Changes in neurotransmitter levels and expression of immediate early genes in brain of mice infected with Neospora caninum.
Changes in neurotransmitter levels and expression of immediate early genes in brain of mice infected with Neospora caninum.
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DOI：
10.1038/srep23052
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发表时间：
2016-03-14
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Nishikawa Y
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ihara F;Nishimura M;Muroi Y;Furuoka H;Yokoyama N;Nishikawa Y
犬新孢子虫是一种专性细胞内寄生虫，会导致狗和牛的神经疾病。大多数宿主动物在慢性感染阶段没有症状。然而，目前尚不清楚无症状动物的大脑功能是否正常。在这项研究中，小鼠被犬奈瑟氏菌(NC-1株)感染，并对它们的大脑进行检查，以了解感染慢性阶段大脑功能的变化。感染犬圆线虫的小鼠表现出运动能力受损，但临床症状没有差异。在感染小鼠的大脑中，寄生虫分布在整个大脑中，除小脑外，组织学上的病变随处可见。在感染小鼠的几个脑区，促炎细胞因子干扰素-γ和肿瘤坏死因子-α的表达水平高度上调。此外，与未感染的小鼠相比，感染小鼠的神经递质谷氨酸、甘氨酸、γ-氨基丁酸、多巴胺和5-羟色胺的水平也发生了变化。有趣的是，感染小鼠大脑中即刻早期基因c-Fos和Arc的表达水平低于未感染小鼠。我们的发现可能会为了解与犬奈瑟菌感染相关的神经系统疾病提供洞察。
Neospora caninum is an obligate intracellular parasite that causes neurological disorders in dogs and cattle. The majority of host animals are asymptomatic at the chronic stage of infection. However, it remains unclear whether cerebral function is normal in asymptomatic animals. In this study, mice were infected with N. caninum (strain Nc-1) and their brains were examined to understand changes in cerebral function at the chronic stage of infection. Mice infected with N. caninum showed impaired locomotor activity, but no differences in clinical symptoms were observed. In the brains of infected mice, parasites were distributed throughout the brain and histological lesions were observed everywhere except for the cerebellum. Expression levels of proinflammatory cytokines, interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha, were highly upregulated in several brain regions of infected mice. Additionally, the level of neurotransmitters glutamate, glycine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine, were altered in infected mice compared with those of uninfected mice. Interestingly, the expression levels of immediately early genes, c-Fos and Arc, in the brain of infected mice were lower than those of in uninfected mice. Our findings may provide insight into neurological disorders associated with N. caninum infection.