Experimental Trypanosoma brucei infections selectively suppress both interleukin 2 production and interleukin 2 receptor expression

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Abstract
Experimental infections with Trypanosoma brucei AnTat 1.1. E not only account for a suppression of interleukin 2 (IL2) production, but also induce an impairment of IL2 receptor expression. Indeed, lymph node cells derived from infected mice failed to express IL2 receptors following mitogenic stimulation as compared to normal controls. This impairment was not attributed to a modulation of the number of T cells and was not caused by the presence of living parasites. Furthermore, the basal level of IL2 receptor expression could not be re-established through the exogenous supply of recombinant IL2. This impairment of receptor expression was found to be mediated by suppressive cells that affect the relative number of receptor-positive cells as well as the mean receptor density. On the other hand, the mitogen-induced secretion of other T cell-derived lymphokines was not inhibited during infection, indicating that the severe suppression of IL2 regulation was not attributed to a total paralysis of the T cell responsiveness.

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