scholarly journals Dynamic optimization reveals alveolar epithelial cells as key mediators of host defense in invasive aspergillosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. e1009645
Author(s):  
Jan Ewald ◽  
Flora Rivieccio ◽  
Lukáš Radosa ◽  
Stefan Schuster ◽  
Axel A. Brakhage ◽  
...  

Aspergillus fumigatus is an important human fungal pathogen and its conidia are constantly inhaled by humans. In immunocompromised individuals, conidia can grow out as hyphae that damage lung epithelium. The resulting invasive aspergillosis is associated with devastating mortality rates. Since infection is a race between the innate immune system and the outgrowth of A. fumigatus conidia, we use dynamic optimization to obtain insight into the recruitment and depletion of alveolar macrophages and neutrophils. Using this model, we obtain key insights into major determinants of infection outcome on host and pathogen side. On the pathogen side, we predict in silico and confirm in vitro that germination speed is an important virulence trait of fungal pathogens due to the vulnerability of conidia against host defense. On the host side, we found that epithelial cells, which have been underappreciated, play a role in fungal clearance and are potent mediators of cytokine release. Both predictions were confirmed by in vitro experiments on established cell lines as well as primary lung cells. Further, our model affirms the importance of neutrophils in invasive aspergillosis and underlines that the role of macrophages remains elusive. We expect that our model will contribute to improvement of treatment protocols by focusing on the critical components of immune response to fungi but also fungal virulence traits.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Ewald ◽  
Flora Rivieccio ◽  
Lukas Radosa ◽  
Stefan Schuster ◽  
Axel A. Brakhage ◽  
...  

Aspergillus fumigatus is an important human fungal pathogen and its conidia are constantly inhaled by humans. In immunocompromised individuals, conidia can grow out as hyphae that damage lung epithelium. The resulting invasive aspergillosis is associated with devastating mortality rates. Since infection is a race between the innate immune system and the outgrowth of A. fumigatus conidia, we use dynamic optimization to obtain insight into the recruitment and depletion of alveolar macrophages and neutrophils. Using this model, we obtain key insights into major determinants of infection outcome on host and pathogen side. On the pathogen side, we predict in silico and confirm in vitro that germination speed is a key virulence trait of fungal pathogens due to the vulnerability of conidia against host defense. On the host side, we find that epithelial cells play a so far underappreciated role in fungal clearance and are potent mediators of cytokine release which we confirm ex vivo. Further, our model affirms the importance of neutrophils in invasive aspergillosis and underlines that the role of macrophages remains elusive. We expect that our model will contribute to improvement of treatment protocols by focusing on the critical components of immune response to fungi but also fungal virulence.


2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (2) ◽  
pp. L141-L151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayako Shigeta ◽  
Yuji Tada ◽  
Ji-Yang Wang ◽  
Shunsuke Ishizaki ◽  
Junichi Tsuyusaki ◽  
...  

Excessive apoptosis and prolonged inflammation of alveolar cells are associated with the pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema. We aimed to determine whether CD40 affects alveolar epithelial cells and endothelial cells, with regard to evoking apoptosis and inflammation. Mice were repeatedly treated with agonistic-anti CD40 antibody (Ab), with or without agonistic-anti Fas Ab, and evaluated for apoptosis and inflammation in lungs. Human pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells and alveolar epithelial cells were treated with agonistic anti-CD40 Ab and/or anti-Fas Ab to see their direct effect on apoptosis and secretion of proinflammatory molecules in vitro. Furthermore, plasma soluble CD40 ligand (sCD40L) level was evaluated in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In mice, inhaling agonistic anti-CD40 Ab induced moderate alveolar enlargement. CD40 stimulation, in combination with anti-Fas Ab, induced significant emphysematous changes and increased alveolar cell apoptosis. CD40 stimulation also enhanced IFN-γ-mediated emphysematous changes, not via apoptosis induction, but via inflammation with lymphocyte accumulation. In vitro, Fas-mediated apoptosis was enhanced by CD40 stimulation and IFN-γ in endothelial cells and by CD40 stimulation in epithelial cells. CD40 stimulation induced secretion of CCR5 ligands in endothelial cells, enhanced with IFN-γ. Plasma sCD40L levels were significantly increased in patients with COPD, inversely correlating to the percentage of forced expiratory volume in 1 s and positively correlating to low attenuation area score by CT scan, regardless of smoking history. Collectively CD40 plays a contributing role in the development of pulmonary emphysema by sensitizing Fas-mediated apoptosis in alveolar cells and increasing the secretion of proinflammatory chemokines.


