Figure 6.

IL-27 tips the balance of immunity toward L. infantum survival. IL-27 plays a role in the suppression of the protective immune response during L. infantum infection. (A) In EBI^−/− mice, IL-27 modulates the IL-17 production and neutrophil infiltration. (B) Higher expression of powerful neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL1 is observed in the spleen of EBI3^−/− mice. (C) IL-27 and its receptor expressed during the early phase of L. infantum infection where infected DCs and macrophages are the major producers of this cytokine in pathways originating from TLR3, TLR9, and IFN-β. (D) As Th1 and Th17 cells-related responses help combat L. infantum infection, IL-27 is regarded as the susceptibility factor because of its ability to interfere with Th1- and Th17-induced protection.