scholarly journals Macrophages Demonstrate Guanylate-Binding Protein-Dependent and Bacterial Strain-Dependent Responses to Francisella tularensis

Author(s):  
Nasibeh Mohammadi ◽  
Helena Lindgren ◽  
Masahiro Yamamoto ◽  
Amandine Martin ◽  
Thomas Henry ◽  
...  

Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium and the etiological agent of tularemia, a zoonotic disease. Infection of monocytic cells by F. tularensis can be controlled after activation with IFN-γ; however, the molecular mechanisms whereby the control is executed are incompletely understood. Recently, a key role has been attributed to the Guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs), interferon-inducible proteins involved in the cell-specific immunity against various intracellular pathogens. Here, we assessed the responses of bone marrow-derived murine macrophages (BMDM) and GBP-deficient BMDM to F. tularensis strains of variable virulence; the highly virulent SCHU S4 strain, the human live vaccine strain (LVS), or the widely used surrogate for F. tularensis, the low virulent F. novicida. Each of the strains multiplied rapidly in BMDM, but after addition of IFN-γ, significant GBP-dependent control of infection was observed for the LVS and F. novicida strains, whereas there was no control of the SCHU S4 infection. However, no differences in GBP transcription or translation were observed in the infected cell cultures. During co-infection with F. novicida and SCHU S4, significant control of both strains was observed. Patterns of 18 cytokines were very distinct between infected cell cultures and high levels were observed for almost all cytokines in F. novicida-infected cultures and very low levels in SCHU S4-infected cultures, whereas levels in co-infected cultures for a majority of cytokines showed intermediate levels, or levels similar to those of F. novicida-infected cultures. We conclude that the control of BMDM infection with F. tularensis LVS or F. novicida is GBP-dependent, whereas SCHU S4 was only controlled during co-infection. Since expression of GBP was similar regardless of infecting agent, the findings imply that SCHU S4 has an inherent ability to evade the GBP-dependent anti-bacterial mechanisms.

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Richard ◽  
Barbara J. Mann ◽  
Aiping Qin ◽  
Eileen M. Barry ◽  
Robert K. Ernst ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Francisella tularensis, a bacterial biothreat agent, has no approved vaccine in the United States. Previously, we showed that incorporating lysates from partially attenuated F. tularensis LVS or fully virulent F. tularensis Schu S4 strains into catanionic surfactant vesicle (V) nanoparticles (LVS-V and Schu S4-V, respectively) protected fully against F. tularensis LVS intraperitoneal (i.p.) challenge in mice. However, we achieved only partial protection against F. tularensis Schu S4 intranasal (i.n.) challenge, even when employing heterologous prime-boost immunization strategies. We now extend these findings to show that both LVS-V and Schu S4-V immunization (i.p./i.p.) elicited similarly high titers of anti-F. tularensis IgG and that the titers could be further increased by adding monophosphoryl lipid A (MPL), a nontoxic Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) adjuvant that is included in several U.S. FDA-approved vaccines. LVS-V+MPL immune sera also detected more F. tularensis antigens than LVS-V immune sera and, after passive transfer to naive mice, significantly delayed the time to death against F. tularensis Schu S4 subcutaneous (s.c.) but not i.n. challenge. Active immunization with LVS-V+MPL (i.p./i.p.) also increased the frequency of gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-secreting activated helper T cells, IFN-γ production, and the ability of splenocytes to control intramacrophage F. tularensis LVS replication ex vivo. Active LVS-V+MPL immunization via heterologous routes (i.p./i.n.) significantly elevated IgA and IgG levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and significantly enhanced protection against i.n. F. tularensis Schu S4 challenge (to ∼60%). These data represent a significant step in the development of a subunit vaccine against the highly virulent type A strains.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 1782-1789 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.E. Curiel ◽  
C.S. Garcia ◽  
S. Rottschafer ◽  
M.C. Bosco ◽  
I. Espinoza-Delgado

B7-2 is a costimulatory molecule expressed on professional antigen-presenting cells that provides T cells with a critical signal resulting in T-cell activation. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) enhances B7-2 protein expression in monocytic cells. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling the enhanced expression of B7-2 are poorly understood. Northern blot and flow cytometry analysis revealed that human monocytes and the human monocytic cell line MonoMac6 (MM6) constitutively expressed B7-2 mRNA and protein and IFN-γ treatment further enhanced the expression of both molecules. The ability of IFN-γ to enhance B7-2 mRNA was evident at the dose of 31 U/mL and reached plateau levels at 500 U/mL. The effects of IFN-γ on B7-2 mRNA expression were time dependent and occurred within 3 hours of treatment and increased through 24 hours. In vitro transcription assays and mRNA stability experiments showed that IFN-γ increases both transcriptional activity and the stability of B7-2 mRNA. Treatment of MM6 cells with cycloheximide showed that de novo protein synthesis was not required for the IFN-γ–enhanced expression of B7-2 mRNA. Overall, these studies show for the first time that IFN-γ–enhanced expression of B7-2 protein in human monocytic cells is controlled at the gene level through a dual mechanism involving transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms.


