Detection of gene expression of serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT2)‎ in mouse cell line RAW 264. 7 infected with leishmania mexicana amastigotes

Abstract EN

Leishmania species are the causative agent of a tropical disease known as leishmaniasis.

Previous studies on the old world species Leishmania major, showed that the amastigotes form which resides inside the macrophage of the vertebrate host, utilize host’s sphingolipids for survival and proliferation.

In this study, gene expression of serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) subunit two (MmLCB2) of the mouse macrophage cell line (RAW264.7), which is the first enzyme in the de novo sphingolipid biosynthesis, was detected in both infected and non-infected macrophages.

This was detected under condition where available sphingolipid was reduced, with the new world species Leishmania mexicana.

Results of qPCR analysis showed that there was no difference in the expression of MmLCB2 in infected and non-infected macrophages, under normal and serum-reduced media, suggesting that host sphingolipid did not up-regulated during infection.

This can be concluded as a difference between the Old and New world Leishmania on the level of host-parasite interaction.