Hybridization in situ for Leishmania and genic expression of iNOS production in thymus of naturally infected hamsters

• Grant number: 19/16270-3
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): November 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Pathology
• Principal researcher: Gisele Fabrino Machado
• Grantee: Laura Flávia Esperança de Souza Ferreira
• Home Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Araçatuba. Araçatuba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Taking into account that Leishmania leads to an organ-specific immune response and that the thymus is the main organ involved in the function of T-cell maturation (Figure 1), it is necessary to study in depth intrathymic processes during Leishmaniasis for understanding mechanisms of susceptibility or resistance to it. Therefore, we suggest investigating the expression of cytokine-related genes in the thymus of hamsters during the course of infection and correlating them with parasitic load and morphological characteristics such as tissue distribution of hematopoietic and stromal cells. In this way we will initially verify if there is infection in the thymus, similar to that observed in other lymphoid tissues and also if this possible infection results in alteration in the profile of cytokines that govern the thymus behavior.