Antigen Presentation in Cerebral Malaria Pathogenesis: A Role for Brain Microvascular Endothelium and Microparticles
Project Member(s): Combes, V., Saunders, B.
Funding or Partner Organisation: National Health & Medical Research Council (NHMRC Project Grants)
Start year: 2016
Summary: The proposed project therefore aims to understand a new cellular process and pathway in immunopathogenesis and antigen presentation in CM. We hypothesise that (i) after interaction with malaria parasite-infected erythrocytes, brain EC activate T lymphocytes by acting as “non-professional” antigen presenting cells and (ii) MP produced by infected erythrocytes, which contain parasite material, are taken up by brain EC and/or dendritic cells that then present parasite antigens to T cells. AIM 1. Determine the relative abilities of brain EC and dendritic cells to present antigens to T lymphocytes AIM 2. Delineate MP involvement in the immune response during malaria infection AIM 3. Determine the pathogenic consequences of the close interactions between MPs, infected erythrocytes and T lymphocytes at the level of brain EC
Keywords: cerebral malaria, microparticles, endothelial cells, antigen presentation
FOR Codes: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified, Infectious Diseases, Other biological sciences not elsewhere classified , Clinical health