Cytoadhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells changes
the expression of cytokine-, histone- and antiviral protein-encoding
genes in brain endothelial cells
Abstract
Malaria remains a significant global health problem, mainly due to
Plasmodium falciparum, which is responsible for most fatal
infections. Infected red blood cells (iRBCs) evade spleen clearance by
adhering to endothelial cells (ECs), triggering capillary blockage,
inflammation, endothelial dysfunction and altered vascular permeability,
prompting an endothelial transcriptional response. The iRBC
IT4var04/HBEC-5i model, where iRBCs present IT4var04
(VAR2CSA) on their surface, was used to analyse the effects of iRBC
binding on ECs at different temperature (37°C vs. 40°C). Binding of
non-infected RBCs (niRBCs) and fever alone altered the expression of
hundreds of genes in ECs. Comparing the expression profile of HBEC-5i
cells cultured either in the presence of iRBCs or in the presence of
niRBCs revealed significant upregulation of genes linked to immune
response, nucleosome assembly, NF-kappa B signaling, angiogenesis, and
antiviral immune response/interferon-alpha/beta signaling. Raising the
temperature to 40°C, simulating fever, led to further upregulation of
many genes, particularly those involved in cytokine production and
angiogenesis. In summary, the presence of iRBCs stimulates ECs,
activating several immunological pathways and affecting antiviral
(-parasitic) mechanisms and angiogenesis. Our data uncovered the
induction of the interferon-alpha/beta signaling pathway in ECs in
response to iRBCs.