The transcription factor NRF2 enhances melanoma malignancy by blocking differentiation and inducing COX2 expression

AbstractThe transcription factor NRF2 is the major mediator of oxidative stress responses and is closely connected to therapy resistance in tumors harboring activating mutations in the NRF2 pathway. In melanoma, such mutations are rare, and it is unclear to what extent melanomas rely on NRF2. Here we show that NRF2 suppresses the activity of the melanocyte lineage marker MITF in melanoma, thereby reducing the expression of pigmentation markers. Intriguingly, we furthermore identified NRF2 as key regulator of immune-modulating genes, linking oxidative stress with the induction of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) in an ATF4-dependent manner. COX2 is critical for the secretion of prostaglandin E2 and was strongly induced by H2O2 or TNFα only in presence of NRF2. Induction of MITF and depletion of COX2 and PGE2 were also observed in NRF2-deleted melanoma cells in vivo. Furthermore, genes corresponding to the innate immune response such as RSAD2 and IFIH1 were strongly elevated in absence of NRF2 and coincided with immune evasion parameters in human melanoma datasets. Even in vitro, NRF2 activation or prostaglandin E2 supplementation blunted the induction of the innate immune response in melanoma cells. Transcriptome analyses from lung adenocarcinomas indicate that the observed link between NRF2 and the innate immune response is not restricted to melanoma.

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A Chemokine-Degrading Extracellular Protease Made by Group A Streptococcus Alters Pathogenesis by Enhancing Evasion of the Innate Immune Response

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.01354-07 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 76 (3) ◽

pp. 978-985 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Paul Sumby ◽

Shizhen Zhang ◽

Adeline R. Whitney ◽

Fabiana Falugi ◽

Guido Grandi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Innate Immune Response ◽

Group A Streptococcus ◽

Cell Envelope ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Infection Model ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Wild Type ◽

Group A

ABSTRACT Circumvention of the host innate immune response is critical for bacterial pathogens to infect and cause disease. Here we demonstrate that the group A Streptococcus (GAS; Streptococcus pyogenes) protease SpyCEP (S. pyogenes cell envelope protease) cleaves granulocyte chemotactic protein 2 (GCP-2) and growth-related oncogene alpha (GROα), two potent chemokines made abundantly in human tonsils. Cleavage of GCP-2 and GROα by SpyCEP abrogated their abilities to prime neutrophils for activation, detrimentally altering the innate immune response. SpyCEP expression is negatively regulated by the signal transduction system CovR/S. Purified recombinant CovR bound the spyCEP gene promoter region in vitro, indicating direct regulation. Immunoreactive SpyCEP protein was present in the culture supernatants of covR/S mutant GAS strains but not in supernatants from wild-type strains. However, wild-type GAS strains do express SpyCEP, where it is localized to the cell wall. Strain MGAS2221, an organism representative of the highly virulent and globally disseminated M1T1 GAS clone, differed significantly from its isogenic spyCEP mutant derivative strain in a mouse soft tissue infection model. Interestingly, and in contrast to previous studies, the isogenic mutant strain generated lesions of larger size than those formed following infection with the parent strain. The data indicate that SpyCEP contributes to GAS virulence in a strain- and disease-dependent manner.

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High content screening and computational prediction reveal viral genes that suppress innate immune response

10.1101/2021.12.14.472572 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Tai L Ng ◽

Erika J Olson ◽

Tae Yeon Yoo ◽

H. Sloane Weiss ◽

Yukiye Koide ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Innate Immune Response ◽

