scholarly journals Inflammatory Properties and Adjuvant Potential of Synthetic Glycolipids Homologous to Mycolate Esters of the Cell Wall of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hermann Giresse Tima ◽  
Juma''a Raheem Al Dulayymi ◽  
Olivier Denis ◽  
Pauline Lehebel ◽  
Klarah Sherzad Baols ◽  
...  

The cell wall of mycobacteria is characterised by glycolipids composed of different classes of mycolic acids (MAs; alpha-, keto-, and methoxy-) and sugars (trehalose, glucose, and arabinose). Studies using mutant Mtb strains have shown that the structure of MAs influences the inflammatory potential of these glycolipids. As mutant Mtb strains possess a complex mixture of glycolipids, we analysed the inflammatory potential of single classes of mycolate esters of the Mtb cell wall using 38 different synthetic analogues. Our results show that synthetic trehalose dimycolate (TDM) and trehalose, glucose, and arabinose monomycolates (TMM, GMM, and AraMM) activate bone marrow-derived dendritic cells in terms of the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and TNF-α) and reactive oxygen species, upregulation of costimulatory molecules, and activation of NLRP3 inflammasome by a mechanism dependent on Mincle. These findings demonstrate that Mincle receptor can also recognise pentose esters and seem to contradict the hypothesis that production of GMM is an escape mechanism used by pathogenic mycobacteria to avoid recognition by the innate immune system. Finally, our experiments indicate that TMM and GMM, as well as TDM, can promote Th1 and Th17 responses in mice in an OVA immunisation model, and that further analysis of their potential as novel adjuvants for subunit vaccines is warranted.

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (8) ◽  
pp. 4430-4438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaushik Chakrabarty ◽  
Wenxin Wu ◽  
J. Leland Booth ◽  
Elizabeth S. Duggan ◽  
K. Mark Coggeshall ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Contact with the human alveolar macrophage plays a key role in the innate immune response to Bacillus anthracis spores. Because there is a significant delay between the initial contact of the spore with the host and clinical evidence of disease, there appears to be temporary containment of the pathogen by the innate immune system. Therefore, the early macrophage response to Bacillus anthracis exposure is important in understanding the pathogenesis of this disease. In this paper, we studied the initial events after exposure to spores, beginning with the rapid internalization of spores by the macrophages. Spore exposure rapidly activated the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways extracellular signal-regulated kinase, c-Jun-NH2-terminal kinase, and p38. This was followed by the transcriptional activation of cytokine and primarily monocyte chemokine genes as determined by RNase protection assays. Transcriptional induction is reflected at the translational level, as interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) cytokine protein levels were markedly elevated as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Induction of IL-6 and TNF-α, and, to a lesser extent, IL-1α and IL-1β, was partially inhibited by the blockade of individual mitogen-activated protein kinases, while the complete inhibition of cytokine induction was achieved when multiple signaling pathway inhibitors were used. Taken together, these data clearly show activation of the innate immune system in human alveolar macrophages by Bacillus anthracis spores. The data also show that multiple signaling pathways are involved in this cytokine response. This report is the first comprehensive examination of this process in primary human alveolar macrophages.


2009 ◽  
Vol 106 (6) ◽  
pp. 1935-1942 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farnaz P. Baqai ◽  
Daila S. Gridley ◽  
James M. Slater ◽  
Xian Luo-Owen ◽  
Louis S. Stodieck ◽  
...  

