Trypanosoma cruzi heat‐shock protein‐70 kDa, alone or fused to the parasite KMP11 antigen, induces functional maturation of murine dendritic cells

We analyse the effect of Trypanosoma cruzi heat‐shock protein‐70 (HSP70) on the maturation of murine dendritic cells (DC) generated from bone marrow precursor cells. The results obtained show that HSP70, both alone and fused to the KMP11 antigen, as well as a HSP70 fragment, is capable of maturing murine DC. Mature DC have enhanced expression of IL12, TNF‐α cytokines, costimulation molecules and activation markers, showing a clear increase in the allostimulatory capacity. These findings suggest that T. cruzi HSP70 may be a very useful vehicle for developing DC‐based immunoprophylaxis and therapy against infections.