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NFATc1 autoregulation: a crucial step for cell-fate determination.

Nuclear factor of activated T cell c (NFATc) transcription factors appeared in evolution with the emergence of lymphocytes in jawed fish. They have decisive roles in the development of the immune system and adaptive immune responses. Following immunoreceptor stimulation, NFAT factors control the expression of a large set of genes and thereby the fate of peripheral lymphocytes. NFATc1 and NFATc2 are the most prominent NFAT factors in peripheral T cells; they overlap in their function but differ remarkably in the mode of expression. NFATc2 is constitutively synthesized in T cells, whereas the expression of NFATc1/alphaA, the most prominent of six NFATc1 isoforms in peripheral T cells, is strongly induced following T-cell receptor and co-receptor stimulation and maintained by positive autoregulation. Findings concerning NFATc1 autoregulation in peripheral T lymphocytes and other cells suggest that positive autoregulation of NFATc1 is a crucial step in cell-fate determination.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

In situ immune response in brain and kidney during early relapsing fever borreliosis.

Characterization of the host immune response during initial pathogenesis of relapsing fever neuroborreliosis would be a key to understanding Borrelia persistence and factors driving the inflammatory process. We analyzed immune cells in brain and kidney with the highly invasive B. crocidurae during the first two weeks of murine infection. In both organs, microglia and/or macrophages predominated while T-cell changes were minimal. Compared to kidney, brain neutrophils infiltrated more rapidly and B-cells were essentially absent. Our results indicate that during early neuroborreliosis, brain defense is comprised primarily of innate immune cells while adaptive immunity plays a minor role.

Animals↗

Establishment of ex vivo systems to identify compounds acting on innate immune responses and to determine their target molecules using transgenic Drosophila.

Innate immunity is an evolutionarily conserved self-defense mechanism against microbial infections. In Drosophila, induction of antimicrobial peptides is a major immune response that is regulated by two distinct signaling pathways called the IMD pathway and the Toll pathway, similar to the tumor necrosis factor-alpha signaling and Toll-like receptor/interleukin-1 signaling pathways, respectively, in mammals. In mammals, innate immunity interacts with adaptive immunity and has a key role in the regulated immune response. Therefore, innate immunity is a pharmaceutical target for the development of immune regulators. Previously, based on the striking conservation between the mechanisms that regulate Drosophila immunity and human innate immunity, we established an ex vivo culture in which compounds acting on innate immunity can be evaluated using a reporter gene that reflects activation of the IMD pathway [Yajima et al. [Yajima, M., Takada, M., Takahashi, N., Kikuchi, H., Natori, S., Oshima, Y., Kurata, S., 2003. A newly established in vitro culture using transgenic Drosophila reveals functional coupling between the phospholipase A2-generated fatty acid cascade and lipopolysaccharide-dependent activation of the immune deficiency (imd) pathway in insect immunity. The Biochemical Journal 371(Pt 1), 205-210] Biochem J 371, 205-210]. Here, we combined the ex vivo culture with a reporter gene that reflects the heat shock response and demonstrated that the resulting systems are useful for screening compounds that act specifically on innate immunity, including mammalian innate immune responses. Identification of target molecules is essential for the development of more potent medicines with fewer side effects. In this study, we also established ex vivo systems capable of identifying target molecules of the identified compounds using targeted activation of the IMD pathway.

Animals↗

Engineering disulfide bridges to dissect antimicrobial and chemotactic activities of human beta-defensin 3.

