AI Article Synopsis
- Q fever is caused by the bacterium Coxiella burnetii, with acute cases showing a strong immune response, while chronic cases involve a weak immune response and lack of lymph growth.
- Research indicates that proteins LNX1 and LNX2, which affect the T-cell co-receptor CD8, play a role in the immune response and were studied in relation to Q fever.
- Elevated levels of LNX1 and LNX2 mRNAs were found in chronic Q fever cases, particularly in endocarditis, suggesting these proteins could serve as additional biomarkers for monitoring chronic Q fever prognosis.
Article Abstract
Q fever is a disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular bacterium. Acute Q fever is spontaneously resolutive and is characterized by an efficient immune response. In contrast, chronic Q fever is characterized by dysregulated immune response, as demonstrated by the failure of C. burnetii to induce lymphoproliferation and the lack of granulomas. Recently, it has been demonstrated that when co-expressed in heterologous mammalian cell lines, the ligands of Numb proteins X1 and X2 (LNX1 and LNX2) regulate the level of the T-cell co-receptor CD8, which plays an essential role in T-cell-mediated immune response. We decided to investigate the expression of LNX1 and LNX2 genes in patients with acute or chronic Q fever. Interestingly, we found a high level of LNX1 and LNX2 mRNAs in endocarditis, the principal manifestation of chronic Q fever, but not in acute Q fever. Our data suggest that LNXs may be used as complementary biomarkers to follow the prognosis of chronic Q fever.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-695X.2011.00860.x | DOI Listing |
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