much less than that in infected wild type (WT) mice. Placental pathology was also improved in infected IFNGR1-KO mice. In contrast, bioluminescence imaging showed that parasite accumulation in the placentas of IFNGR1-KO pregnant mice infected with luciferase-expressing PbNK65 was comparable to that in infected WT mice. These findings suggest that IFNGR1 signaling plays a pivotal role in placental pathology and subsequent adverse pregnancy outcomes during severe malaria.

Free Research Field

寄生虫学