Sample records for complex innate immune

  1. Dissecting innate immune responses with the tools of systems biology.

    PubMed

    Smith, Kelly D; Bolouri, Hamid

    2005-02-01

    Systems biology strives to derive accurate predictive descriptions of complex systems such as innate immunity. The innate immune system is essential for host defense, yet the resulting inflammatory response must be tightly regulated. Current understanding indicates that this system is controlled by complex regulatory networks, which maintain homoeostasis while accurately distinguishing pathogenic infections from harmless exposures. Recent studies have used high throughput technologies and computational techniques that presage predictive models and will be the foundation of a systems level understanding of innate immunity.

  2. Ambient ozone and pulmonary innate immunity

    PubMed Central

    Al-Hegelan, Mashael; Tighe, Robert M.; Castillo, Christian; Hollingsworth, John W.

    2013-01-01

    Ambient ozone is a criteria air pollutant that impacts both human morbidity and mortality. The effect of ozone inhalation includes both toxicity to lung tissue and alteration of the host immunologic response. The innate immune system facilitates immediate recognition of both foreign pathogens and tissue damage. Emerging evidence supports that ozone can modify the host innate immune response and that this response to inhaled ozone is dependent on genes of innate immunity. Improved understanding of the complex interaction between environmental ozone and host innate immunity will provide fundamental insight into the pathogenesis of inflammatory airways disease. We review the current evidence supporting that environmental ozone inhalation: (1) modifies cell types required for intact innate immunity, (2) is partially dependent on genes of innate immunity, (3) primes pulmonary innate immune responses to LPS, and (4) contributes to innate-adaptive immune system cross-talk. PMID:21132467

  3. Innate control of adaptive immunity: Beyond the three-signal paradigm

    PubMed Central

    Jain, Aakanksha; Pasare, Chandrashekhar

    2017-01-01

    Activation of cells in the adaptive immune system is a highly orchestrated process dictated by multiples cues from the innate immune system. Although the fundamental principles of innate control of adaptive immunity are well established, it is not fully understood how innate cells integrate qualitative pathogenic information in order to generate tailored protective adaptive immune responses. In this review, we discuss complexities involved in the innate control of adaptive immunity that extend beyond T cell receptor engagement, co-stimulation and priming cytokine production but are critical for generation of protective T cell immunity. PMID:28483987

  4. Recent progress in the understanding of host immunity to avian coccidiosis: IL-17 family cytokines as the sentinels on the intestinal mucosa

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Host-pathogen interaction leading to protection against coccidiosis is complex, involving many aspects of innate and adaptive immunity to intracellular parasites. Innate immunity is mediated by various subpopulations of innate immune cells through the secretion of soluble factors with diverse functi...

  5. Genes of the major histocompatibility complex highlight interactions of the innate and adaptive immune system

    PubMed Central

    Lukasch, Barbara; Westerdahl, Helena; Strandh, Maria; Winkler, Hans; Moodley, Yoshan; Knauer, Felix

    2017-01-01

    Background A well-functioning immune defence is crucial for fitness, but our knowledge about the immune system and its complex interactions is still limited. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules are involved in T-cell mediated adaptive immune responses, but MHC is also highly upregulated during the initial innate immune response. The aim of our study was therefore to determine to what extent the highly polymorphic MHC is involved in interactions of the innate and adaptive immune defence and if specific functional MHC alleles (FA) or heterozygosity at the MHC are more important. Methods To do this we used captive house sparrows (Passer domesticus) to survey MHC diversity and immune function controlling for several environmental factors. MHC class I alleles were identified using parallel amplicon sequencing and to mirror immune function, several immunological tests that correspond to the innate and adaptive immunity were conducted. Results Our results reveal that MHC was linked to all immune tests, highlighting its importance for the immune defence. While all innate responses were associated with one single FA, adaptive responses (cell-mediated and humoral) were associated with several different alleles. Discussion We found that repeated injections of an antibody in nestlings and adults were linked to different FA and hence might affect different areas of the immune system. Also, individuals with a higher number of different FA produced a smaller secondary response, indicating a disadvantage of having numerous MHC alleles. These results demonstrate the complexity of the immune system in relation to the MHC and lay the foundation for other studies to further investigate this topic. PMID:28875066

  6. Genes of the major histocompatibility complex highlight interactions of the innate and adaptive immune system.

    PubMed

    Lukasch, Barbara; Westerdahl, Helena; Strandh, Maria; Winkler, Hans; Moodley, Yoshan; Knauer, Felix; Hoi, Herbert

    2017-01-01

    A well-functioning immune defence is crucial for fitness, but our knowledge about the immune system and its complex interactions is still limited. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules are involved in T-cell mediated adaptive immune responses, but MHC is also highly upregulated during the initial innate immune response. The aim of our study was therefore to determine to what extent the highly polymorphic MHC is involved in interactions of the innate and adaptive immune defence and if specific functional MHC alleles (FA) or heterozygosity at the MHC are more important. To do this we used captive house sparrows ( Passer domesticus ) to survey MHC diversity and immune function controlling for several environmental factors. MHC class I alleles were identified using parallel amplicon sequencing and to mirror immune function, several immunological tests that correspond to the innate and adaptive immunity were conducted. Our results reveal that MHC was linked to all immune tests, highlighting its importance for the immune defence. While all innate responses were associated with one single FA, adaptive responses (cell-mediated and humoral) were associated with several different alleles. We found that repeated injections of an antibody in nestlings and adults were linked to different FA and hence might affect different areas of the immune system. Also, individuals with a higher number of different FA produced a smaller secondary response, indicating a disadvantage of having numerous MHC alleles. These results demonstrate the complexity of the immune system in relation to the MHC and lay the foundation for other studies to further investigate this topic.

  7. The major histocompatibility complex class Ib molecule HLA-E at the interface between innate and adaptive immunity.

    PubMed

    Sullivan, L C; Clements, C S; Rossjohn, J; Brooks, A G

    2008-11-01

    The non-classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-E is the least polymorphic of all the MHC class I molecules and acts as a ligand for receptors of both the innate and the adaptive immune systems. The recognition of self-peptides complexed to HLA-E by the CD94-NKG2A receptor expressed by natural killer (NK) cells represents a crucial checkpoint for immune surveillance by NK cells. However, HLA-E can also be recognised by the T-cell receptor expressed by alphabeta CD8 T cells and therefore can play a role in the adaptive immune response to invading pathogens. The recent resolution of HLA-E in complex with both innate and adaptive ligands has provided insight into the dual role of this molecule in immunity.

  8. Staphylococcus aureus innate immune evasion is lineage-specific: a bioinfomatics study.

    PubMed

    McCarthy, Alex J; Lindsay, Jodi A

    2013-10-01

    Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen, and is targeted by the host innate immune system. In response, S. aureus genomes encode dozens of secreted proteins that inhibit complement, chemotaxis and neutrophil activation resulting in successful evasion of innate immune responses. These proteins include immune evasion cluster proteins (IEC; Chp, Sak, Scn), staphylococcal superantigen-like proteins (SSLs), phenol soluble modulins (PSMs) and several leukocidins. Biochemical studies have indicated that genetic variants of these proteins can have unique functions. To ascertain the scale of genetic variation in secreted immune evasion proteins, whole genome sequences of 88 S. aureus isolates, representing 25 clonal complex (CC) lineages, in the public domain were analysed across 43 genes encoding 38 secreted innate immune evasion protein complexes. Twenty-three genes were variable, with between 2 and 15 variants, and the variants had lineage-specific distributions. They include genes encoding Eap, Ecb, Efb, Flipr/Flipr-like, Hla, Hld, Hlg, Sbi, Scin-B/C and 13 SSLs. Most of these protein complexes inhibit complement, chemotaxis and neutrophil activation suggesting that isolates from each S. aureus lineage respond to the innate immune system differently. In contrast, protein complexes that lyse neutrophils (LukSF-PVL, LukMF, LukED and PSMs) were highly conserved, but can be carried on mobile genetic elements (MGEs). MGEs also encode proteins with narrow host-specificities arguing that their acquisition has important roles in host/environmental adaptation. In conclusion, this data suggests that each lineage of S. aureus evades host immune responses differently, and that isolates can adapt to new host environments by acquiring MGEs and the immune evasion protein complexes that they encode. Cocktail therapeutics that targets multiple variant proteins may be the most appropriate strategy for controlling S. aureus infections. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Novel innate and adaptive lymphocytes: The new players in the pathogenesis of inflammatory upper airway diseases.

    PubMed

    Liu, Y; Yao, Y; Wang, Z-C; Ning, Q; Liu, Z

    2018-06-01

    Host immunity (innate and adaptive immunity) plays essential roles in the pathogenesis of inflammatory upper airway diseases, including allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis. Recently, the discovery of novel innate immune cells, particularly innate lymphoid cells, has renewed our view on the role of innate immunity in inflammatory upper airway diseases. Meanwhile, the identification of new subsets of T helper (Th) cells, including Th22, Th9 and follicular Th cells, and regulatory B cells in the adaptive immunity, has broadened our knowledge on the complex immune networks in inflammatory upper airway diseases. In this review, we focus on these newly identified innate and adaptive lymphocytes with their contributions to the immunological disturbance in allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis. We further discuss the perspective for future research and potential clinical utility of regulating these novel lymphocytes for the treatment of allergic rhinitis and chronic rhinosinusitis. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Cutaneous immunology: basics and new concepts.

    PubMed

    Yazdi, Amir S; Röcken, Martin; Ghoreschi, Kamran

    2016-01-01

    As one of the largest organs, the skin forms a mechanical and immunological barrier to the environment. The skin immune system harbors cells of the innate immune system and cells of the adaptive immune system. Signals of the innate immune system typically initiate skin immune responses, while cells and cytokines of the adaptive immune system perpetuate the inflammation. Skin immune responses ensure effective host defense against pathogens but can also cause inflammatory skin diseases. An extensive crosstalk between the different cell types of the immune system, tissue cells, and pathogens is responsible for the complexity of skin immune reactions. Here we summarize the major cellular and molecular components of the innate and adaptive skin immune system.

  11. Pulmonary immunity and extracellular matrix interactions.

    PubMed

    O'Dwyer, David N; Gurczynski, Stephen J; Moore, Bethany B

    2018-04-09

    The lung harbors a complex immune system composed of both innate and adaptive immune cells. Recognition of infection and injury by receptors on lung innate immune cells is crucial for generation of antigen-specific responses by adaptive immune cells. The extracellular matrix of the lung, comprising the interstitium and basement membrane, plays a key role in the regulation of these immune systems. The matrix consists of several hundred assembled proteins that interact to form a bioactive scaffold. This template, modified by enzymes, acts to facilitate cell function and differentiation and changes dynamically with age and lung disease. Herein, we explore relationships between innate and adaptive immunity and the lung extracellular matrix. We discuss the interactions between extracellular matrix proteins, including glycosaminoglycans, with prominent effects on innate immune signaling effectors such as toll-like receptors. We describe the relationship of extracellular matrix proteins with adaptive immunity and leukocyte migration to sites of injury within the lung. Further study of these interactions will lead to greater knowledge of the role of matrix biology in lung immunity. The development of novel therapies for acute and chronic lung disease is dependent on a comprehensive understanding of these complex matrix-immunity interactions. Copyright © 2017 International Society of Matrix Biology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Toll-like receptors and intestinal defence: molecular basis and therapeutic implications.

    PubMed

    Cario, Elke

    2003-07-07

    Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a principle role in distinct pathogen recognition and in the initiation of innate immune responses of the intestinal mucosa. Activated innate immunity interconnects downstream with adaptive immunity in complex feedback regulatory loops. Intestinal disease might result from inappropriate activation of the mucosal immune system driven by TLRs in response to normal luminal flora.

  13. Pattern Recognition Receptors in Innate Immunity, Host Defense, and Immunopathology

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Suresh, Rahul; Mosser, David M.

    2013-01-01

    Infection by pathogenic microbes initiates a set of complex interactions between the pathogen and the host mediated by pattern recognition receptors. Innate immune responses play direct roles in host defense during the early stages of infection, and they also exert a profound influence on the generation of the adaptive immune responses that ensue.…

  14. Innate immune signalling at intestinal mucosal surfaces: a fine line between host protection and destruction.

    PubMed

    Cario, Elke

    2008-11-01

    Emerging evidence underscores that inappropriate innate immune responses driven by commensals contribute to the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases in genetically susceptible hosts. The present review focuses on defining the recently described mechanistic functions through which the innate immune signalling apparatus shapes mucosal homeostasis of the intestine in health and disease. Commensal-induced innate immune signalling actively drives at least six major interdependent functions to control homeostasis in the healthy intestinal mucosa: 1) barrier preservation, 2) inhibition of apoptosis and inflammation, 3) acceleration of wound repair and tissue regeneration, 4) exclusion of harmful pathogens through autophagy and other antimicrobial defenses, while 5) maintaining immune tolerance towards harmless commensals, and 6) linkage to adaptive immunity. Any disturbance of this peaceful and mutually beneficial host-commensal relationship may imbalance innate immune signalling, which predisposes to chronic intestinal inflammation and associated tumourigenesis in inflammatory bowel diseases. Recent advances have highlighted the complex mechanistics and functional diversity of innate immunity that paradoxically mediate both protective and destructive responses in the intestinal mucosa. Related signalling targets may offer novel therapeutic approaches in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases and inflammation-related cancer.

  15. The evolution and regulation of the mucosal immune complexity in the basal chordate amphioxus.

    PubMed

    Huang, Shengfeng; Wang, Xin; Yan, Qingyu; Guo, Lei; Yuan, Shaochun; Huang, Guangrui; Huang, Huiqing; Li, Jun; Dong, Meiling; Chen, Shangwu; Xu, Anlong

    2011-02-15

    Both amphioxus and the sea urchin encode a complex innate immune gene repertoire in their genomes, but the composition and mechanisms of their innate immune systems, as well as the fundamental differences between two systems, remain largely unexplored. In this study, we dissect the mucosal immune complexity of amphioxus into different evolutionary-functional modes and regulatory patterns by integrating information from phylogenetic inferences, genome-wide digital expression profiles, time course expression dynamics, and functional analyses. With these rich data, we reconstruct several major immune subsystems in amphioxus and analyze their regulation during mucosal infection. These include the TNF/IL-1R network, TLR and NLR networks, complement system, apoptosis network, oxidative pathways, and other effector genes (e.g., peptidoglycan recognition proteins, Gram-negative binding proteins, and chitin-binding proteins). We show that beneath the superficial similarity to that of the sea urchin, the amphioxus innate system, despite preserving critical invertebrate components, is more similar to that of the vertebrates in terms of composition, expression regulation, and functional strategies. For example, major effectors in amphioxus gut mucous tissue are the well-developed complement and oxidative-burst systems, and the signaling network in amphioxus seems to emphasize signal transduction/modulation more than initiation. In conclusion, we suggest that the innate immune systems of amphioxus and the sea urchin are strategically different, possibly representing two successful cases among many expanded immune systems that arose at the age of the Cambrian explosion. We further suggest that the vertebrate innate immune system should be derived from one of these expanded systems, most likely from the same one that was shared by amphioxus.

  16. Neural regulation of immunity: Role of NPR-1 in pathogen avoidance and regulation of innate immunity

    PubMed Central

    Aballay, Alejandro

    2010-01-01

    The nervous and immune systems consist of complex networks that have been known to be closely interrelated. However, given the complexity of the nervous and immune systems of mammals, including humans, the precise mechanisms by which the two systems influence each other remain understudied. To cut through this complexity, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a simple system to study the relationship between the immune and nervous systems using sophisticated genetic manipulations. We found that C. elegans mutants in G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) expressed in the nervous system exhibit aberrant responses to pathogen infection. The use of different pathogens, different modes of infection, and genome-wide microarrays highlighted the importance of the GPCR NPR-1 in avoidance to certain pathogens and in the regulation of innate immunity. The regulation of innate immunity was found to take place at least in part through a mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway similar to the mammalian p38 MAPK pathway. Here, the results that support the different roles of the NPR-1 neural circuit in the regulation of C. elegans responses to pathogen infection are discussed. PMID:19270528

  17. Advances in the genetically complex autoinflammatory diseases.

    PubMed

    Ombrello, Michael J

    2015-07-01

    Monogenic diseases usually demonstrate Mendelian inheritance and are caused by highly penetrant genetic variants of a single gene. In contrast, genetically complex diseases arise from a combination of multiple genetic and environmental factors. The concept of autoinflammation originally emerged from the identification of individual, activating lesions of the innate immune system as the molecular basis of the hereditary periodic fever syndromes. In addition to these rare, monogenic forms of autoinflammation, genetically complex autoinflammatory diseases like the periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis, and cervical adenitis (PFAPA) syndrome, chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO), Behçet's disease, and systemic arthritis also fulfill the definition of autoinflammatory diseases-namely, the development of apparently unprovoked episodes of inflammation without identifiable exogenous triggers and in the absence of autoimmunity. Interestingly, investigations of these genetically complex autoinflammatory diseases have implicated both innate and adaptive immune abnormalities, blurring the line between autoinflammation and autoimmunity. This reinforces the paradigm of concerted innate and adaptive immune dysfunction leading to genetically complex autoinflammatory phenotypes.

  18. Cheetahs have a stronger constitutive innate immunity than leopards

    PubMed Central

    Heinrich, Sonja K.; Hofer, Heribert; Courtiol, Alexandre; Melzheimer, Jörg; Dehnhard, Martin; Czirják, Gábor Á.; Wachter, Bettina

    2017-01-01

    As a textbook case for the importance of genetics in conservation, absence of genetic variability at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is thought to endanger species viability, since it is considered crucial for pathogen resistance. An alternative view of the immune system inspired by life history theory posits that a strong response should evolve in other components of the immune system if there is little variation in the MHC. In contrast to the leopard (Panthera pardus), the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has a relatively low genetic variability at the MHC, yet free-ranging cheetahs are healthy. By comparing the functional competence of the humoral immune system of both species in sympatric populations in Namibia, we demonstrate that cheetahs have a higher constitutive innate but lower induced innate and adaptive immunity than leopards. We conclude (1) immunocompetence of cheetahs is higher than previously thought; (2) studying both innate and adaptive components of immune systems will enrich conservation science. PMID:28333126

  19. Cheetahs have a stronger constitutive innate immunity than leopards.

    PubMed

    Heinrich, Sonja K; Hofer, Heribert; Courtiol, Alexandre; Melzheimer, Jörg; Dehnhard, Martin; Czirják, Gábor Á; Wachter, Bettina

    2017-03-23

    As a textbook case for the importance of genetics in conservation, absence of genetic variability at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is thought to endanger species viability, since it is considered crucial for pathogen resistance. An alternative view of the immune system inspired by life history theory posits that a strong response should evolve in other components of the immune system if there is little variation in the MHC. In contrast to the leopard (Panthera pardus), the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has a relatively low genetic variability at the MHC, yet free-ranging cheetahs are healthy. By comparing the functional competence of the humoral immune system of both species in sympatric populations in Namibia, we demonstrate that cheetahs have a higher constitutive innate but lower induced innate and adaptive immunity than leopards. We conclude (1) immunocompetence of cheetahs is higher than previously thought; (2) studying both innate and adaptive components of immune systems will enrich conservation science.

  20. Innate Immunity of the Lung: From Basic Mechanisms to Translational Medicine.

    PubMed

    Hartl, Dominik; Tirouvanziam, Rabindra; Laval, Julie; Greene, Catherine M; Habiel, David; Sharma, Lokesh; Yildirim, Ali Önder; Dela Cruz, Charles S; Hogaboam, Cory M

    2018-02-13

    The respiratory tract is faced daily with 10,000 L of inhaled air. While the majority of air contains harmless environmental components, the pulmonary immune system also has to cope with harmful microbial or sterile threats and react rapidly to protect the host at this intimate barrier zone. The airways are endowed with a broad armamentarium of cellular and humoral host defense mechanisms, most of which belong to the innate arm of the immune system. The complex interplay between resident and infiltrating immune cells and secreted innate immune proteins shapes the outcome of host-pathogen, host-allergen, and host-particle interactions within the mucosal airway compartment. Here, we summarize and discuss recent findings on pulmonary innate immunity and highlight key pathways relevant for biomarker and therapeutic targeting strategies for acute and chronic diseases of the respiratory tract. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  1. Innate Immune Regulations and Liver Ischemia Reperfusion Injury

    PubMed Central

    Lu, Ling; Zhou, Haoming; Ni, Ming; Wang, Xuehao; Busuttil, Ronald; Kupiec-Weglinski, Jerzy; Zhai, Yuan

    2016-01-01

    Liver ischemia reperfusion activates innate immune system to drive the full development of inflammatory hepatocellular injury. Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) stimulate myeloid and dendritic cells via pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) to initiate the immune response. Complex intracellular signaling network transduces inflammatory signaling to regulate both innate immune cell activation and parenchymal cell death. Recent studies have revealed that DAMPs may trigger not only proinflammatory, but also immune regulatory responses by activating different PRRs or distinctive intracellular signaling pathways or in special cell populations. Additionally, tissue injury milieu activates PRR-independent receptors which also regulate inflammatory disease processes. Thus, the innate immune mechanism of liver IRI involves diverse molecular and cellular interactions, subjected to both endogenous and exogenous regulation in different cells. A better understanding of these complicated regulatory pathways/network is imperative for us in designing safe and effective therapeutic strategy to ameliorate liver IRI in patients. PMID:27861288

  2. HEXIM1 and NEAT1 Long Non-coding RNA Form a Multi-subunit Complex that Regulates DNA-Mediated Innate Immune Response.

    PubMed

    Morchikh, Mehdi; Cribier, Alexandra; Raffel, Raoul; Amraoui, Sonia; Cau, Julien; Severac, Dany; Dubois, Emeric; Schwartz, Olivier; Bennasser, Yamina; Benkirane, Monsef

    2017-08-03

    The DNA-mediated innate immune response underpins anti-microbial defenses and certain autoimmune diseases. Here we used immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry, and RNA sequencing to identify a ribonuclear complex built around HEXIM1 and the long non-coding RNA NEAT1 that we dubbed the HEXIM1-DNA-PK-paraspeckle components-ribonucleoprotein complex (HDP-RNP). The HDP-RNP contains DNA-PK subunits (DNAPKc, Ku70, and Ku80) and paraspeckle proteins (SFPQ, NONO, PSPC1, RBM14, and MATRIN3). We show that binding of HEXIM1 to NEAT1 is required for its assembly. We further demonstrate that the HDP-RNP is required for the innate immune response to foreign DNA, through the cGAS-STING-IRF3 pathway. The HDP-RNP interacts with cGAS and its partner PQBP1, and their interaction is remodeled by foreign DNA. Remodeling leads to the release of paraspeckle proteins, recruitment of STING, and activation of DNAPKc and IRF3. Our study establishes the HDP-RNP as a key nuclear regulator of DNA-mediated activation of innate immune response through the cGAS-STING pathway. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Ecdysone triggered PGRP-LC expression controls Drosophila innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Rus, Florentina; Flatt, Thomas; Tong, Mei; Aggarwal, Kamna; Okuda, Kendi; Kleino, Anni; Yates, Elisabeth; Tatar, Marc; Silverman, Neal

    2013-05-29

    Throughout the animal kingdom, steroid hormones have been implicated in the defense against microbial infection, but how these systemic signals control immunity is unclear. Here, we show that the steroid hormone ecdysone controls the expression of the pattern recognition receptor PGRP-LC in Drosophila, thereby tightly regulating innate immune recognition and defense against bacterial infection. We identify a group of steroid-regulated transcription factors as well as two GATA transcription factors that act as repressors and activators of the immune response and are required for the proper hormonal control of PGRP-LC expression. Together, our results demonstrate that Drosophila use complex mechanisms to modulate innate immune responses, and identify a transcriptional hierarchy that integrates steroid signalling and immunity in animals.

  4. Microbiota and innate immunity in intestinal inflammation and neoplasia.

    PubMed

    Cario, Elke

    2013-01-01

    This review focuses on recent advances and novel insights into the mechanistic events that may link commensal microbiota and host innate immunity in the pathophysiology of intestinal inflammation and neoplasia. Unanswered questions are discussed and future perspectives in the field are highlighted. Commensal microbiota, host innate immunity, and genetics form a multidimensional network that controls homeostasis of the mucosal barrier in the intestine. Large-scale sequencing projects have begun to catalog the healthy human microbiome. Converging evidence suggests that alterations in the regulation of the complex host environment [e.g., dysbiosis and overgrowth of select commensal bacterial species, dietary factors, copresence of facultative pathogens (including viruses), and changes in mucus characteristics] may trigger aberrant innate immune signaling, thereby contributing to the development of intestinal inflammation and associated colon cancer in the susceptible individual. Genetically determined innate immune malfunction may create an inflammatory environment that promotes tumor progression (such as the TLR4-D299G mutation). The next challenging steps to be taken are to decipher changes in the human microbiome (and virome) during well defined diseased states, and relate them to intestinal mucosal immune functions and host genotypes.

  5. Muramyl peptides activate innate immunity conjointly via YB1 and NOD2.

    PubMed

    Laman, Alexander G; Lathe, Richard; Shepelyakovskaya, Anna O; Gartseva, Alexandra; Brovko, Feodor A; Guryanova, Svetlana; Alekseeva, Ludmila; Meshcheryakova, Elena A; Ivanov, Vadim T

    2016-11-01

    Bacterial cell wall muramyl dipeptide (MDP) and glucosaminyl-MDP (GMDP) are potent activators of innate immunity. Two receptor targets, NOD2 and YB1, have been reported; we investigated potential overlap of NOD2 and YB1 pathways. Separate knockdown of NOD2 and YB1 demonstrates that both contribute to GMDP induction of NF-κB expression, a marker of innate immunity, although excess YB1 led to induction in the absence of NOD2. YB1 and NOD2 co-migrated on sucrose gradient centrifugation, and GMDP addition led to the formation of higher molecular mass complexes containing both YB1 and NOD2. Co-immunoprecipitation demonstrated a direct interaction between YB1 and NOD2, a major recombinant fragment of NOD2 (NACHT-LRR) bound to YB1, and complex formation was stimulated by GMDP. We also report subcellular colocalization of NOD2 and YB1. Although YB1 may have other binding partners in addition to NOD2, maximal innate immunity activation by muramyl peptides is mediated via an interaction between YB1 and NOD2.

  6. Signatures of selection acting on the innate immunity gene Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) during the evolutionary history of rodents.

    PubMed

    Tschirren, B; Råberg, L; Westerdahl, H

    2011-06-01

    Patterns of selection acting on immune defence genes have recently been the focus of considerable interest. Yet, when it comes to vertebrates, studies have mainly focused on the acquired branch of the immune system. Consequently, the direction and strength of selection acting on genes of the vertebrate innate immune defence remain poorly understood. Here, we present a molecular analysis of selection on an important receptor of the innate immune system of vertebrates, the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), across 17 rodent species. Although purifying selection was the prevalent evolutionary force acting on most parts of the rodent TLR2, we found that codons in close proximity to pathogen-binding and TLR2-TLR1 heterodimerization sites have been subject to positive selection. This indicates that parasite-mediated selection is not restricted to acquired immune system genes like the major histocompatibility complex, but also affects innate defence genes. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of evolutionary processes in host-parasite systems, both innate and acquired immunity thus need to be considered. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2011 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

  7. Enhanced innate immune responsiveness and intolerance to intestinal endotoxins in human biliary epithelial cells contributes to chronic cholangitis.

    PubMed

    Mueller, Tobias; Beutler, Claudia; Picó, Almudena Hurtado; Shibolet, Oren; Pratt, Daniel S; Pascher, Andreas; Neuhaus, Peter; Wiedenmann, Bertram; Berg, Thomas; Podolsky, Daniel K

    2011-11-01

    Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) orchestrate the innate immune defence in human biliary epithelial cells (BECs). Tight control of PRR signalling provides tolerance to physiological amounts of intestinal endotoxins in human bile to avoid constant innate immune activation in BECs. We wanted to determine whether inappropriate innate immune responses to intestinal endotoxins contribute to the development and perpetuation of chronic biliary inflammation. We examined PRR-mediated innate immune responses and protective endotoxin tolerance in primary BECs isolated from patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), alcoholic liver disease and patients without chronic liver disease. Expression studies comprised northern blots, RT-PCR, Western blots and immunocytochemistry. Functional studies comprised immuno-precipitation Western blots, FACS for endotoxin uptake, and NF-κB activation assays and ELISA for secreted IL-8 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Primary BECs from explanted PSC livers showed reversibly increased TLR and NOD protein expression and activation of the MyD88/IRAK signalling complex. Consecutively, PSC BECs exhibited inappropriate innate immune responses to endotoxins and did not develop immune tolerance after repeated endotoxin exposures. This endotoxin hyper-responsiveness was probably because of the stimulatory effect of abundantly expressed IFN-γ and TNF-α in PSC livers, which stimulated TLR4-mediated endotoxin signalling in BECs, leading to increased TLR4-mediated endotoxin incorporation and impaired inactivation of the TLR4 signalling cascade. As TNF-α inhibition partly restored protective innate immune tolerance, endogenous TNF-α secretion probably contributed to inappropriate endotoxin responses in BECs. Inappropriate innate immune responses to intestinal endotoxins and subsequent endotoxin intolerance because of enhanced PRR signalling in BECs probably contribute to chronic cholangitis. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  8. The Innate Lymphoid Cell Precursor.

    PubMed

    Ishizuka, Isabel E; Constantinides, Michael G; Gudjonson, Herman; Bendelac, Albert

    2016-05-20

    The discovery of tissue-resident innate lymphoid cell populations effecting different forms of type 1, 2, and 3 immunity; tissue repair; and immune regulation has transformed our understanding of mucosal immunity and allergy. The emerging complexity of these populations along with compounding issues of redundancy and plasticity raise intriguing questions about their precise lineage relationship. Here we review advances in mapping the emergence of these lineages from early lymphoid precursors. We discuss the identification of a common innate lymphoid cell precursor characterized by transient expression of the transcription factor PLZF, and the lineage relationships of innate lymphoid cells with conventional natural killer cells and lymphoid tissue inducer cells. We also review the rapidly growing understanding of the network of transcription factors that direct the development of these lineages.

  9. Defense Against Pathogens: Structural Insights into the Mechanism of Chitin Induced Activation of Innate Immunity.

    PubMed

    Squeglia, Flavia; Berisio, Rita; Shibuya, Naoto; Kaku, Hanae

    2017-11-24

    Pattern recognition receptors on the plant cell surface mediate the recognition of microbe-associated molecular patterns, in a process which activates downstream immune signaling. These receptors are plasma membrane-localized kinases which need to be autophosphorylated to activate downstream responses. Perception of attacks from fungi occurs through recognition of chitin, a polymer of an N-acetylglucosamine which is a characteristic component of the cell walls of fungi. This process is regulated in Arabidopsis by chitin elicitor receptor kinase CERK1. A more complex process characterizes rice, in which regulation of chitin perception is operated by a complex composed of OsCERK1, a homolog of CERK1, and the chitin elicitor binding protein OsCEBiP. Recent literature has provided a mechanistic description of the complex regulation of activation of innate immunity in rice and an advance in the structural description of molecular players involved in this process. This review describes the current status of the understanding of molecular events involved in innate immunity activation in rice. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  10. Viral degradasome hijacks mitochondria to suppress innate immunity

    PubMed Central

    Goswami, Ramansu; Majumdar, Tanmay; Dhar, Jayeeta; Chattopadhyay, Saurabh; Bandyopadhyay, Sudip K; Verbovetskaya, Valentina; Sen, Ganes C; Barik, Sailen

    2013-01-01

    The balance between the innate immunity of the host and the ability of a pathogen to evade it strongly influences pathogenesis and virulence. The two nonstructural (NS) proteins, NS1 and NS2, of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are critically required for RSV virulence. Together, they strongly suppress the type I interferon (IFN)-mediated innate immunity of the host cells by degrading or inhibiting multiple cellular factors required for either IFN induction or response pathways, including RIG-I, IRF3, IRF7, TBK1 and STAT2. Here, we provide evidence for the existence of a large and heterogeneous degradative complex assembled by the NS proteins, which we named “NS-degradasome” (NSD). The NSD is roughly ∼300-750 kD in size, and its degradative activity was enhanced by the addition of purified mitochondria in vitro. Inside the cell, the majority of the NS proteins and the substrates of the NSD translocated to the mitochondria upon RSV infection. Genetic and pharmacological evidence shows that optimal suppression of innate immunity requires mitochondrial MAVS and mitochondrial motility. Together, we propose a novel paradigm in which the mitochondria, known to be important for the innate immune activation of the host, are also important for viral suppression of the innate immunity. PMID:23877405

  11. Clinical Implications of Basic Science Discoveries: Immune Homeostasis and the Microbiome-Dietary and Therapeutic Modulation and Implications for Transplantation.

    PubMed

    Fishman, J A; Thomson, A W

    2015-07-01

    Links between the human microbiome and the innate and adaptive immune systems and their impact on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases are only beginning to be recognized. Characterization of the complex human microbial community is facilitated by culture-independent nucleic acid sequencing tools and bioinformatics systems. Specific organisms and microbial antigens are linked with initiation of innate immune responses that, depending on the context, may be associated with tolerogenic or effector immune responses. Further complexity is introduced by preclinical data that demonstrate the impacts of dietary manipulation on the prevention of genetically determined, systemic autoimmune disorders and on gastrointestinal microbiota. Investigation of interactions of complex microbial populations with the human immune system may provide new targets for clinical management in allotransplantation. © Copyright 2015 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

  12. The Immune Response to Acute Focal Cerebral Ischemia and Associated Post-stroke Immunodepression: A Focused Review

    PubMed Central

    Famakin, Bolanle M.

    2014-01-01

    It is currently well established that the immune system is activated in response to transient or focal cerebral ischemia. This acute immune activation occurs in response to damage, and injury, to components of the neurovascular unit and is mediated by the innate and adaptive arms of the immune response. The initial immune activation is rapid, occurs via the innate immune response and leads to inflammation. The inflammatory mediators produced during the innate immune response in turn lead to recruitment of inflammatory cells and the production of more inflammatory mediators that result in activation of the adaptive immune response. Under ideal conditions, this inflammation gives way to tissue repair and attempts at regeneration. However, for reasons that are just being understood, immunosuppression occurs following acute stroke leading to post-stroke immunodepression. This review focuses on the current state of knowledge regarding innate and adaptive immune activation in response to focal cerebral ischemia as well as the immunodepression that can occur following stroke. A better understanding of the intricate and complex events that take place following immune response activation, to acute cerebral ischemia, is imperative for the development of effective novel immunomodulatory therapies for the treatment of acute stroke. PMID:25276490

  13. Homeostatic migration and distribution of innate immune cells in primary and secondary lymphoid organs with ageing.

    PubMed

    Nikolich-Žugich, J; Davies, J S

    2017-03-01

    Ageing of the innate and adaptive immune system, collectively termed immune senescence, is a complex process. One method to understand the components of ageing involves dissociating the effects of ageing on the cells of the immune system, on the microenvironment in lymphoid organs and tissues where immune cells reside and on the circulating factors that interact with both immune cells and their microenvironment. Heterochronic parabiosis, a surgical union of two organisms of disparate ages, is ideal for this type of study, as it has the power to dissociate the age of the cell and the age of the microenvironment into which the cell resides or is migrating. So far, however, it has been used sparingly to study immune ageing. Here we review the limited literature on homeostatic innate immune cell trafficking in ageing in the absence of chronic inflammation. We also review our own recent data on trafficking of innate immune subsets between primary and secondary lymphoid organs in heterochronic parabiosis. We found no systemic bias in retention or acceptance of neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells or natural killer cells with ageing in primary and secondary lymphoid organs. We conclude that these four innate immune cell types migrate to and populate lymphoid organs (peripheral lymph nodes, spleen and bone marrow), regardless of their own age and of the age of lymphoid organs. © 2017 British Society for Immunology.

