Rhizopus-host interplay of disseminated mucormycosis in immunocompetent mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (9) ◽  
pp. 739-752
Author(s):  
Amanda R dos Santos ◽  
Thais F Fraga-Silva ◽  
Débora de F Almeida ◽  
Rodolfo F dos Santos ◽  
Angela C Finato ◽  
...  

Aim: To investigate the immune response of disseminated Ryzopus oryzae infection in immunocompetent mice. Methods: C57Bl/6, BALB/c and Swiss wild-type mice were intravenously infected with R. oryzae; the parameters of infection and immune response were determined. Transcriptional signature of Th17 immune response and infection in Il17ra-/- mice were also evaluated. Results: All mouse strains showed an initial spread of R. oryzae in the target tissues; however, after 30 days, C57Bl/6 and BALB/c mice showed an effective fungal clearance associated with specific production of IL-17 and IL-2. We also observed that 60% of Il17ra-/- mice succumbed to infection within 16 days. Conclusion: This study has established an immunocompetent model for disseminated mucormycosis and highlighted the role of IL-17 signaling in immunity against R. oryzae.

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (13) ◽  
pp. 6610-6617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen A. Chachu ◽  
David W. Strong ◽  
Anna D. LoBue ◽  
Christiane E. Wobus ◽  
Ralph S. Baric ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Human noroviruses cause more than 90% of epidemic nonbacterial gastroenteritis. However, the role of B cells and antibody in the immune response to noroviruses is unclear. Previous studies have demonstrated that human norovirus specific antibody levels increase upon infection, but they may not be protective against infection. In this report, we used murine norovirus (MNV), an enteric norovirus, as a model to determine the importance of norovirus specific B cells and immune antibody in clearance of norovirus infection. We show here that mice genetically deficient in B cells failed to clear primary MNV infection as effectively as wild-type mice. In addition, adoptively transferred immune splenocytes derived from B-cell-deficient mice or antibody production-deficient mice were unable to efficiently clear persistent MNV infection in RAG1−/− mice. Further, adoptive transfer of either polyclonal anti-MNV serum or neutralizing anti-MNV monoclonal antibodies was sufficient to reduce the level of MNV infection both systemically and in the intestine. Together, these data demonstrate that antibody plays an important role in the clearance of MNV and that immunoglobulin G anti-norovirus antibody can play an important role in clearing mucosal infection.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 2024-2033 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seema Mattoo ◽  
Jeff F. Miller ◽  
Peggy A. Cotter

ABSTRACT Fimbriae are filamentous, cell surface structures which have been proposed to mediate attachment of Bordetella species to respiratory epithelium. Bordetella bronchiseptica has four known fimbrial genes: fim2, fim3,fimX, and fimA. While these genes are unlinked on the chromosome, their protein products are assembled and secreted by a single apparatus encoded by the fimBCD locus. ThefimBCD locus is embedded within the fha operon, whose genes encode another putative adhesin, filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA). We have constructed a Fim− B. bronchiseptica strain, RB63, by introducing an in-frame deletion extending from fimB through fimD. Western blot analysis showed that RB63 is unable to synthesize fimbriae but is unaffected for FHA expression. Using this mutant, we assessed the role of fimbriae in pathogenesis in vitro and in vivo in natural animal hosts. Although RB63 was not significantly defective in its ability to adhere to various tissue culture cell lines, including human laryngeal HEp-2 cells, it was considerably altered in its ability to cause respiratory tract infections in rats. The number of ΔfimBCD bacteria recovered from the rat trachea at 10 days postinoculation was significantly decreased compared to that of wild-type B. bronchiseptica and was below the limit of detection at 30 and 60 days postinoculation. The number of bacteria recovered from the nasal cavity and larynx was not significantly different between RB63 and the wild-type strain at any time point. The ability of fimbriae to mediate initial attachment to tracheal tissue was tested in an intratracheal inoculation assay. Significantly fewer RB63 than wild-type bacteria were recovered from the tracheas at 24 h after intratracheal inoculation. These results demonstrate that fimbriae are involved in enhancing the ability of B. bronchiseptica to establish tracheal colonization and are essential for persistent colonization at this site. Interestingly, anti-Bordetella serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels were significantly lower in animals infected with RB63 than in animals infected with wild-type B. bronchiseptica at 10 days postinoculation. Even at 30 days postinoculation, RB63-infected animals had lower serum anti-Bordetella antibody titers in general. This disparity in antibody profiles suggests that fimbriae are also important for the induction of a humoral immune response.