Nuclear Transport ◽

Computational Prediction ◽

Viral Proteins ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Type I ◽

Viral Genes ◽

Genes Encoding

Suppression of the host innate immune response is a critical aspect of viral replication. Upon infection, viruses may introduce one or more proteins that inhibit key immune pathways, such as the type I interferon pathway. However, the ability to predict and evaluate viral protein bioactivity on targeted pathways remains challenging and is typically done on a single virus/gene basis. Here, we present a medium-throughput high-content cell-based assay to reveal the immunosuppressive effects of viral proteins. To test the predictive power of our approach, we developed a library of 800 genes encoding known, predicted, and uncharacterized human viral genes. We find that previously known immune suppressors from numerous viral families such as Picornaviridae and Flaviviridae recorded positive responses. These include a number of viral proteases for which we further confirmed that innate immune suppression depends on protease activity. A class of predicted inhibitors encoded by Rhabdoviridae viruses was demonstrated to block nuclear transport, and several previously uncharacterized proteins from uncultivated viruses were shown to inhibit nuclear transport of the transcription factors NF-kB and IRF3. We propose that this pathway-based assay, together with early sequencing, gene synthesis, and viral infection studies, could partly serve as the basis for rapid in vitro characterization of novel viral proteins.

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The Hepatitis C Virus-Induced Membranous Web in Liver Tissue

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells7110191 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (11) ◽

pp. 191

Author(s):

Emmanuelle Blanchard ◽

Philippe Roingeard

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Hepatitis C Virus ◽

Hepatitis C ◽

Innate Immune Response ◽

Liver Tissue ◽

Hepatoma Cell ◽

Membrane Vesicles ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Host Cell Membrane

Host cell membrane rearrangements induced by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been exclusively studied in vitro. These studies have shown that HCV induces double-membrane vesicles (DMVs), which probably serve to separate replication sites from the cytoplasmic sensors of the innate immune response. We report for the first time the observation of HCV-induced membrane rearrangements in liver biopsy specimens from patients chronically infected with HCV. Unlike observations performed in vitro, the membranous web detected in liver tissue seems essentially made of clusters of single-membrane vesicles derived from the endoplasmic reticulum and close to lipid droplets. This suggests that the DMVs could be a hallmark of laboratory-adapted HCV strains, possibly due to their ability to achieve a high level of replication. Alternatively, the concealment of viral RNA in DMVs may be part of innate immune response mechanisms particularly developed in hepatoma cell lines cultured in vitro. In any case, this constitutes the first report showing the differences in the membranous web established by HCV in vitro and in vivo.

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An In Vitro Assessment of Immunostimulatory Responses to Ten Model Innate Immune Response Modulating Impurities (IIRMIs) and Peptide Drug Product, Teriparatide

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules26247461 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (24) ◽

pp. 7461

Author(s):

Claire K. Holley ◽

Edward Cedrone ◽

Duncan Donohue ◽

Barry W. Neun ◽

Daniela Verthelyi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Innate Immune Response ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Cytokine Secretion ◽

Poly I:C ◽

In Vitro Assays ◽

Innate Immune Responses ◽

Vitro Assay

Understanding, predicting, and minimizing the immunogenicity of peptide-based therapeutics are of paramount importance for ensuring the safety and efficacy of these products. The so-called anti-drug antibodies (ADA) may have various clinical consequences, including but not limited to the alteration in the product’s distribution, biological activity, and clearance profiles. The immunogenicity of biotherapeutics can be influenced by immunostimulation triggered by the presence of innate immune response modulating impurities (IIRMIs) inadvertently introduced during the manufacturing process. Herein, we evaluate the applicability of several in vitro assays (i.e., complement activation, leukocyte proliferation, and cytokine secretion) for the screening of innate immune responses induced by ten common IIRMIs (Bacillus subtilis flagellin, FSL-1, zymosan, ODN2006, poly(I:C) HMW, poly(I:C) LMW, CLO75, MDP, ODN2216, and Escherichia coli O111:B4 LPS), and a model biotherapeutic Forteo™ (teriparatide). Our study identifies cytokine secretion from healthy human donor peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) as a sensitive method for the in vitro monitoring of innate immune responses to individual IIRMIs and teriparatide (TP). We identify signature cytokines, evaluate both broad and narrow multiplex cytokine panels, and discuss how the assay logistics influence the performance of this in vitro assay.

