scholarly journals Toll-Like Receptor 4 Protects Against Clostridium perfringens Infection in Mice

Author(s):  
Masaya Takehara ◽  
Keiko Kobayashi ◽  
Masahiro Nagahama

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been reported to protect against Gram-negative bacteria by acting as a pathogen recognition receptor that senses mainly lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Gram-negative bacteria. However, the role of TLR4 in Gram-positive bacterial infection is less well understood. Clostridium perfringens type A is a Gram-positive bacterium that causes gas gangrene characterized by severe myonecrosis. It was previously demonstrated that C. perfringens θ-toxin is a TLR4 agonist, but the role of TLR4 in C. perfringens infection is unclear. Here, TLR4-defective C3H/HeJ mice infected with C. perfringens showed a remarkable decrease in survival rate, an increase in viable bacterial counts, and accelerated destruction of myofibrils at the infection site compared with wild-type C3H/HeN mice. These results demonstrate that TLR4 plays an important role in the elimination of C. perfringens. Remarkable increases in levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), were observed in C. perfringens-infected C3H/HeN mice, whereas the increases were limited in C3H/HeJ mice. Generally, increased G-CSF accelerates granulopoiesis in the bone marrow and the spleen to exacerbate neutrophil production, resulting in elimination of bacteria. The number of neutrophils in the spleen was increased in C. perfringens-infected C3H/HeN mice compared with non-infected mice, while the increase was lower in C. perfringens-infected C3H/HeJ mice. Furthermore, DNA microarray analysis revealed that the mutation in TLR4 partially affects host gene expression during C. perfringens infection. Together, our results illustrate that TLR4 is crucial for the innate ability to eliminate C. perfringens.

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 5365-5365
Author(s):  
Liping Ma ◽  
Xiu-Ju Wang ◽  
Da-Nian Nie ◽  
Yi-Qing Li ◽  
Shuang-Fen Xie ◽  
...  

Abstract Early diagnosis and treatment of patients with sepsis remain a common and severe problem, especially in leukopenic patients.. Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) plays a crucial role in immunity as the first defenses system against microbial infection through binding gram-negative bacterial LPS. Blood platelets are not only involved in hemostasis, they also have many features of classic inflammatory cells. The expression of TLR4 on platelet in patients with sepsis, including gram-positive bacteria and gram-negative bacteria, is not known. Studying the differences between them, we investigated whether the expressions of TLR4 on platelet were associated with platelet activation, serum TNF-a and endotoxin levels in patients with sepsis, 8 patients of them with gram-positive bacteria and 15 patients of them with gram-negative bacteria. The number of platelet and function of coagulation were normal before infecting. Comparing with the heath subjects, the expressions of TLR4 and P-selectin on platelets, the levels of serum TNF-a and endotoxin were higher (P<0.05),and there was a positive correlation was observed between TLR4 and P-selectin, TNF-a, endotoxin respectively, among the gram-negative bacterial subjects. The phenomena were not found among the gram-positive bacterial subjects. In addition, among the gram-negative bacterial subjects, the expression of TLR4 was higher in patients with decreased number of platelets than with normal number of platelets. These results suggest that increased TLR4 on platelet might be an important early sign of gram-negative bacteria in patient with sepsis, it contributes to platelet activating, the inflammatory process and disease activity in infecting host. Above has be doing in more patients with positive blood bacteria culture in our Lab.


2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 532-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill R. Schurr ◽  
Erana Young ◽  
Pat Byrne ◽  
Chad Steele ◽  
Judd E. Shellito ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) has been identified as a receptor for lipopolysaccharide. However, the precise role of TLR4 in regulating gene expression in response to an infection caused by gram-negative bacteria has not been fully elucidated. The role of TLR4 signaling in coordinating gene expression was assessed by gene expression profiling in lung tissue in a mouse model of experimental pneumonia with a low-dose infection of Klebsiella pneumoniae. We analyzed four mouse strains: C57BL/6 mice, which are resistant to bacterial dissemination; 129/SvJ mice, which are susceptible; C3H/HeJ mice, which are susceptible and have defective TLR4 signaling; and their respective control strain, C3H/HeN (intermediate resistance). At 4 h after infection, C57BL/6 and C3H/HeN mice demonstrated the greatest number of genes, with 67 shared induced genes which were TLR4 dependent and highly associated with the resistance phenotype. These genes included cytokine and chemokine genes required for neutrophil activation or recruitment, growth factor receptors, MyD88 (a critical adaptor protein for TLR signaling), and adhesion molecules. TLR4 signaling accounted for over 74% of the gene expression in the C3H background. These data suggest that early TLR4 signaling controls the vast majority of gene expression in the lung in response to an infection caused by gram-negative bacteria and that this subsequent gene expression determines survival of the host.