2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (11) ◽  
pp. 6092-6099 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alissa A. Chackerian ◽  
Shi-Juan Chen ◽  
Scott J. Brodie ◽  
Jeanine D. Mattson ◽  
Terrill K. McClanahan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Interleukin-23 (IL-23), a member of the IL-12 family, is a heterodimeric cytokine that is composed of the p40 subunit of IL-12 plus a unique p19 subunit. IL-23 is critical for autoimmune inflammation, in part due to its stimulation of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17A. It is less clear, however, if IL-23 is required during the immune response to pathogens. We examined the role of IL-23 during Mycobacterium bovis BCG infection. We found that IL-23 reduces the bacterial burden and promotes granuloma formation when IL-12 is absent. However, IL-23 does not contribute substantially to host resistance when IL-12 is present, as the ability to control bacterial growth and form granulomata is not affected in IL-23p19-deficient mice and mice treated with a specific anti-IL-23p19 antibody. IL-23p19-deficient mice are also able to mount an effective memory response to secondary infection with BCG. While IL-23p19-deficient mice do not produce IL-17A, this cytokine is not necessary for effective control of infection, and antibody blocking of IL-17A in both wild-type and IL-12-deficient mice also has little effect on the bacterial burden. These data suggest that IL-23 by itself does not play an essential role in the protective immune response to BCG infection; however, the presence of IL-23 can partially compensate for the absence of IL-12. Furthermore, neutralization of IL-23 or IL-17A does not increase susceptibility to mycobacterial BCG infection.


1999 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 2001-2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sing Sing Way ◽  
Alain C. Borczuk ◽  
Marcia B. Goldberg

ABSTRACT Shigella flexneri cydC, which is deficient in cytochrome bd, was rapidly cleared from the lungs of intranasally inoculated mice and was Sereny negative, yet it induced 93% protection against challenge with wild-type S. flexneri. Mice that lack immunoglobulin A (IgA) were fully protected, suggesting that IgA may not be required for adaptive immunity in this model system.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emina Hayashida ◽  
Zheng Lung Ling ◽  
Thomas M. Ashhurst ◽  
Barney Viengkhou ◽  
So Ri Jung ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Until the end of the twentieth century, Zika virus (ZIKV) was thought to cause a mostly mild, self-limiting disease in humans. However, as the geographic distribution of ZIKV has shifted, so too has its pathogenicity. Modern-day ZIKV infection is now known to cause encephalitis, acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome in otherwise healthy adults. Nevertheless, the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms responsible for this shift in virulence remain unclear. Methods Here, we investigated the contribution of the innate versus the adaptive immune response using a new mouse model involving intracranial infection of adult immunocompetent mice with a moderately low dose of ZIKV MR766. To determine the contribution of type I interferons (IFN-Is) and adaptive immune cells, we also studied mice deficient for the IFN-I receptor 1 (Ifnar1−/−) and recombination-activating gene 1 (Rag1−/−). Results We show that intracranial infection with ZIKV resulted in lethal encephalitis. In wild-type mice, ZIKV remained restricted predominantly to the central nervous system (CNS) and infected neurons, whereas astrocytes and microglia were spared. Histological and molecular analysis revealed prominent activation of resident microglia and infiltrating monocytes that were accompanied by an expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The disease was independent of T and B cells. Importantly, unlike peripheral infection, IFN-Is modulated but did not protect from infection and lethal disease. Lack of IFN-I signaling resulted in spread of the virus, generalized inflammatory changes, and accelerated disease onset. Conclusions Using intracranial infection of immunocompetent wild-type mice with ZIKV, we demonstrate that in contrast to the peripheral immune system, the CNS is susceptible to infection and responds to ZIKV by initiating an antiviral immune response. This response is dominated by resident microglia and infiltrating monocytes and macrophages but does not require T or B cells. Unlike in the periphery, IFN-Is in the CNS cannot prevent the establishment of infection. Our findings show that ZIKV encephalitis in mice is dependent on the innate immune response, and adaptive immune cells play at most a minor role in disease pathogenesis.


