Skip to main content
PMC home page
The Journal of Experimental Medicine logoLink to The Journal of Experimental Medicine
. 1993 Jun 1;177(6):1797–1802. doi: 10.1084/jem.177.6.1797

Resolution of cutaneous leishmaniasis: interleukin 12 initiates a protective T helper type 1 immune response

PMCID: PMC2191036  PMID: 8098733

Abstract

Resistance to Leishmania major in mice is associated with the appearance of distinct T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 subsets. T cells from lymph nodes draining cutaneous lesions of resistant mice are primarily interferon gamma (IFN-gamma)-producing Th1 cells. In contrast, T cells from susceptible mice are principally Th2 cells that generate interleukin 4 (IL-4). Although existing evidence is supportive of a role for IFN-gamma in the generation of Th1 cells, additional factors may be required for a protective response to be maintained. A potential candidate is IL-12, a heterodimeric cytokine produced by monocytes and B cells that has multiple effects on T and natural killer cell function, including inducing IFN-gamma production. Using an experimental leishmanial model we have observed that daily intraperitoneal administration at the time of parasite challenge of either 0.33 micrograms IL-12 (a consecutive 5 d/wk for 5 wk) or 1.0 micrograms IL-12 per mouse (only a consecutive 5 d) caused a > 75% reduction in parasite burden at the site of infection, in highly susceptible BALB/c mice. Delay of treatment by 1 wk had less of a protective effect. Concomitant with these protective effects was an increase in IFN-gamma and a decrease in IL-4 production, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of supernatants generated from popliteal lymph node cells stimulated with leishmanial antigen in vitro. The reduction in parasite numbers induced by IL-12 therapy was still apparent at 10 wk postinfection. In addition, we observed that the administration of a rabbit anti-recombinant murine IL-12 polyclonal antibody (200 micrograms i.p. every other day for 25 d) at the time of infection to resistant C57Bl/6 mice exacerbated disease. These effects were accompanied by a shift in IFN-gamma production in vitro by antigen- stimulated lymph node cells indicative of a Th2-like response. These findings suggest that IL-12 has an important role in initiating a Th1 response and protective immunity.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (620.2 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Belosevic M., Finbloom D. S., Van Der Meide P. H., Slayter M. V., Nacy C. A. Administration of monoclonal anti-IFN-gamma antibodies in vivo abrogates natural resistance of C3H/HeN mice to infection with Leishmania major. J Immunol. 1989 Jul 1;143(1):266–274. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Birkeland M. L., Metlay J., Sanders V. M., Fernandez-Botran R., Vitetta E. S., Steinman R. M., Puré E. Epitopes on CD45R [T200] molecules define differentiation antigens on murine B and T lymphocytes. J Mol Cell Immunol. 1988;4(2):71–85. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chan S. H., Perussia B., Gupta J. W., Kobayashi M., Pospísil M., Young H. A., Wolf S. F., Young D., Clark S. C., Trinchieri G. Induction of interferon gamma production by natural killer cell stimulatory factor: characterization of the responder cells and synergy with other inducers. J Exp Med. 1991 Apr 1;173(4):869–879. doi: 10.1084/jem.173.4.869. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. D'Andrea A., Rengaraju M., Valiante N. M., Chehimi J., Kubin M., Aste M., Chan S. H., Kobayashi M., Young D., Nickbarg E. Production of natural killer cell stimulatory factor (interleukin 12) by peripheral blood mononuclear cells. J Exp Med. 1992 Nov 1;176(5):1387–1398. doi: 10.1084/jem.176.5.1387. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Germann T., Mattner F., Partenheimer A., Schmitt E., Reske-Kunz A. B., Fischer H. G., Rüde E. Different accessory function for TH1 cells of bone marrow derived macrophages cultured in granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor or macrophage colony stimulating factor. Int Immunol. 1992 Jul;4(7):755–764. doi: 10.1093/intimm/4.7.755. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Goding J. W. Use of staphylococcal protein A as an immunological reagent. J Immunol Methods. 1978;20:241–253. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(78)90259-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kobayashi M., Fitz L., Ryan M., Hewick R. M., Clark S. C., Chan S., Loudon R., Sherman F., Perussia B., Trinchieri G. Identification and purification of natural killer cell stimulatory factor (NKSF), a cytokine with multiple biologic effects on human lymphocytes. J Exp Med. 1989 Sep 1;170(3):827–845. doi: 10.1084/jem.170.3.827. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Mosmann T. R., Cherwinski H., Bond M. W., Giedlin M. A., Coffman R. L. Two types of murine helper T cell clone. I. Definition according to profiles of lymphokine activities and secreted proteins. J Immunol. 1986 Apr 1;136(7):2348–2357. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Neva F. A., Wyler D., Nash T. Cutaneous leishmaniasis--a case with persistent organisms after treatment in presence of normal immune response. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1979 May;28(3):467–471. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ohara J., Paul W. E. Production of a monoclonal antibody to and molecular characterization of B-cell stimulatory factor-1. Nature. 1985 May 23;315(6017):333–336. doi: 10.1038/315333a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Panosian C. B., Sypek J. P., Wyler D. J. Cell contact-mediated macrophage activation for antileishmanial defense. I. Lymphocyte effector mechanism that is contact dependent and noncytotoxic. J Immunol. 1984 Dec;133(6):3358–3365. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Sadick M. D., Heinzel F. P., Holaday B. J., Pu R. T., Dawkins R. S., Locksley R. M. Cure of murine leishmaniasis with anti-interleukin 4 monoclonal antibody. Evidence for a T cell-dependent, interferon gamma-independent mechanism. J Exp Med. 1990 Jan 1;171(1):115–127. doi: 10.1084/jem.171.1.115. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Schoenhaut D. S., Chua A. O., Wolitzky A. G., Quinn P. M., Dwyer C. M., McComas W., Familletti P. C., Gately M. K., Gubler U. Cloning and expression of murine IL-12. J Immunol. 1992 Jun 1;148(11):3433–3440. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Schreiber R. D., Hicks L. J., Celada A., Buchmeier N. A., Gray P. W. Monoclonal antibodies to murine gamma-interferon which differentially modulate macrophage activation and antiviral activity. J Immunol. 1985 Mar;134(3):1609–1618. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Scott P. IFN-gamma modulates the early development of Th1 and Th2 responses in a murine model of cutaneous leishmaniasis. J Immunol. 1991 Nov 1;147(9):3149–3155. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Scott P., Natovitz P., Coffman R. L., Pearce E., Sher A. Immunoregulation of cutaneous leishmaniasis. T cell lines that transfer protective immunity or exacerbation belong to different T helper subsets and respond to distinct parasite antigens. J Exp Med. 1988 Nov 1;168(5):1675–1684. doi: 10.1084/jem.168.5.1675. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Stern A. S., Podlaski F. J., Hulmes J. D., Pan Y. C., Quinn P. M., Wolitzky A. G., Familletti P. C., Stremlo D. L., Truitt T., Chizzonite R. Purification to homogeneity and partial characterization of cytotoxic lymphocyte maturation factor from human B-lymphoblastoid cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Sep;87(17):6808–6812. doi: 10.1073/pnas.87.17.6808. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Street N. E., Schumacher J. H., Fong T. A., Bass H., Fiorentino D. F., Leverah J. A., Mosmann T. R. Heterogeneity of mouse helper T cells. Evidence from bulk cultures and limiting dilution cloning for precursors of Th1 and Th2 cells. J Immunol. 1990 Mar 1;144(5):1629–1639. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Sypek J. P., Wyler D. J. Antileishmanial defense in macrophages triggered by tumor necrosis factor expressed on CD4+ T lymphocyte plasma membrane. J Exp Med. 1991 Oct 1;174(4):755–759. doi: 10.1084/jem.174.4.755. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wolf S. F., Temple P. A., Kobayashi M., Young D., Dicig M., Lowe L., Dzialo R., Fitz L., Ferenz C., Hewick R. M. Cloning of cDNA for natural killer cell stimulatory factor, a heterodimeric cytokine with multiple biologic effects on T and natural killer cells. J Immunol. 1991 May 1;146(9):3074–3081. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The Journal of Experimental Medicine are provided here courtesy of The Rockefeller University Press

RESOURCES