T lymphocyte-dependent IL-10 down-regulates a cytokine storm driven by Toxoplasma gondii GRA24

As a model organism in the study of immunity to infection, has been instrumental in establishing key principles of host anti-microbial defense and its regulation. Here, we employed an attenuated uracil auxotroph strain of Type I designated OMP to further untangle the early immune response to this parasitic pathogen. Experiments using αβ T cell-deficient mice unexpectedly revealed that an intact αβ T lymphocyte compartment was essential to survive infection with OMP. Subsequent antibody depletion and knockout mouse experiments demonstrated contributions from CD4 T cells and most predominantly CD8 T cells in resistance. Using transgenic knockout mice, we found only a partial requirement for IFN-γ and a lack of requirement for Toll-like receptor (TLR) adaptor MyD88 in resistance. In contrast to other studies on , the ability to survive OMP infection did not require IL-12p40. Surprisingly, T cell-dependent IL-10 was found to be critical for survival, and deficiency of this cytokine triggered an abnormally high systemic inflammatory response. We also found that parasite molecule GRA24, a dense granule protein that triggers TLR-independent IL-12 production, acts as a virulence factor contributing to death of OMP-infected and mice. Furthermore, resistance against OMP was restored in mice via monoclonal depletion of IL-12p40, suggesting that GRA24-induced IL-12 underlies the fatal immunopathology observed. Collectively, our studies provide insight into a novel and rapidly arising T lymphocyte-dependent anti-inflammatory response to which operates independently of MyD88 and IL-12 and that depends on the function of parasite-dense granule protein GRA24.IMPORTANCEAs a model infectious microbe and an important human pathogen, the apicomplexan has provided many important insights into innate and adaptive immunity to infection. We show here that a low virulence uracil auxotrophic strain emerges as a virulent parasite in the absence of an intact T cell compartment. Both CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes are required for optimal protection, in line with previous findings in other models of infection. Nevertheless, several novel aspects of the response were identified in our study. Protection occurs independently of IL-12 and MyD88 and only partially requires IFN-γ. This is noteworthy particularly because the cytokines IL-12 and IFN-γ have previously been regarded as essential for protective immunity to . Instead, we identified the anti-inflammatory effects of T cell-dependent IL-