2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (10) ◽  
pp. 5730-5738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann Marie Galioto ◽  
Jessica A. Hess ◽  
Thomas J. Nolan ◽  
Gerhard A. Schad ◽  
James J. Lee ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The goal of this study was to determine the roles of eosinophils and neutrophils in innate and adaptive protective immunity to larval Strongyloides stercoralis in mice. The experimental approach used was to treat mice with an anti-CCR3 monoclonal antibody to eliminate eosinophils or to use CXCR2−/− mice, which have a severe neutrophil recruitment defect, and then determine the effect of the reduction or elimination of the particular cell type on larval killing. It was determined that eosinophils killed the S. stercoralis larvae in naïve mice, whereas these cells were not required for the accelerated killing of larvae in immunized mice. Experiments using CXCR2−/− mice demonstrated that the reduction in recruitment of neutrophils resulted in significantly reduced innate and adaptive protective immunity. Protective antibody developed in the immunized CXCR2−/− mice, thereby demonstrating that neutrophils were not required for the induction of the adaptive protective immune response. Moreover, transfer of neutrophil-enriched cell populations recovered from either wild-type or CXCR2−/− mice into diffusion chambers containing larvae demonstrated that larval killing occurred with both cell populations when the diffusion chambers were implanted in immunized wild-type mice. Thus, the defect in the CXCR2−/− mice was a defect in the recruitment of the neutrophils and not a defect in the ability of these cells to kill larvae. This study therefore demonstrated that both eosinophils and neutrophils are required in the protective innate immune response, whereas only neutrophils are necessary for the protective adaptive immune response to larval S. stercoralis in mice.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 4334-4334
Author(s):  
Angela Herman ◽  
Molly Romine ◽  
Darlene Monlish ◽  
Laura G. Schuettpelz

Abstract Toll like receptors (TLRs) are a family of pattern recognition receptors that play a central role in pathogen recognition and shaping the innate immune response. While most of the studies of the role of TLRs have focused on mature immune cell populations, recent reports suggest that TLR signaling may regulate the immune response from the level of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC). In this study, we sought to further elucidate the effects of systemic TLR ligand exposure on HSCs and determine the cell-intrinsic versus extrinsic effects of such exposure. We specifically focused on TLR2 signaling, as although TLR2 is expressed on HSCs, it’s role in their regulation is not clear. Furthermore, enhanced TLR2 signaling is associated with myelodysplastic syndrome (Wei et al, Leukemia 2013), suggesting that aberrant signaling through this receptor may have clinically significant effects on HSC function. To elucidate the role of TLR2 signaling in regulating HSCs, we used mice with genetic loss of TLR2, as well as a synthetic agonist of TLR2 (PAM3CSK4) to determine the effects of TLR2 signaling loss or gain, respectively, on HSC cycling, mobilization and function. While TLR2 expression is not required for normal HSC function, treatment of wild-type mice with PAM3CSK4 leads to expansion of HSCs in the bone marrow and spleen, increased HSC cycling, and loss of HSC function in competitive bone marrow transplantation experiments. As TLR2 is expressed on a variety of stromal and hematopoietic cell types, we used bone marrow chimeras (Tlr2-/- + Tlr2+/+ marrow transplanted into Tlr2+/+ recipients) to determine if the effects of PAM3CSK4 treatment are cell intrinsic or extrinsic. The data suggests that HSC cycling and expansion in the marrow and spleen upon PAM3CSK4 treatment are extrinsic (occurring in both transplanted HSC populations), and are associated with increased serum levels of G-CSF. Indeed, inhibition of G-CSF using either a neutralizing antibody or mice lacking the G-CSF receptor (Csf3r-/-) leads to even further enhanced HSC bone marrow expansion upon G-CSF treatment but significantly reduced numbers of spleen HSCs compared to similarly treated wild-type mice. This suggests mobilization in response to TLR2 signaling is an indirect, G-CSF-mediated process. Ongoing studies are aimed at determining the contribution of G-CSF to the PAM3CSK4- induced loss of HSC function, and determining the source (stromal vs hematopoietic) of G-CSF production upon PAM3CSK4 exposure. Collectively, this data suggest that TLR2 signaling affects HSCs in a largely extrinsic fashion, with G-CSF playing a major role in regulating the effects of TLR2 ligand exposure on HSCs. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Viruses ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Ruhan Wei ◽  
Guanmin Chen ◽  
Naseh Algehainy ◽  
Chun Zeng ◽  
Chunfang Liu ◽  
...  

