scholarly journals Nlrp3 Increases the Host’s Susceptibility to Tularemia

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ragavan V. Suresh ◽  
Elizabeth W. Bradley ◽  
Matthew Higgs ◽  
Vincenzo C. Russo ◽  
Maha Alqahtani ◽  
...  

Francisella tularensis (F. tularensis) is a Gram-negative, intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of a fatal human disease known as tularemia. The CDC has classified F. tularensis as a Tier 1 Category A select agent based on its ease of aerosolization, low infectious dose, past use as a bioweapon, and the potential to be used as a bioterror agent. Francisella has a unique replication cycle. Upon its uptake, Francisella remains in the phagosomes for a short period and then escapes into the cytosol, where the replication occurs. Francisella is recognized by cytosolic pattern recognition receptors, Absent In Melanoma 2 (Aim2) and Nacht LRR and PYD domains containing Protein 3 (Nlrp3). The recognition of Francisella ligands by Aim2 and Nlrp3 triggers the assembly and activation of the inflammasome. The mechanism of activation of Aim2 is well established; however, how Nlrp3 inflammasome is activated in response to F. tularensis infection is not known. Unlike Aim2, the protective role of Nlrp3 against Francisella infection is not fully established. This study investigated the role of Nlrp3 and the potential mechanisms through which Nlrp3 exerts its detrimental effects on the host in response to F. tularensis infection. The results from in vitro studies demonstrate that Nlrp3 dampens NF-κB and MAPK signaling, and pro-inflammatory cytokine production, which allows replication of F. tularensis in infected macrophages. In vivo, Nlrp3 deficiency results in differential expression of several genes required to induce a protective immune response against respiratory tularemia. Nlrp3-deficient mice mount a stronger innate immune response, clear bacteria efficiently with minimal organ damage, and are more resistant to Francisella infection than their wild-type counterparts. Together, these results demonstrate that Nlrp3 enhances the host’s susceptibility to F. tularensis by modulating the protective innate immune responses. Collectively, this study advances our understanding of the detrimental role of Nlrp3 in tularemia pathogenesis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 3687
Author(s):  
Joanna Homa ◽  
Alina Klosowska ◽  
Magdalena Chadzinska

Arginase is the manganese metalloenzyme catalyzing the conversion of l-arginine to l-ornithine and urea. In vertebrates, arginase is involved in the immune response, tissue regeneration, and wound healing and is an important marker of alternative anti-inflammatory polarization of macrophages. In invertebrates, data concerning the role of arginase in these processes are very limited. Therefore, in the present study, we focused on the changes in arginase activity in the coelomocytes of Eisenia andrei. We studied the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), heavy metals ions (e.g., Mn2+), parasite infection, wound healing, and short-term fasting (5 days) on arginase activity. For the first time in earthworms, we described arginase activity in the coelomocytes and found that it can be up-regulated upon in vitro stimulation with LPS and H2O2 and in the presence of Mn2+ ions. Moreover, arginase activity was also up-regulated in animals in vivo infected with nematodes or experiencing segment amputation, but not in fasting earthworms. Furthermore, we confirmed that the activity of coelomocyte arginase can be suppressed by l-norvaline. Our studies strongly suggest that similarly to the vertebrates, also in the earthworms, coelomocyte arginase is an important element of the immune response and wound healing processes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Pujantell ◽  
Roger Badia ◽  
Iván Galván-Femenía ◽  
Edurne Garcia-Vidal ◽  
Rafael de Cid ◽  
...  

AbstractInfection by human papillomavirus (HPV) alters the microenvironment of keratinocytes as a mechanism to evade the immune system. A-to-I editing by ADAR1 has been reported to regulate innate immunity in response to viral infections. Here, we evaluated the role of ADAR1 in HPV infection in vitro and in vivo. Innate immune activation was characterized in human keratinocyte cell lines constitutively infected or not with HPV. ADAR1 knockdown induced an innate immune response through enhanced expression of RIG-I-like receptors (RLR) signaling cascade, over-production of type-I IFNs and pro-inflammatory cytokines. ADAR1 knockdown enhanced expression of HPV proteins, a process dependent on innate immune function as no A-to-I editing could be identified in HPV transcripts. A genetic association study was performed in a cohort of HPV/HIV infected individuals followed for a median of 6 years (range 0.1–24). We identified the low frequency haplotype AACCAT significantly associated with recurrent HPV dysplasia, suggesting a role of ADAR1 in the outcome of HPV infection in HIV+ individuals. In summary, our results suggest that ADAR1-mediated innate immune activation may influence HPV disease outcome, therefore indicating that modification of innate immune effectors regulated by ADAR1 could be a therapeutic strategy against HPV infection.