Spaceflight conditions have a significant impact on a number of physiological functions due to psychological stress, radiation, and reduced gravity. To explore the effect of the flight environment on immunity, C57BL/6NTac mice were flown on a 13-day space shuttle mission (STS-118). In response to flight, animals had a reduction in liver, spleen, and thymus masses compared with ground (GRD) controls ( P < 0.005). Splenic lymphocyte, monocyte/macrophage, and granulocyte counts were significantly reduced in the flight (FLT) mice ( P < 0.05). Although spontaneous blastogenesis of splenocytes in FLT mice was increased, response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a B-cell mitogen derived from Escherichia coli, was decreased compared with GRD mice ( P < 0.05). Secretion of IL-6 and IL-10, but not TNF-α, by LPS-stimulated splenocytes was increased in FLT mice ( P < 0.05). Finally, many of the genes responsible for scavenging reactive oxygen species were upregulated after flight. These data indicate that exposure to the spaceflight environment can increase anti-inflammatory mechanisms and change the ex vivo response to LPS, a bacterial product associated with septic shock and a prominent Th1 response.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (9) ◽  
pp. 4580-4590 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Kathrin Zaiss ◽  
Qiang Liu ◽  
Gloria P. Bowen ◽  
Norman C. W. Wong ◽  
Jeffrey S. Bartlett ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Adenovirus vectors induce acute inflammation of infected tissues due to activation of the innate immune system and expression of numerous chemokines and cytokines in transduced target cells. In contrast, adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are not associated with significant inflammation experimentally or clinically. We tested the ability of AAV vectors to induce the expression of chemokines in vitro and to activate the innate immune system in vivo. In human HeLa cells and murine renal epithelium-derived cells (REC cells) the adenovirus vector AdlacZ induced the expression of multiple inflammatory chemokines including RANTES, interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10), interleukin-8 (IL-8), MIP-1β, and MIP-2 in a dose-dependent manner. The use of AAVlacZ did not induce the expression of these chemokines above baseline levels despite 40-fold-greater titers than AdlacZ and greater amounts of intracellular AAVlacZ genomes according to Southern and slot blot analysis. This finding confirmed that the lack of AAVlacZ induction of chemokine was not due to reduced transduction. In DBA/2 mice, the intravenous administration of 2.5 × 1011 particles of AAVlacZ resulted in the rapid induction of liver tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), RANTES, IP-10, MIP-1β, MCP-1, and MIP-2 mRNAs. However, 6 h following injection, chemokine mRNA levels returned to baseline. As expected, administration of 10-fold less AdlacZ caused an induction of liver TNF-α and chemokine mRNAs that persisted for more than 24 h posttransduction. Whereas intravenous administration of 2.5 × 1011 particles of AAVlacZ triggered a transient infiltration of neutrophils and CD11b+ cells into liver, this response stood in contrast to widespread inflammation and toxicity induced by AdlacZ. Kupffer cell depletion abolished AAVlacZ but not AdlacZ-induced chemokine expression and neutrophil infiltration. In summary, these results show that AAV vectors activate the innate immune system to a lesser extent than do adenovirus vectors and offer a possible explanation for the reduced inflammatory properties of AAV compared to adenovirus vectors.


Author(s):  
Amanda Almeida de Oliveira ◽  
Kenia Pedrosa Nunes

Abstract A diagnostic of hypertension increases the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED); likewise, ED can be an early sign of hypertension. In both cases, there is evidence that endothelial dysfunction is a common link between the 2 conditions. During hypertension, the sustained and widespread release of procontractile factors (e.g., angiotensin II, endothelin 1, and aldosterone) impairs the balance between vasoconstrictors and vasodilators and, in turn, detrimentally impacts vascular and erectile structures. This prohypertensive state associates with an enhancement in the generation of reactive oxygen species, which is not compensated by internal antioxidant mechanisms. Recently, the innate immune system, mainly via Toll-like receptor 4, has also been shown to actively contribute to the pathophysiology of hypertension and ED not only by inducing oxidative stress but also by sustaining a low-grade inflammatory state. Furthermore, some drugs used to treat hypertension can cause ED and, consequently, reduce compliance with the prescribed pharmacotherapy. To break down these challenges, in this review, we focus on discussing the well-established as well as the emerging mechanisms linking hypertension and ED with an emphasis on the signaling network of the vasculature and corpora cavernosa, the vascular-like structure of the penis.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mingqin Zhu ◽  
Yuetao Ma ◽  
Anastasia Zekeridou ◽  
Vanda A. Lennon