2014 ◽  
Vol 307 (6) ◽  
pp. L449-L459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seong Chul Kim ◽  
Thomas Kellett ◽  
Shaohua Wang ◽  
Miyuki Nishi ◽  
Nagaraja Nagre ◽  
...  

The molecular mechanisms for lung cell repair are largely unknown. Previous studies identified tripartite motif protein 72 (TRIM72) from striated muscle and linked its function to tissue repair. In this study, we characterized TRIM72 expression in lung tissues and investigated the role of TRIM72 in repair of alveolar epithelial cells. In vivo injury of lung cells was introduced by high tidal volume ventilation, and repair-defective cells were labeled with postinjury administration of propidium iodide. Primary alveolar epithelial cells were isolated and membrane wounding and repair were labeled separately. Our results show that absence of TRIM72 increases susceptibility to deformation-induced lung injury whereas TRIM72 overexpression is protective. In vitro cell wounding assay revealed that TRIM72 protects alveolar epithelial cells through promoting repair rather than increasing resistance to injury. The repair function of TRIM72 in lung cells is further linked to caveolin 1. These data suggest an essential role for TRIM72 in repair of alveolar epithelial cells under plasma membrane stress failure.


2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 1767-1774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz de Astorza ◽  
Guadalupe Cortés ◽  
Catalina Crespí ◽  
Carles Saus ◽  
José María Rojo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The airway epithelium represents a primary site for contact between microbes and their hosts. To assess the role of complement in this event, we studied the interaction between the A549 cell line derived from human alveolar epithelial cells and a major nosocomial pathogen, Klebsiella pneumoniae, in the presence of serum. In vitro, we found that C3 opsonization of poorly encapsulated K. pneumoniae clinical isolates and an unencapsulated mutant enhanced dramatically bacterial internalization by A549 epithelial cells compared to highly encapsulated clinical isolates. Local complement components (either present in the human bronchoalveolar lavage or produced by A549 epithelial cells) were sufficient to opsonize K. pneumoniae. CD46 could competitively inhibit the internalization of K. pneumoniae by the epithelial cells, suggesting that CD46 is a receptor for the binding of complement-opsonized K. pneumoniae to these cells. We observed that poorly encapsulated strains appeared into the alveolar epithelial cells in vivo but that (by contrast) they were completely avirulent in a mouse model of pneumonia compared to the highly encapsulated strains. Our results show that bacterial opsonization by complement enhances the internalization of the avirulent microorganisms by nonphagocytic cells such as A549 epithelial cells and allows an efficient innate defense.


2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (1) ◽  
pp. L104-L110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohui Fang ◽  
Yuanlin Song ◽  
Rachel Zemans ◽  
Jan Hirsch ◽  
Michael A. Matthay

Previous studies have used fluid-instilled lungs to measure net alveolar fluid transport in intact animal and human lungs. However, intact lung studies have two limitations: the contribution of different distal lung epithelial cells cannot be studied separately, and the surface area for fluid absorption can only be approximated. Therefore, we developed a method to measure net vectorial fluid transport in cultured rat alveolar type II cells using an air-liquid interface. The cells were seeded on 0.4-μm microporous inserts in a Transwell system. At 96 h, the transmembrane electrical resistance reached a peak level (1,530 ± 115 Ω·cm2) with morphological evidence of tight junctions. We measured net fluid transport by placing 150 μl of culture medium containing 0.5 μCi of 131I-albumin on the apical side of the polarized cells. Protein permeability across the cell monolayer, as measured by labeled albumin, was 1.17 ± 0.34% over 24 h. The change in concentration of 131I-albumin in the apical fluid was used to determine the net fluid transported across the monolayer over 12 and 24 h. The net basal fluid transport was 0.84 μl·cm−2·h−1. cAMP stimulation with forskolin and IBMX increased fluid transport by 96%. Amiloride inhibited both the basal and stimulated fluid transport. Ouabain inhibited basal fluid transport by 93%. The cultured cells retained alveolar type II-like features based on morphologic studies, including ultrastructural imaging. In conclusion, this novel in vitro system can be used to measure net vectorial fluid transport across cultured, polarized alveolar epithelial cells.