  14. Innate lymphoid cells and asthma.

    PubMed

    Yu, Sanhong; Kim, Hye Young; Chang, Ya-Jen; DeKruyff, Rosemarie H; Umetsu, Dale T

    2014-04-01

    Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous disease with several phenotypes, including an allergic asthma phenotype characterized by TH2 cytokine production and associated with allergen sensitization and adaptive immunity. Asthma also includes nonallergic asthma phenotypes, such as asthma associated with exposure to air pollution, infection, or obesity, that require innate rather than adaptive immunity. These innate pathways that lead to asthma involve macrophages, neutrophils, natural killer T cells, and innate lymphoid cells, newly described cell types that produce a variety of cytokines, including IL-5 and IL-13. We review the recent data regarding innate lymphoid cells and their role in asthma. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Single cell transcriptomics to explore the immune system in health and disease†

    PubMed Central

    Regev, Aviv; Teichmann, Sarah A.

    2017-01-01

    The immune system varies in cell types, states, and locations. The complex networks, interactions and responses of immune cells produce diverse cellular ecosystems composed of multiple cell types, accompanied by genetic diversity in antigen receptors. Within this ecosystem, innate and adaptive immune cells maintain and protect tissue function, integrity and homeostasis upon changes in functional demands and diverse insults. Characterizing this inherent complexity requires studies at single-cell resolution. Recent advances such as, massively-parallel single cell RNA-Seq and sophisticated computational methods are catalysing a revolution in our understanding of immunology. Here, we provide an overview of the state of single cell genomics methods and an outlook on the use of single-cell techniques to decipher the adaptive and innate components of immunity. PMID:28983043

  16. The innate immune response to RSV: Advances in our understanding of critical viral and host factors.

    PubMed

    Sun, Yan; López, Carolina B

    2017-01-11

    Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes mild to severe respiratory illness in humans and is a major cause of hospitalizations of infants and the elderly. Both the innate and the adaptive immune responses contribute to the control of RSV infection, but despite successful viral clearance, protective immunity against RSV re-infection is usually suboptimal and infections recur. Poor understanding of the mechanisms limiting the induction of long-lasting immunity has delayed the development of an effective vaccine. The innate immune response plays a critical role in driving the development of adaptive immunity and is thus a crucial determinant of the infection outcome. Advances in recent years have improved our understanding of cellular and viral factors that influence the onset and quality of the innate immune response to RSV. These advances include the identification of a complex system of cellular sensors that mediate RSV detection and stimulate transcriptome changes that lead to virus control and the discovery that cell stress and apoptosis participate in the control of RSV infection. In addition, it was recently demonstrated that defective viral genomes (DVGs) generated during RSV replication are the primary inducers of the innate immune response. Newly discovered host pathways involved in the innate response to RSV, together with the potential generation of DVG-derived oligonucleotides, present various novel opportunities for the design of vaccine adjuvants able to induce a protective response against RSV and similar viruses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. The Shift of the Intestinal Microbiome in the Innate Immunity-Deficient Mutant rde-1 Strain of C. elegans upon Orsay Virus Infection.

    PubMed

    Guo, Yuanyuan; Xun, Zhe; Coffman, Stephanie R; Chen, Feng

    2017-01-01

    The status of intestinal microbiota is a determinant of host health. However, the alteration of the gut microbiota caused by the innate immune response to virus infection is unclear. Caenorhabditis elegans and its natural virus Orsay provide an excellent model of host-virus interactions. We evaluated the intestinal microbial community complexity of the wild-type N2 and the innate immunity-deficient mutant rde-1 ( ne219 ) strains of C. elegans upon Orsay virus infection. The gut microbiota diversity was decreased in rde-1 ( ne219 ) mutant animals, and a large number of genes were associated with the difference between infected and uninfected rde-1 ( ne219 ) mutant animals. Therefore, this study provides the first evaluation of the alterations caused by Orsay virus on intestinal microbiota in wildtype and innate immunity-deficient animals using C. elegans as the model species. Our findings indicate that virus infection may alters the microbiome in animals with defective immune response.

  18. The Shift of the Intestinal Microbiome in the Innate Immunity-Deficient Mutant rde-1 Strain of C. elegans upon Orsay Virus Infection

    PubMed Central

    Guo, Yuanyuan; Xun, Zhe; Coffman, Stephanie R.; Chen, Feng

    2017-01-01

    The status of intestinal microbiota is a determinant of host health. However, the alteration of the gut microbiota caused by the innate immune response to virus infection is unclear. Caenorhabditis elegans and its natural virus Orsay provide an excellent model of host–virus interactions. We evaluated the intestinal microbial community complexity of the wild-type N2 and the innate immunity-deficient mutant rde-1 (ne219) strains of C. elegans upon Orsay virus infection. The gut microbiota diversity was decreased in rde-1 (ne219) mutant animals, and a large number of genes were associated with the difference between infected and uninfected rde-1 (ne219) mutant animals. Therefore, this study provides the first evaluation of the alterations caused by Orsay virus on intestinal microbiota in wildtype and innate immunity-deficient animals using C. elegans as the model species. Our findings indicate that virus infection may alters the microbiome in animals with defective immune response. PMID:28611740

  19. Innate Lymphoid Cells: a new paradigm in immunology

    PubMed Central

    Eberl, Gérard; Colonna, Marco; Di Santo, James P.; McKenzie, Andrew N.J.

    2016-01-01

    Summary Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a growing family of immune cells that mirror the phenotypes and functions of T cells. However, in contrast to T cells, ILCs do not express acquired antigen receptors or undergo clonal selection and expansion when stimulated. Instead, ILCs react promptly to signals from infected or injured tissues and produce an array of secreted proteins termed cytokines that direct the developing immune response into one that is adapted to the original insult. The complex crosstalk between microenvironment, ILCs and adaptive immunity remains to be fully deciphered. Only by understanding these complex regulatory networks can the power of ILCs be controlled or unleashed to regulate or enhance immune responses in disease prevention and therapy. PMID:25999512

  20. Bench-to-bedside review: Functional relationships between coagulation and the innate immune response and their respective roles in the pathogenesis of sepsis

    PubMed Central

    Opal, Steven M; Esmon, Charles T

    2003-01-01

    The innate immune response system is designed to alert the host rapidly to the presence of an invasive microbial pathogen that has breached the integument of multicellular eukaryotic organisms. Microbial invasion poses an immediate threat to survival, and a vigorous defense response ensues in an effort to clear the pathogen from the internal milieu of the host. The innate immune system is able to eradicate many microbial pathogens directly, or innate immunity may indirectly facilitate the removal of pathogens by activation of specific elements of the adaptive immune response (cell-mediated and humoral immunity by T cells and B cells). The coagulation system has traditionally been viewed as an entirely separate system that has arisen to prevent or limit loss of blood volume and blood components following mechanical injury to the circulatory system. It is becoming increasingly clear that coagulation and innate immunity have coevolved from a common ancestral substrate early in eukaryotic development, and that these systems continue to function as a highly integrated unit for survival defense following tissue injury. The mechanisms by which these highly complex and coregulated defense strategies are linked together are the focus of the present review. PMID:12617738

  1. Inflammation and cancer: advances and new agents.

    PubMed

    Crusz, Shanthini M; Balkwill, Frances R

    2015-10-01

    Tumour-promoting inflammation is considered one of the enabling characteristics of cancer development. Chronic inflammatory disease increases the risk of some cancers, and strong epidemiological evidence exists that NSAIDs, particularly aspirin, are powerful chemopreventive agents. Tumour microenvironments contain many different inflammatory cells and mediators; targeting these factors in genetic, transplantable and inducible murine models of cancer substantially reduces the development, growth and spread of disease. Thus, this complex network of inflammation offers targets for prevention and treatment of malignant disease. Much potential exists in this area for novel cancer prevention and treatment strategies, although clinical research to support targeting of cancer-related inflammation and innate immunity in patients with advanced-stage cancer remains in its infancy. Following the initial successes of immunotherapies that modulate the adaptive immune system, we assert that inflammation and innate immunity are important targets in patients with cancer on the basis of extensive preclinical and epidemiological data. The adaptive immune response is heavily dependent on innate immunity, therefore, inhibiting some of the tumour-promoting immunosuppressive actions of the innate immune system might enhance the potential of immunotherapies that activate a nascent antitumour response.

  2. Evolutionary implications of the adaptation to different immune systems in a parasite with a complex life cycle

    PubMed Central

    Hammerschmidt, Katrin; Kurtz, Joachim

    2005-01-01

    Many diseases are caused by parasites with complex life cycles that involve several hosts. If parasites cope better with only one of the different types of immune systems of their host species, we might expect a trade-off in parasite performance in the different hosts, that likely influences the evolution of virulence. We tested this hypothesis in a naturally co-evolving host–parasite system consisting of the tapeworm Schistocephalus solidus and its intermediate hosts, a copepod, Macrocyclops albidus, and the three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus. We did not find a trade-off between infection success in the two hosts. Rather, tapeworms seem to trade-off adaptation towards different parts of their hosts' immune systems. Worm sibships that performed better in the invertebrate host also seem to be able to evade detection by the fish innate defence systems, i.e. induce lower levels of activation of innate immune components. These worm variants were less harmful for the fish host likely due to reduced costs of an activated innate immune system. These findings substantiate the impact of both hosts' immune systems on parasite performance and virulence. PMID:16271977

  3. The bitter taste of infection.

    PubMed

    Prince, Alice

    2012-11-01

    The human innate immune response to pathogens is complex, and it has been difficult to establish the contribution of epithelial signaling in the prevention of upper respiratory tract infection. The prevalence of chronic sinusitis in the absence of systemic immune defects indicates that there may be local defects in innate immunity associated with such mucosal infections. In this issue of the JCI, Cohen and colleagues investigate the role of the bitter taste receptors in airway epithelial cells, and find that these are critical to sensing the presence of invading pathogens.

  4. Interplay Between Innate Immunity and the Plant Microbiota.

    PubMed

    Hacquard, Stéphane; Spaepen, Stijn; Garrido-Oter, Ruben; Schulze-Lefert, Paul

    2017-08-04

    The innate immune system of plants recognizes microbial pathogens and terminates their growth. However, recent findings suggest that at least one layer of this system is also engaged in cooperative plant-microbe interactions and influences host colonization by beneficial microbial communities. This immune layer involves sensing of microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that initiate quantitative immune responses to control host-microbial load, whereas diversification of MAMPs and PRRs emerges as a mechanism that locally sculpts microbial assemblages in plant populations. This suggests a more complex microbial management role of the innate immune system for controlled accommodation of beneficial microbes and in pathogen elimination. The finding that similar molecular strategies are deployed by symbionts and pathogens to dampen immune responses is consistent with this hypothesis but implies different selective pressures on the immune system due to contrasting outcomes on plant fitness. The reciprocal interplay between microbiota and the immune system likely plays a critical role in shaping beneficial plant-microbiota combinations and maintaining microbial homeostasis.

  5. Regulation of contact sensitivity in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice by innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Szczepanik, Marian; Majewska-Szczepanik, Monika; Wong, Florence S; Kowalczyk, Paulina; Pasare, Chandrashekhar; Wen, Li

    2018-06-25

    Genetic background influences allergic immune responses to environmental stimuli. Non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice are highly susceptible to environmental stimuli. Little is known about the interaction of autoimmune genetic factors with innate immunity in allergies, especially skin hypersensitivity. To study the interplay of innate immunity and autoimmune genetic factors in contact hypersensitivity (CHS) by using various innate immunity-deficient NOD mice. Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2-deficient, TLR9-deficient and MyD88-deficient NOD mice were used to investigate CHS. The cellular mechanism was determined by flow cytometry in vitro and adoptive cell transfer in vivo. To investigate the role of MyD88 in dendritic cells (DCs) in CHS, we also used CD11c MyD88+  MyD88 -/- NOD mice, in which MyD88 is expressed only in CD11c + cells. We found that innate immunity negatively regulates CHS, as innate immunity-deficient NOD mice developed exacerbated CHS accompanied by increased numbers of skin-migrating CD11c + DCs expressing higher levels of major histocompatibility complex II and CD80. Moreover, MyD88 -/- NOD mice had increased numbers of CD11c +  CD207 -  CD103 + DCs and activated T effector cells in the skin-draining lymph nodes. Strikingly, re-expression of MyD88 in CD11c + DCs (CD11c MyD88+  MyD88 -/- NOD mice) restored hyper-CHS to a normal level in MyD88 -/- NOD mice. Our results suggest that the autoimmune-prone NOD genetic background aggravates CHS regulated by innate immunity, through DCs and T effector cells. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Bruton’s tyrosine kinase deficiency inhibits autoimmune arthritis but fails to block immune complex-mediated inflammatory arthritis

    PubMed Central

    Nyhoff, Lindsay E.; Barron, Bridgette; Johnson, Elizabeth M.; Bonami, Rachel H.; Maseda, Damian; Fensterheim, Benjamin A.; Han, Wei; Blackwell, Timothy S.; Crofford, Leslie J.; Kendall, Peggy L.

    2017-01-01

    Objective Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) is a B cell signaling protein that also contributes to innate immunity. BTK-inhibitors prevent autoimmune arthritis, but have off-target effects, and the mechanisms of protection remain unknown. These studies used genetic deletion to investigate the role of BTK in adaptive and innate immune responses that drive inflammatory arthritis. Methods Btk-deficient K/BxN mice were generated to study the role of BTK in a spontaneous model that requires both adaptive and innate immunity. The K/BxN serum transfer model was used to bypass the adaptive system and elucidate the role of BTK in innate immune contributions to arthritis. Results Btk-deficiency conferred disease protection to K/BxN mice, confirming BTK-inhibitor outcomes. B lymphocytes were profoundly reduced, more than in other Btk-deficient models. Subset analysis revealed loss at all developmental stages. Germinal center B cells were also decreased, with downstream effects on T follicular helper numbers, and greatly reduced autoantibodies. In contrast, total IgG was only mildly decreased. Strikingly, and in contrast to small molecule inhibitors, Btk-deficiency had no effect on the serum transfer model of arthritis. Conclusions BTK contributes to autoimmune arthritis primarily via its role in B cell signaling, not innate immune components. PMID:26945549

  7. The innate immune repertoire in cnidaria--ancestral complexity and stochastic gene loss.

    PubMed

    Miller, David J; Hemmrich, Georg; Ball, Eldon E; Hayward, David C; Khalturin, Konstantin; Funayama, Noriko; Agata, Kiyokazu; Bosch, Thomas C G

    2007-01-01

    Characterization of the innate immune repertoire of extant cnidarians is of both fundamental and applied interest--it not only provides insights into the basic immunological 'tool kit' of the common ancestor of all animals, but is also likely to be important in understanding the global decline of coral reefs that is presently occurring. Recently, whole genome sequences became available for two cnidarians, Hydra magnipapillata and Nematostella vectensis, and large expressed sequence tag (EST) datasets are available for these and for the coral Acropora millepora. To better understand the basis of innate immunity in cnidarians, we scanned the available EST and genomic resources for some of the key components of the vertebrate innate immune repertoire, focusing on the Toll/Toll-like receptor (TLR) and complement pathways. A canonical Toll/TLR pathway is present in representatives of the basal cnidarian class Anthozoa, but neither a classic Toll/TLR receptor nor a conventional nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB could be identified in the anthozoan Hydra. Moreover, the detection of complement C3 and several membrane attack complex/perforin domain (MAC/PF) proteins suggests that a prototypic complement effector pathway may exist in anthozoans, but not in hydrozoans. Together with data for several other gene families, this implies that Hydra may have undergone substantial secondary gene loss during evolution. Such losses are not confined to Hydra, however, and at least one MAC/PF gene appears to have been lost from Nematostella. Consideration of these patterns of gene distribution underscores the likely significance of gene loss during animal evolution whilst indicating ancient origins for many components of the vertebrate innate immune system.

  8. Phenotype of NK-Like CD8(+) T Cells with Innate Features in Humans and Their Relevance in Cancer Diseases

    PubMed Central

    Barbarin, Alice; Cayssials, Emilie; Jacomet, Florence; Nunez, Nicolas Gonzalo; Basbous, Sara; Lefèvre, Lucie; Abdallah, Myriam; Piccirilli, Nathalie; Morin, Benjamin; Lavoue, Vincent; Catros, Véronique; Piaggio, Eliane; Herbelin, André; Gombert, Jean-Marc

    2017-01-01

    Unconventional T cells are defined by their capacity to respond to signals other than the well-known complex of peptides and major histocompatibility complex proteins. Among the burgeoning family of unconventional T cells, innate-like CD8(+) T cells in the mouse were discovered in the early 2000s. This subset of CD8(+) T cells bears a memory phenotype without having encountered a foreign antigen and can respond to innate-like IL-12 + IL-18 stimulation. Although the concept of innate memory CD8(+) T cells is now well established in mice, whether an equivalent memory NK-like T-cell population exists in humans remains under debate. We recently reported that CD8(+) T cells responding to innate-like IL-12 + IL-18 stimulation and co-expressing the transcription factor Eomesodermin (Eomes) and KIR/NKG2A membrane receptors with a memory/EMRA phenotype may represent a new, functionally distinct innate T cell subset in humans. In this review, after a summary on the known innate CD8(+) T-cell features in the mouse, we propose Eomes together with KIR/NKG2A and CD49d as a signature to standardize the identification of this innate CD8(+) T-cell subset in humans. Next, we discuss IL-4 and IL-15 involvement in the generation of innate CD8(+) T cells and particularly its possible dependency on the promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger factor expressing iNKT cells, an innate T cell subset well documented for its susceptibility to tumor immune subversion. After that, focusing on cancer diseases, we provide new insights into the potential role of these innate CD8(+) T cells in a physiopathological context in humans. Based on empirical data obtained in cases of chronic myeloid leukemia, a myeloproliferative syndrome controlled by the immune system, and in solid tumors, we observe both the possible contribution of innate CD8(+) T cells to cancer disease control and their susceptibility to tumor immune subversion. Finally, we note that during tumor progression, innate CD8(+) T lymphocytes could be controlled by immune checkpoints. This study significantly contributes to understanding of the role of NK-like CD8(+) T cells and raises the question of the possible involvement of an iNKT/innate CD8(+) T cell axis in cancer. PMID:28396661

  9. The mitochondrial targeting chaperone 14-3-3ε regulates a RIG-I translocon that mediates membrane-association and innate antiviral immunity

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Helene Minyi; Loo, Yueh-Ming; Horner, Stacy M.; Zornetzer, Gregory A.; Katze, Michael G.; Gale, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Summary RIG-I is a cytosolic pathogen recognition receptor that initiates immune responses against RNA viruses. Upon viral RNA recognition, anti-viral signalling requires RIG-I redistribution from the cytosol to membranes where it binds the adaptor protein, MAVS. Here we identify the mitochondrial targeting chaperone protein, 14-3-3ε, as a RIG-I-binding partner and essential component of a translocation complex or “translocon” containing RIG-I, 14-3-3ε, and the TRIM25 ubiquitin ligase. The RIG-I translocon directs RIG-I redistribution from the cytosol to membranes where it mediates MAVS-dependent innate immune signalling during acute RNA virus infection. 14-3-3ε is essential for the stable interaction of RIG-I with TRIM25, which facilitates RIG-I ubiquitination and initiation of innate immunity against hepatitis C virus and other pathogenic RNA viruses. Our results define 14-3-3ε as a key component of a RIG-I translocon required for innate antiviral immunity. PMID:22607805

  10. The mitochondrial targeting chaperone 14-3-3ε regulates a RIG-I translocon that mediates membrane association and innate antiviral immunity.

    PubMed

    Liu, Helene Minyi; Loo, Yueh-Ming; Horner, Stacy M; Zornetzer, Gregory A; Katze, Michael G; Gale, Michael

    2012-05-17

    RIG-I is a cytosolic pathogen recognition receptor that initiates immune responses against RNA viruses. Upon viral RNA recognition, antiviral signaling requires RIG-I redistribution from the cytosol to membranes where it binds the adaptor protein, MAVS. Here we identify the mitochondrial targeting chaperone protein, 14-3-3ε, as a RIG-I-binding partner and essential component of a translocation complex or "translocon" containing RIG-I, 14-3-3ε, and the TRIM25 ubiquitin ligase. The RIG-I translocon directs RIG-I redistribution from the cytosol to membranes where it mediates MAVS-dependent innate immune signaling during acute RNA virus infection. 14-3-3ε is essential for the stable interaction of RIG-I with TRIM25, which facilitates RIG-I ubiquitination and initiation of innate immunity against hepatitis C virus and other pathogenic RNA viruses. Our results define 14-3-3ε as a key component of a RIG-I translocon required for innate antiviral immunity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Network Topologies and Dynamics Leading to Endotoxin Tolerance and Priming in Innate Immune Cells

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fu, Yan; Glaros, Trevor; Zhu, Meng; Wang, Ping; Wu, Zhanghan; Tyson, John; Li, Liwu; Xing, Jianhua

    2012-01-01

    The innate immune system, acting as the first line of host defense, senses and adapts to foreign challenges through complex intracellular and intercellular signaling networks. Endotoxin tolerance and priming elicited by macrophages are classic examples of the complex adaptation of innate immune cells. Upon repetitive exposures to different doses of bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) or other stimulants, macrophages show either suppressed or augmented inflammatory responses compared to a single exposure to the stimulant. Endotoxin tolerance and priming are critically involved in both immune homeostasis and the pathogenesis of diverse inflammatory diseases. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. By means of a computational search through the parameter space of a coarse-grained three-node network with a two-stage Metropolis sampling approach, we enumerated all the network topologies that can generate priming or tolerance. We discovered three major mechanisms for priming (pathway synergy, suppressor deactivation, activator induction) and one for tolerance (inhibitor persistence). These results not only explain existing experimental observations, but also reveal intriguing test scenarios for future experimental studies to clarify mechanisms of endotoxin priming and tolerance.

  12. Innate Immune Responses in Leprosy

    PubMed Central

    Pinheiro, Roberta Olmo; Schmitz, Veronica; Silva, Bruno Jorge de Andrade; Dias, André Alves; de Souza, Beatriz Junqueira; de Mattos Barbosa, Mayara Garcia; de Almeida Esquenazi, Danuza; Pessolani, Maria Cristina Vidal; Sarno, Euzenir Nunes

    2018-01-01

    Leprosy is an infectious disease that may present different clinical forms depending on host immune response to Mycobacterium leprae. Several studies have clarified the role of various T cell populations in leprosy; however, recent evidences suggest that local innate immune mechanisms are key determinants in driving the disease to its different clinical manifestations. Leprosy is an ideal model to study the immunoregulatory role of innate immune molecules and its interaction with nervous system, which can affect homeostasis and contribute to the development of inflammatory episodes during the course of the disease. Macrophages, dendritic cells, neutrophils, and keratinocytes are the major cell populations studied and the comprehension of the complex networking created by cytokine release, lipid and iron metabolism, as well as antimicrobial effector pathways might provide data that will help in the development of new strategies for leprosy management. PMID:29643852

  13. Crosstalk between Innate Lymphoid Cells and Other Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment

    PubMed Central

    Irshad, Sheeba; Gordon, Peter; Wong, Felix; Sheriff, Ibrahim; Tutt, Andrew; Ng, Tony

    2016-01-01

    Our knowledge and understanding of the tumor microenvironment (TME) have been recently expanded with the recognition of the important role of innate lymphoid cells (ILC). Three different groups of ILC have been described based on their ability to produce cytokines that mediate the interactions between innate and adaptive immune cells in a variety of immune responses in infection, allergy, and autoimmunity. However, recent evidence from experimental models and clinical studies has demonstrated that ILC contribute to the mechanisms that generate suppressive or tolerant environments that allow tumor regression or progression. Defining the complex network of interactions and crosstalk of ILC with other immune cells and understanding the specific contributions of each type of ILC leading to tumor development will allow the manipulation of their function and will be important to develop new interventions and therapeutic strategies. PMID:27882334

  14. Regulation of microRNA by hepatitis B virus infection and their possible association with control of innate immunity

    PubMed Central

    Jiang, Xia; Kanda, Tatsuo; Wu, Shuang; Nakamura, Masato; Miyamura, Tatsuo; Nakamoto, Shingo; Banerjee, Arup; Yokosuka, Osamu

    2014-01-01

    Hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronically infects more than 350 million people worldwide. HBV causes acute and chronic hepatitis, and is one of the major causes of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. There exist complex interactions between HBV and the immune system including adaptive and innate immunity. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and TLR-signaling pathways are important parts of the innate immune response in HBV infections. It is well known that TLR-ligands could suppress HBV replication and that TLRs play important roles in anti-viral defense. Previous immunological studies demonstrated that HBV e antigen (HBeAg) is more efficient at eliciting T-cell tolerance, including production of specific cytokines IL-2 and interferon gamma, than HBV core antigen. HBeAg downregulates cytokine production in hepatocytes by the inhibition of MAPK or NF-κB activation through the interaction with receptor-interacting serine/threonine protein kinase. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are also able to regulate various biological processes such as the innate immune response. When the expressions of approximately 1000 miRNAs were compared between human hepatoma cells HepG2 and HepG2.2.15, which could produce HBV virion that infects chimpanzees, using real-time RT-PCR, we observed several different expression levels in miRNAs related to TLRs. Although we and others have shown that HBV modulates the host immune response, several of the miRNAs seem to be involved in the TLR signaling pathways. The possibility that alteration of these miRNAs during HBV infection might play a critical role in innate immunity against HBV infection should be considered. This article is intended to comprehensively review the association between HBV and innate immunity, and to discuss the role of miRNAs in the innate immune response to HBV infection. PMID:24966589

  15. The role of rare innate immune cells in Type 2 immune activation against parasitic helminths.

    PubMed

    Webb, Lauren M; Tait Wojno, Elia D

    2017-09-01

    The complexity of helminth macroparasites is reflected in the intricate network of host cell types that participate in the Type 2 immune response needed to battle these organisms. In this context, adaptive T helper 2 cells and the Type 2 cytokines interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-9 and IL-13 have been the focus of research for years, but recent work has demonstrated that the innate immune system plays an essential role. Some innate immune cells that promote Type 2 immunity are relatively abundant, such as macrophages and eosinophils. However, we now appreciate that more rare cell types including group 2 innate lymphoid cells, basophils, mast cells and dendritic cells make significant contributions to these responses. These cells are found at low frequency but they are specialized to their roles - located at sites such as the skin, lung and gut, where the host combats helminth parasites. These cells respond rapidly and robustly to worm antigens and worm-induced damage to produce essential cytokines, chemokines, eicosanoids and histamine to activate damaged epithelium and to recruit other effectors. Thus, a greater understanding of how these cells operate is essential to understand how the host protects itself during helminth infection.

  16. Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Deficiency Inhibits Autoimmune Arthritis in Mice but Fails to Block Immune Complex-Mediated Inflammatory Arthritis.

    PubMed

    Nyhoff, Lindsay E; Barron, Bridgette L; Johnson, Elizabeth M; Bonami, Rachel H; Maseda, Damian; Fensterheim, Benjamin A; Han, Wei; Blackwell, Timothy S; Crofford, Leslie J; Kendall, Peggy L

    2016-08-01

    Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) is a B cell signaling protein that also contributes to innate immunity. BTK inhibitors prevent autoimmune arthritis but have off-target effects, and the mechanisms of protection remain unknown. We undertook these studies using genetic deletion to investigate the role of BTK in adaptive and innate immune responses that drive inflammatory arthritis. BTK-deficient K/BxN mice were generated to study the role of BTK in a spontaneous model that requires both adaptive and innate immunity. The K/BxN serum-transfer model was used to bypass the adaptive system and elucidate the role of BTK in innate immune contributions to arthritis. BTK deficiency conferred disease protection to K/BxN mice, confirming outcomes of BTK inhibitors. B lymphocytes were profoundly reduced, more than in other models of BTK deficiency. Subset analysis revealed loss of B cells at all developmental stages. Germinal center B cells were also decreased, with downstream effects on numbers of follicular helper T cells and greatly reduced autoantibodies. In contrast, total IgG was only mildly decreased. Strikingly, and in contrast to small molecule inhibitors, BTK deficiency had no effect in the serum-transfer model of arthritis. BTK contributes to autoimmune arthritis primarily through its role in B cell signaling and not through innate immune components. © 2016, American College of Rheumatology.

  17. The innate immune repertoire in Cnidaria - ancestral complexity and stochastic gene loss

    PubMed Central

    Miller, David J; Hemmrich, Georg; Ball, Eldon E; Hayward, David C; Khalturin, Konstantin; Funayama, Noriko; Agata, Kiyokazu; Bosch, Thomas CG

    2007-01-01

    Background Characterization of the innate immune repertoire of extant cnidarians is of both fundamental and applied interest - it not only provides insights into the basic immunological 'tool kit' of the common ancestor of all animals, but is also likely to be important in understanding the global decline of coral reefs that is presently occurring. Recently, whole genome sequences became available for two cnidarians, Hydra magnipapillata and Nematostella vectensis, and large expressed sequence tag (EST) datasets are available for these and for the coral Acropora millepora. Results To better understand the basis of innate immunity in cnidarians, we scanned the available EST and genomic resources for some of the key components of the vertebrate innate immune repertoire, focusing on the Toll/Toll-like receptor (TLR) and complement pathways. A canonical Toll/TLR pathway is present in representatives of the basal cnidarian class Anthozoa, but neither a classic Toll/TLR receptor nor a conventional nuclear factor (NF)-κB could be identified in the anthozoan Hydra. Moreover, the detection of complement C3 and several membrane attack complex/perforin domain (MAC/PF) proteins suggests that a prototypic complement effector pathway may exist in anthozoans, but not in hydrozoans. Together with data for several other gene families, this implies that Hydra may have undergone substantial secondary gene loss during evolution. Such losses are not confined to Hydra, however, and at least one MAC/PF gene appears to have been lost from Nematostella. Conclusion Consideration of these patterns of gene distribution underscores the likely significance of gene loss during animal evolution whilst indicating ancient origins for many components of the vertebrate innate immune system. PMID:17437634

  18. Quantitative Methods for Measuring Repair Rates and Innate-Immune Cell Responses in Wounded Mouse Skin.

    PubMed

    Li, Zhi; Gothard, Elizabeth; Coles, Mark C; Ambler, Carrie A

    2018-01-01

    In skin wounds, innate-immune cells clear up tissue debris and microbial contamination, and also secrete cytokines and other growth factors that impact repair process such as re-epithelialization and wound closure. After injury, there is a rapid influx and efflux of immune cells at wound sites, yet the function of each innate cell population in skin repair is still under investigation. Flow cytometry is a valuable research tool for detecting and quantifying immune cells; however, in mouse back skin, the difficulty in extracting immune cells from small area of skin due to tissue complexity has made cytometric analysis an underutilized tool. In this paper, we provide detailed methods on the digestion of lesion-specific skin without disrupting antigen expression followed by multiplex cell staining that allows for identification of seven innate-immune populations, including rare subsets such as group-3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s), by flow-cytometry analysis. Furthermore, when studying the functions of immune cells to tissue repair an important metric to monitor is size of the wound opening. Normal wounds close steadily albeit at non-linear rates, while slow or stalled wound closure can indicate an underlying problem with the repair process. Calliper measurements are difficult and time-consuming to obtain and can require repeated sedation of experimental animals. We provide advanced methods for measuring of wound openness; digital 3D image capture and semi-automated image processing that allows for unbiased, reliable measurements that can be taken repeatedly over time.

  19. Quantitative Methods for Measuring Repair Rates and Innate-Immune Cell Responses in Wounded Mouse Skin

    PubMed Central

    Li, Zhi; Gothard, Elizabeth; Coles, Mark C.; Ambler, Carrie A.

    2018-01-01

    In skin wounds, innate-immune cells clear up tissue debris and microbial contamination, and also secrete cytokines and other growth factors that impact repair process such as re-epithelialization and wound closure. After injury, there is a rapid influx and efflux of immune cells at wound sites, yet the function of each innate cell population in skin repair is still under investigation. Flow cytometry is a valuable research tool for detecting and quantifying immune cells; however, in mouse back skin, the difficulty in extracting immune cells from small area of skin due to tissue complexity has made cytometric analysis an underutilized tool. In this paper, we provide detailed methods on the digestion of lesion-specific skin without disrupting antigen expression followed by multiplex cell staining that allows for identification of seven innate-immune populations, including rare subsets such as group-3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s), by flow-cytometry analysis. Furthermore, when studying the functions of immune cells to tissue repair an important metric to monitor is size of the wound opening. Normal wounds close steadily albeit at non-linear rates, while slow or stalled wound closure can indicate an underlying problem with the repair process. Calliper measurements are difficult and time-consuming to obtain and can require repeated sedation of experimental animals. We provide advanced methods for measuring of wound openness; digital 3D image capture and semi-automated image processing that allows for unbiased, reliable measurements that can be taken repeatedly over time. PMID:29535723

  20. The Role of Immune and Inflammatory Cells in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

    PubMed Central

    Desai, Omkar; Winkler, Julia; Minasyan, Maksym; Herzog, Erica L.

    2018-01-01

    The contribution of the immune system to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains poorly understood. While most sources agree that IPF does not result from a primary immunopathogenic mechanism, evidence gleaned from animal modeling and human studies suggests that innate and adaptive immune processes can orchestrate existing fibrotic responses. This review will synthesize the available data regarding the complex role of professional immune cells in IPF. The role of innate immune populations such as monocytes, macrophages, myeloid suppressor cells, and innate lymphoid cells will be discussed, as will the activation of these cells via pathogen-associated molecular patterns derived from invading or commensural microbes, and danger-associated molecular patterns derived from injured cells and tissues. The contribution of adaptive immune responses driven by T-helper cells and B cells will be reviewed as well. Each form of immune activation will be discussed in the context of its relationship to environmental and genetic factors, disease outcomes, and potential therapies. We conclude with discussion of unanswered questions and opportunities for future study in this area. PMID:29616220

  1. Immune response

    MedlinePlus

    Innate immunity; Humoral immunity; Cellular immunity; Immunity; Inflammatory response; Acquired (adaptive) immunity ... normal and usually does not react against them. INNATE IMMUNITY Innate, or nonspecific, immunity is the defense ...

  2. Lysosomal Protein Lamtor1 Controls Innate Immune Responses via Nuclear Translocation of Transcription Factor EB.

    PubMed

    Hayama, Yoshitomo; Kimura, Tetsuya; Takeda, Yoshito; Nada, Shigeyuki; Koyama, Shohei; Takamatsu, Hyota; Kang, Sujin; Ito, Daisuke; Maeda, Yohei; Nishide, Masayuki; Nojima, Satoshi; Sarashina-Kida, Hana; Hosokawa, Takashi; Kinehara, Yuhei; Kato, Yasuhiro; Nakatani, Takeshi; Nakanishi, Yoshimitsu; Tsuda, Takeshi; Koba, Taro; Okada, Masato; Kumanogoh, Atsushi

    2018-06-01

    Amino acid metabolism plays important roles in innate immune cells, including macrophages. Recently, we reported that a lysosomal adaptor protein, Lamtor1, which serves as the scaffold for amino acid-activated mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1), is critical for the polarization of M2 macrophages. However, little is known about how Lamtor1 affects the inflammatory responses that are triggered by the stimuli for TLRs. In this article, we show that Lamtor1 controls innate immune responses by regulating the phosphorylation and nuclear translocation of transcription factor EB (TFEB), which has been known as the master regulator for lysosome and autophagosome biogenesis. Furthermore, we show that nuclear translocation of TFEB occurs in alveolar macrophages of myeloid-specific Lamtor1 conditional knockout mice and that these mice are hypersensitive to intratracheal administration of LPS and bleomycin. Our observation clarified that the amino acid-sensing pathway consisting of Lamtor1, mTORC1, and TFEB is involved in the regulation of innate immune responses. Copyright © 2018 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

  3. Breaking self-tolerance during autoimmunity and cancer immunity: Myeloid cells and type I IFN response regulation.

    PubMed

    Tarbell, Kristin V; Egen, Jackson G

    2018-02-02

    The generation and regulation of innate immune signals are key determinants of autoimmune pathogenesis. Emerging evidence suggests that parallel processes operating in the setting of solid tumors can similarly determine the balance between tolerance and immunity and ultimately the effectiveness of the antitumor immune response. In both contexts, self-specific responses start with innate immune cell activation that leads to the initial break in self-tolerance, which can be followed by immune response amplification and maturation through innate-adaptive crosstalk, and finally immune-mediated tissue/tumor destruction that can further potentiate inflammation. Of particular importance for these processes is type I IFN, which is induced in response to endogenous ligands, such as self-nucleic acids, and acts on myeloid cells to promote the expansion of autoreactive or tumor-specific T cells and their influx into the target tissue. Evidence from the study of human disease pathophysiology and genetics and mouse models of disease has revealed an extensive and complex network of negative regulatory pathways that has evolved to restrain type I IFN production and activity. Here, we review the overlapping features of self- and tumor-specific immune responses, including the central role that regulators of the type I IFN response and innate immune cell activation play in maintaining tolerance, and discuss how a better understanding of the pathophysiology of autoimmunity can help to identify new approaches to promote immune-mediated tumor destruction. ©2018 Society for Leukocyte Biology.