Paraneoplastic autoimmune neurological disorders reflect tumor-initiated immune responses against onconeural antigens. Symptoms and signs can affect the central and/or peripheral nervous systems, neuromuscular junction or muscle, and typically evolve subacutely before an underlying neoplasm is discovered. We describe four patients whose neurological symptoms were precipitated by potent innate immune system challenges: bladder instillation of BCG, tick bite and an “alternative cancer therapy” with bacterial extracts and TNF-α. We hypothesize that a tumor-initiated autoimmune response (evidenced by autoantibody profiles), pre-dating the immune system challenge, was unmasked or amplified in these patients by cytokines released systemically from innate immune cells activated by microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). The resultant upregulation of cognate onconeural peptides as MHC1 protein complexes on neural cell surfaces would render those cells susceptible to killing by CD8+ T cells, thus precipitating the patient's neurological symptoms.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 6883-6890 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shoutaro Tsuji ◽  
Misako Matsumoto ◽  
Osamu Takeuchi ◽  
Shizuo Akira ◽  
Ichiro Azuma ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The constituents of mycobacteria are an effective immune adjuvant, as observed with complete Freund's adjuvant. In this study, we demonstrated that the cell wall skeleton of Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG-CWS), a purified noninfectious material consisting of peptidoglycan, arabinogalactan, and mycolic acids, induces maturation of human dendritic cells (DC). Surface expression of CD40, CD80, CD83, and CD86 was increased by BCG-CWS on human immature DC, and the effect was similar to those of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), heat-killed BCG, and viable BCG. BCG-CWS induced the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-12 p40. CD83 expression was increased by a soluble factor secreted from BCG-CWS-treated DC and was completely inhibited by monoclonal antibodies against TNF-α. BCG-CWS-treated DC stimulated extensive allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions. The level of TNF-α secreted through BCG-CWS was partially suppressed in murine macrophages with no Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR 2) or TLR4 and was completely lost in TLR2 and TLR4 double-deficient macrophages. These results suggest that the BCG-CWS induces TNF-α secretion from DC via TLR2 and TLR4 and that the secreted TNF-α induces the maturation of DC per se.


Biochimie ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aurélie Ray ◽  
Marlène Cot ◽  
Germain Puzo ◽  
Martine Gilleron ◽  
Jérôme Nigou

2013 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 405-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sasha J. Rose ◽  
Luiz E. Bermudez

ABSTRACTMycobacterium aviumsubsp.hominissuisis an opportunistic human pathogen that has been shown to form biofilmin vitroandin vivo. Biofilm formationin vivoappears to be associated with infections in the respiratory tract of the host. The reasoning behind howM. aviumsubsp.hominissuisbiofilm is allowed to establish and persist without being cleared by the innate immune system is currently unknown. To identify the mechanism responsible for this, we developed anin vitromodel using THP-1 human mononuclear phagocytes cocultured with establishedM. aviumsubsp.hominissuisbiofilm and surveyed various aspects of the interaction, including phagocyte stimulation and response, bacterial killing, and apoptosis.M. aviumsubsp.hominissuisbiofilm triggered robust tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) release from THP-1 cells as well as superoxide and nitric oxide production. Surprisingly, the hyperstimulated phagocytes did not effectively eliminate the cells of the biofilm, even when prestimulated with gamma interferon (IFN-γ) or TNF-α or cocultured with natural killer cells (which have been shown to induce anti-M. aviumsubsp.hominissuisactivity when added to THP-1 cells infected with planktonicM. aviumsubsp.hominissuis). Time-lapse microscopy and the TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling) assay determined that contact with theM. aviumsubsp.hominissuisbiofilm led to early, widespread onset of apoptosis, which is not seen until much later in planktonicM. aviumsubsp.hominissuisinfection. Blocking TNF-α or TNF-R1 during interaction with the biofilm significantly reduced THP-1 apoptosis but did not lead to elimination ofM. aviumsubsp.hominissuis. Our data collectively indicate thatM. aviumsubsp.hominissuisbiofilm induces TNF-α-driven hyperstimulation and apoptosis of surveilling phagocytes, which prevents clearance of the biofilm by cells of the innate immune system and allows the biofilm-associated infection to persist.


