Phenotypic and functional alterations of thymic nurse cells following acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection

Acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection induces alterations in both lymphoid and microenvironmental compartments of the thymus. This prompted us to investigate whether the lymphoepithelial complex thymic nurse cell (TNC) was comprised in the thymic pathology occurring in experimental Chagas' disease....

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical immunology and immunopathology 1997-02, Vol.82 (2), p.125-132
Main Authors: COTTA-DE-ALMEIDA, V, BERTHO, A. L, VILLA-VERDE, D. M. S, SAVINO, W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Cell Count
Cell Death
Cell Size
Chagas Disease - immunology
Chagas Disease - pathology
Experimental protozoal diseases and models
Female
Infectious diseases
Medical sciences
Mice
Mice, Inbred BALB C
Parasitic diseases
Protozoal diseases
Thymus Gland - immunology
Thymus Gland - parasitology
Thymus Gland - pathology
Trypanosoma cruzi
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Summary:Acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection induces alterations in both lymphoid and microenvironmental compartments of the thymus. This prompted us to investigate whether the lymphoepithelial complex thymic nurse cell (TNC) was comprised in the thymic pathology occurring in experimental Chagas' disease. The isolation of TNCs from acutely T. cruzi-infected mice revealed a reduction in TNC numbers that paralleled thymic atrophy. This decrease does not seem to be stress-related since it was not seen following glucocorticoid hormone injection. Moreover, an increased intra-TNC cell death in complexes from infected animals was noticed. In addition, acute T. cruzi infection induced a decrease in size and granularity of TNC complexes, as well as several ultrastructural alterations indicating cell damage. The epithelial component of TNCs, independent of being infected in vitro or derived from infected animals, showed an enhancement of extracellular matrix proteins that is likely related to the enhanced thymocyte release observed in these complexes. Conjointly, these data show that TNCs are importantly affected in acute experimental T. cruzi infection, possibly contributing to the previously observed alterations in thymocyte differentiation.
ISSN:0090-1229
1090-2341
DOI:10.1006/clin.1996.4283