RNase L mediates interferon (IFN) function during viral infection and cell proliferation. Furthermore, the role of RNase L in the regulation of gene expression, cell apoptosis, autophagy, and innate immunity has been well established in the last decade. Tissue distribution reveals that RNase L is highly expressed in the lung and other organs. However, the physiological roles of RNase L in the lung are largely unknown. In this study, we found that polysaccharide (LPS)-induced acute lung injury (ALI) was remarkably intensified in mice deficient in RNase L compared to wild type mice under the same condition. Furthermore, we found that RNase L mediated the TLR4 signaling pathway, and regulated the expression of various pro- and anti-inflammatory genes in the lung tissue and blood. Most importantly, RNase L function in macrophages during LPS stimulation may be independent of the 2-5A system. These findings demonstrate a novel role of RNase L in the immune response via an atypical molecular mechanism.


1996 ◽  
Vol 271 (3) ◽  
pp. H1145-H1150 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Meng ◽  
J. Ma ◽  
C. Ayata ◽  
H. Hara ◽  
P. L. Huang ◽  
...  

We used mice with deletions in either the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) or neuronal NOS (nNOS) gene to investigate the role of eNOS and nNOS in acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation of pial arterioles (20-30 microns). Pial arteriolar diameter was measured by intravital microscopy through a closed cranial window, and NOS activity was determined by the conversion of [3H]arginine to [3H]citrulline in subjacent cortex. ACh superfusion (1, 10 microM) caused atropine-sensitive dose-dependent arteriolar dilation in all three mouse strains. At 10 microM, increases of 20 +/- 2, 31 +/- 3, and 23 +/- 3% were recorded in wild-type (n = 25), nNOS mutant (n = 15), and eNOS mutant (n = 20) mice, respectively. NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 1 mM) superfusion inhibited cortical NOS activity by > 70% and abrogated the response in wild-type mice while blocking the dilation by approximately 50% in eNOS mutant and nNOS mutant mice. Only in the eNOS mutant did tetrodotoxin (TTX) superfusion (1 microM) attenuate ACh-induced dilation (n = 6). The residual dilation after L-NNA in eNOS mutant mice could be blocked completely by TTX-plus L-NNA. Our findings indicate that 1) ACh dilates pial arterioles of wild-type mice by NOS-dependent mechanisms as reported in other species, 2) the response in nNOS mutant mice resembles the wild-type response except for enhanced dilation to ACh and reduced L-NNA sensitivity, and 3) surprisingly, the response in eNOS mutant mice is partially NOS dependent and attenuated by both TTX and L-NNA. Because nNOS is constitutively expressed in eNOS mutants, these findings coupled with the TTX results suggest that an nNOS-dependent mechanism may compensate for the chronic loss of eNOS activity after targeted gene disruption.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanna Herold ◽  
René Scholtysik ◽  
Selina Moroniak ◽  
Christel Weiss ◽  
Hiroshi Ishikawa ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Gram-negative bacterium Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) can cause meningitis in humans, but the host signalling pathways manipulated by Nm during central nervous system (CNS) entry are not completely understood. Methods We investigate the role of the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) Erk1/2 and p38 in an in vitro model of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) based on human epithelial choroid plexus (CP) papilloma (HIBCPP) cells during infection with Nm serogroup B (NmB) and serogroup C (NmC) strains. A transcriptome analysis of HIBCPP cells following infection with Nm by massive analysis of cDNA ends (MACE) was done to further characterize the cellular response to infection of the barrier. Results Interestingly, whereas NmB and NmC wild type strains required active Erk1/2 and p38 pathways for infection, invasion by capsule-deficient mutants was independent of Erk1/2 and, in case of the NmB strain, of p38 activity. The transcriptome analysis of HIBCPP cells following infection with Nm demonstrated specific regulation of genes involved in the immune response dependent on Erk1/2 signalling. Gene ontology (GO) analysis confirmed loss of MAPK signalling after Erk1/2 inhibition and revealed an additional reduction of cellular responses including NFκB and JAK-STAT signalling. Interestingly, GO terms related to TNF signalling and production of IL6 were lost specifically following Erk1/2 inhibition during infection with wild type Nm, which correlated with the reduced infection rates by the wild type in absence of Erk1/2 signalling. Conclusion Our data point towards a role of MAPK signalling during infection of the CP epithelium by Nm, which is strongly influenced by capsule expression, and affects infection rates as well as the host cell response.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document