Skip to main content

ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. T Cell Biology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1429302

a2,6 Sialylation distinguishes a novel active state in CD4 + and CD8 + cells during acute Toxoplasma gondii infection

Provisionally accepted
Diego Sierra-Ulloa Diego Sierra-Ulloa 1Jacquelina Fernández Vargas Jacquelina Fernández Vargas 2María Cacelín María Cacelín 1Gloria A. González-Aguilar Gloria A. González-Aguilar 1,3Rafael Saavedra Rafael Saavedra 2*Eda P. Tenorio Eda P. Tenorio 1*
  • 1 Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México., Ciudad de México., Mexico
  • 2 Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico, Mexico
  • 3 Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Toxoplasmosis is a worldwide parasitosis that is usually asymptomatic; cell-mediated immunity, particularly T cells, is a crucial mediator of the immune response against this parasite. Membrane protein expression has been studied for a long time in T lymphocytes, providing vital information to determine functional checkpoints. However, little is known about the role of post-translational modifications in T cell function. Glycosylation plays essential roles during maturation and function; particularly, sialic acid modulation is determinant for accurate T cell regulation of processes like adhesion, cell-cell communication, and apoptosis induction. Despite its importance, the role of T cell sialylation during infection remains unclear. Herein, we aimed to evaluate whether different membrane sialylation motifs are modified in T cells during acute Toxoplasma gondii infection using different lectins. To this end, BALB/c Foxp3 EGFP mice were infected with T. gondii, and on days 3, 7, and 10 post-infection, splenocytes were obtained to analyze conventional (Foxp3 -) CD4 + and CD8 + populations by flow cytometry. Among the different lectins used for analysis, only Sambucus nigra lectin, which detects sialic acid a2,6 linkages, revealed two distinctive populations (SN Bright and SN - /Dim ) after infection. Further characterization of CD4 + and CD8 + SN -/Dim lymphocytes showed that these are highly activated cells, with a TEf/EM or TCM phenotype that produce high IFN-g levels, a previously undescribed cell state. This work demonstrates that glycan membrane analysis in T cells reveals previously overlooked functional states by evaluating only protein expression.

    Keywords: T lymphocytes 1, Toxoplasma gondii 2, A2, 6 Sialylation 3, T cell functional states 4

    Received: 07 May 2024; Accepted: 02 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Sierra-Ulloa, Fernández Vargas, Cacelín, González-Aguilar, Saavedra and Tenorio. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Rafael Saavedra, Department of Immunology, Institute of Biomedical Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico, Mexico
    Eda P. Tenorio, Departamento de Bioquímica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México., Ciudad de México., Mexico

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.