Age-dependent enhancement of IFN-gamma responses to Plasmodium falciparum liver stage antigen-1 T cell epitopes

Parasitol Res. 2002 Dec;88(12):1083-9. doi: 10.1007/s00436-002-0703-7. Epub 2002 Aug 21.

Abstract

We assessed the cellular immunological responses to two Plasmodium falciparum liver-stage antigen (LSA)-1-derived T-cell epitopes in healthy Gabonese children and adults. The N-terminal peptide, designated T1, induced interferon (IFN)-gamma production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from a significantly lower proportion of children compared to adults, but both interleukin (IL)-10 and IL-12 were produced by similar proportions of PBMC from the two groups. The LSA-1 junction region peptide (LSA-J) also induced IFN-gamma in a lower, but in this case statistically non-significant, proportion of PBMC from children compared to adults, whilst the proportions producing either IL-10 or IL-12 were again similar. Higher amounts of both IFN-gamma and IL-10 were induced by LSA-J compared to T1. CD8+ T-cells were shown to be primarily responsible for the production of peptide-driven IFN-gamma. The results suggest a significant age-related increase in the proportion of individuals capable of producing IFN-gamma to the N-terminal T1 epitope, with a shift from a predominantly IL-10-led response in children.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Age Factors*
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Protozoan / immunology*
  • CD5 Antigens / immunology
  • CD5 Antigens / metabolism
  • CD5 Antigens / pharmacology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / immunology*
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Interferon-gamma / biosynthesis
  • Interleukin-10 / analysis
  • Interleukin-10 / metabolism
  • Interleukin-12 / analysis
  • Plasmodium falciparum / immunology*

Substances

  • Antigens, Protozoan
  • CD5 Antigens
  • Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
  • liver stage-specific antigen, Plasmodium
  • Interleukin-10
  • Interleukin-12
  • Interferon-gamma