Mechanism of protective immunity against malaria parasite parasitized erhtroblasts

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26860276
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Parasitology (including sanitary zoology)
• Research Institution: Gunma University
• Principal Investigator: Imai Takashi 群馬大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (10513434)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: マラリア / 赤芽球 / CD8T細胞 / マクロファージ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We recently discovered that mouse malaria parasites can parsitize erythroblasts which is the precursor of the RBC.Parasitized erythroblast express MHC class I and CD8 T cells recognized them an antigen-specific manner.
In this study, we found that CD8 T cells are important to protection against parasitized eryhthroblast. FasL on CD8 T cells interacts with Fas (death receptor) on the parasitized erythroblasts and induces externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS).　PS externalized infected cell are phagocytized by macrophage though Tim-4.

Free Research Field

寄生虫学