  4. Antiviral Defense and Innate Immune Memory in the Oyster.

    PubMed

    Green, Timothy J; Speck, Peter

    2018-03-16

    The Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas , is becoming a valuable model for investigating antiviral defense in the Lophotrochozoa superphylum. In the past five years, improvements to laboratory-based experimental infection protocols using Ostreid herpesvirus I (OsHV-1) from naturally infected C. gigas combined with next-generation sequencing techniques has revealed that oysters have a complex antiviral response involving the activation of all major innate immune pathways. Experimental evidence indicates C. gigas utilizes an interferon-like response to limit OsHV-1 replication and spread. Oysters injected with a viral mimic (polyI:C) develop resistance to OsHV-1. Improved survival following polyI:C injection was found later in life (within-generational immune priming) and in the next generation (multi-generational immune priming). These studies indicate that the oyster's antiviral defense system exhibits a form of innate immune-memory. An important priority is to identify the molecular mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon. This knowledge will motivate the development of practical and cost-effective treatments for improving oyster health in aquaculture.

  5. The Innate Immunity in Alzheimer Disease- Relevance to Pathogenesis and Therapy.

    PubMed

    Blach-Olszewska, Zofia; Zaczynska, Ewa; Gustaw-Rothenberg, Kasia; Avila-Rodrigues, Marco; Barreto, George E; Leszek, Jerzy; Aliev, Gjumrakch

    2015-01-01

    The genetic, cellular, and molecular changes associated with Alzheimer disease provide evidence of immune and inflammatory processes involvement in its pathogenesis. These are supported by epidemiological studies, which show some benefit of long-term use of NSAID. The hypothesis that AD is in fact an immunologically mediated and even inflammatory pathological process may be in fact scientifically intriguing. There are several obstacles that suggest the need for more complex view, in the process of targeting inflammation and immunity in AD. In our previous studies we proposed a reliable methodology to assess innate immunity in Alzheimer patients and controls. The methodology is based on the phenomenon of human leukocytes being resistant to viral infection. The unspecific character of the resistance, dependent on interferons and tumor necrosis factor, and occurrence in cells ex vivo indicate that an in vivo mechanism of innate immunity may be involved. The above mentioned resistance could be estimated in a test based on peripheral blood leukocytes infection by vesicular stomachs virus.

  6. No evidence of a role for mitochondrial complex I in Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis.

    PubMed

    Ng, Garrett Z; Ke, Bi-Xia; Laskowski, Adrienne; Thorburn, David R; Sutton, Philip

    2017-06-01

    Complex I is the first enzyme complex in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, responsible for generating a large fraction of energy during oxidative phosphorylation. Recently, it has been identified that complex I deficiency can result in increased inflammation due to the generation of reactive oxygen species by innate immune cells. As a reduction in complex I activity has been demonstrated in human stomachs with atrophic gastritis, we investigated whether complex I deficiency could influence Helicobacter pylori pathogenesis. Ndufs6 gt/gt mice have a partial complex I deficiency. Complex I activity was quantified in the stomachs and immune cells of Ndufs6 gt/gt mice by spectrophotometric assays. Ndufs6 gt/gt mice were infected with H. pylori and bacterial colonization assessed by colony-forming assay, gastritis assessed histologically, and H. pylori -specific humoral response quantified by ELISA. The immune cells and stomachs of Ndufs6 gt/gt mice were found to have significantly decreased complex I activity, validating the model for assessing the effects of complex I deficiency in H. pylori infection. However, there was no observable effect of complex I deficiency on either H. pylori colonization, the resulting gastritis, or the humoral response. Although complex I activity is described to suppress innate immune responses and is decreased during atrophic gastritis in humans, our data suggest it does not affect H. pylori pathogenesis. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. A Systems Biology Approach Reveals that Tissue Tropism to West Nile Virus Is Regulated by Antiviral Genes and Innate Immune Cellular Processes

    PubMed Central

    Suthar, Mehul S.; Brassil, Margaret M.; Blahnik, Gabriele; McMillan, Aimee; Ramos, Hilario J.; Proll, Sean C.; Belisle, Sarah E.; Katze, Michael G.; Gale, Michael

    2013-01-01

    The actions of the RIG-I like receptor (RLR) and type I interferon (IFN) signaling pathways are essential for a protective innate immune response against the emerging flavivirus West Nile virus (WNV). In mice lacking RLR or IFN signaling pathways, WNV exhibits enhanced tissue tropism, indicating that specific host factors of innate immune defense restrict WNV infection and dissemination in peripheral tissues. However, the immune mechanisms by which the RLR and IFN pathways coordinate and function to impart restriction of WNV infection are not well defined. Using a systems biology approach, we defined the host innate immune response signature and actions that restrict WNV tissue tropism. Transcriptional profiling and pathway modeling to compare WNV-infected permissive (spleen) and nonpermissive (liver) tissues showed high enrichment for inflammatory responses, including pattern recognition receptors and IFN signaling pathways, that define restriction of WNV replication in the liver. Assessment of infected livers from Mavs−/−×Ifnar−/− mice revealed the loss of expression of several key components within the natural killer (NK) cell signaling pathway, including genes associated with NK cell activation, inflammatory cytokine production, and NK cell receptor signaling. In vivo analysis of hepatic immune cell infiltrates from WT mice demonstrated that WNV infection leads to an increase in NK cell numbers with enhanced proliferation, maturation, and effector action. In contrast, livers from Mavs−/−×Ifnar−/− infected mice displayed reduced immune cell infiltration, including a significant reduction in NK cell numbers. Analysis of cocultures of dendritic and NK cells revealed both cell-intrinsic and -extrinsic roles for the RLR and IFN signaling pathways to regulate NK cell effector activity. Taken together, these observations reveal a complex innate immune signaling network, regulated by the RLR and IFN signaling pathways, that drives tissue-specific antiviral effector gene expression and innate immune cellular processes that control tissue tropism to WNV infection. PMID:23544010

  8. HTLV-1 Tax impairs K63-linked ubiquitination of STING to evade host innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Wang, Jie; Yang, Shuai; Liu, Lu; Wang, Hui; Yang, Bo

    2017-03-15

    The cellular antiviral innate immune system is essential for host defense and viruses have evolved a variety of strategies to evade the innate immunity. Human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) belongs to the deltaretrovirus family and it can establish persistent infection in human beings for many years. However, how this virus evades the host innate immune responses remains unclear. Here we report a new strategy used by HTLV-1 to block innate immune responses. We observed that stimulator of interferon genes (STING) limited HTLV-1 protein expression and was critical to HTLV-1 reverse transcription intermediate (RTI) ssDNA90 triggered interferon (IFN)-β production in phorbol12-myristate13-acetate (PMA)-differentiated THP1 (PMA-THP1) cells. The HTLV-1 protein Tax inhibited STING overexpression induced transcriptional activation of IFN-β. Tax also impaired poly(dA:dT), interferon stimulatory DNA (ISD) or cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) -stimulated IFN-β production, which was dependent on STING activation. Coimmunoprecipitation assays and confocal microscopy indicated that Tax was associated with STING in the same complex. Mechanistic studies suggested that Tax decreased the K63-linked ubiquitination of STING and disrupted the interactions between STING and TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1). These findings may shed more light on the molecular mechanisms underlying HTLV-1 infection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. The Innate Immune System in Acute and Chronic Wounds

    PubMed Central

    MacLeod, Amanda S.; Mansbridge, Jonathan N.

    2016-01-01

    Significance: This review article provides an overview of the critical roles of the innate immune system to wound healing. It explores aspects of dysregulation of individual innate immune elements known to compromise wound repair and promote nonhealing wounds. Understanding the key mechanisms whereby wound healing fails will provide seed concepts for the development of new therapeutic approaches. Recent Advances: Our understanding of the complex interactions of the innate immune system in wound healing has significantly improved, particularly in our understanding of the role of antimicrobials and peptides and the nature of the switch from inflammatory to reparative processes. This takes place against an emerging understanding of the relationship between human cells and commensal bacteria in the skin. Critical Issues: It is well established and accepted that early local inflammatory mediators in the wound bed function as an immunological vehicle to facilitate immune cell infiltration and microbial clearance upon injury to the skin barrier. Both impaired and excessive innate immune responses can promote nonhealing wounds. It appears that the switch from the inflammatory to the proliferative phase is tightly regulated and mediated, at least in part, by a change in macrophages. Defining the factors that initiate the switch in such macrophage phenotypes and functions is the subject of multiple investigations. Future Directions: The review highlights processes that may be useful targets for further investigation, particularly the switch from M1 to M2 macrophages that appears to be critical as dysregulation of this switch occurs during defective wound healing. PMID:26862464

  10. Innate and adaptive immunity in the development of depression: An update on current knowledge and technological advances.

    PubMed

    Haapakoski, Rita; Ebmeier, Klaus P; Alenius, Harri; Kivimäki, Mika

    2016-04-03

    The inflammation theory of depression, proposed over 20years ago, was influenced by early studies on T cell responses and since then has been a stimulus for numerous research projects aimed at understanding the relationship between immune function and depression. Observational studies have shown that indicators of immunity, especially C reactive protein and proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 6, are associated with an increased risk of depressive disorders, although the evidence from randomized trials remains limited and only few studies have assessed the interplay between innate and adaptive immunity in depression. In this paper, we review current knowledge on the interactions between central and peripheral innate and adaptive immune molecules and the potential role of immune-related activation of microglia, inflammasomes and indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase in the development of depressive symptoms. We highlight how combining basic immune methods with more advanced 'omics' technologies would help us to make progress in unravelling the complex associations between altered immune function and depressive disorders, in the identification of depression-specific biomarkers and in developing immunotherapeutic treatment strategies that take individual variability into account. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Innate and adaptive immunity in the development of depression: An update on current knowledge and technological advances

    PubMed Central

    Haapakoski, Rita; Ebmeier, Klaus P.; Alenius, Harri; Kivimäki, Mika

    2016-01-01

    The inflammation theory of depression, proposed over 20 years ago, was influenced by early studies on T cell responses and since then has been a stimulus for numerous research projects aimed at understanding the relationship between immune function and depression. Observational studies have shown that indicators of immunity, especially C reactive protein and proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin 6, are associated with an increased risk of depressive disorders, although the evidence from randomized trials remains limited and only few studies have assessed the interplay between innate and adaptive immunity in depression. In this paper, we review current knowledge on the interactions between central and peripheral innate and adaptive immune molecules and the potential role of immune-related activation of microglia, inflammasomes and indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase in the development of depressive symptoms. We highlight how combining basic immune methods with more advanced ‘omics’ technologies would help us to make progress in unravelling the complex associations between altered immune function and depressive disorders, in the identification of depression-specific biomarkers and in developing immunotherapeutic treatment strategies that take individual variability into account. PMID:26631274

  12. Functions of Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinases in Plant Innate Immunity

    PubMed Central

    Gao, Xiquan; Cox, Kevin L.; He, Ping

    2014-01-01

    An increase of cytosolic Ca2+ is generated by diverse physiological stimuli and stresses, including pathogen attack. Plants have evolved two branches of the immune system to defend against pathogen infections. The primary innate immune response is triggered by the detection of evolutionarily conserved pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP), which is called PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). The second branch of plant innate immunity is triggered by the recognition of specific pathogen effector proteins and known as effector-triggered immunity (ETI). Calcium (Ca2+) signaling is essential in both plant PTI and ETI responses. Calcium-dependent protein kinases (CDPKs) have emerged as important Ca2+ sensor proteins in transducing differential Ca2+ signatures, triggered by PAMPs or effectors and activating complex downstream responses. CDPKs directly transmit calcium signals by calcium binding to the elongation factor (EF)-hand domain at the C-terminus and substrate phosphorylation by the catalytic kinase domain at the N-terminus. Emerging evidence suggests that specific and overlapping CDPKs phosphorylate distinct substrates in PTI and ETI to regulate diverse plant immune responses, including production of reactive oxygen species, transcriptional reprogramming of immune genes, and the hypersensitive response. PMID:27135498

  13. Systems integration of innate and adaptive immunity.

    PubMed

    Zak, Daniel E; Aderem, Alan

    2015-09-29

    The pathogens causing AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis have proven too complex to be overcome by classical approaches to vaccination. The complexities of human immunology and pathogen-induced modulation of the immune system mandate new approaches to vaccine discovery and design. A new field, systems vaccinology, weds holistic analysis of innate and adaptive immunity within a quantitative framework to enable rational design of new vaccines that elicit tailored protective immune responses. A key step in the approach is to discover relationships between the earliest innate inflammatory responses to vaccination and the subsequent vaccine-induced adaptive immune responses and efficacy. Analysis of these responses in clinical studies is complicated by the inaccessibility of relevant tissue compartments (such as the lymph node), necessitating reliance upon peripheral blood responses as surrogates. Blood transcriptomes, although indirect to vaccine mechanisms, have proven very informative in systems vaccinology studies. The approach is most powerful when innate and adaptive immune responses are integrated with vaccine efficacy, which is possible for malaria with the advent of a robust human challenge model. This is more difficult for AIDS and tuberculosis, given that human challenge models are lacking and efficacy observed in clinical trials has been low or highly variable. This challenge can be met by appropriate clinical trial design for partially efficacious vaccines and by analysis of natural infection cohorts. Ultimately, systems vaccinology is an iterative approach in which mechanistic hypotheses-derived from analysis of clinical studies-are evaluated in model systems, and then used to guide the development of new vaccine strategies. In this review, we will illustrate the above facets of the systems vaccinology approach with case studies. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  14. Complex interplay of body condition, life history, and prevailing environment shapes immune defenses of garter snakes in the wild.

    PubMed

    Palacios, Maria G; Cunnick, Joan E; Bronikowski, Anne M

    2013-01-01

    The immunocompetence "pace-of-life" hypothesis proposes that fast-living organisms should invest more in innate immune defenses and less in adaptive defenses compared to slow-living ones. We found some support for this hypothesis in two life-history ecotypes of the snake Thamnophis elegans; fast-living individuals show higher levels of innate immunity compared to slow-living ones. Here, we optimized a lymphocyte proliferation assay to assess the complementary prediction that slow-living snakes should in turn show stronger adaptive defenses. We also assessed the "environmental" hypothesis that predicts that slow-living snakes should show lower levels of immune defenses (both innate and adaptive) given the harsher environment they live in. Proliferation of B- and T-lymphocytes of free-living individuals was on average higher in fast-living than slow-living snakes, opposing the pace-of-life hypothesis and supporting the environmental hypothesis. Bactericidal capacity of plasma, an index of innate immunity, did not differ between fast-living and slow-living snakes in this study, contrasting the previously documented pattern and highlighting the importance of annual environmental conditions as determinants of immune profiles of free-living animals. Our results do not negate a link between life history and immunity, as indicated by ecotype-specific relationships between lymphocyte proliferation and body condition, but suggest more subtle nuances than those currently proposed.

  15. Structural basis for ligand and innate immunity factor uptake by the trypanosome haptoglobin-haemoglobin receptor.

    PubMed

    Lane-Serff, Harriet; MacGregor, Paula; Lowe, Edward D; Carrington, Mark; Higgins, Matthew K

    2014-12-12

    The haptoglobin-haemoglobin receptor (HpHbR) of African trypanosomes allows acquisition of haem and provides an uptake route for trypanolytic factor-1, a mediator of innate immunity against trypanosome infection. In this study, we report the structure of Trypanosoma brucei HpHbR in complex with human haptoglobin-haemoglobin (HpHb), revealing an elongated ligand-binding site that extends along its membrane distal half. This contacts haptoglobin and the β-subunit of haemoglobin, showing how the receptor selectively binds HpHb over individual components. Lateral mobility of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored HpHbR, and a ∼50° kink in the receptor, allows two receptors to simultaneously bind one HpHb dimer. Indeed, trypanosomes take up dimeric HpHb at significantly lower concentrations than monomeric HpHb, due to increased ligand avidity that comes from bivalent binding. The structure therefore reveals the molecular basis for ligand and innate immunity factor uptake by trypanosomes and identifies adaptations that allow efficient ligand uptake in the context of the complex trypanosome cell surface.

  16. Oral innate immunity in HIV infection in HAART era

    PubMed Central

    Nittayananta, Wipawee; Tao, Renchuan; Jiang, Lanlan; Peng, Yuanyuan; Huang, Yuxiao

    2015-01-01

    Oral innate immunity, an important component in host defense and immune surveillance in the oral cavity, plays a crucial role in the regulation of oral health. As part of the innate immune system, epithelial cells lining oral mucosal surfaces provide not only a physical barrier but also produce different antimicrobial peptides, including human β-defensins (hBDs), secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), and various cytokines. These innate immune mediators help in maintaining oral homeostasis. When they are impaired either by local or systemic causes, various oral infections and malignancies may be developed. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and other co-infections appear to have both direct and indirect effects on systemic and local innate immunity leading to the development of oral opportunistic infections and malignancies. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the standard treatment of HIV infection contributed to a global reduction of HIV-associated oral lesions. However, prolonged treatment by HAART may lead to adverse effects on the oral innate immunity resulting in the relapse of oral lesions. This review article focused on the roles of oral innate immunity in HIV infection in HAART era. The following five key questions were addressed: 1) What are the roles of oral innate immunity in health and disease?, 2) What are the effects of HIV infection on oral innate immunity?, 3) What are the roles of oral innate immunity against other co-infections?, 4) What are the effects of HAART on oral innate immunity?, and 5) Is oral innate immunity enhanced by HAART? PMID:25639844

  17. Innate Immune Responses of Drosophila melanogaster Are Altered by Spaceflight

    PubMed Central

    Marcu, Oana; Lera, Matthew P.; Sanchez, Max E.; Levic, Edina; Higgins, Laura A.; Shmygelska, Alena; Fahlen, Thomas F.; Nichol, Helen; Bhattacharya, Sharmila

    2011-01-01

    Alterations and impairment of immune responses in humans present a health risk for space exploration missions. The molecular mechanisms underpinning innate immune defense can be confounded by the complexity of the acquired immune system of humans. Drosophila (fruit fly) innate immunity is simpler, and shares many similarities with human innate immunity at the level of molecular and genetic pathways. The goals of this study were to elucidate fundamental immune processes in Drosophila affected by spaceflight and to measure host-pathogen responses post-flight. Five containers, each containing ten female and five male fruit flies, were housed and bred on the space shuttle (average orbit altitude of 330.35 km) for 12 days and 18.5 hours. A new generation of flies was reared in microgravity. In larvae, the immune system was examined by analyzing plasmatocyte number and activity in culture. In adults, the induced immune responses were analyzed by bacterial clearance and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of selected genes following infection with E. coli. The RNA levels of relevant immune pathway genes were determined in both larvae and adults by microarray analysis. The ability of larval plasmatocytes to phagocytose E. coli in culture was attenuated following spaceflight, and in parallel, the expression of genes involved in cell maturation was downregulated. In addition, the level of constitutive expression of pattern recognition receptors and opsonins that specifically recognize bacteria, and of lysozymes, antimicrobial peptide (AMP) pathway and immune stress genes, hallmarks of humoral immunity, were also reduced in larvae. In adults, the efficiency of bacterial clearance measured in vivo following a systemic infection with E. coli post-flight, remained robust. We show that spaceflight altered both cellular and humoral immune responses in Drosophila and that the disruption occurs at multiple interacting pathways. PMID:21264297

  18. The Immunology of Posttransplant CMV Infection: Potential Effect of CMV Immunoglobulins on Distinct Components of the Immune Response to CMV

    PubMed Central

    Carbone, Javier

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The immune response to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is highly complex, including humoral, cellular, innate, and adaptive immune responses. Detection of CMV by the innate immune system triggers production of type I IFNs and inflammatory cytokines which initiate cellular and humoral responses that are critical during the early viremic phase of CMV infection. Sustained control of CMV infection is largely accounted for by cellular immunity, involving various T-cell and B-cell subsets. In solid organ transplant patients, global suppression of innate and adaptive immunities by immunosuppressive agents limits immunological defense, including inhibition of natural killer cell activity with ongoing lowering of Ig levels and CMV-specific antibody titers. This is coupled with a short-term suppression of CMV-specific T cells, the extent and duration of which can predict risk of progression to CMV viremia. CMV immunoglobulin (CMVIG) preparations have the potential to exert immunomodulatory effects as well as providing passive immunization. Specific CMVIG antibodies and virus neutralization might be enhanced by modulation of dendritic cell activity and by a decrease in T-cell activation, effects which are of importance during the initial phase of infection. In summary, the role of CMVIG in reconstituting specific anti-CMV antibodies may be enhanced by some degree of modulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses, which could help to control some of the direct and indirect effects of CMV infection. PMID:26900990

  19. The Immunology of Posttransplant CMV Infection: Potential Effect of CMV Immunoglobulins on Distinct Components of the Immune Response to CMV.

    PubMed

    Carbone, Javier

    2016-03-01

    The immune response to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is highly complex, including humoral, cellular, innate, and adaptive immune responses. Detection of CMV by the innate immune system triggers production of type I IFNs and inflammatory cytokines which initiate cellular and humoral responses that are critical during the early viremic phase of CMV infection. Sustained control of CMV infection is largely accounted for by cellular immunity, involving various T-cell and B-cell subsets. In solid organ transplant patients, global suppression of innate and adaptive immunities by immunosuppressive agents limits immunological defense, including inhibition of natural killer cell activity with ongoing lowering of Ig levels and CMV-specific antibody titers. This is coupled with a short-term suppression of CMV-specific T cells, the extent and duration of which can predict risk of progression to CMV viremia. CMV immunoglobulin (CMVIG) preparations have the potential to exert immunomodulatory effects as well as providing passive immunization. Specific CMVIG antibodies and virus neutralization might be enhanced by modulation of dendritic cell activity and by a decrease in T-cell activation, effects which are of importance during the initial phase of infection. In summary, the role of CMVIG in reconstituting specific anti-CMV antibodies may be enhanced by some degree of modulation of the innate and adaptive immune responses, which could help to control some of the direct and indirect effects of CMV infection.

  20. Insights on adaptive and innate immunity in canine leishmaniosis.

    PubMed

    Hosein, Shazia; Blake, Damer P; Solano-Gallego, Laia

    2017-01-01

    Canine leishmaniosis (CanL) is caused by the parasite Leishmania infantum and is a systemic disease, which can present with variable clinical signs, and clinicopathological abnormalities. Clinical manifestations can range from subclinical infection to very severe systemic disease. Leishmaniosis is categorized as a neglected tropical disease and the complex immune responses associated with Leishmania species makes therapeutic treatments and vaccine development challenging for both dogs and humans. In this review, we summarize innate and adaptive immune responses associated with L. infantum infection in dogs, and we discuss the problems associated with the disease as well as potential solutions and the future direction of required research to help control the parasite.

  1. Oral innate immunity in HIV infection in HAART era.

    PubMed

    Nittayananta, Wipawee; Tao, Renchuan; Jiang, Lanlan; Peng, Yuanyuan; Huang, Yuxiao

    2016-01-01

    Oral innate immunity, an important component in host defense and immune surveillance in the oral cavity, plays a crucial role in the regulation of oral health. As part of the innate immune system, epithelial cells lining oral mucosal surfaces not only provide a physical barrier but also produce different antimicrobial peptides, including human β-defensins (hBDs), secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI), and various cytokines. These innate immune mediators help in maintaining oral homeostasis. When they are impaired either by local or systemic causes, various oral infections and malignancies may be developed. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and other co-infections appear to have both direct and indirect effects on systemic and local innate immunity leading to the development of oral opportunistic infections and malignancies. Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), the standard treatment of HIV infection, contributed to a global reduction of HIV-associated oral lesions. However, prolonged use of HAART may lead to adverse effects on the oral innate immunity resulting in the relapse of oral lesions. This review article focused on the roles of oral innate immunity in HIV infection in HAART era. The following five key questions were addressed: (i) What are the roles of oral innate immunity in health and disease?, (ii) What are the effects of HIV infection on oral innate immunity?, (iii) What are the roles of oral innate immunity against other co-infections?, (iv) What are the effects of HAART on oral innate immunity?, and (v) Is oral innate immunity enhanced by HAART? © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Extraribosomal L13a Is a Specific Innate Immune Factor for Antiviral Defense

    PubMed Central

    Poddar, Darshana; Basu, Abhijit; Kour, Ravinder; Verbovetskaya, Valentina

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT We report a novel extraribosomal innate immune function of mammalian ribosomal protein L13a, whereby it acts as an antiviral agent. We found that L13a is released from the 60S ribosomal subunit in response to infection by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), an RNA virus of the Pneumovirus genus and a serious lung pathogen. Unexpectedly, the growth of RSV was highly enhanced in L13a-knocked-down cells of various lineages as well as in L13a knockout macrophages from mice. In all L13a-deficient cells tested, translation of RSV matrix (M) protein was specifically stimulated, as judged by a greater abundance of M protein and greater association of the M mRNA with polyribosomes, while general translation was unaffected. In silico RNA folding analysis and translational reporter assays revealed a putative hairpin in the 3′untranslated region (UTR) of M mRNA with significant structural similarity to the cellular GAIT (gamma-activated inhibitor of translation) RNA hairpin, previously shown to be responsible for assembling a large, L13a-containing ribonucleoprotein complex that promoted translational silencing in gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-activated myeloid cells. However, RNA-protein interaction studies revealed that this complex, which we named VAIT (respiratory syncytial virus-activated inhibitor of translation) is functionally different from the GAIT complex. VAIT is the first report of an extraribosomal L13a-mediated, IFN-γ-independent innate antiviral complex triggered in response to virus infection. We provide a model in which the VAIT complex strongly hinders RSV replication by inhibiting the translation of the rate-limiting viral M protein, which is a new paradigm in antiviral defense. IMPORTANCE The innate immune mechanisms of host cells are diverse in nature and act as a broad-spectrum cellular defense against viruses. Here, we report a novel innate immune mechanism functioning against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in which the cellular ribosomal protein L13a is released from the large ribosomal subunit soon after infection and inhibits the translation of a specific viral mRNA, namely, that of the matrix protein M. Regarding its mechanism, we show that the recognition of a specific secondary structure in the 3′ untranslated region of the M mRNA leads to translational arrest of the mRNA. We also show that the level of M protein in the infected cell is rate limiting for viral morphogenesis, providing a rationale for L13a to target the M mRNA for suppression of RSV growth. Translational silencing of a viral mRNA by a deployed ribosomal protein is a new paradigm in innate immunity. PMID:24899178

  3. Extraribosomal l13a is a specific innate immune factor for antiviral defense.

    PubMed

    Mazumder, Barsanjit; Poddar, Darshana; Basu, Abhijit; Kour, Ravinder; Verbovetskaya, Valentina; Barik, Sailen

    2014-08-01

    We report a novel extraribosomal innate immune function of mammalian ribosomal protein L13a, whereby it acts as an antiviral agent. We found that L13a is released from the 60S ribosomal subunit in response to infection by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), an RNA virus of the Pneumovirus genus and a serious lung pathogen. Unexpectedly, the growth of RSV was highly enhanced in L13a-knocked-down cells of various lineages as well as in L13a knockout macrophages from mice. In all L13a-deficient cells tested, translation of RSV matrix (M) protein was specifically stimulated, as judged by a greater abundance of M protein and greater association of the M mRNA with polyribosomes, while general translation was unaffected. In silico RNA folding analysis and translational reporter assays revealed a putative hairpin in the 3'untranslated region (UTR) of M mRNA with significant structural similarity to the cellular GAIT (gamma-activated inhibitor of translation) RNA hairpin, previously shown to be responsible for assembling a large, L13a-containing ribonucleoprotein complex that promoted translational silencing in gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-activated myeloid cells. However, RNA-protein interaction studies revealed that this complex, which we named VAIT (respiratory syncytial virus-activated inhibitor of translation) is functionally different from the GAIT complex. VAIT is the first report of an extraribosomal L13a-mediated, IFN-γ-independent innate antiviral complex triggered in response to virus infection. We provide a model in which the VAIT complex strongly hinders RSV replication by inhibiting the translation of the rate-limiting viral M protein, which is a new paradigm in antiviral defense. The innate immune mechanisms of host cells are diverse in nature and act as a broad-spectrum cellular defense against viruses. Here, we report a novel innate immune mechanism functioning against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in which the cellular ribosomal protein L13a is released from the large ribosomal subunit soon after infection and inhibits the translation of a specific viral mRNA, namely, that of the matrix protein M. Regarding its mechanism, we show that the recognition of a specific secondary structure in the 3' untranslated region of the M mRNA leads to translational arrest of the mRNA. We also show that the level of M protein in the infected cell is rate limiting for viral morphogenesis, providing a rationale for L13a to target the M mRNA for suppression of RSV growth. Translational silencing of a viral mRNA by a deployed ribosomal protein is a new paradigm in innate immunity. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  4. Emerging Concepts in Innate Immunity.

    PubMed

    Pelka, Karin; De Nardo, Dominic

    2018-01-01

    This review introduces recent concepts in innate immunity highlighting some of the latest exciting findings. These include: the discovery of the initiator of pyroptosis, Gasdermin D, and mechanisms of inflammatory caspases in innate immune signaling; the formation of oligomeric signalosomes downstream of innate immune receptors; mechanisms that shape innate immune responses, such as cellular homeostasis, cell metabolism, and pathogen viability; rapid methods of cell-to-cell communication; the interplay between the host and its microbiome and the concept of innate immunological memory. Furthermore, we discuss open questions and illustrate how technological advances, such as CRISPR/Cas9, may provide important answers for outstanding questions in the field of innate immunity.

  5. Innate immunity in the control of HIV/AIDS: recent advances and open questions.

    PubMed

    Ploquin, Mickaël J-Y; Jacquelin, Béatrice; Jochems, Simon P; Barré-Sinoussi, Françoise; Müller-Trutwin, Michaela C

    2012-06-19

    From the publication of the first AIDS issue onwards, major advances have been made in the field of innate immunity during HIV infection. Innate immunity can be defined as the first and unspecific lines of defense constitutively present and ready to be mobilized upon infection. Although a large body of literature adamantly highlights that innate immunity is a critical weapon of defense against HIV and its simian parents (simian immunodeficiency virus, SIV), innate immunity is still underexplored. Focusing on innate immunity may open new paths for the development of innovative therapeutics and vaccine strategies against HIV. Understanding innate immunity may shed light on the natural protection occurring in rare HIV-1-infected individuals who control their infection. This review focuses on innate mechanisms sensing HIV-1 entry and controlling HIV-1 infection, as well as promoting inflammation and shaping adaptive immunity.

  6. Chapter 2: Innate Immunity

    PubMed Central

    Turvey, Stuart E.; Broide, David H.

    2009-01-01

    Recent years have witnessed an explosion of interest in the innate immune system. Questions about how the innate immune system senses infection and empowers a protective immune response are being answered at the molecular level. These basic science discoveries are being translated into a more complete understanding of the central role innate immunity plays in the pathogenesis of many human infectious and inflammatory diseases. It is particularly exciting that we are already seeing a return on these scientific investments with the emergence of novel therapies to harness the power of the innate immune system. In this review we explore the defining characteristics of the innate immune system, and through more detailed examples, we highlight recent breakthroughs that have advanced our understanding of the role of innate immunity in human health and disease. PMID:19932920

  7. Candida innate immunity at the mucosa.

    PubMed

    Richardson, Jonathan P; Moyes, David L; Ho, Jemima; Naglik, Julian R

    2018-03-09

    The tremendous diversity in microbial species that colonise the mucosal surfaces of the human body is only now beginning to be fully appreciated. Distinguishing between the behaviour of commensal microbes and harmful pathogens that reside at mucosal sites in the body is a complex, and exquisitely fine-tuned process central to mucosal health. The fungal pathobiont Candida albicans is frequently isolated from mucosal surfaces with an asymptomatic carriage rate of approximately 60% in the human population. While normally a benign member of the microbiota, overgrowth of C. albicans often results in localised mucosal infection causing morbidity in otherwise healthy individuals, and invasive infection that often causes death in the absence of effective immune defence. C. albicans triggers numerous innate immune responses at mucosal surfaces, and detection of C. albicans hyphae in particular, stimulates the production of antimicrobial peptides, danger-associated molecular patterns and cytokines that function to reduce fungal burdens during infection. This review will summarise our current understanding of innate immune responses to C. albicans at mucosal surfaces. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  8. Salivary Defense Proteins: Their Network and Role in Innate and Acquired Oral Immunity

    PubMed Central

    Fábián, Tibor Károly; Hermann, Péter; Beck, Anita; Fejérdy, Pál; Fábián, Gábor

    2012-01-01

    There are numerous defense proteins present in the saliva. Although some of these molecules are present in rather low concentrations, their effects are additive and/or synergistic, resulting in an efficient molecular defense network of the oral cavity. Moreover, local concentrations of these proteins near the mucosal surfaces (mucosal transudate), periodontal sulcus (gingival crevicular fluid) and oral wounds and ulcers (transudate) may be much greater, and in many cases reinforced by immune and/or inflammatory reactions of the oral mucosa. Some defense proteins, like salivary immunoglobulins and salivary chaperokine HSP70/HSPAs (70 kDa heat shock proteins), are involved in both innate and acquired immunity. Cationic peptides and other defense proteins like lysozyme, bactericidal/permeability increasing protein (BPI), BPI-like proteins, PLUNC (palate lung and nasal epithelial clone) proteins, salivary amylase, cystatins, prolin-rich proteins, mucins, peroxidases, statherin and others are primarily responsible for innate immunity. In this paper, this complex system and function of the salivary defense proteins will be reviewed. PMID:22605979

  9. Neuroimmunology of Traumatic Brain Injury: Time for a Paradigm Shift.

    PubMed

    Jassam, Yasir N; Izzy, Saef; Whalen, Michael; McGavern, Dorian B; El Khoury, Joseph

    2017-09-13

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of morbidity and disability, with a considerable socioeconomic burden. Heterogeneity of pathoanatomical subtypes and diversity in the pathogenesis and extent of injury contribute to differences in the course and outcome of TBI. Following the primary injury, extensive and lasting damage is sustained through a complex cascade of events referred to as "secondary injury." Neuroinflammation is proposed as an important manipulable aspect of secondary injury in animal and human studies. Because neuroinflammation can be detrimental or beneficial, before developing immunomodulatory therapies, it is necessary to better understand the timing and complexity of the immune responses that follow TBI. With a rapidly increasing body of literature, there is a need for a clear summary of TBI neuroimmunology. This review presents our current understanding of the immune response to TBI in a chronological and compartment-based manner, highlighting early changes in gene expression and initial signaling pathways that lead to activation of innate and adaptive immunity. Based on recent advances in our understanding of innate immune cell activation, we propose a new paradigm to study innate immune cells following TBI that moves away from the existing M1/M2 classification of activation states toward a stimulus- and disease-specific understanding of polarization state based on transcriptomic and proteomic profiling. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Anthrax Lethal Toxin Impairs Innate Immune Functions of Alveolar Macrophages and Facilitates Bacillus anthracis Survival

    PubMed Central

    Ribot, Wilson J.; Panchal, Rekha G.; Brittingham, Katherine C.; Ruthel, Gordon; Kenny, Tara A.; Lane, Douglas; Curry, Bob; Hoover, Timothy A.; Friedlander, Arthur M.; Bavari, Sina

    2006-01-01

    Alveolar macrophages (AM) are very important for pulmonary innate immune responses against invading inhaled pathogens because they directly kill the organisms and initiate a cascade of innate and adaptive immune responses. Although several factors contribute to inhalational anthrax, we hypothesized that unimpeded infection of Bacillus anthracis is directly linked to disabling the innate immune functions contributed by AM. Here, we investigated the effects of lethal toxin (LT), one of the binary complex virulence factors produced by B. anthracis, on freshly isolated nonhuman primate AM. Exposure of AM to doses of LT that killed susceptible macrophages had no effect on the viability of AM, despite complete MEK1 cleavage. Intoxicated AM remained fully capable of B. anthracis spore phagocytosis. However, pretreatment of AM with LT resulted in a significant decrease in the clearance of both the Sterne strain and the fully virulent Ames strain of B. anthracis, which may have been a result of impaired AM secretion of proinflammatory cytokines. Our data imply that cytolysis does not correlate with MEK1 cleavage, and this is the first report of LT-mediated impairment of nonhuman primate AM bactericidal activity against B. anthracis. PMID:16926394

  11. iRhom2 is essential for innate immunity to RNA virus by antagonizing ER- and mitochondria-associated degradation of VISA.