2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 788-794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Branger ◽  
Sylvia Knapp ◽  
Sebastiaan Weijer ◽  
Jaklien C. Leemans ◽  
Jennie M. Pater ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT To determine the role of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the immune response to pneumonia, C3H/HeJ mice (which display a mutant nonfunctional TLR4) and C3H/HeN wild-type mice were intranasally infected with either Streptococcus pneumoniae (a common gram-positive respiratory pathogen) or Klebsiella pneumoniae (a common gram-negative respiratory pathogen). In cases of pneumococcal pneumonia, TLR4 mutant mice showed a reduced survival only after infection with low-level bacterial doses, which was associated with a higher bacterial burden in their lungs 48 h postinfection. In Klebsiella pneumonia, TLR4 mutant mice demonstrated a shortened survival after infection with either a low- or a high-level bacterial dose together with an enhanced bacterial outgrowth in their lungs. These data suggest that TLR4 contributes to a protective immune response in both pneumococcal and Klebsiella pneumonia and that its role is more important in respiratory tract infection caused by the latter (gram-negative) pathogen.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (23) ◽  
pp. 7905-7913 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacobo Zuñiga-Castillo ◽  
David Romero ◽  
Jaime M. Martínez-Salazar

ABSTRACT Single-strand gaps (SSGs) and double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the major initiation sites for recombination. In bacteria, the SSGs are repaired by RecFOR, while the DSBs are processed by RecBCD in gram-negative bacteria and AddAB in gram-positive bacteria. Unexpectedly, instead of recBCD genes, the addAB genes were found in members of the α-proteobacteria group (gram negative). Taking Rhizobium etli as a model, the role of recF and addAB genes in homologous recombination and repair of damaged DNA was evaluated. Inactivation of either recF or addA provoked strong sensitivity to UV radiation and mitomycin C, while an additive effect was observed in the recF-addA mutant. The DSBs generated by nalidixic acid caused low viability only in the addA mutant. The recombination frequency of large and small plasmids was reduced in the recF mutant (24- and 36-fold, respectively), whereas a slight decrease (threefold) in the addA mutant was observed. Moreover, an additive effect (47- and 90-fold, respectively) was observed in the double mutant, but it was not as dramatic as that in a recA mutant. Interestingly, the frequency of deletion and Campbell-type recombination was slightly affected in either single or double mutants. These results suggest that another pathway exists that allows plasmid and Campbell-type recombination in the absence of recF and addA genes.


2008 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 1523-1528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Indreshpal Kaur ◽  
Elizabeth R. Simons ◽  
Asha S. Kapadia ◽  
C. Mark Ott ◽  
Duane L. Pierson

ABSTRACT Astronauts live and work in relatively crowded, confined environments on the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. They experience a unique set of stressors that contribute to a diminishment of many immune responses. This study investigated the ability of the shuttle crew members' monocytes to respond to gram-negative endotoxin that they could encounter during infections. Blood specimens were collected from 20 crew members and 15 control subjects 10 days before launch, 3 to 4 h after landing, and 15 days after landing and from crew members during their annual medical examination at 6 to 12 months after landing. When challenged with gram-negative endotoxin, the crew member's monocytes collected at all three time points produced lower levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-1β and higher levels of IL-1ra and IL-8 compared to those of control subjects. Cytokines were assessed by measuring the number of cells positive for intracellular cytokines. These values returned to normal 6 to 12 months after landing, except for IL-1ra, which was still higher (five- to sixfold) than in controls. This phenomenon was accompanied by an increased expression of Toll-like receptor 4 and decreased expression of CD14 on the crew members' monocytes at all time points. There were also increased levels of the lipopolysaccharide binding protein in the plasma of the crew members 3 to 4 h and 15 days after landing. This study shows that spaceflight-associated factors (in-flight and preflight) modulate the response of monocytes to gram-negative endotoxins.


2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
pp. 2800-2806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Rescigno ◽  
Matteo Urbano ◽  
Monica Rimoldi ◽  
Barbara Valzasina ◽  
Gianluca Rotta ◽  
...  

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