Université de Fribourg

γδ T cells kill Plasmodium falciparum in a granzyme- and granulysin-dependent mechanism during the late blood stage

Hernández-Castañeda, Maria Andrea ; Happ, Katharina ; Cattalani, Filippo ; Wallimann, Alexandra ; Blanchard, Marianne ; Fellay, Isabelle ; Scolari, Brigitte ; Lannes, Nils ; Mbagwu, Smart Ikechukwu ; Fellay, Benoît ; Filgueira, Luis ; Mantel, Pierre-Yves ; Walch, Michael

In: The Journal of Immunology, 2020, vol. 204, no. 7, p. 1798–1809

Plasmodium spp., the causative agent of malaria, have a complex life cycle. The exponential growth of the parasites during the blood stage is responsible for almost all malaria-associated morbidity and mortality. Therefore, tight immune control of the intraerythrocytic replication of the parasite is essential to prevent clinical malaria. Despite evidence that the particular lymphocyte subset ...

Université de Fribourg

Human microglia respond to malaria-induced extracellular vesicles

Mbagwu, Smart Ikechukwu ; Lannes, Nils ; Walch, Michael ; Filgueira, Luis ; Mantel, Pierre-Yves

In: Pathogens, 2020, vol. 9, no. 1, p. 21

Microglia are the chief immune cells of the brain and have been reported to be activated in severe malaria. Their activation may drive towards neuroinflammation in cerebral malaria. Malaria-infected red blood cell derived-extracellular vesicles (MiREVs) are produced during the blood stage of malaria infection. They mediate intercellular communication and immune regulation, among other...

Université de Fribourg

Differential expression of CD31 and von Willebrand factor on endothelial cells in different regions of the human brain: potential implications for cerebral malaria pathogenesis

Mbagwu, Smart Ikechukwu ; Filgueira, Luis

In: Brain Sciences, 2020, vol. 10, no. 1, p. 31

Cerebral microvascular endothelial cells (CMVECs) line the vascular system of the brain and are the chief cells in the formation and function of the blood brain barrier (BBB). These cells are heterogeneous along the cerebral vasculature and any dysfunctional state in these cells can result in a local loss of function of the BBB in any region of the brain. There is currently no report on the...

Université de Fribourg

Evaluation of extracellular vesicle function during malaria infection

Andrea Hernández-Castañeda, María ; Mbagwu, Smart Ikechukwu ; Babatunde, Kehinde Adebayo ; Walch, Michael ; Filgueira, Luis ; Mantel, Pierre-Yves

In: JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), 2018, no. 132, p. e57067

Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by Plasmodium parasites, with P. falciparum being the most prevalent on the African continent and responsible for most malaria-related deaths globally. Several factors including parasite sequestration in tissues, vascular dysfunction, and inflammatory responses influence the evolution of the disease in malaria-infected people. P. falciparum-infected...

Université de Fribourg

Malaria infected red blood cells release small regulatory RNAs through extracellular vesicles

Babatunde, Kehinde Adebayo ; Mbagwu, Smart Ikechukwu ; Hernández-Castañeda, María Andrea ; Adapa, Swamy R. ; Walch, Michael ; Filgueira, Luis ; Falquet, Laurent ; Jiang, Rays H. Y. ; Ghiran, Ionita ; Mantel, Pierre-Yves

In: Scientific Reports, 2018, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 884

The parasite Plasmodium falciparum causes the most severe form of malaria. Cell communication between parasites is an important mechanism to control population density and differentiation. The infected red blood cells (iRBCs) release small extracellular vesicles (EVs) that transfer cargoes between cells. The EVs synchronize the differentiation of the asexual parasites into gametocytes to initiate...