Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense Inhibitor of Cysteine Peptidase (ICP) Is Required for Virulence in Mice and to Attenuate the Inflammatory Response.

The protozoan Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense causes Human African Trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, and penetrates the central nervous system, leading to meningoencephalitis. The Cathepsin L-like cysteine peptidase of T. b. rhodesiense has been implicated in parasite penetration of the blood-brain barrier and its activity is modulated by the chagasin-family endogenous inhibitor of cysteine peptidases (ICP). To investigate the role of ICP in T. b. rhodesiense bloodstream form, ICP -null (Δ icp ) mutants were generated, and lines re-expressing ICP (Δ icp:ICP ). Lysates of Δ icp displayed increased E-64-sensitive cysteine peptidase activity and the mutant parasites traversed human brain microvascular endothelial cell (HBMEC) monolayers in vitro more efficiently. Δ icp induced E-selectin in HBMECs, leading to the adherence of higher numbers of human neutrophils. In C57BL/6 mice, no Δ icp parasites could be detected in the blood after 6 days, while mice infected with wild-type (WT) or Δ icp:ICP displayed high parasitemia, peaking at day 12. In mice infected with Δ icp , there was increased recruitment of monocytes to the site of inoculation and higher levels of IFN-γ in the spleen. At day 14, mice infected with Δ icp exhibited higher preservation of the CD4 + , CD8 + , and CD19 + populations in the spleen, accompanied by sustained high IFN-γ, while NK1.1 + populations receded nearly to the levels of uninfected controls. We propose that ICP helps to downregulate inflammatory responses that contribute to the control of infection.