    PubMed

    Luo, Wei-Wei; Li, Shu; Li, Chen; Zheng, Zhou-Qin; Cao, Pan; Tong, Zhen; Lian, Huan; Wang, Su-Yun; Shu, Hong-Bing; Wang, Yan-Yi

    2017-11-01

    VISA (also known as MAVS, IPS-1 and Cardif) is an essential adaptor protein in innate immune response to RNA virus. The protein level of VISA is delicately regulated before and after viral infection to ensure the optimal activation and timely termination of innate antiviral response. It has been reported that several E3 ubiquitin ligases can mediate the degradation of VISA, but how the stability of VISA is maintained before and after viral infection remains enigmatic. In this study, we found that the ER-associated inactive rhomboid protein 2 (iRhom2) plays an essential role in mounting an efficient innate immune response to RNA virus by maintaining the stability of VISA through distinct mechanisms. In un-infected and early infected cells, iRhom2 mediates auto-ubiquitination and degradation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF5 and impairs the assembly of VISA-RNF5-GP78 complexes, thereby antagonizes ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of VISA. In the late phase of viral infection, iRhom2 mediates proteasome-dependent degradation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCH5 and impairs mitochondria-associated degradation (MAD) of VISA. Maintenance of VISA stability by iRhom2 ensures efficient innate antiviral response at the early phase of viral infection and ready for next round of response. Our findings suggest that iRhom2 acts as a checkpoint for the ERAD/MAD of VISA, which ensures proper innate immune response to RNA virus.

  12. iRhom2 is essential for innate immunity to RNA virus by antagonizing ER- and mitochondria-associated degradation of VISA

    PubMed Central

    Luo, Wei-Wei; Li, Shu; Cao, Pan; Tong, Zhen; Lian, Huan; Wang, Su-Yun; Shu, Hong-Bing

    2017-01-01

    VISA (also known as MAVS, IPS-1 and Cardif) is an essential adaptor protein in innate immune response to RNA virus. The protein level of VISA is delicately regulated before and after viral infection to ensure the optimal activation and timely termination of innate antiviral response. It has been reported that several E3 ubiquitin ligases can mediate the degradation of VISA, but how the stability of VISA is maintained before and after viral infection remains enigmatic. In this study, we found that the ER-associated inactive rhomboid protein 2 (iRhom2) plays an essential role in mounting an efficient innate immune response to RNA virus by maintaining the stability of VISA through distinct mechanisms. In un-infected and early infected cells, iRhom2 mediates auto-ubiquitination and degradation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF5 and impairs the assembly of VISA-RNF5-GP78 complexes, thereby antagonizes ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of VISA. In the late phase of viral infection, iRhom2 mediates proteasome-dependent degradation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase MARCH5 and impairs mitochondria-associated degradation (MAD) of VISA. Maintenance of VISA stability by iRhom2 ensures efficient innate antiviral response at the early phase of viral infection and ready for next round of response. Our findings suggest that iRhom2 acts as a checkpoint for the ERAD/MAD of VISA, which ensures proper innate immune response to RNA virus. PMID:29155878

  13. Human innate lymphoid cells.

    PubMed

    Mjösberg, Jenny; Spits, Hergen

    2016-11-01

    Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are increasingly acknowledged as important mediators of immune homeostasis and pathology. ILCs act as early orchestrators of immunity, responding to epithelium-derived signals by expressing an array of cytokines and cell-surface receptors, which shape subsequent immune responses. As such, ILCs make up interesting therapeutic targets for several diseases. In patients with allergy and asthma, group 2 innate lymphoid cells produce high amounts of IL-5 and IL-13, thereby contributing to type 2-mediated inflammation. Group 3 innate lymphoid cells are implicated in intestinal homeostasis and psoriasis pathology through abundant IL-22 production, whereas group 1 innate lymphoid cells are accumulated in chronic inflammation of the gut (inflammatory bowel disease) and lung (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), where they contribute to IFN-γ-mediated inflammation. Although the ontogeny of mouse ILCs is slowly unraveling, the development of human ILCs is far from understood. In addition, the growing complexity of the human ILC family in terms of previously unrecognized functional heterogeneity and plasticity has generated confusion within the field. Here we provide an updated view on the function and plasticity of human ILCs in tissue homeostasis and disease. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. The role of TGF-β signaling and apoptosis in innate and adaptive immunity in zebrafish: a systems biology approach.

    PubMed

    Lin, Che; Lin, Chin-Nan; Wang, Yu-Chao; Liu, Fang-Yu; Chuang, Yung-Jen; Lan, Chung-Yu; Hsieh, Wen-Ping; Chen, Bor-Sen

    2014-10-24

    The immune system is a key biological system present in vertebrates. Exposure to pathogens elicits various defensive immune mechanisms that protect the host from potential threats and harmful substances derived from pathogens such as parasites, bacteria, and viruses. The complex immune system of humans and many other vertebrates can be divided into two major categories: the innate and the adaptive immune systems. At present, analysis of the complex interactions between the two subsystems that regulate host defense and inflammatory responses remains challenging. Based on time-course microarray data following primary and secondary infection of zebrafish by Candida albicans, we constructed two intracellular protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks for primary and secondary responses of the host. 57 proteins and 341 PPIs were identified for primary infection while 90 proteins and 385 PPIs were identified for secondary infection. There were 20 proteins in common while 37 and 70 proteins specific to primary and secondary infection. By inspecting the hub proteins of each network and comparing significant changes in the number of linkages between the two PPI networks, we identified TGF-β signaling and apoptosis as two of the main functional modules involved in primary and secondary infection. Our initial in silico analyses pave the way for further investigation into the interesting roles played by the TGF-β signaling pathway and apoptosis in innate and adaptive immunity in zebrafish. Such insights could lead to therapeutic advances and improved drug design in the continual battle against infectious diseases.

  15. Adjuvant-Loaded Spiky Gold Nanoparticles for Activation of Innate Immune Cells.

    PubMed

    Nam, Jutaek; Son, Sejin; Moon, James J

    2017-10-01

    Gold nanoparticles are versatile carriers for delivery of biomacromolecules. Here, we have developed spiky gold nanoparticles (SGNPs) that can efficiently deliver immunostimulatory agents. Our goal was to develop a platform technology for co-delivery of multiple adjuvant molecules for synergistic stimulation and maturation of innate immune cells. SGNPs were synthesized by a seed-mediated, surfactant-free synthesis method and incorporated with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (pIC) and DNA oligonucleotide containing unmethylated CpG motif (CpG) by an electrostatic layer-by-layer approach. Adjuvant-loaded SGNP nano-complexes were examined for their biophysical and biochemical properties and studied for immune activation using bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). We have synthesized SGNPs with branched nano-spikes layered with pIC and/or CpG. Adjuvant-loaded SGNP nano-complexes promoted cellular uptake of the adjuvants. Importantly, we achieved spatio-temporal control over co-delivery of pIC and CpG via SGNPs, which produced synergistic enhancement in cytokine release (IL-6, TNF-α) and upregulation of co-stimulatory markers (CD40, CD80, CD86) in BMDCs, compared with pIC, CpG, or their admixtures. SGNPs serve as a versatile delivery platform that allows flexible and on-demand cargo fabrication for strong activation of innate immune cells.

  16. The Yin and Yang of innate immunity in stroke.

    PubMed

    Xu, Xiaomeng; Jiang, Yongjun

    2014-01-01

    Immune system plays an elementary role in the pathophysiological progress of ischemic stroke. It consists of innate and adaptive immune system. Activated within minutes after ischemic onset, innate immunity is responsible for the elimination of necrotic cells and tissue repair, while it is critically involved in the initiation and amplification of poststroke inflammation that amplifies ischemic damage to the brain tissue. Innate immune response requires days to be fully developed, providing a considerable time window for therapeutic intervention, suggesting prospect of novel immunomodulatory therapies against poststroke inflammation-induced brain injury. However, obstacles still exist and a comprehensive understanding of ischemic stroke and innate immune reaction is essential. In this review, we highlighted the current experimental and clinical data depicting the innate immune response following ischemic stroke, mainly focusing on the recognition of damage-associated molecular patterns, activation and recruitment of innate immune cells, and involvement of various cytokines. In addition, clinical trials targeting innate immunity were also documented regardless of the outcome, stressing the requirements for further investigation.

  17. Innate immune memory: implications for development of pediatric immunomodulatory agents and adjuvanted vaccines

    PubMed Central

    Levy, Ofer; Netea, Mihai G.

    2014-01-01

    Unique features of immunity early in life include a distinct immune system particularly reliant on innate immunity, with weak T helper (Th)1-polarizing immune responses, and impaired responses to certain vaccines leading to a heightened susceptibility to infection. To these important aspects, we now add an increasingly appreciated concept that the innate immune system displays epigenetic memory of an earlier infection or vaccination, a phenomenon that has been named “trained immunity”. Exposure of neonatal leukocytes in vitro or neonatal animals or humans in vivo to specific innate immune stimuli results in an altered innate immune set point. Given the particular importance of innate immunity early in life, trained immunity to early life infection and/or immunization may play an important role in modulating both acute and chronic diseases. PMID:24352476

  18. The activation and suppression of plant innate immunity by parasitic nematodes.

    PubMed

    Goverse, Aska; Smant, Geert

    2014-01-01

    Plant-parasitic nematodes engage in prolonged and intimate relationships with their host plants, often involving complex alterations in host cell morphology and function. It is puzzling how nematodes can achieve this, seemingly without activating the innate immune system of their hosts. Secretions released by infective juvenile nematodes are thought to be crucial for host invasion, for nematode migration inside plants, and for feeding on host cells. In the past, much of the research focused on the manipulation of developmental pathways in host plants by plant-parasitic nematodes. However, recent findings demonstrate that plant-parasitic nematodes also deliver effectors into the apoplast and cytoplasm of host cells to suppress plant defense responses. In this review, we describe the current insights in the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the activation and suppression of host innate immunity by plant-parasitic nematodes along seven critical evolutionary and developmental transitions in plant parasitism.

  19. Innate Immune Control of West Nile Virus Infection

    PubMed Central

    Arjona, Alvaro; Wang, Penghua; Montgomery, Ruth R.; Fikrig, Erol

    2011-01-01

    West Nile virus (WNV), from the Flaviviridae family, is a re-emerging zoonotic pathogen of medical importance. In humans, WNV infection may cause life-threatening meningoencephalitis or long-term neurologic sequelae. WNV is transmitted by Culex spp mosquitoes and both the arthropod vector and the mammalian host are equipped with antiviral innate immune mechanisms sharing a common phylogeny. As far as the current evidence is able to demonstrate, mosquitoes primarily rely on RNA interference, Toll, Imd and JAK-STAT signaling pathways for limiting viral infection, while mammals are provided with these and other more complex antiviral mechanisms involving antiviral effectors, inflammatory mediators, and cellular responses triggered by highly specialized pathogen detection mechanisms that often resemble their invertebrate ancestry. This mini-review summarizes our current understanding of how the innate immune systems of the vector and the mammalian host react to WNV infection and shape its pathogenesis. PMID:21790942

  20. Antiviral Innate Immunity through the lens of Systems Biology

    PubMed Central

    Tripathi, Shashank; García-Sastre, Adolfo

    2015-01-01

    Cellular innate immunity poses the first hurdle against invading viruses in their attempt to establish infection. This antiviral response is manifested with the detection of viral components by the host cell, followed by transduction of antiviral signals, transcription and translation of antiviral effectors and leads to the establishment of an antiviral state. These events occur in a rather branched and interconnected sequence than a linear path. Traditionally, these processes were studied in the context of a single virus and a host component. However, with the advent of rapid and affordable OMICS technologies it has become feasible to address such questions on a global scale. In the discipline of Systems Biology’, extensive omics datasets are assimilated using computational tools and mathematical models to acquire deeper understanding of complex biological processes. In this review we have catalogued and discussed the application of Systems Biology approaches in dissecting the antiviral innate immune responses. PMID:26657882

  1. Isolation and Flow Cytometry Analysis of Innate Lymphoid Cells from the Intestinal Lamina Propria.

    PubMed

    Gronke, Konrad; Kofoed-Nielsen, Michael; Diefenbach, Andreas

    2017-01-01

    The intestinal mucosa constitutes the biggest surface area of the body. It is constantly challenged by bacteria, commensal and pathogenic, protozoa, and food-derived irritants. In order to maintain homeostasis, a complex network of signaling circuits has evolved that includes contributions of immune cells. In recent years a subset of lymphocytes, which belong to the innate immune system, has caught particular attention. These so-called innate lymphoid cells (ILC) reside within the lamina propria of the small and large intestines and rapidly respond to environmental challenges. They provide immunity to various types of infections but may also contribute to organ homeostasis as they produce factors acting on epithelial cells thereby enhancing barrier integrity. Here, we describe how these cells can be isolated from their environment and provide an in-depth protocol how to visualize the various ILC subsets by flow cytometry.

  2. Proteome and Secretome Analysis Reveals Differential Post-transcriptional Regulation of Toll-like Receptor Responses*

    PubMed Central

    Koppenol-Raab, Marijke; Sjoelund, Virginie; Manes, Nathan P.; Gottschalk, Rachel A.; Dutta, Bhaskar; Benet, Zachary L.; Fraser, Iain D. C.

    2017-01-01

    The innate immune system is the organism's first line of defense against pathogens. Pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are responsible for sensing the presence of pathogen-associated molecules. The prototypic PRRs, the membrane-bound receptors of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family, recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and initiate an innate immune response through signaling pathways that depend on the adaptor molecules MyD88 and TRIF. Deciphering the differences in the complex signaling events that lead to pathogen recognition and initiation of the correct response remains challenging. Here we report the discovery of temporal changes in the protein signaling components involved in innate immunity. Using an integrated strategy combining unbiased proteomics, transcriptomics and macrophage stimulations with three different PAMPs, we identified differences in signaling between individual TLRs and revealed specifics of pathway regulation at the protein level. PMID:28235783

  3. Transcriptome Analysis of the Sydney Rock Oyster, Saccostrea glomerata: Insights into Molluscan Immunity

    PubMed Central

    Ertl, Nicole G.; O’Connor, Wayne A.; Papanicolaou, Alexie; Wiegand, Aaron N.

    2016-01-01

    Background Oysters have important ecological functions in their natural environment, acting as global carbon sinks and improving water quality by removing excess nutrients from the water column. During their life-time oysters are exposed to a variety of pathogens that can cause severe mortality in a range of oyster species. Environmental stressors encountered in their habitat can increase the susceptibility of oysters to these pathogens and in general have been shown to impact on oyster immunity, making immune parameters expressed in these marine animals an important research topic. Results Paired-end Illumina high throughput sequencing of six S. glomerata tissues exposed to different environmental stressors resulted in a total of 484,121,702 paired-end reads. When reads and assembled transcripts were compared to the C. gigas genome, an overall low level of similarity at the nucleotide level, but a relatively high similarity at the protein level was observed. Examination of the tissue expression pattern showed that some transcripts coding for cathepsins, heat shock proteins and antioxidant proteins were exclusively expressed in the haemolymph of S. glomerata, suggesting a role in innate immunity. Furthermore, analysis of the S. glomerata ORFs showed a wide range of genes potentially involved in innate immunity, from pattern recognition receptors, components of the Toll-like signalling and apoptosis pathways to a complex antioxidant defence mechanism. Conclusions This is the first large scale RNA-Seq study carried out in S. glomerata, showing the complex network of innate immune components that exist in this species. The results confirmed that many of the innate immune system components observed in mammals are also conserved in oysters; however, some, such as the TLR adaptors MAL, TRIF and TRAM are either missing or have been modified significantly. The components identified in this study could help explain the oysters’ natural resilience against pathogenic microorganisms encountered in their natural environment. PMID:27258386

  4. Analysis of the ZAR1 immune complex reveals determinants for immunity and molecular interactions

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Plants depend on innate immunity to prevent disease. Plant pathogenic bacteria, like Pseudomonas syringae and Xanthomonas campestris, use the type III secretion system as a molecular syringe to inject type III secreted effector (T3SE) proteins in plants. The primary function of most T3SEs is to supp...

  5. Paramyxovirus activation and inhibition of innate immune responses.

    PubMed

    Parks, Griffith D; Alexander-Miller, Martha A

    2013-12-13

    Paramyxoviruses represent a remarkably diverse family of enveloped nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses, some of which are the most ubiquitous disease-causing viruses of humans and animals. This review focuses on paramyxovirus activation of innate immune pathways, the mechanisms by which these RNA viruses counteract these pathways, and the innate response to paramyxovirus infection of dendritic cells (DC). Paramyxoviruses are potent activators of extracellular complement pathways, a first line of defense that viruses must face during natural infections. We discuss mechanisms by which these viruses activate and combat complement to delay neutralization. Once cells are infected, virus replication drives type I interferon (IFN) synthesis that has the potential to induce a large number of antiviral genes. Here we describe four approaches by which paramyxoviruses limit IFN induction: by limiting synthesis of IFN-inducing aberrant viral RNAs, through targeted inhibition of RNA sensors, by providing viral decoy substrates for cellular kinase complexes, and through direct blocking of the IFN promoter. In addition, paramyxoviruses have evolved diverse mechanisms to disrupt IFN signaling pathways. We describe three general mechanisms, including targeted proteolysis of signaling factors, sequestering cellular factors, and upregulation of cellular inhibitors. DC are exceptional cells with the capacity to generate adaptive immunity through the coupling of innate immune signals and T cell activation. We discuss the importance of innate responses in DC following paramyxovirus infection and their consequences for the ability to mount and maintain antiviral T cells. © 2013.

  6. Paramyxovirus Activation and Inhibition of Innate Immune Responses

    PubMed Central

    Parks, Griffith D.; Alexander-Miller, Martha A.

    2014-01-01

    Paramyxoviruses represent a remarkably diverse family of enveloped nonsegmented negative-strand RNA viruses, some of which are the most ubiquitous disease-causing viruses of humans and animals. This review focuses on paramyxovirus activation of innate immune pathways, the mechanisms by which these RNA viruses counteract these pathways, and the innate response to paramyxovirus infection of dendritic cells (DC). Paramyxoviruses are potent activators of extracellular complement pathways, a first line of defense that viruses must face during natural infections. We discuss mechanisms by which these viruses activate and combat complement to delay neutralization. Once cells are infected, virus replication drives type I interferon (IFN) synthesis that has the potential to induce a large number of antiviral genes. Here we describe four approaches by which paramyxoviruses limit IFN induction: by limiting synthesis of IFN-inducing aberrant viral RNAs, through targeted inhibition of RNA sensors, by providing viral decoy substrates for cellular kinase complexes, and through direct blocking of the IFN promoter. In addition, paramyxoviruses have evolved diverse mechanisms to disrupt IFN signaling pathways. We describe three general mechanisms, including targeted proteolysis of signaling factors, sequestering cellular factors, and upregulation of cellular inhibitors. DC are exceptional cells with the capacity to generate adaptive immunity through the coupling of innate immune signals and T cell activation. We discuss the importance of innate responses in DC following paramyxovirus infection and their consequences for the ability to mount and maintain antiviral T cells. PMID:24056173

  7. Regulatory dendritic cells: there is more than just immune activation.

    PubMed

    Schmidt, Susanne V; Nino-Castro, Andrea C; Schultze, Joachim L

    2012-01-01

    The immune system exists in a delicate equilibrium between inflammatory responses and tolerance. This unique feature allows the immune system to recognize and respond to potential threats in a controlled but normally limited fashion thereby preventing a destructive overreaction against healthy tissues. While the adaptive immune system was the major research focus concerning activation vs. tolerance in the immune system more recent findings suggest that cells of the innate immune system are important players in the decision between effective immunity and induction of tolerance or immune inhibition. Among immune cells of the innate immune system dendritic cells (DCs) have a special function linking innate immune functions with the induction of adaptive immunity. DCs are the primary professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) initiating adaptive immune responses. They belong to the hematopoietic system and arise from CD34(+) stem cells in the bone marrow. Particularly in the murine system two major subgroups of DCs, namely myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) can be distinguished. DCs are important mediators of innate and adaptive immunity mostly due to their remarkable capacity to present processed antigens via major histocompatibility complexes (MHC) to T cells and B cells in secondary lymphoid organs. A large body of literature has been accumulated during the last two decades describing which role DCs play during activation of T cell responses but also during the establishment and maintenance of central tolerance (Steinman et al., 2003). While the concept of peripheral tolerance has been clearly established during the last years, the role of different sets of DCs and their particular molecular mechanisms of immune deviation has not yet fully been appreciated. In this review we summarize accumulating evidence about the role of regulatory DCs in situations where the balance between tolerance and immunogenicity has been altered leading to pathologic conditions such as chronic inflammation or malignancies.

  8. Regulatory dendritic cells: there is more than just immune activation

    PubMed Central

    Schmidt, Susanne V.; Nino-Castro, Andrea C.; Schultze, Joachim L.

    2012-01-01

    The immune system exists in a delicate equilibrium between inflammatory responses and tolerance. This unique feature allows the immune system to recognize and respond to potential threats in a controlled but normally limited fashion thereby preventing a destructive overreaction against healthy tissues. While the adaptive immune system was the major research focus concerning activation vs. tolerance in the immune system more recent findings suggest that cells of the innate immune system are important players in the decision between effective immunity and induction of tolerance or immune inhibition. Among immune cells of the innate immune system dendritic cells (DCs) have a special function linking innate immune functions with the induction of adaptive immunity. DCs are the primary professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) initiating adaptive immune responses. They belong to the hematopoietic system and arise from CD34+ stem cells in the bone marrow. Particularly in the murine system two major subgroups of DCs, namely myeloid DCs (mDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) can be distinguished. DCs are important mediators of innate and adaptive immunity mostly due to their remarkable capacity to present processed antigens via major histocompatibility complexes (MHC) to T cells and B cells in secondary lymphoid organs. A large body of literature has been accumulated during the last two decades describing which role DCs play during activation of T cell responses but also during the establishment and maintenance of central tolerance (Steinman et al., 2003). While the concept of peripheral tolerance has been clearly established during the last years, the role of different sets of DCs and their particular molecular mechanisms of immune deviation has not yet fully been appreciated. In this review we summarize accumulating evidence about the role of regulatory DCs in situations where the balance between tolerance and immunogenicity has been altered leading to pathologic conditions such as chronic inflammation or malignancies. PMID:22969767

  9. Testicular defense systems: immune privilege and innate immunity

    PubMed Central

    Zhao, Shutao; Zhu, Weiwei; Xue, Shepu; Han, Daishu

    2014-01-01

    The mammalian testis possesses a special immunological environment because of its properties of remarkable immune privilege and effective local innate immunity. Testicular immune privilege protects immunogenic germ cells from systemic immune attack, and local innate immunity is important in preventing testicular microbial infections. The breakdown of local testicular immune homeostasis may lead to orchitis, an etiological factor of male infertility. The mechanisms underlying testicular immune privilege have been investigated for a long time. Increasing evidence shows that both a local immunosuppressive milieu and systemic immune tolerance are involved in maintaining testicular immune privilege status. The mechanisms underlying testicular innate immunity are emerging based on the investigation of the pattern recognition receptor-mediated innate immune response in testicular cells. This review summarizes our current understanding of testicular defense mechanisms and identifies topics that merit further investigation. PMID:24954222

  10. Effect of Dactylogyrus catlaius (Jain 1961) infection in Labeo rohita (Hamilton 1822): innate immune responses and expression profile of some immune related genes.

    PubMed

    Dash, Pujarini; Kar, Banya; Mishra, Arpita; Sahoo, P K

    2014-03-01

    The monogenean ectoparasite, Dactylogyrus sp. is a major pathogen in freshwater aquaculture. The immune responses in parasitized fish were analyzed by quantitation of innate immune factors (natural agglutinin level, haemolysin titre, antiprotease, lysozyme and myeloperoxidase activities) in serum and immune-relevant gene expression in gill and anterior kidney. The antiprotease activity and natural agglutinin level were found to be significantly higher and lysozyme activity was significantly lower in parasitized fish. Most of the genes viz., beta2-microglobulin (beta2M), major histocompatibility complex I (MHCI), MHCII, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) and toll-like receptor 22 (TLR22) in gill samples were significantly down-regulated in the experimental group. In the anterior kidney, the expression of superoxide dismutase and interleukin 1beta (IL1beta) were significantly up-regulated whereas a significant down regulation of MHCII and TNFalpha was also observed. The down-regulation of most of the genes viz, MHCI, beta2M, MHCII, TLR22 and TNFalpha in infected gills indicated a well evolved mechanism in this parasite to escape the host immune response. The modulation of innate and adaptive immunity by this parasite can be further explored to understand host susceptibility.

  11. Infectious diseases of marine molluscs and host responses as revealed by genomic tools

    PubMed Central

    Ford, Susan E.

    2016-01-01

    More and more infectious diseases affect marine molluscs. Some diseases have impacted commercial species including MSX and Dermo of the eastern oyster, QPX of hard clams, withering syndrome of abalone and ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) infections of many molluscs. Although the exact transmission mechanisms are not well understood, human activities and associated environmental changes often correlate with increased disease prevalence. For instance, hatcheries and large-scale aquaculture create high host densities, which, along with increasing ocean temperature, might have contributed to OsHV-1 epizootics in scallops and oysters. A key to understanding linkages between the environment and disease is to understand how the environment affects the host immune system. Although we might be tempted to downplay the role of immunity in invertebrates, recent advances in genomics have provided insights into host and parasite genomes and revealed surprisingly sophisticated innate immune systems in molluscs. All major innate immune pathways are found in molluscs with many immune receptors, regulators and effectors expanded. The expanded gene families provide great diversity and complexity in innate immune response, which may be key to mollusc's defence against diverse pathogens in the absence of adaptive immunity. Further advances in host and parasite genomics should improve our understanding of genetic variation in parasite virulence and host disease resistance. PMID:26880838

  12. EVALUATING THE IMPACTS OF COINFECTION ON IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTION OF THE DEER MOUSE ( PEROMYSCUS MANICULATUS) USING SIN NOMBRE VIRUS AND BARTONELLA AS MODEL PATHOGEN SYSTEMS.

    PubMed

    Lehmer, Erin M; Lavengood, Kathryn; Miller, Mason; Rodgers, Jacob; Fenster, Steven D

    2018-01-01

    :  Simultaneous infections with multiple pathogens can alter the function of the host's immune system, often resulting in additive or synergistic morbidity. We examined how coinfection with the common pathogens Sin Nombre virus (SNV) and Bartonella sp. affected aspects of the adaptive and innate immune responses of wild deer mice ( Peromyscus maniculatus). Adaptive immunity was assessed by measuring SNV antibody production; innate immunity was determined by measuring levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in blood and the complement activity of plasma. Coinfected mice had reduced plasma complement activity and higher levels of CRP compared to mice infected with either SNV or Bartonella. However, antibody titers of deer mice infected with SNV were more than double those of coinfected mice. Plasma complement activity and CRP levels did not differ between uninfected deer mice and those infected with only Bartonella, suggesting that comorbid SNV and Bartonella infections act synergistically, altering the innate immune response. Collectively, our results indicated that the immune response of deer mice coinfected with both SNV and Bartonella differed substantially from individuals infected with only one of these pathogens. Results of our study provided unique, albeit preliminary, insight into the impacts of coinfection on immune system function in wild animal hosts and underscore the complexity of the immune pathways that exist in coinfected hosts.

  13. Recent progress in understanding host immune response to Avian Coccidiosis: Th1 and Th17 responses

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Host-pathogen interaction leading to protection against coccidiosis is complex, involving many aspects of innate and adaptive immunity to intracellular parasites. The etiologic agent of avian coccidiosis is Eimeria, a genus of eukaryotic obligate intracellular parasites belonging to the phylum Apico...

  14. Innate Immunity and Breast Milk.

    PubMed

    Cacho, Nicole Theresa; Lawrence, Robert M

    2017-01-01

    Human milk is a dynamic source of nutrients and bioactive factors; unique in providing for the human infant's optimal growth and development. The growing infant's immune system has a number of developmental immune deficiencies placing the infant at increased risk of infection. This review focuses on how human milk directly contributes to the infant's innate immunity. Remarkable new findings clarify the multifunctional nature of human milk bioactive components. New research techniques have expanded our understanding of the potential for human milk's effect on the infant that will never be possible with milk formulas. Human milk microbiome directly shapes the infant's intestinal microbiome, while the human milk oligosaccharides drive the growth of these microbes within the gut. New techniques such as genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and glycomics are being used to describe this symbiotic relationship. An expanded role for antimicrobial proteins/peptides within human milk in innate immune protection is described. The unique milieu of enhanced immune protection with diminished inflammation results from a complex interaction of anti-inflammatory and antioxidative factors provided by human milk to the intestine. New data support the concept of mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue and its contribution to the cellular content of human milk. Human milk stem cells (hMSCs) have recently been discovered. Their direct role in the infant for repair and regeneration is being investigated. The existence of these hMSCs could prove to be an easily harvested source of multilineage stem cells for the study of cancer and tissue regeneration. As the infant's gastrointestinal tract and immune system develop, there is a comparable transition in human milk over time to provide fewer immune factors and more calories and nutrients for growth. Each of these new findings opens the door to future studies of human milk and its effect on the innate immune system and the developing infant.

  15. An Evolutionarily Conserved Innate Immunity Protein Interaction Network*

    PubMed Central

    De Arras, Lesly; Seng, Amara; Lackford, Brad; Keikhaee, Mohammad R.; Bowerman, Bruce; Freedman, Jonathan H.; Schwartz, David A.; Alper, Scott

    2013-01-01

    The innate immune response plays a critical role in fighting infection; however, innate immunity also can affect the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases, including sepsis, asthma, cancer, and atherosclerosis. To identify novel regulators of innate immunity, we performed comparative genomics RNA interference screens in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and mouse macrophages. These screens have uncovered many candidate regulators of the response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), several of which interact physically in multiple species to form an innate immunity protein interaction network. This protein interaction network contains several proteins in the canonical LPS-responsive TLR4 pathway as well as many novel interacting proteins. Using RNAi and overexpression studies, we show that almost every gene in this network can modulate the innate immune response in mouse cell lines. We validate the importance of this network in innate immunity regulation in vivo using available mutants in C. elegans and mice. PMID:23209288

  16. Strategies to Improve Vaccine Efficacy against Tuberculosis by Targeting Innate Immunity

    PubMed Central

    Schaible, Ulrich E.; Linnemann, Lara; Redinger, Natalja; Patin, Emmanuel C.; Dallenga, Tobias

    2017-01-01

    The global tuberculosis epidemic is the most common cause of death after infectious disease worldwide. Increasing numbers of infections with multi- and extensively drug-resistant variants of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, resistant even to newly discovered and last resort antibiotics, highlight the urgent need for an efficient vaccine. The protective efficacy to pulmonary tuberculosis in adults of the only currently available vaccine, M. bovis BCG, is unsatisfactory and geographically diverse. More importantly, recent clinical studies on new vaccine candidates did not prove to be better than BCG, yet. Here, we propose and discuss novel strategies to improve efficacy of existing anti-tuberculosis vaccines. Modulation of innate immune responses upon vaccination already provided promising results in animal models of tuberculosis. For instance, neutrophils have been shown to influence vaccine efficacy, both, positively and negatively, and stimulate specific antibody secretion. Modulating immune regulatory properties after vaccination such as induction of different types of innate immune cell death, myeloid-derived suppressor or regulatory T cells, production of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 may have beneficial effects on protection efficacy. Incorporation of lipid antigens presented via CD1 molecules to T cells have been discussed as a way to enhance vaccine efficacy. Finally, concepts of dendritic cell-based immunotherapies or training the innate immune memory may be exploitable for future vaccination strategies against tuberculosis. In this review, we put a spotlight on host immune networks as potential targets to boost protection by old and new tuberculosis vaccines. PMID:29312298

  17. Strategies to Improve Vaccine Efficacy against Tuberculosis by Targeting Innate Immunity.

    PubMed

    Schaible, Ulrich E; Linnemann, Lara; Redinger, Natalja; Patin, Emmanuel C; Dallenga, Tobias

    2017-01-01

    The global tuberculosis epidemic is the most common cause of death after infectious disease worldwide. Increasing numbers of infections with multi- and extensively drug-resistant variants of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, resistant even to newly discovered and last resort antibiotics, highlight the urgent need for an efficient vaccine. The protective efficacy to pulmonary tuberculosis in adults of the only currently available vaccine, M. bovis BCG, is unsatisfactory and geographically diverse. More importantly, recent clinical studies on new vaccine candidates did not prove to be better than BCG, yet. Here, we propose and discuss novel strategies to improve efficacy of existing anti-tuberculosis vaccines. Modulation of innate immune responses upon vaccination already provided promising results in animal models of tuberculosis. For instance, neutrophils have been shown to influence vaccine efficacy, both, positively and negatively, and stimulate specific antibody secretion. Modulating immune regulatory properties after vaccination such as induction of different types of innate immune cell death, myeloid-derived suppressor or regulatory T cells, production of anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10 may have beneficial effects on protection efficacy. Incorporation of lipid antigens presented via CD1 molecules to T cells have been discussed as a way to enhance vaccine efficacy. Finally, concepts of dendritic cell-based immunotherapies or training the innate immune memory may be exploitable for future vaccination strategies against tuberculosis. In this review, we put a spotlight on host immune networks as potential targets to boost protection by old and new tuberculosis vaccines.

  18. The alkaloid compound harmane increases the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans during bacterial infection, by modulating the nematode's innate immune response.

    PubMed

    Jakobsen, Henrik; Bojer, Martin S; Marinus, Martin G; Xu, Tao; Struve, Carsten; Krogfelt, Karen A; Løbner-Olesen, Anders

    2013-01-01

    The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has in recent years been proven to be a powerful in vivo model for testing antimicrobial compounds. We report here that the alkaloid compound Harmane (2-methyl-β-carboline) increases the lifespan of nematodes infected with a human pathogen, the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain EDL933 and several other bacterial pathogens. This was shown to be unrelated to the weak antibiotic effect of Harmane. Using GFP-expressing E. coli EDL933, we showed that Harmane does not lower the colonization burden in the nematodes. We also found that the expression of the putative immune effector gene F35E12.5 was up-regulated in response to Harmane treatment. This indicates that Harmane stimulates the innate immune response of the nematode; thereby increasing its lifespan during bacterial infection. Expression of F35E12.5 is predominantly regulated through the p38 MAPK pathway; however, intriguingly the lifespan extension resulting from Harmane was higher in p38 MAPK-deficient nematodes. This indicates that Harmane has a complex effect on the innate immune system of C. elegans. Harmane could therefore be a useful tool in the further research into C. elegans immunity. Since the innate immunity of C. elegans has a high degree of evolutionary conservation, drugs such as Harmane could also be possible alternatives to classic antibiotics. The C. elegans model could prove to be useful for selection and development of such drugs.

  19. Aberrant T Cell Signaling and Subsets in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

    PubMed Central

    Katsuyama, Takayuki; Tsokos, George C.; Moulton, Vaishali R.