2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 1303-1309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Lindgren ◽  
Hua Shen ◽  
Carl Zingmark ◽  
Igor Golovliov ◽  
Wayne Conlan ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen capable of proliferating within host macrophages. The mechanisms that explain the differences in virulence between various strains of the species are not well characterized. In the present study, we show that both attenuated (strain LVS) and virulent (strains FSC200 and SCHU S4) strains of the pathogen replicate at similar rates in resting murine peritoneal exudate cells (PEC). However, when PEC were activated by exposure to gamma interferon (IFN-γ), they killed LVS more rapidly than virulent strains of the pathogen. Addition of N G -monomethyl-l-arginine, an inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase, to IFN-γ-treated PEC, completely inhibited killing of the virulent strains, whereas it only partially blocked the killing of LVS. Similarly, in a cell-free system, SCHU S4 and FSC200 were more resistant to killing by H2O2 and ONOO− than F. tularensis LVS. Catalase encoded by katG is a bacterial factor that can detoxify bactericidal compounds such as H2O2 and ONOO−. To investigate its contribution to the virulence of F. tularensis, katG deletion-containing mutants of SCHU S4 and LVS were generated. Both mutants demonstrated enhanced susceptibility to H2O2 in vitro but replicated as effectively as the parental strains in unstimulated PEC. In mice, LVS-ΔkatG was significantly attenuated compared to LVS whereas SCHU S4-ΔkatG, despite slower replication, killed mice as quickly as SCHU S4. This implies that clinical strains of the pathogen have katG-independent mechanisms to combat the antimicrobial effects exerted by H2O2 and ONOO−, the loss of which could have contributed to the attenuation of LVS.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 1782-1789 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.E. Curiel ◽  
C.S. Garcia ◽  
S. Rottschafer ◽  
M.C. Bosco ◽  
I. Espinoza-Delgado

Abstract B7-2 is a costimulatory molecule expressed on professional antigen-presenting cells that provides T cells with a critical signal resulting in T-cell activation. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) enhances B7-2 protein expression in monocytic cells. However, the molecular mechanisms controlling the enhanced expression of B7-2 are poorly understood. Northern blot and flow cytometry analysis revealed that human monocytes and the human monocytic cell line MonoMac6 (MM6) constitutively expressed B7-2 mRNA and protein and IFN-γ treatment further enhanced the expression of both molecules. The ability of IFN-γ to enhance B7-2 mRNA was evident at the dose of 31 U/mL and reached plateau levels at 500 U/mL. The effects of IFN-γ on B7-2 mRNA expression were time dependent and occurred within 3 hours of treatment and increased through 24 hours. In vitro transcription assays and mRNA stability experiments showed that IFN-γ increases both transcriptional activity and the stability of B7-2 mRNA. Treatment of MM6 cells with cycloheximide showed that de novo protein synthesis was not required for the IFN-γ–enhanced expression of B7-2 mRNA. Overall, these studies show for the first time that IFN-γ–enhanced expression of B7-2 protein in human monocytic cells is controlled at the gene level through a dual mechanism involving transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 693
Author(s):  
Corina Daniela Ene ◽  
Simona Roxana Georgescu ◽  
Mircea Tampa ◽  
Clara Matei ◽  
Cristina Iulia Mitran ◽  
...  

The interaction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) with lipids, proteins, nucleic acids and hydrocarbonates promotes acute and chronic tissue damage, mediates immunomodulation and triggers autoimmunity in systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) patients. The aim of the study was to determine the pathophysiological mechanisms of the oxidative stress-related damage and molecular mechanisms to counteract oxidative stimuli in lupus nephritis. Our study included 38 SLE patients with lupus nephritis (LN group), 44 SLE patients without renal impairment (non-LN group) and 40 healthy volunteers as control group. In the present paper, we evaluated serum lipid peroxidation, DNA oxidation, oxidized proteins, carbohydrate oxidation, and endogenous protective systems. We detected defective DNA repair mechanisms via 8-oxoguanine-DNA-glycosylase (OGG1), the reduced regulatory effect of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) in the activation of AGE-RAGE axis, low levels of thiols, disulphide bonds formation and high nitrotyrosination in lupus nephritis. All these data help us to identify more molecular mechanisms to counteract oxidative stress in LN that could permit a more precise assessment of disease prognosis, as well as developing new therapeutic targets.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2472
Author(s):  
Carl Randall Harrell ◽  
Valentin Djonov ◽  
Vladislav Volarevic

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are self-renewable, rapidly proliferating, multipotent stem cells which reside in almost all post-natal tissues. MSCs possess potent immunoregulatory properties and, in juxtacrine and paracrine manner, modulate phenotype and function of all immune cells that participate in tissue repair and regeneration. Additionally, MSCs produce various pro-angiogenic factors and promote neo-vascularization in healing tissues, contributing to their enhanced repair and regeneration. In this review article, we summarized current knowledge about molecular mechanisms that regulate the crosstalk between MSCs and immune cells in tissue repair and regeneration.


