DOI: 10.1111/pim.70108 ISSN: 0141-9838
Mechanism of
Neospora caninum
SRS29C Protein‐Induced Inflammatory Responses in RAW264.7 Macrophages via the AKT/MAPK/NF‐κB Pathways
Siyan Dong, Yuxin Liu, Longzheng Yu, Bingyin Zhang, Yi Li, Tianyu Zhu, Shujiang Xue, Chunmei Jin ABSTRACT
Macrophages, as key components of the innate immune system, play a crucial role in defending against
N. caninum
infection. However, the regulatory effects and molecular mechanisms of the recombinant
N. caninum
surface protein
rNcSRS29C
on macrophages remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which
rNcSRS29C
induces inflammatory responses in
RAW264
.7 macrophages. Following treatment of
RAW264
.7 macrophages with a non‐cytotoxic concentration of
rNcSRS29C
, the protein induced time‐dependent increases in the production of nitric oxide (
NO
) and reactive oxygen species (
ROS
), as well as a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential (
mMP
), indicative of early cellular damage.
RT
‐
qPCR
analysis revealed significant upregulation of pro‐inflammatory cytokines (such as
TNF
‐α and
IL
‐6) and chemokines (including
CCL2
,
CCL5
, and
CXCL10
) at the
mRNA
level. Western blotting further confirmed a significant increase in phosphorylation levels of key signalling pathway proteins. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that the
rNcSRS29C
protein activates the
NF
‐
κB
,
AKT
, and
MAPK
signalling pathways, thereby inducing inflammatory responses in
RAW264
.7 macrophages.