    2018-01-01

    Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multi-organ debilitating autoimmune disease, which mainly afflicts women in the reproductive years. A complex interaction of genetics, environmental factors and hormones result in the breakdown of immune tolerance to “self” leading to damage and destruction of multiple organs, such as the skin, joints, kidneys, heart and brain. Both innate and adaptive immune systems are critically involved in the misguided immune response against self-antigens. Dendritic cells, neutrophils, and innate lymphoid cells are important in initiating antigen presentation and propagating inflammation at lymphoid and peripheral tissue sites. Autoantibodies produced by B lymphocytes and immune complex deposition in vital organs contribute to tissue damage. T lymphocytes are increasingly being recognized as key contributors to disease pathogenesis. CD4 T follicular helper cells enable autoantibody production, inflammatory Th17 subsets promote inflammation, while defects in regulatory T cells lead to unchecked immune responses. A better understanding of the molecular defects including signaling events and gene regulation underlying the dysfunctional T cells in SLE is necessary to pave the path for better management, therapy, and perhaps prevention of this complex disease. In this review, we focus on the aberrations in T cell signaling in SLE and highlight therapeutic advances in this field. PMID:29868033

  20. Mechanisms of Host-Pathogen Protein Complex Formation and Bacterial Immune Evasion of Streptococcus suis Protein Fhb.

    PubMed

    Li, Xueqin; Liu, Peng; Gan, Shuzhen; Zhang, Chunmao; Zheng, Yuling; Jiang, Yongqiang; Yuan, Yuan

    2016-08-12

    Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (S. suis 2)-induced sepsis and meningitis are often accompanied by bacteremia. The evasion of polymorphonuclear leukocyte-mediated phagocytic clearance is central to the establishment of bacteremia caused by S. suis 2 and is facilitated by the ability of factor H (FH)-binding protein (Fhb) to bind FH on the bacterial surface, thereby impeding alternative pathway complement activation and phagocytic clearance. Here, C3b/C3d was found to bind to Fhb, along with FH, forming a large immune complex. The formation of this immune complex was mediated by domain II of Fhb via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, which, to our knowledge, is a new type of interaction. Interestingly, Fhb was found to be associated with the cell envelope and also present in the culture supernatant, where secreted Fhb inhibited complement activation via interactions with domain II, thereby enhancing antiphagocytic clearance by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Thus, Fhb is a multifunctional bacterial protein, which binds host complement component C3 as well as FH and interferes with innate immune recognition in a secret protein manner. S. suis 2 therefore appears to have developed a new strategy to combat host innate immunity and enhance survival in host blood. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  1. Mechanisms of Host-Pathogen Protein Complex Formation and Bacterial Immune Evasion of Streptococcus suis Protein Fhb*

    PubMed Central

    Li, Xueqin; Liu, Peng; Gan, Shuzhen; Zhang, Chunmao; Zheng, Yuling; Jiang, Yongqiang; Yuan, Yuan

    2016-01-01

    Streptococcus suis serotype 2 (S. suis 2)-induced sepsis and meningitis are often accompanied by bacteremia. The evasion of polymorphonuclear leukocyte-mediated phagocytic clearance is central to the establishment of bacteremia caused by S. suis 2 and is facilitated by the ability of factor H (FH)-binding protein (Fhb) to bind FH on the bacterial surface, thereby impeding alternative pathway complement activation and phagocytic clearance. Here, C3b/C3d was found to bind to Fhb, along with FH, forming a large immune complex. The formation of this immune complex was mediated by domain II of Fhb via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, which, to our knowledge, is a new type of interaction. Interestingly, Fhb was found to be associated with the cell envelope and also present in the culture supernatant, where secreted Fhb inhibited complement activation via interactions with domain II, thereby enhancing antiphagocytic clearance by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Thus, Fhb is a multifunctional bacterial protein, which binds host complement component C3 as well as FH and interferes with innate immune recognition in a secret protein manner. S. suis 2 therefore appears to have developed a new strategy to combat host innate immunity and enhance survival in host blood. PMID:27342778

  2. Aberrant T Cell Signaling and Subsets in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

    PubMed

    Katsuyama, Takayuki; Tsokos, George C; Moulton, Vaishali R

    2018-01-01

    Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic multi-organ debilitating autoimmune disease, which mainly afflicts women in the reproductive years. A complex interaction of genetics, environmental factors and hormones result in the breakdown of immune tolerance to "self" leading to damage and destruction of multiple organs, such as the skin, joints, kidneys, heart and brain. Both innate and adaptive immune systems are critically involved in the misguided immune response against self-antigens. Dendritic cells, neutrophils, and innate lymphoid cells are important in initiating antigen presentation and propagating inflammation at lymphoid and peripheral tissue sites. Autoantibodies produced by B lymphocytes and immune complex deposition in vital organs contribute to tissue damage. T lymphocytes are increasingly being recognized as key contributors to disease pathogenesis. CD4 T follicular helper cells enable autoantibody production, inflammatory Th17 subsets promote inflammation, while defects in regulatory T cells lead to unchecked immune responses. A better understanding of the molecular defects including signaling events and gene regulation underlying the dysfunctional T cells in SLE is necessary to pave the path for better management, therapy, and perhaps prevention of this complex disease. In this review, we focus on the aberrations in T cell signaling in SLE and highlight therapeutic advances in this field.

  3. Arabidopsis glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein LLG1 associates with and modulates FLS2 to regulate innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Shen, Qiujing; Bourdais, Gildas; Pan, Huairong; Robatzek, Silke; Tang, Dingzhong

    2017-05-30

    Plants detect and respond to pathogen invasion with membrane-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), which recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and activate downstream immune responses. Here we report that Arabidopsis thaliana LORELEI-LIKE GPI-ANCHORED PROTEIN 1 (LLG1), a coreceptor of the receptor-like kinase FERONIA, regulates PRR signaling. In a forward genetic screen for suppressors of enhanced disease resistance 1 ( edr1 ), we identified the point mutation llg1-3 , which suppresses edr1 disease resistance but does not affect plant growth and development. The llg1 mutants show enhanced susceptibility to various virulent pathogens, indicating that LLG1 has an important role in plant immunity. LLG1 constitutively associates with the PAMP receptor FLAGELLIN SENSING 2 (FLS2) and the elongation factor-Tu receptor, and forms a complex with BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE 1 in a ligand-dependent manner, indicating that LLG1 functions as a key component of PAMP-recognition immune complexes. Moreover, LLG1 contributes to accumulation and ligand-induced degradation of FLS2, and is required for downstream innate immunity responses, including ligand-induced phosphorylation of BOTRYTIS-INDUCED KINASE 1 and production of reactive oxygen species. Taken together, our findings reveal that LLG1 associates with PAMP receptors and modulates their function to regulate disease responses. As LLG1 functions as a coreceptor of FERONIA and plays central roles in plant growth and development, our findings indicate that LLG1 participates in separate pathways, and may suggest a potential connection between development and innate immunity in plants.

  4. Arabidopsis glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein LLG1 associates with and modulates FLS2 to regulate innate immunity

    PubMed Central

    Shen, Qiujing; Pan, Huairong; Robatzek, Silke; Tang, Dingzhong

    2017-01-01

    Plants detect and respond to pathogen invasion with membrane-localized pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), which recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and activate downstream immune responses. Here we report that Arabidopsis thaliana LORELEI-LIKE GPI-ANCHORED PROTEIN 1 (LLG1), a coreceptor of the receptor-like kinase FERONIA, regulates PRR signaling. In a forward genetic screen for suppressors of enhanced disease resistance 1 (edr1), we identified the point mutation llg1-3, which suppresses edr1 disease resistance but does not affect plant growth and development. The llg1 mutants show enhanced susceptibility to various virulent pathogens, indicating that LLG1 has an important role in plant immunity. LLG1 constitutively associates with the PAMP receptor FLAGELLIN SENSING 2 (FLS2) and the elongation factor-Tu receptor, and forms a complex with BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE 1-ASSOCIATED RECEPTOR KINASE 1 in a ligand-dependent manner, indicating that LLG1 functions as a key component of PAMP-recognition immune complexes. Moreover, LLG1 contributes to accumulation and ligand-induced degradation of FLS2, and is required for downstream innate immunity responses, including ligand-induced phosphorylation of BOTRYTIS-INDUCED KINASE 1 and production of reactive oxygen species. Taken together, our findings reveal that LLG1 associates with PAMP receptors and modulates their function to regulate disease responses. As LLG1 functions as a coreceptor of FERONIA and plays central roles in plant growth and development, our findings indicate that LLG1 participates in separate pathways, and may suggest a potential connection between development and innate immunity in plants. PMID:28507137

  5. Modified Low Density Lipoprotein and Lipoprotein-Containing Circulating Immune Complexes as Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarkers of Atherosclerosis and Type 1 Diabetes Macrovascular Disease

    PubMed Central

    Orekhov, Alexander N.; Bobryshev, Yuri V.; Sobenin, Igor A.; Melnichenko, Alexandra A.; Chistiakov, Dimitry A.

    2014-01-01

    In atherosclerosis; blood low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are subjected to multiple enzymatic and non-enzymatic modifications that increase their atherogenicity and induce immunogenicity. Modified LDL are capable of inducing vascular inflammation through activation of innate immunity; thus, contributing to the progression of atherogenesis. The immunogenicity of modified LDL results in induction of self-antibodies specific to a certain type of modified LDL. The antibodies react with modified LDL forming circulating immune complexes. Circulating immune complexes exhibit prominent immunomodulatory properties that influence atherosclerotic inflammation. Compared to freely circulating modified LDL; modified LDL associated with the immune complexes have a more robust atherogenic and proinflammatory potential. Various lipid components of the immune complexes may serve not only as diagnostic but also as essential predictive markers of cardiovascular events in atherosclerosis. Accumulating evidence indicates that LDL-containing immune complexes can also serve as biomarker for macrovascular disease in type 1 diabetes. PMID:25050779

  6. Toll Receptor-Mediated Hippo Signaling Controls Innate Immunity in Drosophila.

    PubMed

    Liu, Bo; Zheng, Yonggang; Yin, Feng; Yu, Jianzhong; Silverman, Neal; Pan, Duojia

    2016-01-28

    The Hippo signaling pathway functions through Yorkie to control tissue growth and homeostasis. How this pathway regulates non-developmental processes remains largely unexplored. Here, we report an essential role for Hippo signaling in innate immunity whereby Yorkie directly regulates the transcription of the Drosophila IκB homolog, Cactus, in Toll receptor-mediated antimicrobial response. Loss of Hippo pathway tumor suppressors or activation of Yorkie in fat bodies, the Drosophila immune organ, leads to elevated cactus mRNA levels, decreased expression of antimicrobial peptides, and vulnerability to infection by Gram-positive bacteria. Furthermore, Gram-positive bacteria acutely activate Hippo-Yorkie signaling in fat bodies via the Toll-Myd88-Pelle cascade through Pelle-mediated phosphorylation and degradation of the Cka subunit of the Hippo-inhibitory STRIPAK PP2A complex. Our studies elucidate a Toll-mediated Hippo signaling pathway in antimicrobial response, highlight the importance of regulating IκB/Cactus transcription in innate immunity, and identify Gram-positive bacteria as extracellular stimuli of Hippo signaling under physiological settings. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Multigenic Control of Measles Vaccine Immunity Mediated by Polymorphisms in Measles Receptor, Innate Pathway, and Cytokine Genes

    PubMed Central

    Kennedy, Richard B.; Ovsyannikova, Inna G.; Haralambieva, Iana H.; O’Byrne, Megan; Jacobson, Robert M.; Pankratz, V. Shane; Poland, Gregory A.

    2012-01-01

    Measles infection and vaccine response are complex biological processes that involve both viral and host genetic factors. We have previously investigated the influence of genetic polymorphisms on vaccine immune response, including measles vaccines, and have shown that polymorphisms in HLA, cytokine, cytokine receptor, and innate immune response genes are associated with variation in vaccine response but do not account for all of the inter-individual variance seen in vaccinated populations. In the current study we report the findings of a multigenic analysis of measles vaccine immunity, indicating a role for the measles virus receptor CD46, innate pattern-recognition receptors (DDX58, TLR2, 4, 5,7 and 8) and intracellular signaling intermediates (MAP3K7, NFKBIA), and key antiviral molecules (VISA, OAS2, MX1, PKR) as well as cytokines (IFNA1, IL4, IL6, IL8, IL12B) and cytokine receptor genes (IL2RB, IL6R, IL8RA) in the genetic control of both humoral and cellular immune responses. This multivariate approach provided additional insights into the genetic control of measles vaccine responses over and above the information gained by our previous univariate SNP association analyses. PMID:22265947

  8. Innate Immunity Dysregulation in Myelodysplastic Syndromes

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-10-01

    the CD34+ enriched MDS bone marrow hematopoietic stem/ progenitor cells . We also demonstrated that interference of the TLR2-JMJD3 innate immunity...able to demonstrate that TLR2 innate immune signaling is excessively activated in MDS bone marrow stem/ progenitor cells and that inhibiting this...evidence that the deregulation of innate immune and inflammatory signaling also 13 affects other cells from the immune system and the bone marrow

  9. Innate immune response development in nestling tree swallows

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Stambaugh, T.; Houdek, B.J.; Lombardo, M.P.; Thorpe, P.A.; Caldwell, Hahn D.

    2011-01-01

    We tracked the development of innate immunity in nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and compared it to that of adults using blood drawn from nestlings during days 6, 12, and 18 of the ???20-day nestling period and from adults. Innate immunity was characterized using an in vitro assay of the ability of whole blood to kill Escherichia coli. The ability of whole blood to kill E. coli increased as nestlings matured. Neither this component of innate immunity nor right wing chord length on day18 were as developed as in adults indicating that development of the innate immune system and growth both continued after fledging. Narrow sense heritability analyses suggest that females with strong immune responses produced nestlings with strong immune responses. These data suggest nestling Tree Swallows allocated sufficient energy to support rapid growth to enable fledging by day 18, but that further development of innate immunity occurred post-fledging. ?? 2011 by the Wilson Ornithological Society.

  10. Innate immunity in vertebrates: an overview.

    PubMed

    Riera Romo, Mario; Pérez-Martínez, Dayana; Castillo Ferrer, Camila

    2016-06-01

    Innate immunity is a semi-specific and widely distributed form of immunity, which represents the first line of defence against pathogens. This type of immunity is critical to maintain homeostasis and prevent microbe invasion, eliminating a great variety of pathogens and contributing with the activation of the adaptive immune response. The components of innate immunity include physical and chemical barriers, humoral and cell-mediated components, which are present in all jawed vertebrates. The understanding of innate defence mechanisms in non-mammalian vertebrates is the key to comprehend the general picture of vertebrate innate immunity and its evolutionary history. This is also essential for the identification of new molecules with applications in immunopharmacology and immunotherapy. In this review, we describe and discuss the main elements of vertebrate innate immunity, presenting core findings in this field and identifying areas that need further investigation. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. ‘Trained immunity’: consequences for lymphoid malignancies

    PubMed Central

    Stevens, Wendy B.C.; Netea, Mihai G.; Kater, Arnon P.; van der Velden, Walter J.F.M.

    2016-01-01

    In hematological malignancies complex interactions exist between the immune system, microorganisms and malignant cells. On one hand, microorganisms can induce cancer, as illustrated by specific infection-induced lymphoproliferative diseases such as Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma. On the other hand, malignant cells create an immunosuppressive environment for their own benefit, but this also results in an increased risk of infections. Disrupted innate immunity contributes to the neoplastic transformation of blood cells by several mechanisms, including the uncontrolled clearance of microbial and autoantigens resulting in chronic immune stimulation and proliferation, chronic inflammation, and defective immune surveillance and anti-cancer immunity. Restoring dysfunction or enhancing responsiveness of the innate immune system might therefore represent a new angle for the prevention and treatment of hematological malignancies, in particular lymphoid malignancies and associated infections. Recently, it has been shown that cells of the innate immune system, such as monocytes/macrophages and natural killer cells, harbor features of immunological memory and display enhanced functionality long-term after stimulation with certain microorganisms and vaccines. These functional changes rely on epigenetic reprogramming and have been termed ‘trained immunity’. In this review the concept of ‘trained immunity’ is discussed in the setting of lymphoid malignancies. Amelioration of infectious complications and hematological disease progression can be envisioned to result from the induction of trained immunity, but future studies are required to prove this exciting new hypothesis. PMID:27903713

  12. Interplay between the Hepatitis B Virus and Innate Immunity: From an Understanding to the Development of Therapeutic Concepts

    PubMed Central

    Faure-Dupuy, Suzanne; Lucifora, Julie; Durantel, David

    2017-01-01

    The hepatitis B virus (HBV) infects hepatocytes, which are the main cell type composing a human liver. However, the liver is enriched with immune cells, particularly innate cells (e.g., myeloid cells, natural killer and natural killer T-cells (NK/NKT), dendritic cells (DCs)), in resting condition. Hence, the study of the interaction between HBV and innate immune cells is instrumental to: (1) better understand the conditions of establishment and maintenance of HBV infections in this secondary lymphoid organ; (2) define the role of these innate immune cells in treatment failure and pathogenesis; and (3) design novel immune-therapeutic concepts based on the activation/restoration of innate cell functions and/or innate effectors. This review will summarize and discuss the current knowledge we have on this interplay between HBV and liver innate immunity. PMID:28452930

  13. Addiction, Adolescence, and Innate Immune Gene Induction

    PubMed Central

    Crews, Fulton T.; Vetreno, Ryan Peter

    2011-01-01

    Repeated drug use/abuse amplifies psychopathology, progressively reducing frontal lobe behavioral control, and cognitive flexibility while simultaneously increasing limbic temporal lobe negative emotionality. The period of adolescence is a neurodevelopmental stage characterized by poor behavioral control as well as strong limbic reward and thrill seeking. Repeated drug abuse and/or stress during this stage increase the risk of addiction and elevate activator innate immune signaling in the brain. Nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) is a key glial transcription factor that regulates proinflammatory chemokines, cytokines, oxidases, proteases, and other innate immune genes. Induction of innate brain immune gene expression (e.g., NF-κB) facilitates negative affect, depression-like behaviors, and inhibits hippocampal neurogenesis. In addition, innate immune gene induction alters cortical neurotransmission consistent with loss of behavioral control. Studies with anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-depressant drugs as well as opiate antagonists link persistent innate immune gene expression to key behavioral components of addiction, e.g., negative affect-anxiety and loss of frontal–cortical behavioral control. This review suggests that persistent and progressive changes in innate immune gene expression contribute to the development of addiction. Innate immune genes may represent a novel new target for addiction therapy. PMID:21629837

  14. Induction of innate immunity in control of mucosal transmission of HIV.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yufei; Lehner, Thomas

    2011-09-01

    To present evidence of the role of innate mucosal immunity and to harness this arm of immunity in protection against HIV infection. Dendritic cells, monocytes, natural killer (NK) cells and γδ T cells are critical in innate immunity, which is mediated by Toll-like receptor (TLR) and recently identified stress pathways. Complement factors, cytokines and chemokines have diverse functions usually affecting HIV infection indirectly. A novel group of innate intracellular HIV restriction factors has been identified - APOBEC3G, TRIM5α and tetherin - all of which are upregulated by type I interferons and some by vaccination and TLR agonists. Whereas innate immunity conventionally lacks memory, recent evidence suggests that some of the cells and intracellular factors may express immunological memory-like features. Innate mucosal immunity may provide early effective control of HIV transmission and replication. Some vaccines can enhance innate immune factors, such as APOBEC3G and control HIV during the eclipse period, allowing full weight of neutralizing and/or cytotoxic T cells to develop and prevent mucosal HIV infection. The next generation of vaccines should be designed to target both innate and adaptive immune memory responses.

  15. The innate and adaptive immune response to avian influenza virus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Protective immunity against viruses is mediated by the early innate immune responses and later on by the adaptive immune responses. The early innate immunity is designed to contain and limit virus replication in the host, primarily through cytokine and interferon production. Most all cells are cap...

  16. Loss of the DNA Damage Repair Kinase ATM Impairs Inflammasome-Dependent Anti-Bacterial Innate Immunity.

    PubMed

    Erttmann, Saskia F; Härtlova, Anetta; Sloniecka, Marta; Raffi, Faizal A M; Hosseinzadeh, Ava; Edgren, Tomas; Rofougaran, Reza; Resch, Ulrike; Fällman, Maria; Ek, Torben; Gekara, Nelson O

    2016-07-19

    The ATM kinase is a central component of the DNA damage repair machinery and redox balance. ATM dysfunction results in the multisystem disease ataxia-telangiectasia (AT). A major cause of mortality in AT is respiratory bacterial infections. Whether ATM deficiency causes innate immune defects that might contribute to bacterial infections is not known. Here we have shown that loss of ATM impairs inflammasome-dependent anti-bacterial innate immunity. Cells from AT patients or Atm(-/-) mice exhibited diminished interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production in response to bacteria. In vivo, Atm(-/-) mice were more susceptible to pulmonary S. pneumoniae infection in a manner consistent with inflammasome defects. Our data indicate that such defects were due to oxidative inhibition of inflammasome complex assembly. This study reveals an unanticipated function of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in negative regulation of inflammasomes and proposes a theory for the notable susceptibility of AT patients to pulmonary bacterial infection. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Back to the drawing board: Understanding the complexity of hepatic innate lymphoid cells.

    PubMed

    Marotel, Marie; Hasan, Uzma; Viel, Sébastien; Marçais, Antoine; Walzer, Thierry

    2016-09-01

    Recent studies of immune populations in nonlymphoid organs have highlighted the great diversity of the innate lymphoid system. It has also become apparent that mouse and human innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have distinct phenotypes and properties. In this issue of the European Journal of Immunology, Harmon et al. [Eur. J. Immunol. 2016. 46: 2111-2120] characterized human hepatic NK-cell subsets. The authors report that hepatic CD56(bright) NK cells resemble mouse liver ILC1s in that they express CXCR6 and have an immature phenotype. However, unlike mouse ILC1s, they express high levels of Eomes and low levels of T-bet, and upon stimulation with tumor cells, secrete low amounts of cytokines. These unexpected findings further support the differences between human and mouse immune populations and prompt the study of the role of hepatic ILC subsets in immune responses. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase: An Emerging Key Player in Innate Immunity.

    PubMed

    Weber, Alexander N R; Bittner, Zsofia; Liu, Xiao; Dang, Truong-Minh; Radsak, Markus Philipp; Brunner, Cornelia

    2017-01-01

    Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) was initially discovered as a critical mediator of B cell receptor signaling in the development and functioning of adaptive immunity. Growing evidence also suggests multiple roles for BTK in mononuclear cells of the innate immune system, especially in dendritic cells and macrophages. For example, BTK has been shown to function in Toll-like receptor-mediated recognition of infectious agents, cellular maturation and recruitment processes, and Fc receptor signaling. Most recently, BTK was additionally identified as a direct regulator of a key innate inflammatory machinery, the NLRP3 inflammasome. BTK has thus attracted interest not only for gaining a more thorough basic understanding of the human innate immune system but also as a target to therapeutically modulate innate immunity. We here review the latest developments on the role of BTK in mononuclear innate immune cells in mouse versus man, with specific emphasis on the sensing of infectious agents and the induction of inflammation. Therapeutic implications for modulating innate immunity and critical open questions are also discussed.

  19. Cellular Innate Immunity: An Old Game with New Players.

    PubMed

    Gasteiger, Georg; D'Osualdo, Andrea; Schubert, David A; Weber, Alexander; Bruscia, Emanuela M; Hartl, Dominik

    2017-01-01

    Innate immunity is a rapidly evolving field with novel cell types and molecular pathways being discovered and paradigms changing continuously. Innate and adaptive immune responses are traditionally viewed as separate from each other, but emerging evidence suggests that they overlap and mutually interact. Recently discovered cell types, particularly innate lymphoid cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, are gaining increasing attention. Here, we summarize and highlight current concepts in the field, focusing on innate immune cells as well as the inflammasome and DNA sensing which appear to be critical for the activation and orchestration of innate immunity, and may provide novel therapeutic opportunities for treating autoimmune, autoinflammatory, and infectious diseases. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  20. Age-associated changes in monocyte and innate immune activation markers occur more rapidly in HIV infected women.

    PubMed

    Martin, Genevieve E; Gouillou, Maelenn; Hearps, Anna C; Angelovich, Thomas A; Cheng, Allen C; Lynch, Fiona; Cheng, Wan-Jung; Paukovics, Geza; Palmer, Clovis S; Novak, Richard M; Jaworowski, Anthony; Landay, Alan L; Crowe, Suzanne M

    2013-01-01

    Aging is associated with immune dysfunction and the related development of conditions with an inflammatory pathogenesis. Some of these immune changes are also observed in HIV infection, but the interaction between immune changes with aging and HIV infection are unknown. Whilst sex differences in innate immunity are recognized, little research into innate immune aging has been performed on women. This cross-sectional study of HIV positive and negative women used whole blood flow cytometric analysis to characterize monocyte and CD8(+) T cell subsets. Plasma markers of innate immune activation were measured using standard ELISA-based assays. HIV positive women exhibited elevated plasma levels of the innate immune activation markers CXCL10 (p<0.001), soluble CD163 (sCD163, p = 0.001), sCD14 (p = 0.022), neopterin (p = 0.029) and an increased proportion of CD16(+) monocytes (p = 0.009) compared to uninfected controls. Levels of the innate immune aging biomarkers sCD163 and the proportion of CD16(+) monocytes were equivalent to those observed in HIV negative women aged 14.5 and 10.6 years older, respectively. CXCL10 increased with age at an accelerated rate in HIV positive women (p = 0.002) suggesting a synergistic effect between HIV and aging on innate immune activation. Multivariable modeling indicated that age-related increases in innate immune biomarkers CXCL10 and sCD163 are independent of senescent changes in CD8(+) T lymphocytes. Quantifying the impact of HIV on immune aging reveals that HIV infection in women confers the equivalent of a 10-14 year increase in the levels of innate immune aging markers. These changes may contribute to the increased risk of inflammatory age-related diseases in HIV positive women.

  1. Flipping the NF-κB Switch in Macrophages | Center for Cancer Research

    Cancer.gov

    A critical component of the innate immune system, macrophages respond to diverse microbes by recognizing certain molecular patterns, such as the Gram-negative bacteria product lipopolysaccharide (LPS), via Toll-like receptors. Receptor activation stimulates a complex signaling network that involves, among others, the NF-κB pathway. The complexity of this network has hampered researchers’ understanding of how macrophages resolve conflicting signals to determine when to mount an immune response.

  2. Innate immunity against HIV-1 infection.

    PubMed

    Altfeld, Marcus; Gale, Michael

    2015-06-01

    During acute HIV-1 infection, viral pathogen-associated molecular patterns are recognized by pathogen-recognition receptors (PRRs) of infected cells, which triggers a signaling cascade that initiates innate intracellular antiviral defenses aimed at restricting the replication and spread of the virus. This cell-intrinsic response propagates outward via the action of secreted factors such as cytokines and chemokines that activate innate immune cells and attract them to the site of infection and to local lymphatic tissue. Antiviral innate effector cells can subsequently contribute to the control of viremia and modulate the quality of the adaptive immune response to HIV-1. The concerted actions of PRR signaling, specific viral-restriction factors, innate immune cells, innate-adaptive immune crosstalk and viral evasion strategies determine the outcome of HIV-1 infection and immune responses.

  3. Innate immune memory in plants.

    PubMed

    Reimer-Michalski, Eva-Maria; Conrath, Uwe

    2016-08-01

    The plant innate immune system comprises local and systemic immune responses. Systemic plant immunity develops after foliar infection by microbial pathogens, upon root colonization by certain microbes, or in response to physical injury. The systemic plant immune response to localized foliar infection is associated with elevated levels of pattern-recognition receptors, accumulation of dormant signaling enzymes, and alterations in chromatin state. Together, these systemic responses provide a memory to the initial infection by priming the remote leaves for enhanced defense and immunity to reinfection. The plant innate immune system thus builds immunological memory by utilizing mechanisms and components that are similar to those employed in the trained innate immune response of jawed vertebrates. Therefore, there seems to be conservation, or convergence, in the evolution of innate immune memory in plants and vertebrates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Innate and adaptive immunity at Mucosal Surfaces of the Female Reproductive Tract: Stratification and Integration of Immune Protection against the Transmission of Sexually Transmitted Infections

    PubMed Central

    Hickey, DK; Patel, MV; Fahey, JV; Wira, CR

    2011-01-01

    This review examines the multiple levels of pre-existing immunity in the upper and lower female reproductive tract. In addition, we highlight the need for further research of innate and adaptive immune protection of mucosal surfaces in the female reproductive tract. Innate mechanisms include the mucus lining, a tight epithelial barrier and the secretion of antimicrobial peptides and cytokines by epithelial and innate immune cells. Stimulation of the innate immune system also serves to bridge the adaptive arm resulting in the generation of pathogen-specific humoral and cell-mediated immunity. Less understood are the multiple components that act in a coordinated way to provide a network of ongoing protection. Innate and adaptive immunity in the human female reproductive tract are influenced by the stage of menstrual cycle and are directly regulated by the sex steroid hormones, progesterone and estradiol. Furthermore, the effect of hormones on immunity is mediated both directly on immune and epithelial cells and indirectly by stimulating growth factor secretion from stromal cells. The goal of this review is to focus on the diverse aspects of the innate and adaptive immune systems that contribute to a unique network of protection throughout the female reproductive tract. PMID:21353708

  5. Fungal mediated innate immune memory, what have we learned?

    PubMed

    Quintin, Jessica

    2018-05-30

    The binary classification of mammalian immune memory is now obsolete. Innate immune cells carry memory characteristics. The overall capacity of innate immune cells to remember and alter their responses is referred as innate immune memory and the induction of a non-specific memory resulting in an enhanced immune status is termed "trained immunity". Historically, trained immunity was first described as triggered by the human fungal pathogen Candida albicans. Since, numerous studies have accumulated and deciphered the main characteristics of trained immunity mediated by fungi and fungal components. This review aims at presenting the newly described aspect of memory in innate immunity with an emphasis on the historically fungal mediated one, covering the known molecular mechanisms associated with training. In addition, the review uncovers the numerous non-specific effect that β-glucans trigger in the context of infectious diseases and septicaemia, inflammatory diseases and cancer. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. The innate immune signaling in cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: Friends or foes?

    PubMed

    Wang, Weijun; Zhang, Yaxing; Yang, Ling; Li, Hongliang

    2017-02-28

    The innate immune system is responsible for sensing pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) or danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) by several types of germline-encoded pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). It has the capacity to help the human body maintain homeostasis under normal conditions. However, in pathological conditions, PAMPs or DAMPs trigger aberrant innate immune and inflammatory responses and thus negatively or positively influence the progression of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases. Interestingly, we found that some elements of innate immune signaling are involved in these diseases partially via immune-independent manners, indicating a deeper understanding of the function of innate immune signaling in these diseases is urgent. In this review, we summarize the primary innate immune signaling pathways and their association with cancer and cardiometabolic diseases, with the aim of providing effective therapies for these diseases. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Memory and Specificity in the Insect Immune System: Current Perspectives and Future Challenges.

    PubMed

    Cooper, Dustin; Eleftherianos, Ioannis

    2017-01-01

    The immune response of a host to a pathogen is typically described as either innate or adaptive. The innate form of the immune response is conserved across all organisms, including insects. Previous and recent research has focused on the nature of the insect immune system and the results imply that the innate immune response of insects is more robust and specific than previously thought. Priming of the insect innate immune system involves the exposure of insects to dead or a sublethal dose of microbes in order to elicit an initial response. Comparing subsequent infections in primed insects to non-primed individuals indicates that the insect innate immune response may possess some of the qualities of an adaptive immune system. Although some studies demonstrate that the protective effects of priming are due to a "loitering" innate immune response, others have presented more convincing elements of adaptivity. While an immune mechanism capable of producing the same degree of recognition specificity as seen in vertebrates has yet to be discovered in insects, a few interesting cases have been identified and discussed.

  8. Recognition of bacterial plant pathogens: local, systemic and transgenerational immunity.

    PubMed

    Henry, Elizabeth; Yadeta, Koste A; Coaker, Gitta

    2013-09-01

    Bacterial pathogens can cause multiple plant diseases and plants rely on their innate immune system to recognize and actively respond to these microbes. The plant innate immune system comprises extracellular pattern recognition receptors that recognize conserved microbial patterns and intracellular nucleotide binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins that recognize specific bacterial effectors delivered into host cells. Plants lack the adaptive immune branch present in animals, but still afford flexibility to pathogen attack through systemic and transgenerational resistance. Here, we focus on current research in plant immune responses against bacterial pathogens. Recent studies shed light onto the activation and inactivation of pattern recognition receptors and systemic acquired resistance. New research has also uncovered additional layers of complexity surrounding NLR immune receptor activation, cooperation and sub-cellular localizations. Taken together, these recent advances bring us closer to understanding the web of molecular interactions responsible for coordinating defense responses and ultimately resistance. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

  9. Dehydroepiandrosterone and multiple measures of functional immunity in young adults.

    PubMed

    Prall, Sean P; Muehlenbein, Michael P

    2015-01-01

    Human immune function is strongly influenced by variation in hormone concentrations. The adrenal androgens dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) are thought to be beneficial to immune function and disease resistance, but physiologically interact with testosterone and cortisol. We predict that DHEA and DHEA-S will interact with these other hormones in determining immunological outcomes. Understanding the interactive effects of these hormones will aid in understanding variability in immunocompetence and clarify discrepancies in human studies of androgen-immune interactions. Thirty-eight participants collected morning saliva over three days, from which concentrations of DHEA, DHEA-S, testosterone, and cortisol were measured, as well as salivary bacteria killing ability to measure innate immune function. From blood collection, serum was collected to measure innate immune function via a hemolytic complement assay, and whole blood collected and processed to measure proliferative responses of lymphocytes in the presence of mitogens. DHEA was negatively correlated with T cell proliferation, and positively correlated with salivary bacteria killing in male participants. Additionally, using regression models, DHEA-S was negatively associated with hemolytic complement activity, but interaction variables did not yield statistically significant relationships for any other outcome measure. While interactions with other hormones did not significantly relate with immune function measures in this sample, DHEA and DHEA-S did differentially impact multiple branches of the immune system. Generally characterized as immunosupportive in action, DHEA is shown to inhibit certain facets of innate and cell-mediated immunity, suggesting a more complex role in regulating immunocompetence. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Close Encounters of Lymphoid Cells and Bacteria

    PubMed Central

    Cruz-Adalia, Aranzazu; Veiga, Esteban

    2016-01-01

    During infections, the first reaction of the host against microbial pathogens is carried out by innate immune cells, which recognize conserved structures on pathogens, called pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Afterward, some of these innate cells can phagocytose and destroy the pathogens, secreting cytokines that would modulate the immune response to the challenge. This rapid response is normally followed by the adaptive immunity, more specific and essential for a complete pathogen clearance in many cases. Some innate immune cells, usually named antigen-presenting cells, such as macrophages or dendritic cells, are able to process internalized invaders and present their antigens to lymphocytes, triggering the adaptive immune response. Nevertheless, the traditional boundary of separated roles between innate and adaptive immunity has been blurred by several studies, showing that very specialized populations of lymphocytes (cells of the adaptive immunity) behave similarly to cells of the innate immunity. These “innate-like” lymphocytes include γδ T cells, invariant NKT cells, B-1 cells, mucosal-associated invariant T cells, marginal zone B cells, and innate response activator cells, and together with the newly described innate lymphoid cells are able to rapidly respond to bacterial infections. Strikingly, our recent data suggest that conventional CD4+ T cells, the paradigm of cells of the adaptive immunity, also present innate-like behavior, capturing bacteria in a process called transinfection. Transinfected CD4+ T cells digest internalized bacteria like professional phagocytes and secrete large amounts of proinflammatory cytokines, protecting for further bacterial challenges. In the present review, we will focus on the data showing such innate-like behavior of lymphocytes following bacteria encounter. PMID:27774092

  11. The Alkaloid Compound Harmane Increases the Lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans during Bacterial Infection, by Modulating the Nematode’s Innate Immune Response

    PubMed Central

    Marinus, Martin G.; Xu, Tao; Struve, Carsten; Krogfelt, Karen A.; Løbner-Olesen, Anders

    2013-01-01

    The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has in recent years been proven to be a powerful in vivo model for testing antimicrobial compounds. We report here that the alkaloid compound Harmane (2-methyl-β-carboline) increases the lifespan of nematodes infected with a human pathogen, the Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 strain EDL933 and several other bacterial pathogens. This was shown to be unrelated to the weak antibiotic effect of Harmane. Using GFP-expressing E. coli EDL933, we showed that Harmane does not lower the colonization burden in the nematodes. We also found that the expression of the putative immune effector gene F35E12.5 was up-regulated in response to Harmane treatment. This indicates that Harmane stimulates the innate immune response of the nematode; thereby increasing its lifespan during bacterial infection. Expression of F35E12.5 is predominantly regulated through the p38 MAPK pathway; however, intriguingly the lifespan extension resulting from Harmane was higher in p38 MAPK-deficient nematodes. This indicates that Harmane has a complex effect on the innate immune system of C. elegans. Harmane could therefore be a useful tool in the further research into C. elegans immunity. Since the innate immunity of C. elegans has a high degree of evolutionary conservation, drugs such as Harmane could also be possible alternatives to classic antibiotics. The C. elegans model could prove to be useful for selection and development of such drugs. PMID:23544153

  12. Alternatives to conventional vaccines--mediators of innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Eisen, D P; Liley, H G; Minchinton, R M

    2004-01-01

    Vaccines have been described as "weapons of mass protection". The eradication of many diseases is testament to their utility and effectiveness. Nevertheless, many vaccine preventable diseases remain prevalent because of political and economic barriers. Additionally, the effects of immaturity and old age, therapies that incapacitate the adaptive immune system and the multitude of strategies evolved by pathogens to evade immediate or sustained recognition by the mammalian immune system are barriers to the effectiveness of existing vaccines or development of new vaccines. In the front line of defence against the pervasiness of infection are the elements of the innate immune system. Innate immunity is under studied and poorly appreciated. However, in the first days after entry of a pathogen into the body, our entire protective response is dependant upon the various elements of our innate immune repertoire. In spite of its place as our initial defence against infection, attention is only now turning to strategies which enhance or supplement innate immunity. This review examines the need for and potential of innate immune therapies.