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Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA) Mitigates the Host Inflammatory Response during Clostridioides difficile Infection by Altering Gut Bile Acids

Infection and Immunity ◽

10.1128/iai.00045-20 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 88 (6) ◽

Author(s):

Jenessa A. Winston ◽

Alissa J. Rivera ◽

Jingwei Cai ◽

Rajani Thanissery ◽

Stephanie A. Montgomery ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Bile Acid ◽

Inflammatory Response ◽

Innate Immune Response ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Colonization Resistance ◽

Content Type ◽

Clostridioides Difficile

ABSTRACT Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is associated with increasing morbidity and mortality posing an urgent threat to public health. Recurrence of CDI after successful treatment with antibiotics is high, thus necessitating discovery of novel therapeutics against this enteric pathogen. Administration of the secondary bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA; ursodiol) inhibits the life cycles of various strains of C. difficile in vitro, suggesting that the FDA-approved formulation of UDCA, known as ursodiol, may be able to restore colonization resistance against C. difficile in vivo. However, the mechanism(s) by which ursodiol is able to restore colonization resistance against C. difficile remains unknown. Here, we confirmed that ursodiol inhibits C. difficile R20291 spore germination and outgrowth, growth, and toxin activity in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. In a murine model of CDI, exogenous administration of ursodiol resulted in significant alterations in the bile acid metabolome with little to no changes in gut microbial community structure. Ursodiol pretreatment resulted in attenuation of CDI pathogenesis early in the course of disease, which coincided with alterations in the cecal and colonic inflammatory transcriptome, bile acid-activated receptors nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and transmembrane G-protein-coupled membrane receptor 5 (TGR5), which are able to modulate the innate immune response through signaling pathways such as NF-κB. Although ursodiol pretreatment did not result in a consistent decrease in the C. difficile life cycle in vivo, it was able to attenuate an overly robust inflammatory response that is detrimental to the host during CDI. Ursodiol remains a viable nonantibiotic treatment and/or prevention strategy against CDI. Likewise, modulation of the host innate immune response via bile acid-activated receptors FXR and TGR5 represents a new potential treatment strategy for patients with CDI.

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Human PSC-Derived Hepatocytes Express Low Levels of Viral Pathogen Recognition Receptors, but Are Capable of Mounting an Effective Innate Immune Response

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms21113831 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 21 (11) ◽

pp. 3831

Author(s):

Lena Fischer ◽

Baltasar Lucendo-Villarin ◽

David C. Hay ◽

Cliona O’Farrelly

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Innate Immune Response ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Receptor Expression ◽

Cytochrome P450 3A ◽

Metabolic Switch ◽

Viral Pathogen ◽

Pathogen Recognition Receptors ◽

Viral Responses

Hepatocytes are key players in the innate immune response to liver pathogens but are challenging to study because of inaccessibility and a short half-life. Recent advances in in vitro differentiation of hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) facilitated studies of hepatocyte–pathogen interactions. Here, we aimed to define the anti-viral innate immune potential of human HLCs with a focus on pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-expression and the presence of a metabolic switch. We analysed cytoplasmic PRR and endosomal toll-like receptor (TLR)-expression, as well as activity and adaptation of HLCs to an inflammatory environment. We found that transcript levels of retinoic acid inducible gene I (RIG-I), melanoma differentiation antigen 5 (MDA5), and TLR3 became downregulated during differentiation, indicating the acquisition of a more tolerogenic phenotype, as expected in healthy hepatocytes. HLCs responded to activation of RIG-I by producing interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated genes. Despite low-level levels of TLR3, receptor expression was upregulated in an inflammatory environment. TLR3 signalling induced expression of proinflammatory cytokines at the gene level, indicating that several PRRs need to interact for successful innate immune activation. The inflammatory responsiveness of HLCs was accompanied by the downregulation of cytochrome P450 3A and 1A2 activity and decreased serum protein production, showing that the metabolic switch seen in primary hepatocytes during anti-viral responses is also present in HLCs.