2020 ◽  
Vol 88 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenessa A. Winston ◽  
Alissa J. Rivera ◽  
Jingwei Cai ◽  
Rajani Thanissery ◽  
Stephanie A. Montgomery ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is associated with increasing morbidity and mortality posing an urgent threat to public health. Recurrence of CDI after successful treatment with antibiotics is high, thus necessitating discovery of novel therapeutics against this enteric pathogen. Administration of the secondary bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA; ursodiol) inhibits the life cycles of various strains of C. difficile in vitro, suggesting that the FDA-approved formulation of UDCA, known as ursodiol, may be able to restore colonization resistance against C. difficile in vivo. However, the mechanism(s) by which ursodiol is able to restore colonization resistance against C. difficile remains unknown. Here, we confirmed that ursodiol inhibits C. difficile R20291 spore germination and outgrowth, growth, and toxin activity in a dose-dependent manner in vitro. In a murine model of CDI, exogenous administration of ursodiol resulted in significant alterations in the bile acid metabolome with little to no changes in gut microbial community structure. Ursodiol pretreatment resulted in attenuation of CDI pathogenesis early in the course of disease, which coincided with alterations in the cecal and colonic inflammatory transcriptome, bile acid-activated receptors nuclear farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and transmembrane G-protein-coupled membrane receptor 5 (TGR5), which are able to modulate the innate immune response through signaling pathways such as NF-κB. Although ursodiol pretreatment did not result in a consistent decrease in the C. difficile life cycle in vivo, it was able to attenuate an overly robust inflammatory response that is detrimental to the host during CDI. Ursodiol remains a viable nonantibiotic treatment and/or prevention strategy against CDI. Likewise, modulation of the host innate immune response via bile acid-activated receptors FXR and TGR5 represents a new potential treatment strategy for patients with CDI.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing-Shang Wang ◽  
Ye Huang ◽  
Shuping Zhang ◽  
Hui-Jun Yin ◽  
Lei Zhang ◽  
...  

Hyperglycemia fluctuation is associated with diabetes mellitus (DM) complications when compared to persistent hyperglycemia. Previous studies have shown that paeoniflorin (PF), through its antiapoptosis, anti-inflammation, and antithrombotic properties, effectively protects against cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. However, the mechanism underlying the protection from PF against vascular injuries induced by hyperglycemia fluctuations remains poorly understood. Herein, we investigated the potential protective role of PF on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) subjected to intermittent glucose levels in vitro and in DM rats with fluctuating hyperglycemia in vivo. A remarkable increased apoptosis associated with elevated inflammation, increased oxidative stress, and high protein level of PKCβ1 was induced in HUVECs by intermittently changing glucose for 8 days, and PF recovered those detrimental changes. LY333531, a potent PKCβ1 inhibitor, and metformin manifested similar effects. Additionally, in DM rats with fluctuating hyperglycemia, PF protected against vascular damage as what has been observed in vitro. Taken together, PF attenuates the vascular injury induced by fluctuant hyperglycemia through oxidative stress inhibition, inflammatory reaction reduction, and PKCβ1 protein level repression, suggesting its perspective clinical usage.


2019 ◽  
Vol 316 (1) ◽  
pp. L269-L279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianwen Lai ◽  
Mindan Wu ◽  
Chao Zhang ◽  
Luanqing Che ◽  
Feng Xu ◽  
...  

Histone deacetylase (HDAC)2 is expressed in airway epithelium and plays a pivotal role in inflammatory cells. However, the role of HDAC2 in allergic airway inflammation remains poorly understood. In the present study, we determined the role of HDAC2 in airway inflammation using in vivo models of house dust mite (HDM)-induced allergic inflammation and in vitro cultures of human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells exposed to HDM, IL-17A, or both. We observed that HDM-challenged Hdac2+/− mice exhibited substantially enhanced infiltration of inflammatory cells. Higher levels of T helper 2 cytokines and IL-17A expression were found in lung tissues of HDM-challenged Hdac2+/− mice. Interestingly, IL-17A deletion or anti-IL-17A treatment reversed the enhanced airway inflammation induced by HDAC2 impairment. In vitro, HDM and IL-17A synergistically decreased HDAC2 expression in HBE cells. HDAC2 gene silencing further enhanced HDM- and/or IL-17A-induced inflammatory cytokines in HBE cells. HDAC2 overexpresion or blocking IL-17A gene expression restored the enhanced inflammatory cytokines. Collectively, these results support a protective role of HDAC2 in HDM-induced airway inflammation by suppressing IL-17A production and might suggest that activation of HDAC2 and/or inhibition of IL-17A production could prevent the development of allergic airway inflammation.


Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 415 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveed Sabir ◽  
Tariq Hussain ◽  
Yi Liao ◽  
Jie Wang ◽  
Yinjuan Song ◽  
...  

Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis) is a member of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) complex causing bovine tuberculosis (TB) and imposing a high zoonotic threat to human health. Kallikreins (KLKs) belong to a subgroup of secreted serine proteases. As their role is established in various physiological and pathological processes, it is likely that KLKs expression may mediate a host immune response against the M. bovis infection. In the current study, we report in vivo and in vitro upregulation of KLK12 in the M. bovis infection. To define the role of KLK12 in immune response regulation of murine macrophages, we produced KLK12 knockdown bone marrow derived macrophages (BMDMs) by using siRNA transfection. Interestingly, the knockdown of KLK12 resulted in a significant downregulation of autophagy and apoptosis in M. bovis infected BMDMs. Furthermore, we demonstrated that this KLK12 mediated regulation of autophagy and apoptosis involves mTOR/AMPK/TSC2 and BAX/Bcl-2/Cytochrome c/Caspase 3 pathways, respectively. Similarly, inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α were significantly downregulated in KLK12 knockdown macrophages but the difference in IL-10 and IFN-β expression was non-significant. Taken together, these findings suggest that upregulation of KLK12 in M. bovis infected murine macrophages plays a substantial role in the protective immune response regulation by modulating autophagy, apoptosis and pro-inflammatory pathways. To our knowledge, this is the first report on expression and the role of KLK12 in the M. bovis infection and the data may contribute to a new paradigm for diagnosis and treatment of bovine TB.


1994 ◽  
Vol 180 (4) ◽  
pp. 1273-1282 ◽  
Author(s):  
M B Graham ◽  
V L Braciale ◽  
T J Braciale

T lymphocytes play a primary role in recovery from viral infections and in antiviral immunity. Although viral-specific CD8+ and CD4+ T cells have been shown to be able to lyse virally infected targets in vitro and promote recovery from lethal infection in vivo, the role of CD4+ T lymphocytes and their mechanism(s) of action in viral immunity are not well understood. The ability to further dissect the role that CD4+ T cells play in the immune response to a number of pathogens has been greatly enhanced by evidence for more extensive heterogeneity among the CD4+ T lymphocytes. To further examine the role of CD4+ T cells in the immune response to influenza infection, we have generated influenza virus-specific CD4+ T cell clones from influenza-primed BALB/c mice with differential cytokine secretion profiles that are defined as T helper type 1 (Th1) clones by the production of interleukin 2 (IL-2) and interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), or as Th2 clones by the production of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-10. Our studies have revealed that Th1 clones are cytolytic in vitro and protective against lethal challenge with virus in vivo, whereas Th2 clones are noncytolytic and not protective. Upon further evaluation of these clonal populations we have shown that not only are the Th2 clones nonprotective, but that pulmonary pathology is exacerbated as compared with control mice as evidenced by delayed viral clearance and massive pulmonary eosinophilia. These data suggest that virus-specific CD4+ T cells of the Th2 subset may not play a primary role in virus clearance and recovery and may lead to immune mediated potentiation of injury.


2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (12) ◽  
pp. 4604-4614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Elliott ◽  
Ying Peng ◽  
Guoquan Zhang

ABSTRACTCoxiella burnetiiis an obligate intracellular bacterium that causes acute and chronic Q fever in humans. Human Q fever is mainly transmitted by aerosol infection. However, there is a fundamental gap in the knowledge regarding the mechanisms of pulmonary immunity againstC. burnetiiinfection. This study focused on understanding the interaction betweenC. burnetiiand innate immune cellsin vitroandin vivo. Both virulentC. burnetiiNine Mile phase I (NMI) and avirulent Nine Mile phase II (NMII) were able to infect neutrophils, while the infection rates were lower than 29%, suggesting thatC. burnetiican infect neutrophils, but infection is limited. Interestingly,C. burnetiiinside neutrophils can infect and replicate within macrophages, suggesting that neutrophils cannot killC. burnetiiandC. burnetiimay be using infection of neutrophils as an evasive strategy to infect macrophages. To elucidate the mechanisms of the innate immune response toC. burnetiinatural infection, SCID mice were exposed to aerosolizedC. burnetii. Surprisingly, neutrophil influx into the lungs was delayed until day 7 postinfection in both NMI- and NMII-infected mice. This result suggests that neutrophils may play a unique role in the early immune response against aerosolizedC. burnetii. Studying the interaction betweenC. burnetiiand the innate immune system can provide a model system for understanding how the bacteria evade early immune responses to cause infection.


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