2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 2306-2311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie S. Duckett ◽  
Sofia Olmos ◽  
Douglas M. Durrant ◽  
Dennis W. Metzger

ABSTRACT Francisella tularensis is a gram-negative intracellular bacterium that can induce lethal respiratory infection in humans and rodents. However, little is known about the role of innate or adaptive immunity in protection from respiratory tularemia. In the present study, the role of interleukin-12 (IL-12) in inducing protective immunity in the lungs against intranasal infection of mice with the live vaccine strain (LVS) of F. tularensis was investigated. It was found that gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and IL-12 were strictly required for protection, since mice deficient in IFN-γ, IL-12 p35, or IL-12 p40 all succumbed to LVS doses that were sublethal for wild-type mice. Furthermore, exogenous IL-12 treatment 24 h before intranasal infection with a lethal dose of LVS (10,000 CFU) significantly decreased bacterial loads in the lungs, livers, and spleens of wild-type BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice and allowed the animals to survive infection; such protection was not observed in IFN-γ-deficient mice. The resistance induced by IL-12 to LVS infection was still observed in NK cell-deficient beige mice but not in CD8−/− mice. These results demonstrate that exogenous IL-12 delivered intranasally can prevent respiratory tularemia through a mechanism that is at least partially dependent upon the expression of IFN-γ and CD8 T cells.


2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochun Xue ◽  
Jianhua Wu ◽  
Junhui Li ◽  
Jianguo Xu ◽  
Haiying Dai ◽  
...  

It was previously reported that the expression of CD274 was down-regulated in psoriatic epidermis, leading to immune disorders of psoriasis. However, the regulatory mechanisms of CD274 were rarely elucidated. We aimed to explore the regulatory mechanisms of CD274. Skin samples were collected from 18 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 9 healthy participants for RNA sequencing. Candidate genes were chosen based on degree and k-core difference of genes in the co-expression network. The relations between candidate genes and CD274 were validated by flow cytometry and real-time PCR in primary human epidermal keratinocytes. The therapeutic effect of indirubin was assessed in an imiquimod-treated mouse model. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ), cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 1, Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3), TLR4 and interleukin (IL)-17A were considered as candidate genes. In primary human epidermal keratinocytes, the level of CD274 was obviously increased under the stimulation of IFN-γ and CDK1 inhibitor (indirubin), independent of TLR4, TLR3 or IL-17A. Indirubin alleviated the severity of psoriatic mice in a CD274-dependent manner. Co-expression network analysis served as an effective method for the exploration of molecular mechanisms. We demonstrated for the first time that CD274 was the regulator of indirubin-mediated effect on mouse psoriasis-like skin lesion based on co-expression network analysis, contributing to the alleviation of mouse psoriasis-like skin lesion.


2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (11) ◽  
pp. 5338-5345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kee-Jong Hong ◽  
Jason R. Wickstrum ◽  
Hung-Wen Yeh ◽  
Michael J. Parmely

ABSTRACT The production of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) is a key step in the protective innate immune response to Francisella tularensis. Natural killer cells and T cells in the liver are important sources of this cytokine during primary F. tularensis infections, and interleukin-12 (IL-12) appears to be an essential coactivating cytokine for hepatic IFN-γ expression. The present study was undertaken to determine whether or not macrophages (Mφ) or dendritic cells (DC) provide coactivating signals for the liver IFN-γ response in vitro, whether IL-12 mediates these effects, and whether Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling is essential to induce this costimulatory activity. Both bone marrow-derived Mφ and DC significantly augmented the IFN-γ response of F. tularensis-challenged liver lymphocytes in vitro. While both cell types produced IL-12p40 in response to F. tularensis challenge, only DC secreted large quantities of IL-12p70. DC from both IL-12p35-deficient and TLR2-deficient mice failed to produce IL-12p70 and did not costimulate liver lymphocytes for IFN-γ production in response to viable F. tularensis organisms. Conversely, liver lymphocytes from TLR2-deficient mice cocultured with wild-type accessory cells produced IFN-γ at levels comparable to those for wild-type hepatic lymphocytes. These findings indicate that TLR2 controls hepatic lymphocyte IFN-γ responses to F. tularensis by regulating DC IL-12 production. While Mφ also coinduced hepatic IFN-γ production in response to F. tularensis, they did so in a fashion less dependent on TLR2.


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