Transcriptome analysis of Toxoplasma gondii-infected human neutrophils: roles of MIC1 and MIC4

• Grant number: 18/16374-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: September 20, 2018
• End date: December 19, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Maria Cristina Roque Antunes Barreira
• Grantee: Rafael Ricci de Azevedo
• Supervisor: Michael e Grigg
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda (NIH), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 17/02998-0 - Effects of Toxoplasma gondii and Paracoccidioides brasiliensis, exerted through their respective lectins on intracellular pathways activated by the recognition of N-linked glycans to toll like receptors on neutrophils, BP.PD

Abstract

Interest in studying neutrophil biology is growing more and more due to the importance of these cells in inflammatory and infectious diseases. Neutrophils are the first cells to respond to microbes and some pathogens can modulate the function of these cells to succeed in the infection process. Because of that it is mandatory to understand in deep the relationship of neutrophils with those pathogens. Focused on glycolinteractions our laboratory study, among other lectins, the MIC1 and MIC4 of Toxoplasma gondii. We have obtained results showing that the lectins MIC1 and MIC4 alters neutrophils biology, thus, the next step is to investigate the molecular mechanisms behind it. The aim of the current propose is to investigate the neutrophil transcriptome after co-incubation with T. gondii parasites, wild type and knockout for the lectins MIC1 and MIC4. For this, human neutrophils previously incubated with WT, MIC1-/-, MIC4-/- and DKO-MIC1/MIC4-/- T. gondii parasites will be analyzed concerning transcriptome profile by RNA-seq approach. The transcriptome data of these infected neutrophils will clarify how the carbohydrate recognition on the neutrophil surface modulate the functions of these cells and will elucidate how this glycointeraction with T. gondii could influence on infection outcome. Thus, this knowledge may be useful to design new therapy strategies against infections.