Human defensins form a family of small, cationic, and Cys-rich antimicrobial proteins that play important roles in innate immunity against invading microbes. They also function as effective immune modulators in adaptive immunity by selectively chemoattracting T lymphocytes and immature dendritic cells. On the basis of sequence homology and the connectivity of six conserved Cys residues, human defensins are classified into alpha and beta families. Structures of several beta-defensins have recently been characterized, confirming the disulfide connectivity conserved within the family, i.e., Cys1-Cys5, Cys2-Cys4, and Cys3-Cys6. We found that human beta-defensin 3 (hBD3), a recently described member of the growing beta family, did not fold preferentially into a native conformation in vitro under various oxidative conditions. Using the orthogonal protection of Cys1-Cys5 and of Cys1-Cys6, we chemically synthesized six topological analogs of hBD3 with predefined disulfide connectivities, including the (presumably) native beta pairing. Unexpectedly, all differently folded hBD3 species exhibited similar antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, whereas a wide range of chemotactic activities was observed with these analogs for monocytes and cells transfected by the chemokine receptor CCR6. Furthermore, whereas substitution of all Cys residues by alpha-aminobutyric acid completely abolished the chemotactic activity of hBD3, the bactericidal activity remained unaffected in the absence of any disulfide bridge. Our findings demonstrate that disulfide bonding in hBD3, although required for binding and activation of receptors for chemotaxis, is fully dispensable for its antimicrobial function, thus shedding light on the mechanisms of action for human beta-defensins and the design of novel peptide antibiotics.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

STAT protein interference and suppression of cytokine signal transduction by measles virus V protein.

Measles virus, a paramyxovirus of the Morbillivirus genus, is responsible for an acute childhood illness that infects over 40 million people and leads to the deaths of more than 1 million people annually (C. J. Murray and A. D. Lopez, Lancet 349:1269-1276, 1997). Measles virus infection is characterized by virus-induced immune suppression that creates susceptibility to opportunistic infections. Here we demonstrate that measles virus can inhibit cytokine responses by direct interference with host STAT protein-dependent signaling systems. Expression of the measles V protein prevents alpha, beta, and gamma interferon-induced transcriptional responses. Furthermore, it can interfere with signaling by interleukin-6 and the non-receptor tyrosine kinase, v-Src. Affinity purification demonstrates that the measles V protein associates with cellular STAT1, STAT2, STAT3, and IRF9, as well as several unidentified partners. Mechanistic studies indicate that while the measles V protein does not interfere with STAT1 or STAT2 tyrosine phosphorylation, it causes a defect in IFN-induced STAT nuclear accumulation. The defective STAT nuclear redistribution is also observed in measles virus-infected cells, where some of the STAT protein is detected in cytoplasmic bodies that contain viral nucleocapsid protein and nucleic acids. Interference with STAT-inducible transcription may provide a novel intracellular mechanism for measles virus-induced cytokine inhibition that links innate immune evasion to adaptive immune suppression.

Animals↗

CD43 is a ligand for E-selectin on CLA+ human T cells.

The recruitment of memory T cells from blood into tissues is a central element of immune surveillance and adaptive immune responses and a key feature of chronic cutaneous inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Human memory T cells that infiltrate skin express the carbohydrate epitope cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen (CLA). Expression of the CLA epitope on T cells has been described on P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) and associated with the acquisition of both E-selectin and P-selectin ligand functions. In this report, we show that CD43, a sialomucin expressed constitutively on T cells, can also be decorated with the CLA epitope and serve as an E-selectin ligand. CLA expressed on CD43 was found exclusively on the high-molecular-weight (125 kDa) glycoform bearing core-2-branched O-linked glycans. CLA+ CD43 purified from human T cells supported tethering and rolling in shear flow via E-selectin but did not support binding of P-selectin. The identification and characterization of CD43 as a T-cell E-selectin ligand distinct from PSGL-1 expands the role of CD43 in the regulation of T-cell trafficking and provides new targets for the modulation of immune functions in skin.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Between adaptive and innate immunity: TLR4-mediated perforin production by CD28null T-helper cells in ankylosing spondylitis.

