Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Regional Partnership Program : Manitoba

Chlamydiae are globally important human bacterial pathogens that cause infectious diseases with serious sequelae. The lack of a clear understanding of the mechanisms of protective/ pathological reactions has been a major obstacle for the rational development of a vaccine. We recently demonstrated that the interaction between the innate and adaptive reponses are important for the proper development protective immunity against chlamydial infection. Specifically, we found that many types of leukocyte cells including dendritic cell (DCs), NKT cells and T cells play a role in this process. Our objective for the proposed study is to examine the interaction between NKT cells, DCs and T cells during Cpn infection with a focus on the effect of NKT on DC subsets and its impact on T cell responses and disease outcomes. We will use mouse model of lung infection with Chlamydia to examine the interaction of NKT and DCs. Different types of mice including those with deficiency in particular cells and molecules. We will examine the immune responses, disease process and the outcome of infection in the special and normal control mice. We will also examine the changes in how cells look like and changes in cell functions especially those aspects related host dense against chlamydial infections and diseases. This study will provide insight into the linkage between innate and adaptive immunity which are the two arms of immune responses. The study may lead to identification of new mechanisms related to chlamydial immunity and pathogenesis. Such knowledge will be very useful for the rational design of a chlamydial vaccine in particular and be helpful in understanding immune regulation, host defense and vaccine develop