MiR-146a and miR-155 delineate a microRNA fingerprint associated with toxoplasma persistence in the host brain

  • Dominique Cannella
  • , Marie Pierre Brenier-Pinchart
  • , Laurence Braun
  • , Jason M. vanRooyen
  • , Alexandre Bougdour
  • , Olivier Bastien
  • , Michael S. Behnke
  • , Rose Laurence Curt
  • , Aurélie Curt
  • , Jeroen P.J. Saeij
  • , L. David Sibley
  • , Hervé Pelloux
  • , Mohamed Ali Hakimi

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

81 Scopus citations

Abstract

microRNAs were recently found to be regulators of the host response to infection by apicomplexan parasites. In this study, we identified two immunomodulatory microRNAs, miR-146a and miR-155, that werecoinduced in the brains of mice challenged with Toxoplasma in a strain-specific manner. These microRNAs define a characteristic fingerprint for infection by type II strains, which are the most prevalent cause of human toxoplasmosis in Europe and North America. Using forward genetics, we showed that strain-specific differences in miR-146a modulation were in part mediated by the rhoptry kinase, ROP16. Remarkably, we found that miR-146a deficiency led to better control of parasite burden in the gut and most likely of early parasite dissemination in the brain tissue, resulting in the long-term survival of mice.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)928-937
Number of pages10
JournalCell Reports
Volume6
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - 2014

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