Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 16;230(6):1518-1528.
doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiae429.

Transcriptomic Evidence of Immune Modulation in Subjects With Chronic Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

Albert Ros-Lucas  1   2   3 , Juan Carlos Gabaldón-Figueira  1   4 , Nieves Martínez-Peinado  1 , Irene Losada-Galván  1 , Elizabeth Posada  1 , Elisa Escabia  1 , Beatriz Martín-Mur  5 , Marta Gut  5 , Anna Esteve-Codina  5 , Joaquim Gascón  1   3 , María-Jesús Pinazo  3   6 , Julio Alonso-Padilla  1   3
Affiliations

Transcriptomic Evidence of Immune Modulation in Subjects With Chronic Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

Albert Ros-Lucas et al. J Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical infection that affects millions of people. This study explores transcriptomic changes in Trypanosoma cruzi-infected subjects before and after treatment. Using total RNA sequencing, gene transcription was analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from asymptomatic (n = 19) and symptomatic (n = 8) T. cruzi-infected individuals, and noninfected controls (n = 15). Differential expression was compared across groups, and before/after treatment in infected subgroups. Untreated infection showed 12 upregulated and 206 downregulated genes in all T. cruzi-infected subjects, and 47 upregulated and 215 downregulated genes in the symptomatic group. Few differentially expressed genes were found after treatment and between the different infected groups. Gene set enrichment analysis highlighted immune-related pathways activated during infection, with therapy normalizing immune function. Changes in the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio, increased pretreatment, suggested chronic immune fatigue, which was restored posttreatment. These differentially expressed genes offer insights for potential biomarkers and pathways associated with disease progression and treatment response.

Keywords: Trypanosoma cruzi; Chagas disease; RNA-seq; differentially expressed genes; immune response.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Potential conflict of interest. All authors: No reported conflicts. All authors have submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Conflicts that the editors consider relevant to the content of the manuscript have been disclosed.