mBio ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert B. Williams ◽  
Michael C. Lorenz

ABSTRACT The phagocytic cells of the innate immune system are an essential first line of antimicrobial defense, and yet Candida albicans, one of the most problematic fungal pathogens, is capable of resisting the stresses imposed by the macrophage phagosome, eventually resulting in the destruction of the phagocyte. C. albicans rapidly adapts to the phagosome by upregulating multiple alternative carbon utilization pathways, particularly those for amino acids, carboxylic acids, and N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc). Here, we report that C. albicans recognizes these carbon sources both as crucial nutrients and as independent signals in its environment. Even in the presence of glucose, each carbon source promotes increased resistance to a unique profile of stressors; lactate promotes increased resistance to osmotic and cell wall stresses, amino acids increased resistance to oxidative and nitrosative stresses, and GlcNAc increased resistance to oxidative stress and caspofungin, while all three alternative carbon sources have been shown to induce resistance to fluconazole. Moreover, we show mutants incapable of utilizing these carbon sources, in particular, strains engineered to be defective in all three pathways, are significantly attenuated in both macrophage and mouse models, with additive effects observed as multiple carbon pathways are eliminated, suggesting that C. albicans simultaneously utilizes multiple carbon sources within the macrophage phagosome and during disseminated candidiasis. Taking the data together, we propose that, in addition to providing energy to the pathogen within host environments, alternative carbon sources serve as niche-specific priming signals that allow C. albicans to recognize microenvironments within the host and to prepare for stresses associated with that niche, thus promoting host adaptation and virulence. IMPORTANCE Candida albicans is a fungal pathogen and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in people with defects, sometimes minor ones, in innate immunity. The phagocytes of the innate immune system, particularly macrophages and neutrophils, generally restrict this organism to its normal commensal niches, but C. albicans shows a robust and multifaceted response to these cell types. Inside macrophages, a key component of this response is the activation of multiple pathways for the utilization of alternative carbon sources, particularly amino acids, carboxylic acids, and N-acetylglucosamine. These carbon sources are key sources of energy and biomass but also independently promote stress resistance, induce cell wall alterations, and affect C. albicans interactions with macrophages. Engineered strains incapable of utilizing these alternative carbon pathways are attenuated in infection models. These data suggest that C. albicans recognizes nutrient composition as an indicator of specific host environments and tailors its responses accordingly.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1830
Author(s):  
Maria Giovanna De Caris ◽  
Maddalena Grieco ◽  
Elisa Maggi ◽  
Antonio Francioso ◽  
Federica Armeli ◽  
...  

Microglia, the innate immune cells of the CNS, respond to brain injury by activating and modifying their morphology. Our study arises from the great interest that has been focused on blueberry (BB) for the antioxidant and pharmacological properties displayed by its components. We analyzed the influence of hydroalcoholic BB extract in resting or lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated microglia BV-2 cells. BB exerted a protective effect against LPS-induced cytotoxicity, as indicated by cell viability. BB was also able to influence the actin cytoskeleton organization, to recover the control phenotype after LPS insult, and also to reduce LPS-driven migration. We evaluated the activity of Rho and Rac1 GTPases, which regulate both actin cytoskeletal organization and migratory capacity. LPS caused an increase in Rac1 activity, which was counteracted by BB extract. Furthermore, we demonstrated that, in the presence of BB, mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α decreased, as did the immunofluorescence signal of iNOS, whereas that of Arg-1 was increased. Taken together, our results show that, during the inflammatory response, BB extract shifts the M1 polarization towards the M2 phenotype through an actin cytoskeletal rearrangement. Based on that, we might consider BB as a nutraceutical with anti-inflammatory activities.


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