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The Hypoxia-Inducible Transcription Factor ZNF395 Is Controlled by IĸB Kinase-Signaling and Activates Genes Involved in the Innate Immune Response and Cancer

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0074911 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 8 (9) ◽

pp. e74911 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Darko Jordanovski ◽

Christine Herwartz ◽

Anna Pawlowski ◽

Stefanie Taute ◽

Peter Frommolt ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Transcription Factor ◽

Innate Immune Response ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Kinase Signaling

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Differential modulation of innate immune response by epinephrine and estradiol

Hormone Molecular Biology and Clinical Investigation ◽

10.1515/hmbci-2016-0046 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Sona Margaryan ◽

Armenuhi Hyusyan ◽

Anush Martirosyan ◽

Shushan Sargsian ◽

Gayane Manukyan

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Innate Immune Response ◽

Inflammatory Responses ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Induced Expression ◽

Short Term Exposure ◽

Tnf Α ◽

Vitro Effect ◽

Dose Dependent

AbstractBackgroundAlthough it is widely accepted that catecholamines and estrogens influence immunity and have consequences for health, their effect on innate immunity (e.g. monocytes and neutrophils) is still not fully investigated.Materials and methodsOur study aimed to analyze the production of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and IL-8 by whole blood cells following short-term exposure to epinephrine (Epi) and 17β-estradiol (E2) in the presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We also evaluated the in vitro effect of these hormones on expression of β2 integrin (CD11b/CD18) and L-selectin (CD62L) by circulating neutrophils and monocytes in the blood of healthy subjects.ResultsEpi has shown a potential to modulate the production of pro-inflammatory mediators. Its exposure resulted in significantly increased production of IL-8 in a dose-dependent manner. On the contrary, a dose-dependent suppression of LPS-induced production of IL-1β, IL-8, and MCP-1 by Epi was observed. In neutrophils, a modest rise in CD11b expression was observed after Epi exposure. Simultaneously, Epi suppressed LPS-induced expression of CD11b and CD18. In monocytes, Epi suppressed LPS-induced expression of C11b. E2 inhibited LPS-induced TNF-α production and caused a significant decrease in CD62L expression in both cell populations. No significant changes were observed after double exposure of cells with Epi and E2.ConclusionsThus, our results show that Epi and E2 differentially modulate the innate immune response and have a dual effect on cytokine modulation. The findings suggest that the observed immunoregulatory role of Epi and E2 may influence the outcome in endotoxin responses and can be critical in the regulation of inflammatory responses.

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Rubella Virus Strain-Associated Differences in the Induction of Oxidative Stress Are Independent of Their Interferon Activation

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v10100540 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 540 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sarah Zobel ◽

Mechthild Lorenz ◽

Giada Frascaroli ◽

Janik Böhnke ◽

Nicole Bilz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Immune Response ◽

Innate Immune Response ◽

Rubella Virus ◽

Gene Activation ◽

Innate Immune ◽

Clinical Isolates ◽

Stress Induction ◽

Mitochondrial Superoxide ◽

Mitochondrial Ros

Rubella virus (RV) infection impacts cellular metabolic activity in a complex manner with strain-specific nutritional requirements. Here we addressed whether this differential metabolic influence was associated with differences in oxidative stress induction and subsequently with innate immune response activation. The low passaged clinical isolates of RV examined in this study induced oxidative stress as validated through generation of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) cytoplasmic hydrogen peroxide and mitochondrial superoxide. The addition of the cytoplasmic and mitochondrial ROS scavengers N-acetyl-l-cysteine and MitoTEMPO, respectively, reduced RV-associated cytopathogenicity and caspase activation. While the degree of oxidative stress induction varied among RV clinical isolates, the level of innate immune response and interferon-stimulated gene activation was comparable. The type III IFNs were highly upregulated in all cell culture systems tested. However, only pre-stimulation with IFN β slightly reduced RV replication indicating that RV appears to have evolved the ability to counteract innate immune response mechanisms. Through the data presented, we showed that the ability of RV to induce oxidative stress was independent of its capacity to stimulate and counteract the intrinsic innate immune response.

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