CD3+CD4+CD28null and CD3+CD8+CD28null T cells are enriched in patients with immune-mediated diseases compared with healthy controls. This study shows that CD4+CD28null T cells express Toll-like receptors recognizing bacterial lipopolysaccharides in ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In ankylosing spondylitis, TLR4 (23.1 +/- 21.9%) and, to a smaller extent, TLR2 (4.1 +/- 5.8%) were expressed on CD4+CD28null T cells, whereas expression was negligible on CD4+CD28+ and CD8+ T cells. CD4+CD28null T cells produced perforin upon stimulation with lipopolysaccharide, and this effect was enhanced by autologous serum or recombinant soluble CD14. Perforin production could be prevented with blocking antibodies directed against CD14 or TLR4. Incubation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells with tumour necrosis factor alpha led to an upregulation of TLR4 and TLR2 on CD4+CD28null T cells in vitro, and treatment of patients with antibodies specifically directed against tumour necrosis factor alpha resulted in decreased expression of TLR4 and TLR2 on CD4+CD28null T cells in vivo. We describe here a new pathway for direct activation of cytotoxic CD4+ T cells by components of infectious pathogens. This finding supports the hypothesis that CD4+CD28null T cells represent an immunological link between the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system.

Adult↗

A Toll for lupus.

Toll-like receptor (TLR)-9 recognizes CpG motifs in microbial DNA. TLR9 signalling stimulates innate antimicrobial immunity and modulates adaptive immune responses including autoimmunity against chromatin, e.g., in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). This review summarizes the available data for a role of TLR9 signalling in lupus and discusses the following questions that arise from these observations: 1) Is CpG-DNA/TLR9 interaction involved in infection-induced disease activity of lupus? 2) What are the risks of CpG motifs in vaccine adjuvants for lupus patients? 3) Is TLR9 signalling involved in the pathogenesis of lupus by recognizing self DNA?

Autoimmunity↗

Burying the dead: the impact of failed apoptotic cell removal (efferocytosis) on chronic inflammatory lung disease.

Apoptosis and the removal of apoptotic cells (termed efferocytosis) are tightly coupled with the regulation of normal lung structure, both in the developing and adult organism. Processes that disrupt or uncouple this balance have the potential to alter normal cell turnover, ultimately resulting in the induction of lung pathology and disease. Apoptotic cells are increased in several chronic inflammatory lung diseases, including cystic fibrosis (CF), non-CF bronchiectasis, COPD, and asthma. While this may well be due to the enhanced induction of apoptosis, increasing data suggest that the clearance of dying cells is also impaired. Because efferocytosis appears to be a key regulatory checkpoint for the innate immune system, the adaptive immune system, and cell proliferation, the failure of this highly conserved process may contribute to disease pathogenesis by impeding both the resolution of inflammation and the maintenance of alveolar integrity. The recognition of impaired efferocytosis as a contributor to chronic inflammation may ultimately direct us toward the identification of new disease biomarkers, as well as novel therapeutic approaches.

Apoptosis↗

Innate immunity in the lungs.

Innate immunity is a primordial system that has a primary role in lung antimicrobial defenses. Recent advances in understanding the recognition systems by which cells of the innate immune system recognize and respond to microbial products have revolutionized the understanding of host defenses in the lungs and other tissues. The innate immune system includes lung leukocytes and also epithelial cells lining the alveolar surface and the conducting airways. The innate immune system drives adaptive immunity in the lungs and has important interactions with other systems, including apoptosis pathways and signaling pathways induced by mechanical stretch. Human diversity in innate immune responses could explain some of the variability seen in the responses of patients to bacterial, fungal, and viral infections in the lungs. New strategies to modify innate immune responses could be useful in limiting the adverse consequences of some inflammatory reactions in the lungs.

Animals↗

How can the innate immune system influence autoimmunity in type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune disorders?

The environment is important in determining the onset of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes. Genetic susceptibility factors interact with the environment to trigger and modulate a series of immune responses that ultimately lead to destruction of the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. Although T lymphocytes are thought to play a major pathogenic role in the pathogenesis of diabetes, undoubtedly other components of the immune system also contribute to this process. How the environment may alter the course of disease is unknown, although viruses have been implicated in triggering and/or exacerbating the disease process. In this review, we will focus on how infection, particularly with viruses, may influence the onset of type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune diseases. Mechanisms such as molecular mimicry, bystander activation, and uncontrolled polyclonal activation of the immune system may contribute to the immune pathogenesis. We will also explore the interaction of the innate immune system with adaptive immune responses in predisposing individuals to the development of autoimmunity.