  13. Trade-offs between acquired and innate immune defenses in humans

    PubMed Central

    McDade, Thomas W.; Georgiev, Alexander V.; Kuzawa, Christopher W.

    2016-01-01

    Immune defenses provide resistance against infectious disease that is critical to survival. But immune defenses are costly, and limited resources allocated to immunity are not available for other physiological or developmental processes. We propose a framework for explaining variation in patterns of investment in two important subsystems of anti-pathogen defense: innate (non-specific) and acquired (specific) immunity. The developmental costs of acquired immunity are high, but the costs of maintenance and activation are relatively low. Innate immunity imposes lower upfront developmental costs, but higher operating costs. Innate defenses are mobilized quickly and are effective against novel pathogens. Acquired responses are less effective against novel exposures, but more effective against secondary exposures due to immunological memory. Based on their distinct profiles of costs and effectiveness, we propose that the balance of investment in innate versus acquired immunity is variable, and that this balance is optimized in response to local ecological conditions early in development. Nutritional abundance, high pathogen exposure and low signals of extrinsic mortality risk during sensitive periods of immune development should all favor relatively higher levels of investment in acquired immunity. Undernutrition, low pathogen exposure, and high mortality risk should favor innate immune defenses. The hypothesis provides a framework for organizing prior empirical research on the impact of developmental environments on innate and acquired immunity, and suggests promising directions for future research in human ecological immunology. PMID:26739325

  14. Dry Eye Disease and Microbial Keratitis: Is There a Connection?

    PubMed Central

    Narayanan, Srihari; Redfern, Rachel L.; Miller, William L.; Nichols, Kelly K.; McDermott, Alison M.

    2013-01-01

    Dry eye is a common ocular surface disease of multifactorial etiology characterized by elevated tear osmolality and inflammation leading to a disrupted ocular surface. The latter is a risk factor for ocular surface infection, yet overt infection is not commonly seen clinically in the typical dry eye patient. This suggests that important innate mechanisms operate to protect the dry eye from invading pathogens. This article reviews the current literature on epidemiology of ocular surface infection in dry eye patients and laboratory-based studies on innate immune mechanisms operating at the ocular surface and their alterations in human dry eye and animal models. The review highlights current understanding of innate immunity in dry eye and identifies gaps in our knowledge to help direct future studies to further unravel the complexities of dry eye disease and its sequelae. PMID:23583043

  15. Advances in mechanisms of systemic lupus erythematosus.

    PubMed

    Dema, Barbara; Charles, Nicolas

    2014-05-01

    Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease associated with hormonal, environmental, and genetic factors and linked to the tolerance breakdown of B and T cells to self-antigens. SLE is characterized by the presence in patient serum of autoantibodies raised against nuclear components. Association of these antibodies to self-antigens, complement factors, DNA, and particular proteins will form circulating immune complexes (CIC) which can deposit in several organs, causing tissue damage and clinical manifestations. Historically, SLE is considered as an adaptive immune system disorder. Over the past decade, advances in the understanding of SLE pathogenesis placed the innate immune system as a key player in perpetuating and amplifying this systemic disease. In this review, we summarize some recent key advances in understanding the SLE immune-pathogenesis with a particular focus on newly discovered key factors from the innate immune system and how they influence the pathogenic adaptive immune system: neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and type I interferons, basophils and autoreactive IgE, monocytes/macrophages and the inflammasome. Recent advances on B and T cell involvement in the SLE pathogenesis mechanisms are also discussed. Although the disease is clinically, genetically, and immunologically heterogeneous between affected individuals, the latest discoveries are offering new promising therapeutic strategies.

  16. Innate immunity and the sensing of infection, damage and danger in the female genital tract.

    PubMed

    Sheldon, Iain Martin; Owens, Siân-Eleri; Turner, Matthew Lloyd

    2017-02-01

    Tissue homeostasis in the female genital tract is challenged by infection, damage, and even physiological events during reproductive cycles. We propose that the evolutionarily ancient system of innate immunity is sufficient to sense and respond to danger in the non-pregnant female genital tract. Innate immunity produces a rapidly inducible, non-specific response when cells sense danger. Here we provide a primer on innate immunity and discuss what is known about how danger signals are sensed in the endometrium and ovary, the impact of inflammatory responses on reproduction, and how endocrinology and innate immunity are integrated. Endometrial epithelial and stromal cells, and ovarian granulosa cells express pattern recognition receptors, similar to cells of the innate immune system. These pattern recognition receptors, such as the Toll-like receptors, bind pathogen-associated or damage-associated molecular patterns. Activation of pattern recognition receptors leads to inflammation, recruitment of immune cells from the peripheral circulation, and phagocytosis. Although the inflammatory response helps maintain or restore endometrial health, there may also be negative consequences for fertility, including perturbation of oocyte competence. The intensity of the inflammatory response reflects the balance between the level of danger and the systems that regulate innate immunity, including the endocrine environment. Understanding innate immunity is important because disease and inappropriate inflammatory responses in the endometrium or ovary cause infertility. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Innate Immune Sensing and Response to Influenza

    PubMed Central

    Pulendran, Bali; Maddur, Mohan S.

    2015-01-01

    Influenza viruses pose a substantial threat to human and animal health worldwide. Recent studies in mouse models have revealed an indispensable role for the innate immune system in defense against influenza virus. Recognition of the virus by innate immune receptors in a multitude of cell types activates intricate signaling networks, functioning to restrict viral replication. Downstream effector mechanisms include activation of innate immune cells and, induction and regulation of adaptive immunity. However, uncontrolled innate responses are associated with exaggerated disease, especially in pandemic influenza virus infection. Despite advances in the understanding of innate response to influenza in the mouse model, there is a large knowledge gap in humans, particularly in immunocom-promised groups such as infants and the elderly. We propose here, the need for further studies in humans to decipher the role of innate immunity to influenza virus, particularly at the site of infection. These studies will complement the existing work in mice and facilitate the quest to design improved vaccines and therapeutic strategies against influenza. PMID:25078919

  18. Innate immune sensing and response to influenza.

    PubMed

    Pulendran, Bali; Maddur, Mohan S

    2015-01-01

    Influenza viruses pose a substantial threat to human and animal health worldwide. Recent studies in mouse models have revealed an indispensable role for the innate immune system in defense against influenza virus. Recognition of the virus by innate immune receptors in a multitude of cell types activates intricate signaling networks, functioning to restrict viral replication. Downstream effector mechanisms include activation of innate immune cells and, induction and regulation of adaptive immunity. However, uncontrolled innate responses are associated with exaggerated disease, especially in pandemic influenza virus infection. Despite advances in the understanding of innate response to influenza in the mouse model, there is a large knowledge gap in humans, particularly in immunocompromised groups such as infants and the elderly. We propose here, the need for further studies in humans to decipher the role of innate immunity to influenza virus, particularly at the site of infection. These studies will complement the existing work in mice and facilitate the quest to design improved vaccines and therapeutic strategies against influenza.

  19. Use of Multiple GPUs to Speedup the Execution of a Three-Dimensional Computational Model of the Innate Immune System

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Xavier, M. P.; do Nascimento, T. M.; dos Santos, R. W.; Lobosco, M.

    2014-03-01

    The development of computational systems that mimics the physiological response of organs or even the entire body is a complex task. One of the issues that makes this task extremely complex is the huge computational resources needed to execute the simulations. For this reason, the use of parallel computing is mandatory. In this work, we focus on the simulation of temporal and spatial behaviour of some human innate immune system cells and molecules in a small three-dimensional section of a tissue. To perform this simulation, we use multiple Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) in a shared-memory environment. Despite of high initialization and communication costs imposed by the use of GPUs, the techniques used to implement the HIS simulator have shown to be very effective to achieve this purpose.

  20. Innate immunity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Fernández-Real, José Manuel; Pickup, John C

    2008-01-01

    Recent evidence has disclosed previously unrecognized links among insulin resistance, obesity, circulating immune markers, immunogenetic susceptibility, macrophage function and chronic infection. Genetic variations leading to altered production or function of circulating innate immune proteins, cellular pattern-recognition receptors and inflammatory cytokines have been linked with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity and atherosclerosis. Cellular innate immune associations with obesity and insulin resistance include increased white blood cell count and adipose tissue macrophage numbers. The innate immune response is modulated possibly by both predisposition (genetic or fetal programming), perhaps owing to evolutionary pressures caused by acute infections at the population level (pandemics), and chronic low exposure to environmental products or infectious agents. The common characteristics shared among innate immunity activation, obesity and insulin resistance are summarized.

  1. Commensal-innate immune miscommunication in IBD pathogenesis.

    PubMed

    Cario, Elke

    2012-01-01

    Commensal microbiota plays a key role in the health and disease of the host. The innate immune system comprises an essential functional component of the intestinal mucosal barrier, maintaining hyporesponsiveness to omnipresent harmless commensals in the lumen, but rapidly recognizing and combating invading bacteria through diverse antimicrobial mechanisms. Interactions between commensals and innate immune cells are constant, multidimensional and entirely context-dependent. Environment, genetics and host defense differentially modulate commensal-innate immune effects and functions in the intestinal mucosa. In IBD, dysbiosis, mucus layer disruption, impairment in bacterial clearance, intestinal epithelial cell barrier dysfunction and/or immune cell deregulation may lead to commensal-innate immune miscommunication, which critically drives mucosal inflammation and associated cancer. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  2. Identification and Validation of Ifit1 as an Important Innate Immune Bottleneck

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    McDermott, Jason E.; Vartanian, Keri B.; Mitchell, Hugh D.

    The innate immune system plays important roles in a number of disparate processes. Foremost, innate immunity is a first responder to invasion by pathogens and triggers early defensive responses and recruits the adaptive immune system. The innate immune system also responds to endogenous damage signals that arise from tissue injury. Recently it has been found that innate immunity plays an important role in neuroprotection against ischemic stroke through the activation of the primary innate immune receptors, Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Using several large-scale transcriptomic data sets from mouse and mouse macrophage studies we identified targets predicted to be important in controllingmore » innate immune processes initiated by TLR activation. Targets were identified as genes with high betweenness centrality, so-called bottlenecks, in networks inferred from statistical associations between gene expression patterns. A small set of putative bottlenecks were identified in each of the data sets investigated including interferon-stimulated genes (Ifit1, Ifi47, Tgtp and Oasl2) as well as genes uncharacterized in immune responses (Axud1 and Ppp1r15a). We further validated one of these targets, Ifit1, in mouse macrophages by showing that silencing it suppresses induction of predicted downstream genes by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated TLR4 activation through an unknown direct or indirect mechanism. Our study demonstrates the utility of network analysis for identification of interesting targets related to innate immune function, and highlights that Ifit1 can exert a positive regulatory effect on downstream genes.« less

  3. Innate and intrinsic antiviral immunity in Drosophila

    PubMed Central

    Mussabekova, Assel; Daeffler, Laurent; Imler, Jean-Luc

    2017-01-01

    The fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster has been a valuable model to investigate the genetic mechanisms of innate immunity. Initially focused on the resistance to bacteria and fungi, these studies have been extended to include antiviral immunity over the last decade. Like all living organisms, insects are continually exposed to viruses and have developed efficient defense mechanisms. We review here our current understanding on antiviral host-defense in fruit flies. A major antiviral defense in Drosophila is RNA interference, in particular the small interfering (si) RNA pathway. In addition, complex inducible responses and restriction factors contribute to the control of infections. Some of the genes involved in these pathways have been conserved through evolution, highlighting loci that may account for susceptibility to viral infections in humans. Other genes are not conserved and represent species-specific innovations. PMID:28102430

  4. Innate and intrinsic antiviral immunity in Drosophila.

    PubMed

    Mussabekova, Assel; Daeffler, Laurent; Imler, Jean-Luc

    2017-06-01

    The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has been a valuable model to investigate the genetic mechanisms of innate immunity. Initially focused on the resistance to bacteria and fungi, these studies have been extended to include antiviral immunity over the last decade. Like all living organisms, insects are continually exposed to viruses and have developed efficient defense mechanisms. We review here our current understanding on antiviral host defense in fruit flies. A major antiviral defense in Drosophila is RNA interference, in particular the small interfering (si) RNA pathway. In addition, complex inducible responses and restriction factors contribute to the control of infections. Some of the genes involved in these pathways have been conserved through evolution, highlighting loci that may account for susceptibility to viral infections in humans. Other genes are not conserved and represent species-specific innovations.

  5. Functional Roles of Syk in Macrophage-Mediated Inflammatory Responses

    PubMed Central

    Yi, Young-Su; Son, Young-Jin; Ryou, Chongsuk; Sung, Gi-Ho; Kim, Jong-Hoon; Cho, Jae Youl

    2014-01-01

    Inflammation is a series of complex biological responses to protect the host from pathogen invasion. Chronic inflammation is considered a major cause of diseases, such as various types of inflammatory/autoimmune diseases and cancers. Spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) was initially found to be highly expressed in hematopoietic cells and has been known to play crucial roles in adaptive immune responses. However, recent studies have reported that Syk is also involved in other biological functions, especially in innate immune responses. Although Syk has been extensively studied in adaptive immune responses, numerous studies have recently presented evidence that Syk has critical functions in macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses and is closely related to innate immune response. This review describes the characteristics of Syk-mediated signaling pathways, summarizes the recent findings supporting the crucial roles of Syk in macrophage-mediated inflammatory responses and diseases, and discusses Syk-targeted drug development for the therapy of inflammatory diseases. PMID:25045209

  6. Innate immune activity conditions the effect of regulatory variants upon monocyte gene expression.

    PubMed

    Fairfax, Benjamin P; Humburg, Peter; Makino, Seiko; Naranbhai, Vivek; Wong, Daniel; Lau, Evelyn; Jostins, Luke; Plant, Katharine; Andrews, Robert; McGee, Chris; Knight, Julian C

    2014-03-07

    To systematically investigate the impact of immune stimulation upon regulatory variant activity, we exposed primary monocytes from 432 healthy Europeans to interferon-γ (IFN-γ) or differing durations of lipopolysaccharide and mapped expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). More than half of cis-eQTLs identified, involving hundreds of genes and associated pathways, are detected specifically in stimulated monocytes. Induced innate immune activity reveals multiple master regulatory trans-eQTLs including the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), coding variants altering enzyme and receptor function, an IFN-β cytokine network showing temporal specificity, and an interferon regulatory factor 2 (IRF2) transcription factor-modulated network. Induced eQTL are significantly enriched for genome-wide association study loci, identifying context-specific associations to putative causal genes including CARD9, ATM, and IRF8. Thus, applying pathophysiologically relevant immune stimuli assists resolution of functional genetic variants.

  7. c-di-GMP enhances protective innate immunity in a murine model of pertussis.

    PubMed

    Elahi, Shokrollah; Van Kessel, Jill; Kiros, Tedele G; Strom, Stacy; Hayakawa, Yoshihiro; Hyodo, Mamoru; Babiuk, Lorne A; Gerdts, Volker

    2014-01-01

    Innate immunity represents the first line of defense against invading pathogens in the respiratory tract. Innate immune cells such as monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, NK cells, and granulocytes contain specific pathogen-recognition molecules which induce the production of cytokines and subsequently activate the adaptive immune response. c-di-GMP is a ubiquitous second messenger that stimulates innate immunity and regulates biofilm formation, motility and virulence in a diverse range of bacterial species with potent immunomodulatory properties. In the present study, c-di-GMP was used to enhance the innate immune response against pertussis, a respiratory infection mainly caused by Bordetella pertussis. Intranasal treatment with c-di-GMP resulted in the induction of robust innate immune responses to infection with B. pertussis characterized by enhanced recruitment of neutrophils, macrophages, natural killer cells and dendritic cells. The immune responses were associated with an earlier and more vigorous expression of Th1-type cytokines, as well as an increase in the induction of nitric oxide in the lungs of treated animals, resulting in significant reduction of bacterial numbers in the lungs of infected mice. These results demonstrate that c-di-GMP is a potent innate immune stimulatory molecule that can be used to enhance protection against bacterial respiratory infections. In addition, our data suggest that priming of the innate immune system by c-di-GMP could further skew the immune response towards a Th1 type phenotype during subsequent infection. Thus, our data suggest that c-di-GMP might be useful as an adjuvant for the next generation of acellular pertussis vaccine to mount a more protective Th1 phenotype immune response, and also in other systems where a Th1 type immune response is required.

  8. c-di-GMP Enhances Protective Innate Immunity in a Murine Model of Pertussis

    PubMed Central

    Elahi, Shokrollah; Van Kessel, Jill; Kiros, Tedele G.; Strom, Stacy; Hayakawa, Yoshihiro; Hyodo, Mamoru; Babiuk, Lorne A.; Gerdts, Volker

    2014-01-01

    Innate immunity represents the first line of defense against invading pathogens in the respiratory tract. Innate immune cells such as monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells, NK cells, and granulocytes contain specific pathogen-recognition molecules which induce the production of cytokines and subsequently activate the adaptive immune response. c-di-GMP is a ubiquitous second messenger that stimulates innate immunity and regulates biofilm formation, motility and virulence in a diverse range of bacterial species with potent immunomodulatory properties. In the present study, c-di-GMP was used to enhance the innate immune response against pertussis, a respiratory infection mainly caused by Bordetella pertussis. Intranasal treatment with c-di-GMP resulted in the induction of robust innate immune responses to infection with B. pertussis characterized by enhanced recruitment of neutrophils, macrophages, natural killer cells and dendritic cells. The immune responses were associated with an earlier and more vigorous expression of Th1-type cytokines, as well as an increase in the induction of nitric oxide in the lungs of treated animals, resulting in significant reduction of bacterial numbers in the lungs of infected mice. These results demonstrate that c-di-GMP is a potent innate immune stimulatory molecule that can be used to enhance protection against bacterial respiratory infections. In addition, our data suggest that priming of the innate immune system by c-di-GMP could further skew the immune response towards a Th1 type phenotype during subsequent infection. Thus, our data suggest that c-di-GMP might be useful as an adjuvant for the next generation of acellular pertussis vaccine to mount a more protective Th1 phenotype immune response, and also in other systems where a Th1 type immune response is required. PMID:25333720

  9. Prebiotics as immunostimulants in aquaculture: a review.

    PubMed

    Song, Seong Kyu; Beck, Bo Ram; Kim, Daniel; Park, John; Kim, Jungjoon; Kim, Hyun Duk; Ringø, Einar

    2014-09-01

    Prebiotics are indigestible fibers that increase beneficial gut commensal bacteria resulting in improvements of the host's health. The beneficial effects of prebiotics are due to the byproducts generated from their fermentation by gut commensal bacteria. In this review, the direct effects of prebiotics on the innate immune system of fish are discussed. Prebiotics, such as fructooligosaccharide, mannanoligosaccharide, inulin, or β-glucan, are called immunosaccharides. They directly enhance innate immune responses including: phagocytic activation, neutrophil activation, activation of the alternative complement system, increased lysozyme activity, and more. Immunosaccharides directly activate the innate immune system by interacting with pattern recognition receptors (PRR) expressed on innate immune cells. They can also associate with microbe associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) to activate innate immune cells. However, the underlying mechanisms involved in innate immune cell activation need to be further explored. Many studies have indicated that immunosaccharides are beneficial to both finfish and shellfish. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Pattern recognition receptor immunomodulation of innate immunity as a strategy to limit the impact of influenza virus.

    PubMed

    Pizzolla, Angela; Smith, Jeffery M; Brooks, Andrew G; Reading, Patrick C

    2017-04-01

    Influenza remains a major global health issue and the effectiveness of current vaccines and antiviral drugs is limited by the continual evolution of influenza viruses. Therefore, identifying novel prophylactic or therapeutic treatments that induce appropriate innate immune responses to protect against influenza infection would represent an important advance in efforts to limit the impact of influenza. Cellular pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize conserved structures expressed by pathogens to trigger intracellular signaling cascades, promoting expression of proinflammatory molecules and innate immunity. Therefore, a number of approaches have been developed to target specific PRRs in an effort to stimulate innate immunity and reduce disease in a variety of settings, including during influenza infections. Herein, we discuss progress in immunomodulation strategies designed to target cell-associated PRRs of the innate immune system, thereby, modifying innate responses to IAV infection and/or augmenting immune responses to influenza vaccines. © Society for Leukocyte Biology.

  11. Control of adaptive immunity by the innate immune system.

    PubMed

    Iwasaki, Akiko; Medzhitov, Ruslan

    2015-04-01

    Microbial infections are recognized by the innate immune system both to elicit immediate defense and to generate long-lasting adaptive immunity. To detect and respond to vastly different groups of pathogens, the innate immune system uses several recognition systems that rely on sensing common structural and functional features associated with different classes of microorganisms. These recognition systems determine microbial location, viability, replication and pathogenicity. Detection of these features by recognition pathways of the innate immune system is translated into different classes of effector responses though specialized populations of dendritic cells. Multiple mechanisms for the induction of immune responses are variations on a common design principle wherein the cells that sense infections produce one set of cytokines to induce lymphocytes to produce another set of cytokines, which in turn activate effector responses. Here we discuss these emerging principles of innate control of adaptive immunity.

  12. Immunopathology of inflammatory bowel disease

    PubMed Central

    Wallace, Kori L; Zheng, Li-Bo; Kanazawa, Yoshitake; Shih, David Q

    2014-01-01

    Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) results from a complex series of interactions between susceptibility genes, the environment, and the immune system. The host microbiome, as well as viruses and fungi, play important roles in the development of IBD either by causing inflammation directly or indirectly through an altered immune system. New technologies have allowed researchers to be able to quantify the various components of the microbiome, which will allow for future developments in the etiology of IBD. Various components of the mucosal immune system are implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD and include intestinal epithelial cells, innate lymphoid cells, cells of the innate (macrophages/monocytes, neutrophils, and dendritic cells) and adaptive (T-cells and B-cells) immune system, and their secreted mediators (cytokines and chemokines). Either a mucosal susceptibility or defect in sampling of gut luminal antigen, possibly through the process of autophagy, leads to activation of innate immune response that may be mediated by enhanced toll-like receptor activity. The antigen presenting cells then mediate the differentiation of naïve T-cells into effector T helper (Th) cells, including Th1, Th2, and Th17, which alter gut homeostasis and lead to IBD. In this review, the effects of these components in the immunopathogenesis of IBD will be discussed. PMID:24415853

  13. Immunopathology of inflammatory bowel disease.

    PubMed

    Wallace, Kori L; Zheng, Li-Bo; Kanazawa, Yoshitake; Shih, David Q

    2014-01-07

    Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) results from a complex series of interactions between susceptibility genes, the environment, and the immune system. The host microbiome, as well as viruses and fungi, play important roles in the development of IBD either by causing inflammation directly or indirectly through an altered immune system. New technologies have allowed researchers to be able to quantify the various components of the microbiome, which will allow for future developments in the etiology of IBD. Various components of the mucosal immune system are implicated in the pathogenesis of IBD and include intestinal epithelial cells, innate lymphoid cells, cells of the innate (macrophages/monocytes, neutrophils, and dendritic cells) and adaptive (T-cells and B-cells) immune system, and their secreted mediators (cytokines and chemokines). Either a mucosal susceptibility or defect in sampling of gut luminal antigen, possibly through the process of autophagy, leads to activation of innate immune response that may be mediated by enhanced toll-like receptor activity. The antigen presenting cells then mediate the differentiation of naïve T-cells into effector T helper (Th) cells, including Th1, Th2, and Th17, which alter gut homeostasis and lead to IBD. In this review, the effects of these components in the immunopathogenesis of IBD will be discussed.

  14. Innate immunity and chronic rhinosinusitis: What we have learned from animal models.

    PubMed

    London, Nyall R; Lane, Andrew P

    2016-06-01

    Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a heterogeneous and multifactorial disease characterized by dysregulated inflammation. Abnormalities in innate immune function including sinonasal epithelial cell barrier function, mucociliary clearance, response to pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) via pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), and the contribution of innate immune cells will be highlighted in this review. PubMed literature review. A review of the literature was conducted to determine what we have learned from animal models in relation to innate immunity and chronic rhinosinusitis. Dysregulation of innate immune mechanisms including sinonasal barrier function, mucociliary clearance, PAMPs, and innate immune cells such as eosinophils, mast cells, and innate lymphoid cells may contribute to CRS pathogenesis. Sinonasal inflammation has been studied using mouse, rat, rabbit, pig, and sheep explant or in vivo models. Study using these models has allowed for analysis of experimental therapeutics and furthered our understanding of the aforementioned aspects of the innate immune mechanism as it relates to sinonasal inflammation. These include augmenting mucociliary clearance through activation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and study of drug toxicity on ciliary beat frequency. Knockout models of Toll-like receptors (TLR) have demonstrated the critical role these PRRs play in allergic inflammation as loss of TLR2 and TLR4 leads to decreased lower airway inflammation. Mast cell deficient mice are less susceptible to ovalbumin-induced sinonasal inflammation. Animal models have shed light as to the potential contribution of dysregulated innate immunity in chronic sinonasal inflammation.

  15. Stroma: the forgotten cells of innate immune memory.

    PubMed

    Crowley, Thomas; Buckley, Christopher D; Clark, Andrew R

    2018-05-05

    All organisms are constantly exposed to a variety of infectious and injurious stimuli. These induce inflammatory responses tailored to the threat posed. Whilst the innate immune system is the front line of response to each stimulant, it has been traditionally considered to lack memory, acting in a generic fashion until the adaptive immune arm can take over. This outmoded simplification of the roles of innate and acquired arms of the immune system has been challenged by evidence of myeloid cells altering their response to subsequent encounters based on earlier exposure. This concept of "innate immune memory" has been known for nearly a century, and is accepted amongst myeloid biologists. In recent years, other innate immune cells, such as natural killer cells, have been shown to display memory, suggesting innate immune memory is a trait common to several cell types. Over the last thirty years, evidence has slowly accumulated in favour of not only haematopoietic cells, but also stromal cells, being imbued with memory following inflammatory episodes. A recent publication showing this also to be true in epithelial cells suggests innate immune memory to be widespread, if underappreciated, in non-haematopoietic cells. In this review, we will examine the evidence supporting the existence of innate immune memory in stromal cells. We will also discuss the ramifications of memory in long-lived tissue-resident cells. Finally, we will pose questions we feel to be important in the understanding of these forgotten cells in the field of innate memory. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 British Society for Immunology.

  16. Effects of engineered nanoparticles on the innate immune system.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yuanchang; Hardie, Joseph; Zhang, Xianzhi; Rotello, Vincent M

    2017-12-01

    Engineered nanoparticles (NPs) have broad applications in industry and nanomedicine. When NPs enter the body, interactions with the immune system are unavoidable. The innate immune system, a non-specific first line of defense against potential threats to the host, immediately interacts with introduced NPs and generates complicated immune responses. Depending on their physicochemical properties, NPs can interact with cells and proteins to stimulate or suppress the innate immune response, and similarly activate or avoid the complement system. NPs size, shape, hydrophobicity and surface modification are the main factors that influence the interactions between NPs and the innate immune system. In this review, we will focus on recent reports about the relationship between the physicochemical properties of NPs and their innate immune response, and their applications in immunotherapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Host Defense Versus Immunosuppression: Unisexual Infection With Male or Female Schistosoma mansoni Differentially Impacts the Immune Response Against Invading Cercariae.

    PubMed

    Sombetzki, Martina; Koslowski, Nicole; Rabes, Anne; Seneberg, Sonja; Winkelmann, Franziska; Fritzsche, Carlos; Loebermann, Micha; Reisinger, Emil C

    2018-01-01

    Infection with the intravascular diecious trematode Schistosoma spp . remains a serious tropical disease and public health problem in the developing world, affecting over 258 million people worldwide. During chronic Schistosoma mansoni infection, complex immune responses to tissue-entrapped parasite eggs provoke granulomatous inflammation which leads to serious damage of the liver and intestine. The suppression of protective host immune mechanisms by helminths promotes parasite survival and benefits the host by reducing tissue damage. However, immune-suppressive cytokines may reduce vaccine-induced immune responses. By combining a single-sex infection system with a murine air pouch model, we were able to demonstrate that male and female schistosomes play opposing roles in modulating the host's immune response. Female schistosomes suppress early innate immune responses to invading cercariae in the skin and upregulate anergy-associated genes. In contrast, male schistosomes trigger strong innate immune reactions which lead to a reduction in worm and egg burden in the liver. Our data suggest that the female worm is a neglected player in the dampening of the host's immune defense system and is therefore a promising target for new immune modulatory therapies.

  18. Innate cell communication kick-starts pathogen-specific immunity

    PubMed Central

    Rivera, Amariliz; Siracusa, Mark C.; Yap, George S.; Gause, William C.

    2016-01-01

    Innate cells are responsible for the rapid recognition of infection and mediate essential mechanisms of pathogen elimination, and also facilitate adaptive immune responses. We review here the numerous intricate interactions among innate cells that initiate protective immunity. The efficient eradication of pathogens depends on the coordinated actions of multiple cells, including innate cells and epithelial cells. Rather than acting as isolated effector cells, innate cells are in constant communication with other responding cells of the immune system, locally and distally. These interactions are critically important for the efficient control of primary infections as well for the development of ‘trained’ innate cells that facilitate the rapid elimination of homologous or heterologous infections. PMID:27002843

  19. Innate Immunity and Breast Milk

    PubMed Central

    Cacho, Nicole Theresa; Lawrence, Robert M.

    2017-01-01

    Human milk is a dynamic source of nutrients and bioactive factors; unique in providing for the human infant’s optimal growth and development. The growing infant’s immune system has a number of developmental immune deficiencies placing the infant at increased risk of infection. This review focuses on how human milk directly contributes to the infant’s innate immunity. Remarkable new findings clarify the multifunctional nature of human milk bioactive components. New research techniques have expanded our understanding of the potential for human milk’s effect on the infant that will never be possible with milk formulas. Human milk microbiome directly shapes the infant’s intestinal microbiome, while the human milk oligosaccharides drive the growth of these microbes within the gut. New techniques such as genomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and glycomics are being used to describe this symbiotic relationship. An expanded role for antimicrobial proteins/peptides within human milk in innate immune protection is described. The unique milieu of enhanced immune protection with diminished inflammation results from a complex interaction of anti-inflammatory and antioxidative factors provided by human milk to the intestine. New data support the concept of mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue and its contribution to the cellular content of human milk. Human milk stem cells (hMSCs) have recently been discovered. Their direct role in the infant for repair and regeneration is being investigated. The existence of these hMSCs could prove to be an easily harvested source of multilineage stem cells for the study of cancer and tissue regeneration. As the infant’s gastrointestinal tract and immune system develop, there is a comparable transition in human milk over time to provide fewer immune factors and more calories and nutrients for growth. Each of these new findings opens the door to future studies of human milk and its effect on the innate immune system and the developing infant. PMID:28611768

  20. Infectious Agents as Stimuli of Trained Innate Immunity.

    PubMed

    Rusek, Paulina; Wala, Mateusz; Druszczyńska, Magdalena; Fol, Marek

    2018-02-03

    The discoveries made over the past few years have modified the current immunological paradigm. It turns out that innate immunity cells can mount some kind of immunological memory, similar to that observed in the acquired immunity and corresponding to the defense mechanisms of lower organisms, which increases their resistance to reinfection. This phenomenon is termed trained innate immunity. It is based on epigenetic changes in innate immune cells (monocytes/macrophages, NK cells) after their stimulation with various infectious or non-infectious agents. Many infectious stimuli, including bacterial or fungal cells and their components (LPS, β-glucan, chitin) as well as viruses or even parasites are considered potent inducers of innate immune memory. Epigenetic cell reprogramming occurring at the heart of the phenomenon may provide a useful basis for designing novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to prevent and protect against multiple diseases. In this article, we present the current state of art on trained innate immunity occurring as a result of infectious agent induction. Additionally, we discuss the mechanisms of cell reprogramming and the implications for immune response stimulation/manipulation.

  1. A Shift from Cellular to Humoral Responses Contributes to Innate Immune Memory in the Vector Snail Biomphalaria glabrata

    PubMed Central

    Pinaud, Silvain; Portela, Julien; Duval, David; Nowacki, Fanny C.; Olive, Marie-Aude; Allienne, Jean-François; Galinier, Richard; Dheilly, Nolwenn M.; Kieffer-Jaquinod, Sylvie; Mitta, Guillaume; Théron, André; Gourbal, Benjamin

    2016-01-01

    Discoveries made over the past ten years have provided evidence that invertebrate antiparasitic responses may be primed in a sustainable manner, leading to the failure of a secondary encounter with the same pathogen. This phenomenon called “immune priming” or "innate immune memory" was mainly phenomenological. The demonstration of this process remains to be obtained and the underlying mechanisms remain to be discovered and exhaustively tested with rigorous functional and molecular methods, to eliminate all alternative explanations. In order to achieve this ambitious aim, the present study focuses on the Lophotrochozoan snail, Biomphalaria glabrata, in which innate immune memory was recently reported. We provide herein the first evidence that a shift from a cellular immune response (encapsulation) to a humoral immune response (biomphalysin) occurs during the development of innate memory. The molecular characterisation of this process in Biomphalaria/Schistosoma system was undertaken to reconcile mechanisms with phenomena, opening the way to a better comprehension of innate immune memory in invertebrates. This prompted us to revisit the artificial dichotomy between innate and memory immunity in invertebrate systems. PMID:26735307

  2. [Innate immunity in neuroimmunological disorders].

    PubMed

    Miyake, Sachiko

    2013-05-01

    Exogeneous pathogen-associated molecular patterns and endogenous danger signals bind to pattern recognition receptors and activate innate immunity cells, leading to proinflammatory cytokine production and activation of acquired immue cells. These are important factors in the pathogenesis of autoimmune-mediated neuroimmunological disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Furthermore, recent advances in the study of innate immunity revealed that innate immunity is a major players in the pathogenesis of some neuroimmunological diseases such as Behçet's disease and herpes simplex virus encephalitis.

