The immune status of Kupffer cells profoundly influences their responses to infectious Plasmodium berghei sporozoites

Multi-factorial immune mechanisms underlie protection induced with radiation-attenuated Plasmodia sporozoites (gamma-spz). Spz pass through Kupffer cells (KC) before invading hepatocytes but the involvement of KC in protection is poorly understood. In this study we investigated whether gamma-spz-immune KC respond to infectious spz in a manner that is distinct from the response of naive KC to infectious spz. KC were isolated from (1) naive, (2) spz-infected, (3) gamma-spz-immune, and (4) gamma-spz-immune-challenged C57BL/6 mice and examined for the expression of MHC class I and 11, CD40 and CD80/CD86, IL-10 and IL-12 responses and antigen-presenting cell (APC) function. KC from gamma-spz-immune-challenged mice up-regulated class I and costimulatory molecules and produced elevated IL-12p40, relative to naive KC. In contrast, KC from naive mice exposed to infectious spz down-modulated class I and IL-12p40 was undetectable. Accordingly, KC from spz-infected mice had reduced APC function, while KC from gamma-spz-immune-challenged mice exhibited augmented APC activity. The nearly opposite responses are consistent with the fact that spz challenge of gamma-spz-immune mice results in long-lasting sterile protection, while infection of naive mice always results in malaria.