scholarly journals Scavenging nucleic acid debris to combat autoimmunity and infectious disease

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (35) ◽  
pp. 9728-9733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eda K. Holl ◽  
Kara L. Shumansky ◽  
Luke B. Borst ◽  
Angela D. Burnette ◽  
Christopher J. Sample ◽  
...  

Nucleic acid-containing debris released from dead and dying cells can be recognized as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) or pattern-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by the innate immune system. Inappropriate activation of the innate immune response can engender pathological inflammation and autoimmune disease. To combat such diseases, major efforts have been made to therapeutically target the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) such as the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) that recognize such DAMPs and PAMPs, or the downstream effector molecules they engender, to limit inflammation. Unfortunately, such strategies can limit the ability of the immune system to combat infection. Previously, we demonstrated that nucleic acid-binding polymers can act as molecular scavengers and limit the ability of artificial nucleic acid ligands to activate PRRs. Herein, we demonstrate that nucleic acid scavengers (NASs) can limit pathological inflammation and nucleic acid-associated autoimmunity in lupus-prone mice. Moreover, we observe that such NASs do not limit an animal’s ability to combat viral infection, but rather their administration improves survival when animals are challenged with lethal doses of influenza. These results indicate that molecules that scavenge extracellular nucleic acid debris represent potentially safer agents to control pathological inflammation associated with a wide range of autoimmune and infectious diseases.

Author(s):  
Paul Klenerman

How does the immune system know when to respond? ‘First responders: the innate immune response’ considers this fundamental question that is central to understanding both normal (e.g. to infections) and abnormal (e.g. in auto-immune diseases) responses; and designing vaccines and new therapies in cancer and infectious diseases. It looks at how ‘danger’ is sensed by the immune system through pathogen-associated molecular patterns and damage-associated molecular patterns. Having been alerted, it is important that rapid action is taken to limit the spread of a pathogen. A number of responses can be initiated immediately, forming a critical part of our innate immunity, which are followed by the acute phase response.


2004 ◽  
Vol 381 (2) ◽  
pp. 527-536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha TRIANTAFILOU ◽  
Klaus BRANDENBURG ◽  
Shoichi KUSUMOTO ◽  
Koichi FUKASE ◽  
Alan MACKIE ◽  
...  

The innate immune system has the capacity to recognize a wide range of pathogens based on conserved PAMPs (pathogen-associated molecular patterns). In the case of bacterial LPS (lipopolysaccharide) recognition, the best studied PAMP, it has been shown that the innate immune system employs at least three cell-surface receptors: CD14, TLR4 (Toll-like receptor 4) and MD-2 protein. CD14 binds LPS from Enterobacteriaceae and then transfers it to MD-2, leading to TLR4 aggregation and signal transduction. LPS analogues such as lipid IVa seem to act as LPS antagonists in human cells, but exhibit LPS mimetic activity in mouse cells. Although TLR4 has been shown to be involved in this species-specific discrimination, the mechanism by which this is achieved has not been elucidated. The questions that remain are how the innate immune system can discriminate between LPS from different bacteria as well as different LPS analogues, and whether or not the structure of LPS affects its interaction with the CD14–TLR4–MD-2 cluster. Is it possible that the ‘shape’ of LPS induces the formation of different receptor clusters, and thus a different immune response? In the present study, we demonstrate using biochemical as well as fluorescence-imaging techniques that different LPS analogues trigger the recruitment of different receptors within microdomains. The composition of each receptor cluster as well as the number of TLR4 molecules that are recruited within the cluster seem to determine whether an immune response will be induced or inhibited.


2014 ◽  
Vol 306 (2) ◽  
pp. H184-H196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cameron G. McCarthy ◽  
Styliani Goulopoulou ◽  
Camilla F. Wenceslau ◽  
Kathryn Spitler ◽  
Takayuki Matsumoto ◽  
...  