  3. Interactions between Innate Lymphoid Cells and Cells of the Innate and Adaptive Immune System

    PubMed Central

    Symowski, Cornelia; Voehringer, David

    2017-01-01

    Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are a major source of cytokines, which are also produced by Th2 cells and several cell types of the innate immune system. Work over the past few years indicates that ILC2s play a central role in regulating type 2 immune responses against allergens and helminths. ILC2s can interact with a variety of cells types of the innate and adaptive immune system by cell–cell contacts or by communication via soluble factors. In this review, we provide an overview about recent advances in our understanding how ILC2s orchestrate type 2 immune responses with focus on direct interactions between ILC2s and other cells of the immune system. PMID:29163497

  4. Interactions between Innate Lymphoid Cells and Cells of the Innate and Adaptive Immune System.

    PubMed

    Symowski, Cornelia; Voehringer, David

    2017-01-01

    Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are a major source of cytokines, which are also produced by Th2 cells and several cell types of the innate immune system. Work over the past few years indicates that ILC2s play a central role in regulating type 2 immune responses against allergens and helminths. ILC2s can interact with a variety of cells types of the innate and adaptive immune system by cell-cell contacts or by communication via soluble factors. In this review, we provide an overview about recent advances in our understanding how ILC2s orchestrate type 2 immune responses with focus on direct interactions between ILC2s and other cells of the immune system.

  5. Evasion and Interactions of the Humoral Innate Immune Response in Pathogen Invasion, Autoimmune Disease, and Cancer

    PubMed Central

    Rettig, Trisha A.; Harbin, Julie N.; Harrington, Adelaide; Dohmen, Leonie; Fleming, Sherry D.

    2015-01-01

    The humoral innate immune system is composed of three major branches, complement, coagulation, and natural antibodies. To persist in the host, pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancers must evade parts of the innate humoral immune system. Disruptions in the humoral innate immune system also play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases. This review will examine how gram positive bacteria, viruses, cancer, and the autoimmune conditions Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Anti-phospholipid syndrome, interact with these immune system components. Through examining evasion techniques it becomes clear that interplay between these three systems exists. By exploring the interplay and the evasion/disruption of the humoral innate immune system, we can develop a better understanding of pathogenic infections, cancer, and autoimmune disease development. PMID:26145788

  6. Innate immune reconstitution with suppression of HIV-1.

    PubMed

    Scully, Eileen P; Lockhart, Ainsley; Garcia-Beltran, Wilfredo; Palmer, Christine D; Musante, Chelsey; Rosenberg, Eric; Allen, Todd M; Chang, J Judy; Bosch, Ronald J; Altfeld, Marcus

    2016-03-17

    Progressive HIV-1 infection leads to both profound immune suppression and pathologic inflammation in the majority of infected individuals. While adaptive immune dysfunction, as evidenced by CD4 + T cell depletion and exhaustion, has been extensively studied, less is known about the functional capacity of innate immune cell populations in the context of HIV-1 infection. Given the broad susceptibility to opportunistic infections and the dysregulated inflammation observed in progressive disease, we hypothesized that there would be significant changes in the innate cellular responses. Using a cohort of patients with multiple samplings before and after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, we demonstrated increased responses to innate immune stimuli following viral suppression, as measured by the production of inflammatory cytokines. Plasma viral load itself had the strongest association with this change in innate functional capacity. We further identified epigenetic modifications in the TNFA promoter locus in monocytes that are associated with viremia, suggesting a molecular mechanism for the observed changes in innate immune function following initiation of ART. These data indicate that suppression of HIV-1 viremia is associated with changes in innate cellular function that may in part determine the restoration of protective immune responses.

  7. Innate immune reconstitution with suppression of HIV-1

    PubMed Central

    Scully, Eileen P.; Garcia-Beltran, Wilfredo; Palmer, Christine D.; Musante, Chelsey; Rosenberg, Eric; Allen, Todd M.; Bosch, Ronald J.

    2016-01-01

    Progressive HIV-1 infection leads to both profound immune suppression and pathologic inflammation in the majority of infected individuals. While adaptive immune dysfunction, as evidenced by CD4+ T cell depletion and exhaustion, has been extensively studied, less is known about the functional capacity of innate immune cell populations in the context of HIV-1 infection. Given the broad susceptibility to opportunistic infections and the dysregulated inflammation observed in progressive disease, we hypothesized that there would be significant changes in the innate cellular responses. Using a cohort of patients with multiple samplings before and after antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation, we demonstrated increased responses to innate immune stimuli following viral suppression, as measured by the production of inflammatory cytokines. Plasma viral load itself had the strongest association with this change in innate functional capacity. We further identified epigenetic modifications in the TNFA promoter locus in monocytes that are associated with viremia, suggesting a molecular mechanism for the observed changes in innate immune function following initiation of ART. These data indicate that suppression of HIV-1 viremia is associated with changes in innate cellular function that may in part determine the restoration of protective immune responses. PMID:27158667

  8. The role of JAK-3 in regulating TLR-mediated inflammatory cytokine production in innate immune cells.

    PubMed

    Wang, Huizhi; Brown, Jonathan; Gao, Shegan; Liang, Shuang; Jotwani, Ravi; Zhou, Huaxin; Suttles, Jill; Scott, David A; Lamont, Richard J

    2013-08-01

    The role of JAK-3 in TLR-mediated innate immune responses is poorly understood, although the suppressive function of JAK3 inhibition in adaptive immune response has been well studied. In this study, we found that JAK3 inhibition enhanced TLR-mediated immune responses by differentially regulating pro- and anti- inflammatory cytokine production in innate immune cells. Specifically, JAK3 inhibition by pharmacological inhibitors or specific small interfering RNA or JAK3 gene knockout resulted in an increase in TLR-mediated production of proinflammatory cytokines while concurrently decreasing the production of IL-10. Inhibition of JAK3 suppressed phosphorylation of PI3K downstream effectors including Akt, mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1, glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), and CREB. Constitutive activation of Akt or inhibition of GSK3β abrogated the capability of JAK3 inhibition to enhance proinflammatory cytokines and suppress IL-10 production. In contrast, inhibition of PI3K enhanced this regulatory ability of JAK3 in LPS-stimulated monocytes. At the transcriptional level, JAK3 knockout lead to the increased phosphorylation of STATs that could be attenuated by neutralization of de novo inflammatory cytokines. JAK3 inhibition exhibited a GSK3 activity-dependent ability to enhance phosphorylation levels and DNA binding of NF-κB p65. Moreover, JAK3 inhibition correlated with an increased CD4(+) T cell response. Additionally, higher neutrophil infiltration, IL-17 expression, and intestinal epithelium erosion were observed in JAK3 knockout mice. These findings demonstrate the negative regulatory function of JAK3 and elucidate the signaling pathway by which JAK3 differentially regulates TLR-mediated inflammatory cytokine production in innate immune cells.

  9. Evaluation of the innate immune-stimulating activity of amazake using a silkworm muscle contraction assay.

    PubMed

    Maruki-Uchida, Hiroko; Sai, Masahiko; Sekimizu, Kazuhisa

    2017-11-22

    We evaluated the innate immune-stimulating activity of amazake using a silkworm muscle contraction assay. Sake cake, a raw material used to make amazake, had high innate immunity-stimulating activity, whereas rice malt, another raw material used to make amazake, did not, even after fermentation. These results suggest that the silkworm muscle contraction assay is a useful tool to screen foods with high innate immune-stimulating activity and that amazake made from sake cake has immunomodulatory potential.

  10. Molecular Signatures of Immunity and Immunogenicity in Infection and Vaccination

    PubMed Central

    Haks, Mariëlle C.; Bottazzi, Barbara; Cecchinato, Valentina; De Gregorio, Corinne; Del Giudice, Giuseppe; Kaufmann, Stefan H. E.; Lanzavecchia, Antonio; Lewis, David J. M.; Maertzdorf, Jeroen; Mantovani, Alberto; Sallusto, Federica; Sironi, Marina; Uguccioni, Mariagrazia; Ottenhoff, Tom H. M.

    2017-01-01

    Vaccinology aims to understand what factors drive vaccine-induced immunity and protection. For many vaccines, however, the mechanisms underlying immunity and protection remain incompletely characterized at best, and except for neutralizing antibodies induced by viral vaccines, few correlates of protection exist. Recent omics and systems biology big data platforms have yielded valuable insights in these areas, particularly for viral vaccines, but in the case of more complex vaccines against bacterial infectious diseases, understanding is fragmented and limited. To fill this gap, the EC supported ADITEC project (http://www.aditecproject.eu/; http://stm.sciencemag.org/content/4/128/128cm4.full) featured a work package on “Molecular signatures of immunity and immunogenicity,” aimed to identify key molecular mechanisms of innate and adaptive immunity during effector and memory stages of immune responses following vaccination. Specifically, technologies were developed to assess the human immune response to vaccination and infection at the level of the transcriptomic and proteomic response, T-cell and B-cell memory formation, cellular trafficking, and key molecular pathways of innate immunity, with emphasis on underlying mechanisms of protective immunity. This work intersected with other efforts in the ADITEC project. This review summarizes the main achievements of the work package. PMID:29204145

  11. Challenges and Strategies for Proteome Analysis of the Interaction of Human Pathogenic Fungi with Host Immune Cells.

    PubMed

    Krüger, Thomas; Luo, Ting; Schmidt, Hella; Shopova, Iordana; Kniemeyer, Olaf

    2015-12-14

    Opportunistic human pathogenic fungi including the saprotrophic mold Aspergillus fumigatus and the human commensal Candida albicans can cause severe fungal infections in immunocompromised or critically ill patients. The first line of defense against opportunistic fungal pathogens is the innate immune system. Phagocytes such as macrophages, neutrophils and dendritic cells are an important pillar of the innate immune response and have evolved versatile defense strategies against microbial pathogens. On the other hand, human-pathogenic fungi have sophisticated virulence strategies to counteract the innate immune defense. In this context, proteomic approaches can provide deeper insights into the molecular mechanisms of the interaction of host immune cells with fungal pathogens. This is crucial for the identification of both diagnostic biomarkers for fungal infections and therapeutic targets. Studying host-fungal interactions at the protein level is a challenging endeavor, yet there are few studies that have been undertaken. This review draws attention to proteomic techniques and their application to fungal pathogens and to challenges, difficulties, and limitations that may arise in the course of simultaneous dual proteome analysis of host immune cells interacting with diverse morphotypes of fungal pathogens. On this basis, we discuss strategies to overcome these multifaceted experimental and analytical challenges including the viability of immune cells during co-cultivation, the increased and heterogeneous protein complexity of the host proteome dynamically interacting with the fungal proteome, and the demands on normalization strategies in terms of relative quantitative proteome analysis.

  12. Inflammasomes and dermatology*

    PubMed Central

    de Sá, Daniel Coelho; Festa Neto, Cyro

    2016-01-01

    Inflammasomes are intracellular multiprotein complexes that comprise part of the innate immune response. Since their definition, inflammasome disorders have been linked to an increasing number of diseases. Autoinflammatory diseases refer to disorders in which local factors lead to the activation of innate immune cells, causing tissue damage when in the absence of autoantigens and autoantibodies. Skin symptoms include the main features of monogenic inflammasomopathies, such as Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes (CAPS), Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF), Schnitzler Syndrome, Hyper-IgD Syndrome (HIDS), PAPA Syndrome, and Deficiency of IL-1 Receptor Antagonist (DIRA). Concepts from other pathologies have also been reviewed in recent years, such as psoriasis, after the recognition of a combined contribution of innate and adaptive immunity in its pathogenesis. Inflammasomes are also involved in the response to various infections, malignancies, such as melanoma, autoimmune diseases, including vitiligo and lupus erythematosus, atopic and contact dermatitis, acne, hidradenitis suppurativa, among others. Inhibition of the inflammasome pathway may be a target for future therapies, as already occurs in the handling of CAPS, through the introduction of IL-1 inhibitors. This study presents a literature review focusing on the participation of inflammasomes in skin diseases. PMID:27828627

  13. Innate immunity in renal transplantation: the role of mannose-binding lectin.

    PubMed

    Ibernon, Meritxell; Moreso, Francesc; Serón, Daniel

    2014-01-01

    Innate immune system plays an important role in the modulation of the inflammatory response during infection and tissue injury/repair. Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a component of the innate immune system that activates complement via the lectin pathway. Different polymorphisms of the MBL gene are associated with MBL levels and MBL function. The relationship between MBL and disease is rather complex because MBL behaves as a double-edged sword. In the general population, low serum MBL levels are associated with higher risk of infection, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune and cardiovascular disease. However, in patients with diabetes or autoimmune disease, high MBL levels are associated with more severe renal and cardiovascular comorbidities. In renal transplantation, low MBL serum levels constitute a risk factor for infection, low grade inflammation, new onset diabetes after transplantation and subclinical rejection. Despite these associations suggest that low MBL levels should be associated with poorer renal allograft outcome, epidemiological studies evaluating the predictive value of MBL levels on graft survival are controversial. Taken together, these observations suggest that low MBL serum levels modulate chronic inflammatory response that may influence transplant outcome. © 2013.

  14. The Role of Microbiota on the Gut Immunology.

    PubMed

    Min, Yang Won; Rhee, Poong-Lyul

    2015-05-01

    The human gut contains >100 trillion microbes. This microbiota plays a crucial role in the gut homeostasis. Importantly, the microbiota contributes to the development and regulation of the gut immune system. Dysbiosis of the gut microbiota could also cause several intestinal and extraintestinal diseases. Many experimental studies help us to understand the complex interplay between the host and microbiota. This review presents our current understanding of the mucosal immune system and the role of gut microbiota for the development and functionality of the mucosal immunity, with a particular focus on gut-associated lymphoid tissues, mucosal barrier, TH17 cells, regulatory T cells, innate lymphoid cells, dendritic cells, and IgA-producing B cells and plasma cells. Comparative studies using germ-free and conventionally-raised animals reveal that the presence of microbiota is important for the development and regulation of innate and adaptive immune systems. The host-microbial symbiosis seems necessary for gut homeostasis. However, the precise mechanisms by which microbiota contributes to development and functionality of the immune system remain to be elucidated. Understanding the complex interplay between the host and microbiota and further investigation of the host-microbiota relationship could provide us the insight into the therapeutic and/or preventive strategy for the disorders related to dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Platelets: versatile effector cells in hemostasis, inflammation, and the immune continuum

    PubMed Central

    Vieira-de-Abreu, Adriana; Campbell, Robert A.; Weyrich, Andrew S.

    2015-01-01

    Platelets are chief effector cells in hemostasis. In addition, however, their specializations include activities and intercellular interactions that make them key effectors in inflammation and in the continuum of innate and adaptive immunity. This review focuses on the immune features of human platelets and platelets from experimental animals and on interactions between inflammatory, immune, and hemostatic activities of these anucleate but complex and versatile cells. The experimental findings and evidence for physiologic immune functions include previously unrecognized biologic characteristics of platelets and are paralleled by new evidence for unique roles of platelets in inflammatory, immune, and thrombotic diseases. PMID:21818701

  16. Evaluation of innate immune stimulating activity of polysaccharides using a silkworm (Bombyx mori) muscle contraction assay.

    PubMed

    Fujiyuki, T; Hamamoto, H; Ishii, K; Urai, M; Kataoka, K; Takeda, T; Shibata, S; Sekimizu, K

    2012-04-01

    In silkworm larvae, the mature form of paralytic peptide (PP), an insect cytokine, is produced from pro-PP in association with activation of innate immune responses, resulting in slow muscle contraction. We utilized this reaction, muscle contraction in silkworms coupled with innate immunity stimulation, to quantitatively measure the innate immune stimulating activity of various natural polysaccharides. β-Glucan of Gyrophora esculenta (GE-3), fucoidan from sporophyll of Undaria pinnatifida, and curldan induced silkworm muscle contraction. We further demonstrated that GE-3 had therapeutic effects on silkworms infected by baculovirus. Based on these findings, we propose that the silkworm muscle contraction assay is useful for screening substances that stimulate innate immunity before evaluating therapeutic effectiveness in mammals.

  17. Innate immunity and gut-microbe mutualism in Drosophila.

    PubMed

    Ryu, Ji-Hwan; Ha, Eun-Mi; Lee, Won-Jae

    2010-04-01

    Metazoan guts face a wide variety of microorganisms upon exposure to the environment, including beneficial symbionts, non-symbionts, food-borne microbes and life-threatening pathogens. Recent evidence has shown that the innate immunity of gut epithelia, such as anti-microbial peptide- and reactive oxygen species-based immune systems, actively participate in gut-microbe homeostasis by shaping the commensal community while efficiently eliminating unwanted bacteria. Therefore, elucidation of the regulatory mechanism by which gut innate immunity occurs at the molecular level will provide a novel perspective of gut-microbe mutualisms as well as of gut diseases caused by alterations in the innate immunity.

  18. Novel Target for Ameliorating Pain and Other Problems after SCI: Spontaneous Activity in Nociceptors

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-06-01

    BSCB will permit blood-borne mye- loid and lymphoid immune cells to enter the spinal cord parenchyma and exert direct inflammatory actions on central...primitive innate immune system is the first line of defense against pathogens and toxins; it is always present and it depends upon diverse cell types that...adaptive immune system, the innate immune system does not em- ploy antigen-specific humoral and cell -mediated immunity mecha- nisms. Two innate immune

  19. Innate immunity of fish (overview).

    PubMed

    Magnadóttir, Bergljót

    2006-02-01

    The innate immune system is the only defence weapon of invertebrates and a fundamental defence mechanism of fish. The innate system also plays an instructive role in the acquired immune response and homeostasis and is therefore equally important in higher vertebrates. The innate system's recognition of non-self and danger signals is served by a limited number of germ-line encoded pattern recognition receptors/proteins, which recognise pathogen associated molecular patterns like bacterial and fungal glycoproteins and lipopolysaccharides and intracellular components released through injury or infection. The innate immune system is divided into physical barriers, cellular and humoral components. Humoral parameters include growth inhibitors, various lytic enzymes and components of the complement pathways, agglutinins and precipitins (opsonins, primarily lectins), natural antibodies, cytokines, chemokines and antibacterial peptides. Several external and internal factors can influence the activity of innate immune parameters. Temperature changes, handling and crowding stress can have suppressive effects on innate parameters, whereas several food additives and immunostimulants can enhance different innate factors. There is limited data available about the ontogenic development of the innate immunological system in fish. Active phagocytes, complement components and enzyme activity, like lysozyme and cathepsins, are present early in the development, before or soon after hatching.

  20. Cancer immunoediting by the innate immune system in the absence of adaptive immunity

    PubMed Central

    O’Sullivan, Timothy; Saddawi-Konefka, Robert; Vermi, William; Koebel, Catherine M.; Arthur, Cora; White, J. Michael; Uppaluri, Ravi; Andrews, Daniel M.; Ngiow, Shin Foong; Teng, Michele W.L.; Smyth, Mark J.; Schreiber, Robert D.

    2012-01-01

    Cancer immunoediting is the process whereby immune cells protect against cancer formation by sculpting the immunogenicity of developing tumors. Although the full process depends on innate and adaptive immunity, it remains unclear whether innate immunity alone is capable of immunoediting. To determine whether the innate immune system can edit tumor cells in the absence of adaptive immunity, we compared the incidence and immunogenicity of 3′methylcholanthrene-induced sarcomas in syngeneic wild-type, RAG2−/−, and RAG2−/−x γc−/− mice. We found that innate immune cells could manifest cancer immunoediting activity in the absence of adaptive immunity. This activity required natural killer (NK) cells and interferon γ (IFN-γ), which mediated the induction of M1 macrophages. M1 macrophages could be elicited by administration of CD40 agonists, thereby restoring editing activity in RAG2−/−x γc−/− mice. Our results suggest that in the absence of adaptive immunity, NK cell production of IFN-γ induces M1 macrophages, which act as important effectors during cancer immunoediting. PMID:22927549

  1. Programming and memory dynamics of innate leukocytes during tissue homeostasis and inflammation.

    PubMed

    Lee, Christina; Geng, Shuo; Zhang, Yao; Rahtes, Allison; Li, Liwu

    2017-09-01

    The field of innate immunity is witnessing a paradigm shift regarding "memory" and "programming" dynamics. Past studies of innate leukocytes characterized them as first responders to danger signals with no memory. However, recent findings suggest that innate leukocytes, such as monocytes and neutrophils, are capable of "memorizing" not only the chemical nature but also the history and dosages of external stimulants. As a consequence, innate leukocytes can be dynamically programmed or reprogrammed into complex inflammatory memory states. Key examples of innate leukocyte memory dynamics include the development of primed and tolerant monocytes when "programmed" with a variety of inflammatory stimulants at varying signal strengths. The development of innate leukocyte memory may have far-reaching translational implications, as programmed innate leukocytes may affect the pathogenesis of both acute and chronic inflammatory diseases. This review intends to critically discuss some of the recent studies that address this emerging concept and its implication in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. © Society for Leukocyte Biology.

  2. Protective and destructive immunity in the periodontium: Part 1--innate and humoral immunity and the periodontium.

    PubMed

    Teng, Y-T A

    2006-03-01

    Based on the results of recent research in the field, the present paper will discuss the protective and destructive aspects of the innate vs. adaptive (humoral and cell-mediated) immunity associated with the bacterial virulent factors or antigenic determinants during periodontal pathogenesis. Attention will be focused on: (i) the Toll-like receptors (TLR), the innate immune repertoire for recognizing the unique molecular patterns of microbial components that trigger innate and adaptive immunity for effective host defenses, in some general non-oral vs. periodontal microbial infections; (ii) T-cell-mediated immunity, Th-cytokines, and osteoclastogenesis in periodontal disease progression; and (iii) some molecular techniques developed and used to identify critical microbial virulence factors or antigens associated with host immunity (using Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis as the model species). Therefore, further understanding of the molecular interactions and mechanisms associated with the host's innate and adaptive immune responses will facilitate the development of new and innovative therapeutics for future periodontal treatments.

  3. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor

    PubMed Central

    Kiss, Elina A.; Vonarbourg, Cedric

    2012-01-01

    Intestinal homeostasis results from a complex mutualism between gut microbiota and host cells. Defining the molecular network regulating such mutualism is currently of increasing interest, as its deregulation is reported to lead to increased susceptibility to infections, chronic inflammatory bowel diseases and cancer. Until now, the focus has been on the mechanism, by which the composition of indigenous microbiota shapes the immune system. In a recent study, we have shown that dietary compounds have also the ability to affect innate immune system. This regulation involves aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a sensor of plant-derived phytochemicals, which mediates the maintenance of Retinoic acid related orphan receptor γ t-expressing innate lymphoid cells (RORγt+ ILC) in the gut and consequently formation of postnatal lymphoid follicles. Thus, AhR represents the first evidence of a molecular link between diet and immunity at intestinal mucosal surfaces. PMID:22909905

  4. Modular Activating Receptors in Innate and Adaptive Immunity.

    PubMed

    Berry, Richard; Call, Matthew E

    2017-03-14

    Triggering of cell-mediated immunity is largely dependent on the recognition of foreign or abnormal molecules by a myriad of cell surface-bound receptors. Many activating immune receptors do not possess any intrinsic signaling capacity but instead form noncovalent complexes with one or more dimeric signaling modules that communicate with a common set of kinases to initiate intracellular information-transfer pathways. This modular architecture, where the ligand binding and signaling functions are detached from one another, is a common theme that is widely employed throughout the innate and adaptive arms of immune systems. The evolutionary advantages of this highly adaptable platform for molecular recognition are visible in the variety of ligand-receptor interactions that can be linked to common signaling pathways, the diversification of receptor modules in response to pathogen challenges, and the amplification of cellular responses through incorporation of multiple signaling motifs. Here we provide an overview of the major classes of modular activating immune receptors and outline the current state of knowledge regarding how these receptors assemble, recognize their ligands, and ultimately trigger intracellular signal transduction pathways that activate immune cell effector functions.

  5. Evolution of complement as an effector system in innate and adaptive immunity.

    PubMed

    Sunyer, J Oriol; Boshra, Hani; Lorenzo, Gema; Parra, David; Freedman, Bruce; Bosch, Nina

    2003-01-01

    For a long time, the complement system in mammals has been regarded as a biological system that plays an essential role in innate immunity. More recently, it has been recognized that the complement system contributes heavily to the generation and development of an acquired immune response. In fact, this ancient mechanism of defense has evolved from a primitive mechanism of innate immune recognition in invertebrate species to that of an effector system that bridges the innate with the adaptive immune response in vertebrate species. When and how did complement evolve into a shared effector system between innate and adaptive immunity? To answer this question, our group is interested in understanding the role of complement in innate and adaptive immune responses in an evolutionary relevant species: the teleost fish. The attractiveness of this species as an animal model is based on two important facts. First, teleost fish are one of the oldest animal species to have developed an adaptive immune response. Second, the complement system of teleost fish offers a unique feature, which is the structural and functional diversity of its main effector protein, C3, the third component of the complement system.

  6. Expanding the universe of cytokines and pattern recognition receptors: galectins and glycans in innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Cerliani, Juan P; Stowell, Sean R; Mascanfroni, Iván D; Arthur, Connie M; Cummings, Richard D; Rabinovich, Gabriel A

    2011-02-01

    Effective immunity relies on the recognition of pathogens and tumors by innate immune cells through diverse pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that lead to initiation of signaling processes and secretion of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Galectins, a family of endogenous lectins widely expressed in infected and neoplastic tissues have emerged as part of the portfolio of soluble mediators and pattern recognition receptors responsible for eliciting and controlling innate immunity. These highly conserved glycan-binding proteins can control immune cell processes through binding to specific glycan structures on pathogens and tumors or by acting intracellularly via modulation of selective signaling pathways. Recent findings demonstrate that various galectin family members influence the fate and physiology of different innate immune cells including polymorphonuclear neutrophils, mast cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells. Moreover, several pathogens may actually utilize galectins as a mechanism of host invasion. In this review, we aim to highlight and integrate recent discoveries that have led to our current understanding of the role of galectins in host-pathogen interactions and innate immunity. Challenges for the future will embrace the rational manipulation of galectin-glycan interactions to instruct and shape innate immunity during microbial infections, inflammation, and cancer.

  7. What vaccination studies tell us about immunological memory within the innate immune system of cultured shrimp and crayfish.

    PubMed

    Chang, Yu-Hsuan; Kumar, Ramya; Ng, Tze Hann; Wang, Han-Ching

    2018-03-01

    The possibility of immunological memory in invertebrates is a topic that has recently attracted a lot of attention. Today, even vertebrates are known to exhibit innate immune responses that show memory-like properties, and since these responses are triggered by cells that are involved in the innate immune system, it seems that immune specificity and immune memory do not necessarily require the presence of B cells and T cells after all. This kind of immune response has been called "immune priming" or "trained immunity". In this report, we review recent observations and our current understanding of immunological memory within the innate immune system in cultured shrimp and crayfish after vaccination with live vaccine, killed vaccine and subunit vaccines. We also discuss the possible mechanisms involved in this immune response. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Role of the immune system in cardiac tissue damage and repair following myocardial infarction.

    PubMed

    Saparov, Arman; Ogay, Vyacheslav; Nurgozhin, Talgat; Chen, William C W; Mansurov, Nurlan; Issabekova, Assel; Zhakupova, Jamilya

    2017-09-01

    The immune system plays a crucial role in the initiation, development, and resolution of inflammation following myocardial infarction (MI). The lack of oxygen and nutrients causes the death of cardiomyocytes and leads to the exposure of danger-associated molecular patterns that are recognized by the immune system to initiate inflammation. At the initial stage of post-MI inflammation, the immune system further damages cardiac tissue to clear cell debris. The excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by immune cells and the inability of the anti-oxidant system to neutralize ROS cause oxidative stress that further aggravates inflammation. On the other hand, the cells of both innate and adaptive immune system and their secreted factors are critically instrumental in the very dynamic and complex processes of regulating inflammation and mediating cardiac repair. It is important to decipher the balance between detrimental and beneficial effects of the immune system in MI. This enables us to identify better therapeutic targets for reducing the infarct size, sustaining the cardiac function, and minimizing the likelihood of heart failure. This review discusses the role of both innate and adaptive immune systems in cardiac tissue damage and repair in experimental models of MI.

  9. Post-Translational Modification Control of Innate Immunity.

    PubMed

    Liu, Juan; Qian, Cheng; Cao, Xuetao

    2016-07-19

    A coordinated balance between the positive and negative regulation of pattern-recognition receptor (PRR)-initiated innate inflammatory responses is required to ensure the most favorable outcome for the host. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) of innate sensors and downstream signaling molecules influence their activity and function by inducing their covalent linkage to new functional groups. PTMs including phosphorylation and polyubiquitination have been shown to potently regulate innate inflammatory responses through the activation, cellular translocation, and interaction of innate receptors, adaptors, and downstream signaling molecules in response to infectious and dangerous signals. Other PTMs such as methylation, acetylation, SUMOylation, and succinylation are increasingly implicated in the regulation of innate immunity and inflammation. In this review, we focus on the roles of PTMs in controlling PRR-triggered innate immunity and inflammatory responses. The emerging roles of PTMs in the pathogenesis and potential treatment of infectious and inflammatory immune diseases are also discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. The Role of mDia1 in the Aberrant Innate Immune Signaling in del(5q) Myelodysplastic Syndromes

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-10-01

    especially in cells with sensitized innate immune signaling8,9,20. To analyze whether treatment of DAMPs could induce the over-production of pro...AWARD NUMBER: W81XWH-15-1-0335 TITLE: The Role of mDia1 in the Aberrant Innate Immune Signaling in del(5q) Myelodysplastic Syndromes...TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER WThe Role of mDia1 in the Aberrant Innate Immune Signaling in del(5q) Myelodysplastic Syndromes 5b. GRANT

  11. Asthma and Respiratory Allergic Disease

    EPA Science Inventory

    The pathogenesis of non-communicable diseases such as allergy is complex and poorly understood. The causes of chronic allergic diseases including asthma involve to a large extent, immunomodulation of the adaptive and particularly the innate immune systems and are markedly influen...

  12. Interactions of the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system in the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis

    PubMed Central

    Stoll, Matthew L

    2011-01-01

    The immune system can be divided into the innate and adaptive arms. Historically, most of the research into the pathogenesis of spondyloarthritis (SpA) and other types of chronic arthritis focused on the adaptive immune system. Recently, the pendulum has shifted, and much current work in SpA focuses on innate immunity. Herein, I summarize evidence demonstrating that both the innate and the adaptive arms of the immune system are involved in the pathogenesis of SpA, propose a mechanism in which both arms interact to maintain chronic arthritis, and discuss potential research directions. PMID:21269576

  13. Innate Immune sensing of DNA viruses

    PubMed Central

    Rathinam, Vijay A. K.; Fitzgerald, Katherine A.

    2011-01-01

    DNA viruses are a significant contributor to human morbidity and mortality. The immune system protects against viral infections through coordinated innate and adaptive immune responses. While the antigen-specific adaptive mechanisms have been extensively studied, the critical contributions of innate immunity to anti-viral defenses have only been revealed in the very recent past. Central to these anti-viral defenses is the recognition of viral pathogens by a diverse set of germ-line encoded receptors that survey nearly all cellular compartments for the presence of pathogens. In this review, we discuss the recent advances in the innate immune sensing of DNA viruses and focus on the recognition mechanisms involved. PMID:21334037

  14. Tumor-Associated Neutrophils in Human Lung Cancer

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2017-10-01

    tumor inflammation, anti-tumor neutrophils, anti-tumor innate immune response. anti-tumor adaptive immune response, neutrophil and T cell interaction...Ottonello, 1992; van Egmond and Bakema, 2013) and by producing factors to recruit and acti- vate cells of the innate and adaptive immune system...dependent cell -mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) [16], (iii) produce factors to recruit and activate cells of the innate and adaptive immune systems [17], and

  15. Acute and Subacute Oral Toxicity of Periodate in Rats

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-11-17

    presence of decreased TSH, a pattern associated with uremia. Sodium periodate exposed rats exhibited both activation of the innate immune system and...associated with kidney disease are characterized by activation of the innate immune system coupled with immune deficiency. Sodium periodate exposed rats...exhibited both activation of the innate immune system and lymphocyte depletion; however, the pattern of effects was more indicative of a stress leukogram

  16. Immune Responses to HCV and Other Hepatitis Viruses

    PubMed Central

    Park, Su-Hyung; Rehermann, Barbara

    2014-01-01

    Summary Five human hepatitis viruses cause most acute and chronic liver disease worldwide. Over the past 25 years hepatitis C virus (HCV) in particular has received much interest because of its ability to persist in most immunocompetent adults and the lack of a protective vaccine. Here we examine innate and adaptive immune responses to HCV infection. Although HCV activates an innate immune response, it employs an elaborate set of mechanisms to evade interferon (IFN)-based antiviral immunity. By comparing innate and adaptive immune responses to HCV with those to hepatitis A and B viruses, we suggest that prolonged innate immune activation impairs the development of successful adaptive immune responses. Comparative immunology furthermore provides insights into the maintenance of immune protection. We conclude by discussing prospects for an HCV vaccine and future research needs for the hepatitis viruses. PMID:24439265

  17. Synergy between Common γ Chain Family Cytokines and IL-18 Potentiates Innate and Adaptive Pathways of NK Cell Activation

    PubMed Central

    Nielsen, Carolyn M.; Wolf, Asia-Sophia; Goodier, Martin R.; Riley, Eleanor M.

    2016-01-01

    Studies to develop cell-based therapies for cancer and other diseases have consistently shown that purified human natural killer (NK) cells secrete cytokines and kill target cells after in vitro culture with high concentrations of cytokines. However, these assays poorly reflect the conditions that are likely to prevail in vivo in the early stages of an infection and have been carried out in a wide variety of experimental systems, which has led to contradictions within the literature. We have conducted a detailed kinetic and dose–response analysis of human NK cell responses to low concentrations of IL-12, IL-15, IL-18, IL-21, and IFN-α, alone and in combination, and their potential to synergize with IL-2. We find that very low concentrations of both innate and adaptive common γ chain cytokines synergize with equally low concentrations of IL-18 to drive rapid and potent NK cell CD25 and IFN-γ expression; IL-18 and IL-2 reciprocally sustain CD25 and IL-18Rα expression in a positive feedback loop; and IL-18 synergizes with FcγRIII (CD16) signaling to augment antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. These data indicate that NK cells can be rapidly activated by very low doses of innate cytokines and that the common γ chain cytokines have overlapping but distinct functions in combination with IL-18. Importantly, synergy between multiple signaling pathways leading to rapid NK cell activation at very low cytokine concentrations has been overlooked in prior studies focusing on single cytokines or simple combinations. Moreover, although the precise common γ chain cytokines available during primary and secondary infections may differ, their synergy with both IL-18 and antigen–antibody immune complexes underscores their contribution to NK cell activation during innate and adaptive responses. IL-18 signaling potentiates NK cell effector function during innate and adaptive immune responses by synergy with IL-2, IL-15, and IL-21 and immune complexes. PMID:27047490

  18. Innate immunity and cellular senescence: The good and the bad in the developmental and aged brain.

    PubMed

    Santoro, Antonietta; Spinelli, Chiara Carmela; Martucciello, Stefania; Nori, Stefania Lucia; Capunzo, Mario; Puca, Annibale Alessandro; Ciaglia, Elena

    2018-03-01

    Ongoing studies evidence cellular senescence in undifferentiated and specialized cells from tissues of all ages. Although it is believed that senescence plays a wider role in several stress responses in the mature age, its participation in certain physiological and pathological processes throughout life is coming to light. The "senescence machinery" has been observed in all brain cell populations, including components of innate immunity (e.g., microglia and astrocytes). As the beneficial versus detrimental implications of senescence is an open question, we aimed to analyze the contribution of immune responses in regulatory mechanisms governing its distinct functions in healthy (development, organogenesis, danger patrolling events) and diseased brain (glioma, neuroinflammation, neurodeneration), and the putative connection between cellular and molecular events governing the 2 states. Particularly this review offers new insights into the complex roles of senescence both as a chronological event as age advances, and as a molecular mechanism of brain homeostasis through the important contribution of innate immune responses and their crosstalk with neighboring cells in brain parenchyma. We also highlight the impact of the recently described glymphatic system and brain lymphatic vasculature in the interplay between peripheral and central immune surveillance and its potential implication during aging. This will open new ways to understand brain development, its deterioration during aging, and the occurrence of several oncological and neurodegenerative diseases. ©2018 Society for Leukocyte Biology.

