Cellular FLIP long isoform transgenic mice overcome inherent Th2-biased immune responses to efficiently resolve Leishmania major infection

V. Tseveleki, P. Tsagozis, O. Koutsoni, E. Dotsika, L. Probert
2007 International Immunology  
c-FLIP L expression in T cells is required for mounting effective T cell responses and can also be critical for effector T cell differentiation, as has recently been shown by a number of in vivo studies in conditional knockout and transgenic mouse systems. Available data supports therefore a novel immunomodulatory role of this anti-apoptotic protein besides its traditionally proposed function in homeostatic maintenance of T cell populations. In this study, the responses to infection with
more » ... nia major of mice over-expressing FLIP L specifically in the T cell compartment (TgFLIP L ) are assessed. Although previous studies have shown that FLIP L drives T cells towards a T h 2 differentiation programme in various autoimmune and allergic paradigms, in this study, we show that TgFLIP L are able to overcome this T h 2 bias in a dermal L. major infection model to mount a robust T h 1 response to pathogen and effectively clear infection. Our results suggest that vaccination protocols designed to enhance FLIP L expression in T cells may be useful for the treatment of autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis, without necessarily compromising immune responses towards infectious agents.
doi:10.1093/intimm/dxm089 pmid:17878261 fatcat:7xw4debobbdy3f6uydibdw72sy