Low-grade systemic inflammation is a common manifestation of hypertension; however, the exact mechanisms that initiate this pathophysiological response, thereby contributing to further increases in blood pressure, are not well understood. Aberrant vascular inflammation and reactivity via activation of the innate immune system may be the first step in the pathogenesis of hypertension. One of the functions of the innate immune system is to recognize and respond to danger. Danger signals can arise from not only pathogenic stimuli but also endogenous molecules released following cell injury and/or death [damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs)]. In the short-term, activation of the innate immune system is beneficial in the vasculature by providing cytoprotective mechanisms and facilitating tissue repair following injury or infection. However, sustained or excessive immune system activation, such as in autoimmune diseases, may be deleterious and can lead to maladaptive, irreversible changes to vascular structure and function. An initial source of DAMPs that enter the circulation to activate the innate immune system could arise from modest elevations in peripheral vascular resistance. These stimuli could subsequently lead to ischemic- or pressure-induced events aggravating further cell injury and/or death, providing more DAMPs for innate immune system activation. This review will address and critically evaluate the current literature on the role of the innate immune system in hypertension pathogenesis. The role of Toll-like receptor activation on somatic cells of the vasculature in response to the release of DAMPs and the consequences of this activation on inflammation, vasoreactivity, and vascular remodeling will be specifically discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Jentho ◽  
Sebastian Weis

The ability to remember a previous encounter with pathogens was long thought to be a key feature of the adaptive immune system enabling the host to mount a faster, more specific and more effective immune response upon the reencounter, reducing the severity of infectious diseases. Over the last 15 years, an increasing amount of evidence has accumulated showing that the innate immune system also has features of a memory. In contrast to the memory of adaptive immunity, innate immune memory is mediated by restructuration of the active chromatin landscape and imprinted by persisting adaptations of myelopoiesis. While originally described to occur in response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns, recent data indicate that host-derived damage-associated molecular patterns, i.e. alarmins, can also induce an innate immune memory. Potentially this is mediated by the same pattern recognition receptors and downstream signaling transduction pathways responsible for pathogen-associated innate immune training. Here, we summarize the available experimental data underlying innate immune memory in response to damage-associated molecular patterns. Further, we expound that trained immunity is a general component of innate immunity and outline several open questions for the rising field of pathogen-independent trained immunity.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luisa Gabriel ◽  
Bharath Srinivasan ◽  
Krzysztof Kuś ◽  
João F. Mata ◽  
Maria João Amorim ◽  
...  

AbstractZα domains are a subfamily of winged Helix-Turn-Helix (wHTH) domains found exclusively in proteins involved in the nucleic acids sensory pathway of vertebrate innate immune system and host evasion by viral pathogens. Interestingly, they are the only known protein domains that recognise the left-handed helical conformation of both dsDNA and dsRNA, known as Z-DNA and Z-RNA. Previously, it has been demonstrated that ADAR1 and ZBP1, two proteins possessing the Zα domains, localize to cytosolic stress granules. It was further speculated that such localization is principally mediated by Zα domains. To characterize and better understand such distinct and specific localization, we characterised the in vivo interactions and localization pattern for the amino terminal region of human DAI harbouring two Zα domains (ZαβDAI). Using immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, we identified several interacting partners that were components of the complex formed by Zα domains and RNAs. Differential interacting partners to wild-type Zα, relative to mutant proteins, demonstrated that most of the physiologically relevant interactions are mediated by the nucleic acid binding ability of the Zαβ. Further, we also show enrichment of selected complex components in cytoplasmic stress granules under conditions of stress. This ability is mostly lost in the mutants of ZαβDAI (ZαβDAI 4×mut) that lack nucleic-acid binding ability. Thus, we posit that the mechanism for the translocation of Zα domain-containing proteins to stress granules is mainly mediated by the nucleic acid binding ability of their Zα domains. Finally, we demonstrate that FUS and PSF/p54nrb, two RNA binding proteins with established roles in stress granules, interact with Zα, which provides strong evidence for a role of these proteins in the innate immune system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eloi R. Verrier ◽  
Christelle Langevin

