Frontiers in Immunology (Jun 2020)

Adjustments of γδ T Cells in the Lung of Schistosoma japonicum-Infected C56BL/6 Mice

  • Hefei Cha,
  • Hongyan Xie,
  • Chenxi Jin,
  • Yuanfa Feng,
  • Shihao Xie,
  • Anqi Xie,
  • Quan Yang,
  • Yanwei Qi,
  • Huaina Qiu,
  • Qiongli Wu,
  • Zhinan Yin,
  • Jianbing Mu,
  • Jun Huang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01045
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Many kinds of lymphocytes are involved in Schistosoma japonicum (S. japonicum) infection-induced disease. γδ T cells comprise a small number of innate lymphocytes that quickly respond to foreign materials. In this study, the role of γδ T cells in the lung of S. japonicum-infected C56BL/6 mice was investigated. The results demonstrated that S. japonicum infection induces γδ T cell accumulation in the lung, expressing higher levels of CD25, MHCII, CD80, and PDL1, and lower levels of CD127 and CD62L (P < 0.05). The intracellular cytokines staining results illustrated higher percentages of IL-4-, IL-10-, IL-21-, and IL-6-producing γδ T cells and lower percentages of IFN-γ-expressing γδ T cells in the lung of infected mice (P < 0.05). Moreover, the granuloma size in lung tissue was significantly increased in Vδ−/− mice (P < 0.05). In the lung of S. japonicum-infected Vδ−/− mice, both type 1 and type 2 immune responses were decreased significantly (P < 0.05). In addition, the expression of CD80 and CD69 on B cells was decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and the SEA-specific antibody was markedly decreased (P < 0.05) in the blood of infected Vδ−/− mice. In conclusion, this study indicates that γδ T cells could adjust the Th2 dominant immune response in the lung of S. japonicum-infected mice.

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