Animals↗

IL-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 regulates susceptibility to organ-specific autoimmunity.

Infections often precede the development of autoimmunity. Correlation between infection with a specific pathogen and a particular autoimmune disease ranges from moderately strong to quite weak. This lack of correspondence suggests that autoimmunity may result from microbial activation of a generic, as opposed to pathogen-specific host-defense response. The Toll-like receptors, essential to host recognition of microbial invasion, signal through a common, highly conserved pathway, activate innate immunity, and control adaptive immune responses. To determine the influence of Toll/IL-1 signaling on the development of autoimmunity, the responses of wild-type (WT) mice and IL-1R-associated kinase 1 (IRAK1)-deficient mice to induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis were compared. C57BL/6 and B6.IRAK1-deficient mice were immunized with MOG 35-55/CFA or MOG 35-55/CpG DNA/IFA. WT animals developed severe disease, whereas IRAK1-deficient mice were resistant to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, exhibiting little or no CNS inflammation. IRAK1-deficient T cells also displayed impaired Th1 development, particularly during disease induction, despite normal TCR signaling. These results suggest that IRAK1 and the Toll/IL-1 pathway play an essential role in T cell priming, and demonstrate one means through which innate immunity can control subsequent development of autoimmunity. These findings may also help explain the association between antecedent infection and the development or exacerbations of some autoimmune diseases.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

B cell deficiency confers protection from renal ischemia reperfusion injury.

Recent data have demonstrated a role for CD4(+) cells in the pathogenesis of renal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). Identifying engagement of adaptive immune cells in IRI suggests that the other major cell of the adaptive immune response, B cells, may also mediate renal IRI. An established model of renal IRI was used: 30 min of renal pedicle clamping was followed by reperfusion in B cell-deficient ( mu MT) and wild-type mice. Renal function was significantly improved in mu MT mice compared with wild-type mice at 24, 48, and 72 h postischemia. mu MT mice also had significantly reduced tubular injury. Both groups of mice had similar renal phagocyte infiltration postischemia assessed by myeloperoxidase levels and similar levels of CD4(+) T cell infiltration postischemia. Peritubular complement C3d staining was also similar in both groups. To identify the contribution of cellular vs soluble mechanism of action, serum transfer into mu MT mice partially restored ischemic phenotype, but B cell transfers did not. These data are the first demonstration of a pathogenic role for B cells in ischemic acute renal failure, with a serum factor as a potential underlying mechanism of action.

Adoptive Transfer↗

Human plasmacytoid dendritic cells activated by CpG oligodeoxynucleotides induce the generation of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) are key effectors in host innate immunity and orchestrate adaptive immune responses. CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) have potent immunostimulatory effects on PDCs through TLR9 recognition and signaling. Little is known about the effects of CpG ODN on human PDC-mediated T cell priming. Here we show that type B CpG ODN effectively promotes PDCs to prime allogeneic naive CD4(+)CD25(-) T cells to differentiate into CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells. The CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells induced by CpG ODN-activated PDCs express forkhead transcription factor 3 and produce IL-10, TGF-beta, IFN-gamma, and IL-6, but low IL-2 and IL-4. These CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells are hyporesponsive to secondary alloantigen stimulation and strongly inhibit proliferation of autologous or allogeneic naive CD4(+) T cells in an Ag-nonspecific manner. CpG ODN-activated PDCs require direct contact with T cells to induce CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells. Interestingly, IL-10 and TGF-beta were undetectable in the supernatants of CpG ODN-stimulated PDC cultures. Both CpG-A and CpG-C ODN-activated PDCs similarly induced the generation of CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells with strong immune suppressive function. This study demonstrates that TLR9 stimulation can promote PDC-mediated generation of CD4(+)CD25(+) Treg cells and suggests PDCs may play an important role in the maintenance of immunological tolerance.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

Tolerance and immunity in the intestinal immune system.