Innate immune pathways are the first line of cellular defense against pathogen infections ranging from bacteria to Metazoa. These pathways are activated following the recognition of pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by membrane and cytosolic pattern recognition receptors. In addition, some of these cellular sensors can also recognize endogenous danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) arising from damaged or dying cells and triggering innate immune responses. Among the cytosolic nucleic acid sensors, the cyclic guanosine monophosphate–adenosine monophosphate (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) plays an essential role in the activation of the type I interferon (IFNs) response and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Indeed, upon nucleic acid binding, cGAS synthesizes cGAMP, a second messenger mediating the activation of the STING signaling pathway. The functional conservation of the cGAS-STING pathway during evolution highlights its importance in host cellular surveillance against pathogen infections. Apart from their functions in immunity, cGAS and STING also play major roles in nuclear functions and tumor development. Therefore, cGAS-STING is now considered as an attractive target to identify novel biomarkers and design therapeutics for auto-inflammatory and autoimmune disorders as well as infectious diseases and cancer. Here, we review the current knowledge about the structure of cGAS and the evolution from bacteria to Metazoa and present its main functions in defense against pathogens and cancer, in connection with STING. The advantages and limitations of in vivo models relevant for studying the cGAS-STING pathway will be discussed for the notion of species specificity and in the context of their integration into therapeutic screening assays targeting cGAG and/or STING.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeong-Hoon Jang ◽  
Do-Hee Kim ◽  
Young-Joon Surh

AbstractThe inflammatory tumor microenvironment has been known to be closely connected to all stages of cancer development, including initiation, promotion, and progression. Systemic inflammation in the tumor microenvironment is increasingly being recognized as an important prognostic marker in cancer patients. Inflammasomes are master regulators in the first line of host defense for the initiation of innate immune responses. Inflammasomes sense pathogen-associated molecular patterns and damage-associated molecular patterns, following recruitment of immune cells into infection sites. Therefore, dysregulated expression/activation of inflammasomes is implicated in pathogenesis of diverse inflammatory disorders. Recent studies have demonstrated that inflammasomes play a vital role in regulating the development and progression of cancer. This review focuses on fate-determining roles of the inflammasomes and the principal downstream effector cytokine, IL-1β, in the tumor microenvironment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6714
Author(s):  
Gang Pei ◽  
Anca Dorhoi

The innate immune system relies on families of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that detect distinct conserved molecular motifs from microbes to initiate antimicrobial responses. Activation of PRRs triggers a series of signaling cascades, leading to the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and antimicrobials, thereby contributing to the early host defense against microbes and regulating adaptive immunity. Additionally, PRRs can detect perturbation of cellular homeostasis caused by pathogens and fine-tune the immune responses. Among PRRs, nucleotide binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLRs) have attracted particular interest in the context of cellular stress-induced inflammation during infection. Recently, mechanistic insights into the monitoring of cellular homeostasis perturbation by NLRs have been provided. We summarize the current knowledge about the disruption of cellular homeostasis by pathogens and focus on NLRs as innate immune sensors for its detection. We highlight the mechanisms employed by various pathogens to elicit cytoskeleton disruption, organelle stress as well as protein translation block, point out exemplary NLRs that guard cellular homeostasis during infection and introduce the concept of stress-associated molecular patterns (SAMPs). We postulate that integration of information about microbial patterns, danger signals, and SAMPs enables the innate immune system with adequate plasticity and precision in elaborating responses to microbes of variable virulence.


