AUTHOR=Jin Xiaoliang , Li Yating , Yang Xing , Zheng Yadong 

TITLE=Modulatory Effects of Echinococcus multilocularis emu-let-7-5p on the Immunological Functions of RAW264.7 Macrophages

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2021.663497

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2021.663497

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Echinococcus multilocularis</italic> is a zoonotic tapeworm with great medical significance. In <italic>E. multilocularis</italic>-infected mice, parasite-derived let-7-5p (emu-let-7-5p) is present in the sera, but its role remains unclear. Using qPCR, ELISA and flow cytometry, the immunomodulatory effects of emu-let-7-5p were <italic>in vitro</italic> investigated using RAW264.7 macrophages. Compared with the control, emu-let-7-5p significantly downregulated IL-1α (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05), but anti-inflammatory cytokine genes remained to be stably expressed in the treated macrophages. Moreover, significantly decreased expression of <italic>ripk1</italic> and <italic>nf-kB</italic>, key components in the LPS/TLR4 signaling pathway, was also observed in the emu-let-7-5p-transfected cells (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05). Furthermore, CD40 was upregulated in these transfected cells (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05), while CD86, CD54 and CD80 remained unchanged compared that in the control. These results demonstrate a property of emu-let-7-5p in regulation of immune functions of macrophages, making it be possibly involved in the pathogen-host interplay during <italic>E. multilocularis</italic> infection.</p>