genetic and functional role of tnf-alpha in the development trypanosoma cruzi infection遗传和功能作用的tnf发展鲁兹锥体感染.pdfVIP

Genetic and Functional Role of TNF-alpha in the Development Trypanosoma cruzi Infection 1 2 1 ´ 1 Cristina Wide Pissetti , Dalmo Correia , Rafael Faria de Oliveira , Maurıcio Manoel Llaguno , Marly 3 3 1 Aparecida Spadotto Balarin , Roseane Lopes Silva-Grecco , Virmondes Rodrigues Jr. * ˆ 1 Laboratory of Immunology, Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2 Department of Internal Medicine, Universidade Federal do ˆ ˆ Triangulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil, 3 Laboratory of Genetics, Universidade Federal do Triangulo Mineiro, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, Brazil Abstract TNF-alpha plays an important role in trypanocidal mechanisms and is related to tissue injury. This cytokine has been detected in the heart of human chagasic patients where it is associated with tissue damage. This study investigated whether TNF-alpha levels and the presence of genetic polymorphisms are associated with the presence of T. cruzi infection and/or with the development of the cardiac form in chronic chagasic patients. Genomic DNA of 300 subjects from an endemic area was extracted and analyzed by PCR using specific primers. TNF-alpha was assayed in culture supernatants by ELISA. An association was observed between the absence of the TNF-238A allele and negative serology. Furthermore, seropositive individuals carrying the TNF-238A allele produced significantly higher TNF-alpha levels without stimulation (