Author(s):  
О.Ю. Филатов ◽  
В.А. Назаров

Данная статья обобщает накопившуюся на сегодняшний день информацию о многообразии образраспознающих рецепторов, их роли в регуляции иммунной системы. Распознавание патогена врожденным иммунитетом происходит с помощью рецепторов к широкому спектру антигенов за счет выделения нескольких высоко консервативных структур микроорганизмов. Эти структуры были названы патоген-ассоциированные образы (Patogen-Associated Molecular Patterns - PAMP). Наиболее изученными являются липополисахарид грамм отрицательных бактерий (LPS), липотейхоевые кислоты, пептидогликан (PGN), CpG мотивы ДНК и РНК. Рецепторы, распознающие PAMP, называются PRR. Данная группа рецепторов также распознает молекулы, образующиеся при повреждении собственных тканей. Такие молекулярные структуры называются Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMP), или образы, ассоциированные с повреждением. В качестве DAMP могут выступать белки теплового шока, хроматин, фрагменты ДНК. В зависимости от локализации, образраспознающие рецепторы принято разделять на: расположенные на мембране Toll-подобные рецепторы (Toll-like receptors, TLR) и рецепторы лектина С-типа (C-type lectin receptors, CLR), а также расположенные в цитоплазме NOD-подобные рецепторы (NOD-like receptors, NLR) и цитоплазматические РНК- и ДНК-сенсоры. Сегодня у человека известно 10 типов TLR, часть из которых расположена на поверхности (TLR1-TLR6, TLR10) большинства клеток, в том числе макрофагов, В-лимфоцитов и дендритных клеток, а часть - в эндосомах (TLR3, TLR7-TLR9). CLR представляет из себя семейство рецепторов, расположенных на мембране и имеющих домены распознавания углеводов (CRD), или структурно сходные лектиноподобные домены типа C (CTLD). В данном семействе рецепторов принято по происхождению и структуре выделять 17 групп. CLR активно участвуют в противогрибковой иммунной защите, а также они играют роль в защите и от других типов микроорганизмов. NOD (нуклеотидсвязывающий и олигомеризационный домен)-подобные рецепторы расположены в цитоплазме. Благодаря этим рецепторам, патоген, который избежал распознавания на поверхности мембраны, сталкивается со вторым уровнем распознавания уже внутри клетки. В данной статье рассматриваются пути активации образраспознающих рецепторов, их эффекты и применение данных эффектов в медицине. This article summarizes currently available information about the variety of image-recognizing receptors and their role in regulation of the immune system. Pathogen recognition by the innate immunity is mediated by receptors to a wide range of antigens via recognition of several highly conservative structures of microorganisms. These structures were named pathogen-associated images or PAMP (pathogen-associated molecular pattern). The best studied types of such structures include lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of gram-negative bacteria, lipoteichoic acids, peptidoglycan (PGN), and CpG DNA and RNA motifs. PAMP-recognizing receptors (PRRS) are a group of receptors, which also recognize molecules released during damage of host tissues. Such molecular structures are called DAMPS (damage-associated molecular patterns) or damage-associated images. Heat shock proteins, chromatin, and DNA fragments may act as DAMPS. Depending on the localization, image-recognizing receptors are generally classified as membrane-located Toll-like receptors (TLR) and C-type lectin receptors (CLR), as well as cytoplasmic NOD-like receptors (NLR) and cytoplasmic RNA and DNA sensors. Today, 10 types of human TLR are known. Some of them are located on the surface (TLR1-TLR6, TLR10) of most cells, including macrophages, B-cells, and dendritic cells, and some are present in endosomes (TLR3, TLR7-TLR9). CLR is a family of membrane receptors that have carbohydrate recognition domains (CRD) or structurally similar lectin-like type C domains (CTLD). Seventeen groups are distinguished within this receptor family based on their origin and structure. CLRs are actively involved in antifungal immune defense and also play a role in protection against other types of microorganisms. NOD (nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain)-like receptors are present in the cytoplasm. These receptors provide the second level of recognition inside the cell for the pathogens that have escaped recognition on the membrane surface. This article discusses activation pathways of image-recognizing receptors, their effects, and the use of such effects in medicine.


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