Testosterone-induced susceptibility to Plasmodium chabaudi malaria: variant protein expression in functionally changed splenic non-T cells.

This study investigates the effects of the male sex hormone, testosterone (Te), on self-healing of Plasmodium chabaudi malaria as well as on protein expression and functional properties of total spleen cells and splenic T cells in females of the mouse strain C57BL/10. About 90% of the B10 females survive a challenge with 10(6) P. chabaudi-infected erythrocytes. The percentage of self-healers, however, is reduced to about 60%, 40%, and 0% after pretreatment with Te for 1, 2, and 3 weeks, respectively. The progressive loss of the capability of self-healing is correlated with an increasing expression of five proteins in splenic non-T cells as revealed by two-dimensional fluorography after metabolic labelling of total spleen cells and T cells with [35S]methionine. These have molecular masses (isoelectric points) of about 10 kDa (pI 5.7), 14 kDa (pI 6.3), 14 kDa (pI 6.4), 38 kDa (pI 6.5), and 46 kDa (pI 5.5), respectively. Splenic non-T cells from mice treated with Te for 3 weeks have gained an increased capability to stimulate the concanavalin A-induced proliferative response of T cells. Te induces the changes in functional properties and protein expression of splenic non-T cells only in vivo and not in vitro. This suggests that the changes in splenic non-T cells as well as the prevention of self-healing P. chabaudi malaria are not directly induced by Te but rather indirectly, i.e. by a Te metabolite and/or Te-induced factor(s).