1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (1) ◽  
pp. L127-L135 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. W. Barton ◽  
S. Wilcoxen ◽  
P. J. Christensen ◽  
R. Paine

Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is expressed at high levels on type I alveolar epithelial cells in the normal lung and is induced in vitro as type II cells spread in primary culture. In contrast, in most nonhematopoetic cells ICAM-1 expression is induced in response to inflammatory cytokines. We have formed the hypothesis that the signals that control ICAM-1 expression in alveolar epithelial cells are fundamentally different from those controlling expression in most other cells. To test this hypothesis, we have investigated the influence of inflammatory cytokines on ICAM-1 expression in isolated type II cells that have spread in culture and compared this response to that of rat pulmonary artery endothelial cells (RPAEC). ICAM-1 protein, determined both by a cell-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by Western blot analysis, and mRNA were minimally expressed in unstimulated RPAEC but were significantly induced in a time- and dose-dependent manner by treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-1 beta, or interferon-gamma. In contrast, these cytokines did not influence the constitutive high level ICAM-1 protein expression in alveolar epithelial cells and only minimally affected steady-state mRNA levels. ICAM-1 mRNA half-life, measured in the presence of actinomycin D, was relatively long at 7 h in alveolar epithelial cells and 4 h in RPAEC. The striking lack of response of ICAM-1 expression by alveolar epithelial cells to inflammatory cytokines is in contrast to virtually all other epithelial cells studied to date and supports the hypothesis that ICAM-1 expression by these cells is a function of cellular differentiation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


Author(s):  
Raïko Blondonnet ◽  
Bertille Paquette ◽  
Damien Richard ◽  
Rémi Bourg ◽  
Géraldine Laplace ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Lei ◽  
Jara Palomero ◽  
Iris de Rink ◽  
Tom de Wit ◽  
Martijn van Baalen ◽  
...  

Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) is the receptor of bacterial Flagellin. Reportedly, TLR5 engagement helps to combat infections, especially at mucosal sites, by evoking responses from epithelial cells and immune cells. Here we report that TLR5 is expressed on a previously defined bipotent progenitor of macrophages (MΦs) and osteoclasts (OCs) that resides in the mouse bone marrow (BM) and circulates at low frequency in the blood. In vitro, Flagellin promoted the generation of MΦs, but not OCs from this progenitor. In vivo, MΦ/OC progenitors were recruited from the blood into the lung upon intranasal inoculation of Flagellin, where they rapidly differentiated into MΦs. Recruitment of the MΦ/OC progenitors into the lung was likely promoted by the CCL2/CCR2 axis, since the progenitors expressed CCR2 and type 2 alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) produced CCL2 upon stimulation by Flagellin. Moreover, CCR2 blockade reduced migration of the MΦ/OC progenitors toward lung lavage fluid (LLF) from Flagellin-inoculated mice. Our study points to a novel role of the Flagellin/TLR5 axis in recruiting circulating MΦ/OC progenitors into infected tissue and stimulating these progenitors to locally differentiate into MΦs. The progenitor pathway to produce MΦs may act, next to monocyte recruitment, to fortify host protection against bacterial infection at mucosal sites.


1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 1354-1359 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. K. Merchant ◽  
M. W. Peterson ◽  
G. W. Hunninghake

Alveolar epithelial cell injury and increased alveolar-capillary membrane permeability are important features of acute silicosis. To determine whether silica particles contribute directly to this increased permeability, we measured paracellular permeability of rat alveolar epithelium after exposure to silica, in vitro, using markers of the extracellular space. Silica (Minusil) markedly increased permeability in a dose- and time-dependent manner. This was not the result of cytolytic injury, because lactate dehydrogenase release from monolayers exposed to silica was not increased. Pretreatment of the silica with serum, charged dextrans, or aluminum sulfate blocked the increase in permeability. Scanning electron microscopy demonstrated adherence of the silica to the surface of the alveolar epithelial cells. Thus silica can directly increase permeability of alveolar epithelium.


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