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Tnf-α expression and promoter sequences reflect the balance of tolerance/resistance to Puumala hantavirus infection in European bank vole populations.
- Source :
-
Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases [Infect Genet Evol] 2010 Dec; Vol. 10 (8), pp. 1208-17. Date of Electronic Publication: 2010 Aug 05. - Publication Year :
- 2010
-
Abstract
- The tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) influences the ability to limit parasite infection but its over-production might result in inflammatory disorders. The level of Tnf-α gene expression could thus mediate a balance of tolerance/resistance to infections. This study focused on Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infection in its rodent host, the bank vole (Myodes glareolus). In humans, PUUV is responsible of a mild form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, nephropathia epidemica (NE). The severity of NE is associated with an over-production of TNF-α. By contrast, PUUV infection in bank vole is chronic and asymptomatic. It is likely that different coevolutionary histories between PUUV and its hosts could lead to different balances of resistance/tolerance to PUUV infection, at least partly mediated by variable production levels of TNF-α. We investigated the hypothesis that bank voles from PUUV endemic areas should exhibit higher levels of tolerance, i.e. lower levels of TNF-α production, than bank voles from areas where PUUV prevalence is low. For this purpose, we analysed variations of Tnf-α gene expression and promoter sequences among European populations of bank voles. Our results revealed an absence of up-regulation of Tnf-α gene expression in PUUV infected bank voles and significant differences in Tnf-α gene expression level with regard to PUUV endemicity. These results corroborated the hypothesis of different balances of tolerance/resistance to PUUV. Two single-nucleotide polymorphism genotypes within the Tnf-α promoter (-302 GG/GG and -296 A/A) were associated with higher Tnf-α gene expression and were more frequent in non-endemic areas. This study emphasized the potential influence of selection acting on TNF-α production and mediating a tolerance/resistance balance to PUUV in bank voles. Further investigations, including the role of phenotypic plasticity and parasite communities on Tnf-α expression levels, should provide important keys to understand the prevalence of PUUV over Europe.<br /> (Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Subjects :
- Animals
Antibodies, Viral blood
Base Sequence
Europe
Gene Expression
Genotype
Hantavirus Infections genetics
Hantavirus Infections immunology
Hantavirus Infections virology
Immunity, Innate
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide
Promoter Regions, Genetic
Rodent Diseases genetics
Rodent Diseases virology
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha blood
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha immunology
Arvicolinae genetics
Arvicolinae virology
Hantavirus Infections veterinary
Puumala virus immunology
Rodent Diseases immunology
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha genetics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1567-7257
- Volume :
- 10
- Issue :
- 8
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 20691810
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.meegid.2010.07.022