The intestinal immune system must guard the body against invasion by pathogens while avoiding a response to the many potential antigens present in food. In the absence of the inflammatory stimuli necessary to elicit an immune response, oral administration of soluble protein antigens induces antigen-specific systemic nonresponsiveness. Recent studies have shown that peripheral nonresponsiveness to orally administered antigen is preceded by transient T-cell activation and is due primarily to the induction of functional T-cell anergy. The microenvironment of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue plays a central role in orally induced nonresponsiveness by supporting the growth of regulatory T cells that maintain intestinal homeostasis in the face of constant antigenic challenge. The transfer of nonresponsiveness by peripheral T cells from antigen-fed mice suggests that these-gut-derived regulatory cells also function in peripheral sites. When oral antigens are presented with adjuvants (microbial products that activate the innate immune system) an adaptive immune response is induced to this normally tolerogenic form of antigen. This review examines recent work that has provided new insight into the regulation of tolerance and immunity in the intestinal immune system.

Animals↗

C5a negatively regulates toll-like receptor 4-induced immune responses.

The complement system and the Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are two central arms of innate immunity that are critical to host defense as well as the development of adaptive immunity. Most pathogens activate both complement and TLRs, suggesting the potential for crosstalk between the two systems. We show here that the complement-derived C5a anaphylatoxin negatively regulates TLR4- and CD40-induced synthesis of IL-12 family cytokines (IL-12, IL-23, and IL-27) from inflammatory macrophages (M phi s) by extracellular signal-regulated kinase- and phosphoinositide 3 kinase-dependent pathways. This decreased cytokine response translates into a decreased T helper type 1 (Th1) response in vitro and in vivo. Accordingly, we found enhanced Th1 immunity in C5a receptor-deficient mice, something that conferred protection from Leishmania major infection. Our findings identify the negative impact of C5a on IL-12 family cytokines as an important mechanism for regulating Th1 polarization in response to innate and adaptive immune network activation.

Animals↗

Innate immunity and graft rejection.

Although innate immunity evolved to combat pathogens, increasing awareness of a pivotal role in driving and shaping adaptive immunity has prompted this review on the role of innate immunity in graft rejection. We present evidence that grafts, especially xenografts, elicit innate responses, required for adaptive immunity. Particular attention is paid to studies by ourselves and others demonstrating the important role of innate immunity in T-cell trafficking. The mechanisms by which grafts elicit innate immunity are a fertile subject for further investigation and an important target for therapeutic intervention.

Adoptive Transfer↗

Association of CD14 promoter polymorphism with otitis media and pneumococcal vaccine responses.

Innate immunity is of particular importance for protection against infection during early life, when adaptive immune responses are immature. CD14 plays key roles in innate immunity, including in defense against pathogens associated with otitis media, a major pediatric health care issue. The T allele of the CD14 C-159T polymorphism has been associated with increased serum CD14 levels. Our objective was to investigate the hypothesis that the CD14 C-159T allele is protective against recurrent acute otitis media in children. The association between the CD14 promoter genotype and the number of acute otitis media episodes was evaluated both retrospectively and prospectively in a cohort of 300 children. Serotype-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody responses after pneumococcal vaccinations were examined according to CD14 genotype to compare immune responsiveness across genotypes. An age-dependent association was found: compared with that for CC homozygotes aged between 12 to 24 months, TT homozygotes had fewer episodes of acute otitis media (79 versus 41%, respectively; P = 0.004); this relationship was absent in older children. Additionally, TT homozygotes showed higher serotype-specific anti-pneumococcal IgG antibody levels. Our data suggest that genetic variation in CD14, a molecule at the interface of innate and adaptive immune responses, plays a key role in the defense against middle ear disease in childhood and in pneumococcal vaccine responsiveness. These findings are likely to be important to these and other immune-mediated outcomes in early life.

Age Factors↗