Photo Credit: Md Babul Hosen
The following is a summary of “Transcriptomic evidence of immune modulation in subjects with chronic Trypanosoma cruzi infection,” published in the August 2024 issue of Infectious Disease by Ros-Lucas et al.
Millions of people are affected by Chagas disease, a tropical infection. Researchers conducted a retrospective study to investigate transcriptomic changes in individuals with T. cruzi infection before and after treatment.
They analyzed gene transcription by RNA Sequencing in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from three groups: asymptomatic (n=19) and symptomatic (n=8), T. cruzi-infected, and non-infected controls (n=15). Differential gene expression was compared across these groups and before and after treatment in the infected subgroups.
The result showed that 12 genes were upregulated in untreated infection, 206 were downregulated in all subjects with infection, 47 were upregulated, and 215 were downregulated in the symptomatic group. Few differentially expressed genes were found after treatment and between the different infected groups. Some revealed immune-related pathways were activated during infection in gene set enrichment analysis, normalizing immune function. The kynurenine/tryptophan ratio increased before treatment, suggesting chronic immune fatigue, which was restored after treatment.
They concluded that differentially expressed genes are potential biomarkers and pathways for disease treatment and progression.
Source: academic.oup.com/jid/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/infdis/jiae429/7743136