  19. Control of antiviral immunity by pattern recognition and the microbiome

    PubMed Central

    Pang, Iris K.; Iwasaki, Akiko

    2013-01-01

    Summary Human skin and mucosal surfaces are in constant contact with resident and invasive microbes. Recognition of microbial products by receptors of the innate immune system triggers rapid innate defense and transduces signals necessary for initiating and maintaining the adaptive immune responses. Microbial sensing by innate pattern recognition receptors is not restricted to pathogens. Rather, proper development, function, and maintenance of innate and adaptive immunity rely on continuous recognition of products derived from the microorganisms indigenous to the internal and external surfaces of mammalian host. Tonic immune activation by the resident microbiota governs host susceptibility to intestinal and extra-intestinal infections including those caused by viruses. This review highlights recent developments in innate viral recognition leading to adaptive immunity, and discusses potential link between viruses, microbiota and the host immune system. Further, we discuss the possible roles of microbiome in chronic viral infection and pathogenesis of autoimmune disease, and speculate on the benefit for probiotic therapies against such diseases. PMID:22168422

  20. Intermittent Metronomic Drug Schedule Is Essential for Activating Antitumor Innate Immunity and Tumor Xenograft Regression12

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Chong-Sheng; Doloff, Joshua C; Waxman, David J

    2014-01-01

    Metronomic chemotherapy using cyclophosphamide (CPA) is widely associated with antiangiogenesis; however, recent studies implicate other immune-based mechanisms, including antitumor innate immunity, which can induce major tumor regression in implanted brain tumor models. This study demonstrates the critical importance of drug schedule: CPA induced a potent antitumor innate immune response and tumor regression when administered intermittently on a 6-day repeating metronomic schedule but not with the same total exposure to activated CPA administered on an every 3-day schedule or using a daily oral regimen that serves as the basis for many clinical trials of metronomic chemotherapy. Notably, the more frequent metronomic CPA schedules abrogated the antitumor innate immune and therapeutic responses. Further, the innate immune response and antitumor activity both displayed an unusually steep dose-response curve and were not accompanied by antiangiogenesis. The strong recruitment of innate immune cells by the 6-day repeating CPA schedule was not sustained, and tumor regression was abolished, by a moderate (25%) reduction in CPA dose. Moreover, an ∼20% increase in CPA dose eliminated the partial tumor regression and weak innate immune cell recruitment seen in a subset of the every 6-day treated tumors. Thus, metronomic drug treatment must be at a sufficiently high dose but also sufficiently well spaced in time to induce strong sustained antitumor immune cell recruitment. Many current clinical metronomic chemotherapeutic protocols employ oral daily low-dose schedules that do not meet these requirements, suggesting that they may benefit from optimization designed to maximize antitumor immune responses. PMID:24563621

  1. Trained immunity: a program of innate immune memory in health and disease

    PubMed Central

    Netea, Mihai G.; Joosten, Leo A.B.; Latz, Eicke; Mills, Kingston H.G.; Natoli, Gioacchino; Stunnenberg, Hendrik G.; O’Neill, Luke A.J.; Xavier, Ramnik J.

    2016-01-01

    The general view that only adaptive immunity can build immunological memory has recently been challenged. In organisms lacking adaptive immunity as well as in mammals, the innate immune system can mount resistance to reinfection, a phenomenon termed trained immunity or innate immune memory. Trained immunity is orchestrated by epigenetic reprogramming, broadly defined as sustained changes in gene expression and cell physiology that do not involve permanent genetic changes such as mutations and recombination, which are essential for adaptive immunity. The discovery of trained immunity may open the door for novel vaccine approaches, for new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of immune deficiency states, and for modulation of exaggerated inflammation in autoinflammatory diseases. PMID:27102489

  2. Colonic migrating motor complexes are inhibited in acute tri-nitro benzene sulphonic acid colitis.

    PubMed

    Hofma, Ben R; Wardill, Hannah R; Mavrangelos, Chris; Campaniello, Melissa A; Dimasi, David; Bowen, Joanne M; Smid, Scott D; Bonder, Claudine S; Beckett, Elizabeth A; Hughes, Patrick A

    2018-01-01

    Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is characterized by overt inflammation of the intestine and is typically accompanied by symptoms of bloody diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping. The Colonic Migrating Motor Complex (CMMC) directs the movement of colonic luminal contents over long distances. The tri-nitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) model of colitis causes inflammatory damage to enteric nerves, however it remains to be determined whether these changes translate to functional outcomes in CMMC activity. We aimed to visualize innate immune cell infiltration into the colon using two-photon laser scanning intra-vital microscopy, and to determine whether CMMC activity is altered in the tri-nitro benzene sulphonic (TNBS) model of colitis. Epithelial barrier permeability was compared between TNBS treated and healthy control mice in-vitro and in-vivo. Innate immune activation was determined by ELISA, flow cytometry and by 2-photon intravital microscopy. The effects of TNBS treatment and IL-1β on CMMC function were determined using a specialized organ bath. TNBS colitis increased epithelial barrier permeability in-vitro and in-vivo. Colonic IL-1β concentrations, colonic and systemic CD11b+ cell infiltration, and the number of migrating CD11b+ cells on colonic blood vessels were all increased in TNBS treated mice relative to controls. CMMC frequency and amplitude were inhibited in the distal and mid colon of TNBS treated mice. CMMC activity was not altered by superfusion with IL-1β. TNBS colitis damages the epithelial barrier and increases innate immune cell activation in the colon and systemically. Innate cell migration into the colon is readily identifiable by two-photon intra-vital microscopy. CMMC are inhibited by inflammation, but this is not due to direct effects of IL-1β.

  3. Induction of innate immune genes in brain create the neurobiology of addiction.

    PubMed

    Crews, F T; Zou, Jian; Qin, Liya

    2011-06-01

    Addiction occurs through repeated abuse of drugs that progressively reduce behavioral control and cognitive flexibility while increasing limbic negative emotion. Recent discoveries indicate neuroimmune signaling underlies addiction and co-morbid depression. Low threshold microglia undergo progressive stages of innate immune activation involving astrocytes and neurons with repeated drug abuse, stress, and/or cell damage signals. Increased brain NF-κB transcription of proinflammatory chemokines, cytokines, oxidases, proteases, TLR and other genes create loops amplifying NF-κB transcription and innate immune target gene expression. Human post-mortem alcoholic brain has increased NF-κB and NF-κB target gene message, increased microglial markers and chemokine-MCP1. Polymorphisms of human NF-κB1 and other innate immune genes contribute to genetic risk for alcoholism. Animal transgenic and genetic studies link NF-κB innate immune gene expression to alcohol drinking. Human drug addicts show deficits in behavioral flexibility modeled pre-clinically using reversal learning. Binge alcohol, chronic cocaine, and lesions link addiction neurobiology to frontal cortex, neuroimmune signaling and loss of behavioral flexibility. Addiction also involves increasing limbic negative emotion and depression-like behavior that is reflected in hippocampal neurogenesis. Innate immune activation parallels loss of neurogenesis and increased depression-like behavior. Protection against loss of neurogenesis and negative affect by anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, opiate antagonist and abstinence from ethanol dependence link limbic affect to changes in innate immune signaling. The hypothesis that innate immune gene induction underlies addiction and affective disorders creates new targets for therapy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Induction of Innate Immune Genes in Brain Create the Neurobiology of Addiction

    PubMed Central

    Crews, FT; Zou, Jian; Qin, Liya

    2013-01-01

    Addiction occurs through repeated abuse of drugs that progressively reduce behavioral control and cognitive flexibility while increasing limbic negative emotion. Recent discoveries indicate neuroimmune signaling underlies addiction and co-morbid depression. Low threshold microglia undergo progressive stages of innate immune activation involving astrocytes and neurons with repeated drug abuse, stress, and/or cell damage signals. Increased brain NF-κB transcription of proinflammatory chemokines, cytokines, oxidases, proteases, TLR and other genes create loops amplifying NF-κB transcription and innate immune target gene expression. Human post-mortem alcoholic brain has increased NF-κB and NF-κB target gene message, increased microglial markers and chemokine-MCP1. Polymorphisms of human NF-κB1 and other innate immune genes contribute to genetic risk for alcoholism. Animal transgenic and genetic studies link NF-κB innate immune gene expression to alcohol drinking. Human drug addicts show deficits in behavioral flexibility modeled pre-clinically using reversal learning. Binge alcohol, chronic cocaine, and lesions link addiction neurobiology to frontal cortex, neuroimmune signaling and loss of behavioral flexibility. Addiction also involves increasing limbic negative emotion and depression-like behavior that is reflected in hippocampal neurogenesis. Innate immune activation parallels loss of neurogenesis and increased depression-like behavior. Protection against loss of neurogenesis and negative affect by anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, opiate antagonist and abstinence from ethanol dependence link limbic affect to changes in innate immune signaling. The hypothesis that innate immune gene induction underlies addiction and affective disorders creates new targets for therapy. PMID:21402143

  5. Suppression of adenoviral gene expression in the liver: role of innate vs adaptive immunity and their cell lysis mechanisms.

    PubMed

    Minagawa, Masahiro; Kawamura, Hiroki; Liu, Zhangxu; Govindarajan, Sugantha; Dennert, Gunther

    2005-06-01

    Injection of adenoviral constructs causes liver infection prompting immunity, which suppress viral gene expression. Innate and adaptive immunity mediate these processes raising the question which pathways are the most prominent. Adenovirus expressing the beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) gene was injected into normal and immunodeficient mice. Elimination of beta-gal-expressing hepatocytes and increases in liver enzymes were assayed. Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I densities, perforin channel insertion and apoptosis by Fas and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha were assayed. At high virus doses, suppression of viral gene expression was as efficient in immunodeficient as in normal mice, while at low doses effects of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) were demonstrable. Despite CTL priming and elimination of infected hepatocytes no liver injury is detected. Hepatocyte MHC I densities were able to trigger CTL granule exocytosis and perforin lysis in vitro but not in vivo. This is we show is because of decreased sensitivity of hepatocytes from infected mice to perforin and increased sensitivity to Fas and TNF-alpha lysis. Effector cells of the innate immune system are exceedingly effective in suppressing adenoviral gene expression. Perforin-independent pathways, those mediated by TNF-alpha and Fas are very efficient in hepatocytes from virus-infected livers.

  6. Infections in MS: An innate immunity perspective.

    PubMed

    Hänninen, A

    2017-11-01

    Multiple sclerosis is a multifaceted inflammatory-autoimmune disease, which shows remarkable heterogeneity in its clinical presentation, disease progression and in tissue lesions in the CNS. Focal lesions in white matter consist of immune effector cells, antibodies, and complement deposits in varying combinations, suggesting that immune mechanisms related to CNS pathology are multiple. Although adaptive immunity to myelin antigens is essential in MS pathogenesis, innate immune mechanisms are likely involved in its initiation and perpetuation. One key question is if recognition of infectious agents and microbial products by innate immune mechanisms impacts on MS and if so, how and where? This short review aims at conceptualizing how interactions between microbes and innate immune mechanisms could contribute to MS pathogenesis. Consideration is given to initiation of local inflammation and to myelin-specific immune responses, and how innate immunity and microbes may contribute to these. Recent advances in our understanding of lymphatic drainage of CNS, its immune surveillance and effects of gut microbiota and obesity on systemic endotoxin levels and T-cell priming may open new perspectives to understanding the roles that infectious agents and microbes may have in MS. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Exploring the Innate Immune System: Using Complement-Medicated Cell Lysis in the Classroom

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fuller, Kevin G.

    2008-01-01

    The protein complement pathway comprises an important part of the innate immunity. The use of serum to demonstrate complement-mediated destruction across a series of bacterial dilutions allows an instructor to introduce a number of important biological concepts such as bacterial growth, activation cascades, and adaptive versus innate immunity.

  8. Cigarette Smoke Modulates Repair and Innate Immunity following Injury to Airway Epithelial Cells.

    PubMed

    Amatngalim, Gimano D; Broekman, Winifred; Daniel, Nadia M; van der Vlugt, Luciën E P M; van Schadewijk, Annemarie; Taube, Christian; Hiemstra, Pieter S

    2016-01-01

    Cigarette smoking is the main risk factor associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and contributes to COPD development and progression by causing epithelial injury and inflammation. Whereas it is known that cigarette smoke (CS) may affect the innate immune function of airway epithelial cells and epithelial repair, this has so far not been explored in an integrated design using mucociliary differentiated airway epithelial cells. In this study, we examined the effect of whole CS exposure on wound repair and the innate immune activity of mucociliary differentiated primary bronchial epithelial cells, upon injury induced by disruption of epithelial barrier integrity or by mechanical wounding. Upon mechanical injury CS caused a delayed recovery in the epithelial barrier integrity and wound closure. Furthermore CS enhanced innate immune responses, as demonstrated by increased expression of the antimicrobial protein RNase 7. These differential effects on epithelial repair and innate immunity were both mediated by CS-induced oxidative stress. Overall, our findings demonstrate modulation of wound repair and innate immune responses of injured airway epithelial cells that may contribute to COPD development and progression.

  9. Amplifying IFN-γ Signaling in Dendritic Cells by CD11c-Specific Loss of SOCS1 Increases Innate Immunity to Infection while Decreasing Adaptive Immunity.

    PubMed

    Alice, Alejandro F; Kramer, Gwen; Bambina, Shelly; Baird, Jason R; Bahjat, Keith S; Gough, Michael J; Crittenden, Marka R

    2018-01-01

    Although prophylactic vaccines provide protective humoral immunity against infectious agents, vaccines that elicit potent CD8 T cell responses are valuable tools to shape and drive cellular immunity against cancer and intracellular infection. In particular, IFN-γ-polarized cytotoxic CD8 T cell immunity is considered optimal for protective immunity against intracellular Ags. Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS)1 is a cross-functional negative regulator of TLR and cytokine receptor signaling via degradation of the receptor-signaling complex. We hypothesized that loss of SOCS1 in dendritic cells (DCs) would improve T cell responses by accentuating IFN-γ-directed immune responses. We tested this hypothesis using a recombinant Listeria monocytogenes vaccine platform that targets CD11c + DCs in mice in which SOCS1 is selectively deleted in all CD11c + cells. Unexpectedly, in mice lacking SOCS1 expression in CD11c + cells, we observed a decrease in CD8 + T cell response to the L. monocytogenes vaccine. NK cell responses were also decreased in mice lacking SOCS1 expression in CD11c + cells but did not explain the defect in CD8 + T cell immunity. We found that DCs lacking SOCS1 expression were functional in driving Ag-specific CD8 + T cell expansion in vitro but that this process was defective following infection in vivo. Instead, monocyte-derived innate TNF-α and inducible NO synthase-producing DCs dominated the antibacterial response. Thus, loss of SOCS1 in CD11c + cells skewed the balance of immune response to infection by increasing innate responses while decreasing Ag-specific adaptive responses to infectious Ags. Copyright © 2017 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

  10. Chloroplastic protein NRIP1 mediates innate immune receptor recognition of a viral effector

    PubMed Central

    Caplan, Jeffrey L.; Mamillapalli, Padmavathi; Burch-Smith, Tessa M.; Czymmek, Kirk; Dinesh-Kumar, S.P.

    2008-01-01

    Summary Plant innate immunity relies on the recognition of pathogen effector molecules by nucleotide-binding-leucine-rich repeat (NB-LRR) immune receptor families. Previously we have shown the N immune receptor, a member of TIR-NB-LRR family, indirectly recognizes the 50-kDa helicase (p50) domain of Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) through its TIR domain. We have identified an N receptor-interacting protein, NRIP1, that directly interacts with both N's TIR domain and p50. NRIP1 is a functional rhodanese sulfurtransferase and is required for N to provide complete resistance to TMV. Interestingly, NRIP1 that normally localizes to the chloroplasts is recruited to the cytoplasm and nucleus by the p50 effector. As a consequence, NRIP1 interacts with N only in the presence of the p50 effector. Our findings show that a chloroplastic protein is intimately involved in pathogen recognition. We propose that N's activation requires a pre-recognition complex containing the p50 effector and NRIP1. PMID:18267075

  11. Rewiring monocyte glucose metabolism via C-type lectin signaling protects against disseminated candidiasis.

    PubMed

    Domínguez-Andrés, Jorge; Arts, Rob J W; Ter Horst, Rob; Gresnigt, Mark S; Smeekens, Sanne P; Ratter, Jacqueline M; Lachmandas, Ekta; Boutens, Lily; van de Veerdonk, Frank L; Joosten, Leo A B; Notebaart, Richard A; Ardavín, Carlos; Netea, Mihai G

    2017-09-01

    Monocytes are innate immune cells that play a pivotal role in antifungal immunity, but little is known regarding the cellular metabolic events that regulate their function during infection. Using complementary transcriptomic and immunological studies in human primary monocytes, we show that activation of monocytes by Candida albicans yeast and hyphae was accompanied by metabolic rewiring induced through C-type lectin-signaling pathways. We describe that the innate immune responses against Candida yeast are energy-demanding processes that lead to the mobilization of intracellular metabolite pools and require induction of glucose metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation and glutaminolysis, while responses to hyphae primarily rely on glycolysis. Experimental models of systemic candidiasis models validated a central role for glucose metabolism in anti-Candida immunity, as the impairment of glycolysis led to increased susceptibility in mice. Collectively, these data highlight the importance of understanding the complex network of metabolic responses triggered during infections, and unveil new potential targets for therapeutic approaches against fungal diseases.

  12. Genetic association analyses implicate aberrant regulation of innate and adaptive immunity genes in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus

    PubMed Central

    Graham, Deborah S Cunninghame; Pinder, Christopher L; Tombleson, Philip; Behrens, Timothy W; Martín, Javier; Fairfax, Benjamin P; Knight, Julian C; Chen, Lingyan; Replogle, Joseph; Syvänen, Ann-Christine; Rönnblom, Lars; Graham, Robert R; Wither, Joan E; Rioux, John D; Alarcón-Riquelme, Marta E; Vyse, Timothy J

    2015-01-01

    Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; OMIM 152700) is a genetically complex autoimmune disease characterized by loss of immune tolerance to nuclear and cell surface antigens. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) had modest sample sizes, reducing their scope and reliability. Our study comprised 7,219 cases and 15,991 controls of European ancestry: a new GWAS, meta-analysis with a published GWAS and a replication study. We have mapped 43 susceptibility loci, including 10 novel associations. Assisted by dense genome coverage, imputation provided evidence for missense variants underpinning associations in eight genes. Other likely causal genes were established by examining associated alleles for cis-acting eQTL effects in a range of ex vivo immune cells. We found an over-representation (n=16) of transcription factors among SLE susceptibility genes. This supports the view that aberrantly regulated gene expression networks in multiple cell types in both the innate and adaptive immune response contribute to the risk of developing SLE. PMID:26502338

  13. Rewiring monocyte glucose metabolism via C-type lectin signaling protects against disseminated candidiasis

    PubMed Central

    Smeekens, Sanne P.; Lachmandas, Ekta; Boutens, Lily; van de Veerdonk, Frank L.; Joosten, Leo A. B.; Ardavín, Carlos; Netea, Mihai G.

    2017-01-01

    Monocytes are innate immune cells that play a pivotal role in antifungal immunity, but little is known regarding the cellular metabolic events that regulate their function during infection. Using complementary transcriptomic and immunological studies in human primary monocytes, we show that activation of monocytes by Candida albicans yeast and hyphae was accompanied by metabolic rewiring induced through C-type lectin-signaling pathways. We describe that the innate immune responses against Candida yeast are energy-demanding processes that lead to the mobilization of intracellular metabolite pools and require induction of glucose metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation and glutaminolysis, while responses to hyphae primarily rely on glycolysis. Experimental models of systemic candidiasis models validated a central role for glucose metabolism in anti-Candida immunity, as the impairment of glycolysis led to increased susceptibility in mice. Collectively, these data highlight the importance of understanding the complex network of metabolic responses triggered during infections, and unveil new potential targets for therapeutic approaches against fungal diseases. PMID:28922415

  14. Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis

    PubMed Central

    Pattanaik, Debendra; Brown, Monica; Postlethwaite, Bradley C.; Postlethwaite, Arnold E.

    2015-01-01

    Systemic scleroderma (SSc) is one of the most complex systemic autoimmune diseases. It targets the vasculature, connective tissue-producing cells (namely fibroblasts/myofibroblasts), and components of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Clinical and pathologic manifestations of SSc are the result of: (1) innate/adaptive immune system abnormalities leading to production of autoantibodies and cell-mediated autoimmunity, (2) microvascular endothelial cell/small vessel fibroproliferative vasculopathy, and (3) fibroblast dysfunction generating excessive accumulation of collagen and other matrix components in skin and internal organs. All three of these processes interact and affect each other. The disease is heterogeneous in its clinical presentation that likely reflects different genetic or triggering factor (i.e., infection or environmental toxin) influences on the immune system, vasculature, and connective tissue cells. The roles played by other ubiquitous molecular entities (such as lysophospholipids, endocannabinoids, and their diverse receptors and vitamin D) in influencing the immune system, vasculature, and connective tissue cells are just beginning to be realized and studied and may provide insights into new therapeutic approaches to treat SSc. PMID:26106387

  15. Flipping the NF-κB Switch in Macrophages | Center for Cancer Research

    Cancer.gov

    A critical component of the innate immune system, macrophages respond to diverse microbes by recognizing certain molecular patterns, such as the Gram-negative bacteria product lipopolysaccharide (LPS), via Toll-like receptors. Receptor activation stimulates a complex signaling network that involves, among others, the NF-κB pathway. The complexity of this network has hampered

  16. Evasion of adaptive and innate immune response mechanisms by γ-herpesviruses

    PubMed Central

    Feng, Pinghui; Moses, Ashlee; Früh, Klaus

    2015-01-01

    γ-Herpesviral immune evasion mechanisms are optimized to support the acute, lytic and the longterm, latent phase of infection. During acute infection, specific immune modulatory proteins limit, but also exploit, the antiviral activities of cell intrinsic innate immune responses as well as those of innate and adaptive immune cells. During latent infection, a restricted gene expression program limits immune targeting and cis-acting mechanisms to reduce the antigen presentation as well as antigenicity of latency-associated proteins. Here, we will review recent progress in our understanding of γ-herpesviral immune evasion strategies. PMID:23735334

  17. Phospholipase C-β in immune cells.

    PubMed

    Kawakami, Toshiaki; Xiao, Wenbin

    2013-09-01

    Great progress has recently been made in structural and functional research of phospholipase C (PLC)-β. We now understand how PLC-β isoforms (β1-β4) are activated by GTP-bound Gαq downstream of G protein-coupled receptors. Numerous studies indicate that PLC-βs participate in the differentiation and activation of immune cells that control both the innate and adaptive immune systems. The PLC-β3 isoform also interplays with tyrosine kinase-based signaling pathways, to inhibit Stat5 activation by recruiting the protein-tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1, with which PLC-β3 and Stat5 form a multi-molecular signaling platform, named SPS complex. The SPS complex has important regulatory roles in tumorigenesis and immune cell activation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Phospholipase C-β in Immune Cells

    PubMed Central

    Kawakami, Toshiaki; Xiao, Wenbin

    2013-01-01

    Great progress has recently been made in structural and functional research of phospholipase C (PLC)-β. We now understand how PLC-β isoforms (β1-β4) are activated by GTP-bound Gαq downstream of G protein-coupled receptors. Numerous studies indicate that PLC-βs participate in the differentiation and activation of immune cells that control both the innate and adaptive immune systems. The PLC-β3 isoform also interplays with tyrosine kinase-based signaling pathways, to inhibit Stat5 activation by recruiting the protein-tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1, with which PLC-β3 and Stat5 form a multi-molecular signaling platform, named SPS complex. The SPS complex has important regulatory roles in tumorigenesis and immune cell activation. PMID:23981313

  19. Association between innate response to gliadin and activation of pathogenic T cells in coeliac disease.

    PubMed

    Maiuri, Luigi; Ciacci, Carolina; Ricciardelli, Ida; Vacca, Loredana; Raia, Valeria; Auricchio, Salvatore; Picard, Jean; Osman, Mohamed; Quaratino, Sonia; Londei, Marco

    2003-07-05

    The adaptive immune system is central to the development of coeliac disease. Adaptive immune responses are, however, controlled by a preceding activation of the innate immune system. We investigated whether gliadin, a protein present in wheat flour, could activate an innate as well as an adaptive immune response in patients with coeliac disease. Duodenal biopsy samples from 42 patients with untreated coeliac disease, 37 treated patients, and 18 controls, were cultured in vitro for 3 h or 24 h, in the presence of either immunodominant gliadin epitopes (p(alpha)-2 and p(alpha)-9) or a non-immunodominant peptide (p31-43) known to induce small intestine damage in coeliac disease. We also incubated biopsy samples from nine untreated and six treated patients with a non-immunodominant peptide for 3 h, before incubation with immunodominant gliadin epitopes. Different combinations of interleukin-15 or signal transduction inhibitors were added to selected incubations. Only the non-immunodominant peptide induced rapid expression of interleukin-15, CD83, cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2, and CD25 by CD3- cells (p=0.005 vs medium alone) and enterocyte apoptosis (p<0.0001). Only the non-immunodominant peptide induced p38 MAP kinase activation in CD3- cells. Pre-incubation with the non-immunodominant peptide enabled immunodominant epitopes to induce T-cell activation (p=0.001) and enterocyte apoptosis. Inhibition of interleukin-15 or of p38 MAP kinase controlled such activity. A gliadin fragment can activate the innate immune system, affecting the in situ T-cell recognition of dominant gliadin epitopes. Although our findings emphasise the key role of gliadin-specific T cells, they suggest a complex pathogenic situation, and show that inhibition of interleukin-15 or p38 MAP kinase might have the potential to control coeliac disease.

  20. Adenovirus vector induced innate immune responses: impact upon efficacy and toxicity in gene therapy and vaccine applications.

    PubMed

    Hartman, Zachary C; Appledorn, Daniel M; Amalfitano, Andrea

    2008-03-01

    Extensively characterized, modified, and employed for a variety of purposes, adenovirus (Ad) vectors are generally regarded as having great potential by many applied virologists who wish to manipulate and use viral biology to achieve beneficial clinical outcomes. Despite widespread functional prominence and utility (i.e., Ad-based clinical trials have begun to progress to critical Phase III levels, it has recently become apparent that investigations regarding the innate immune response to Ads may reveal not only reasons behind previous failures, but also reveal novel insights that will allow for safer, more efficacious uses of this important gene transfer platform. Insights gained by the exploration of Ad induced innate immune responses will likely be most important to the fields of vaccine development, since Ad-based vaccines are regarded as one of the more promising vaccine platforms in development today. Adenovirus is currently known to interact with several different extracellular, intracellular, and membrane-bound innate immune sensing systems. Past and recent studies involving manipulation of the Ad infectious cycle as well as use of different mutants have shed light on some of the initiation mechanisms underlying Ad induced immune responses. More recent studies using microarray-based analyses, genetically modified cell lines and/or mouse mutants, and advanced generation Ad vectors have revealed important new insights into the scope and mechanism of this cellular defensive response. This review is an attempt to synthesize these studies, update Ad biologists to the current knowledge surrounding these increasingly important issues, as well as highlight areas where future research should be directed. It should also serve as a sobering reality to researchers exploring the use of any gene transfer vector, as to the complexities potentially involved when contemplating use of such vectors for human applications.

  1. Adenovirus vector induced Innate Immune responses: Impact upon efficacy and toxicity in gene therapy and vaccine applications

    PubMed Central

    Hartman, Zachary C.; Appledorn, Daniel M.; Amalfitano, Andrea

    2013-01-01

    Extensively characterized, modified, and employed for a variety of purposes, Adenovirus (Ad) vectors are generally regarded as having great potential by many applied virologists who wish to manipulate and use viral biology to achieve beneficial clinical outcomes. Despite widespread functional prominence and utility, (i.e.: Ad based clinical trials have begun to progress to critical Phase III levels, it has recently become apparent that investigations regarding the innate immune response to Ads may reveal not only reasons behind previous failures, but also reveal novel insights that will allow for safer, more efficacious uses of this important gene transfer platform. Insights gained by the exploration of Ad induced innate immune responses will likely be most important to the fields of vaccine development, since Ad based vaccines are highly acknowledged as one of the more promising vaccine platforms in development today. Adenovirus is currently known to interact with several different extracellular, intracellular, and membrane bound innate immune sensing systems. Past and recent studies involving manipulation of the Ad infectious cycle as well as use of different mutants have shed light on some of the initiation mechanisms underlying Ad induced immune responses. More recent studies using microarray based analyses, genetically modified cell lines and/or mouse mutants, and advanced generation Ad vectors have revealed important new insights into the scope and mechanism of this cellular defensive response. This review is an attempt to synthesize these studies, update Ad biologists to the current knowledge surrounding these increasingly important issues, as well point areas where future research should be directed. It should also serve as a sobering reality to researchers exploring the use of any gene transfer vector, as to the complexities potentially involved when contemplating use of such vectors for human applications. PMID:18036698

  2. The Anopheles innate immune system in the defense against malaria infection

    PubMed Central

    Clayton, April M.; Dong, Yuemei; Dimopoulos, George

    2014-01-01

    The multifaceted innate immune system of insects is capable of fighting infection by a variety of pathogens including those causing human malaria. Malaria transmission by the Anopheles mosquito depends on the Plasmodium parasite’s successful completion of its lifecycle in the insect vector, a process that involves interactions with several tissues and cell types as well as with the mosquito’s innate immune system. This review will discuss our current understanding of the Anopheles mosquito’s innate immune responses against the malaria parasite Plasmodium and the influence of the insect’s intestinal microbiota on parasite infection. PMID:23988482

  3. Tolerance-like innate immunity and spleen injury: a novel discovery via the weekly administrations and consecutive injections of PEGylated emulsions

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Long; Wang, Chunling; Jiao, Jiao; Su, Yuqing; Cheng, Xiaobo; Huang, Zhenjun; Liu, Xinrong; Deng, Yihui

    2014-01-01

    There has been an increasing interest in the study of the innate immune system in recent years. However, few studies have focused on whether innate immunity can acquire tolerance. Therefore, in this study, we investigated tolerance in the innate immune system via the consecutive weekly and daily injections of emulsions modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG), referred to as PEGylated emulsions (PE). The effects of these injections of PE on pharmacokinetics and biodistribution were studied in normal and macrophage-depleted rats. Additionally, we evaluated the antigenic specificity of immunologic tolerance. Immunologic tolerance against PE developed after 21 days of consecutive daily injections or the fourth week of PE administration. Compared with a single administration, it was observed that the tolerant rats had a lower rate of PE clearance from the blood, which was independent of the stress response. In addition, weekly PE injections caused injury to the spleen. Furthermore, the rats tolerant to PEs with the methoxy group (–OCH3) of PEG, failed to respond to the PEs with a different terminal group of PEG or to non-PEG emulsions. Innate immunity tolerance was induced by PE, regardless of the mode of administration. Further study of this mechanism suggested that monocytes play an essential role in the suppression of innate immunity. These findings provide novel insights into the understanding of the innate immune system. PMID:25120362

  4. Double-stranded RNA innate immune response activation from long-term adeno-associated virus vector transduction.

    PubMed

    Shao, Wenwei; Earley, Lauriel F; Chai, Zheng; Chen, Xiaojing; Sun, Junjiang; He, Ting; Deng, Meng; Hirsch, Matthew L; Ting, Jenny; Samulski, R Jude; Li, Chengwen

    2018-06-21

    Data from clinical trials for hemophilia B using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors have demonstrated decreased transgenic coagulation factor IX (hFIX) expression 6-10 weeks after administration of a high vector dose. While it is likely that capsid-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes eliminate vector-transduced hepatocytes, thereby resulting in decreased hFIX, this observation is not intuitively consistent with restored hFIX levels following prednisone application. Although the innate immune response is immediately activated following AAV vector infection via TLR pathways, no studies exist regarding the role of the innate immune response at later time points after AAV vector transduction. Herein, activation of the innate immune response in cell lines, primary human hepatocytes, and hepatocytes in a human chimeric mouse model was observed at later time points following AAV vector transduction. Mechanistic analysis demonstrated that the double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sensor MDA5 was necessary for innate immune response activation and that transient knockdown of MDA5, or MAVS, decreased IFN-β expression while increasing transgene production in AAV-transduced cells. These results both highlight the role of the dsRNA-triggered innate immune response in therapeutic transgene expression at later time points following AAV transduction and facilitate the execution of effective strategies to block the dsRNA innate immune response in future clinical trials.

  5. Engineering antiphagocytic biomimetic drug carriers

    PubMed Central

    Sawdon, Alicia; Peng, Ching-An

    2014-01-01

    Drug-delivery carriers have the potential to not only treat but also diagnose many diseases; however, they still lack the complexity of natural-particulate systems. Cell-based therapies using tumor-targeting T cells and tumor-homing mesenchymal stem cells have given researchers a means to exploit the characteristics exhibited by innate-biological entities. Similarly, immune evasion by pathogens has inspired the development of natural polymers to cloak drug carriers. The ‘marker-of-self’ CD47 protein, which is found ubiquitously on mammalian cell surfaces, has been used for evading phagocyte clearance of drug carriers. This review will focus on the recent progress of drug carriers co-opting the tricks that cells in nature use to hide safely under the radar of the body’s innate immune system. PMID:23883126

  6. Autophagy plays an important role in protecting Pacific oysters from OsHV-1 and Vibrio aestuarianus infections

    PubMed Central

    Moreau, Pierrick; Moreau, Kevin; Segarra, Amélie; Tourbiez, Delphine; Travers, Marie-Agnès; Rubinsztein, David C; Renault, Tristan

    2015-01-01

    Recent mass mortality outbreaks around the world in Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, have seriously affected the aquaculture economy. Although the causes for these mortality outbreaks appear complex, infectious agents are involved. Two pathogens are associated with mass mortality outbreaks, the virus ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) and the bacterium Vibrio aestuarianus. Here we describe the interactions between these 2 pathogens and autophagy, a conserved intracellular pathway playing a key role in innate immunity. We show for the first time that autophagy pathway is present and functional in Pacific oysters and plays an important role to protect animals from infections. This study contributes to better understand the innate immune system of Pacific oysters. PMID:25714877

  7. Autophagy plays an important role in protecting Pacific oysters from OsHV-1 and Vibrio aestuarianus infections.

    PubMed

    Moreau, Pierrick; Moreau, Kevin; Segarra, Amélie; Tourbiez, Delphine; Travers, Marie-Agnès; Rubinsztein, David C; Renault, Tristan

    2015-01-01

    Recent mass mortality outbreaks around the world in Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas, have seriously affected the aquaculture economy. Although the causes for these mortality outbreaks appear complex, infectious agents are involved. Two pathogens are associated with mass mortality outbreaks, the virus ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) and the bacterium Vibrio aestuarianus. Here we describe the interactions between these 2 pathogens and autophagy, a conserved intracellular pathway playing a key role in innate immunity. We show for the first time that autophagy pathway is present and functional in Pacific oysters and plays an important role to protect animals from infections. This study contributes to better understand the innate immune system of Pacific oysters.

  8. The impact of eicosanoids on the crosstalk between innate and adaptive immunity: the key roles of dendritic cells.

    PubMed

    Harizi, H; Gualde, N

    2005-06-01

    The innate immune response is essentially the first line of defense against an invading pathogen. Through specialized receptors, known as pattern recognition receptors, especially Toll-like receptors, specialized cells of myeloid origin, including macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) are able to phagocytose microorganisms and induce an innate inflammatory response. Although B and T lymphocytes recognize tissue antigens with high specificity, they are unable to initiate immune responses. The decision to activate an appropriate immune response is made by unique DC, the most professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) which control the responses of several types of lymphocytes and play central role in the transition between innate and adaptive immunity. Increased secretion of inflammatory endogenous mediators such as cytokines and arachidonic acid-derived lipid mediators, also termed eicosanoids, can activate APC, particularly DC, which in turn induce an adaptive immune response. There is an increasing evidence that eicosanoids play an important role in connecting innate and adaptive immunity by acting on cells of both systems. Prostanoids, a major class of eicosanoids, have a great impact on inflammatory and immune responses. PGE(2) is one of the best known and most well-characterized prostanoids in terms of immunomodulation. Although cytokines are known as key regulators of immunity, eicosanoids, including PGE(2), PGD(2), LTB(4), and LTC(4), may also affect cells of immune system by modulating cytokine release, cell differentiation, survival, migration, antigen presentation, and apoptosis. By acting on various aspects of immune and inflammatory reactions, these lipid mediators emerge as key regulators of the crosstalk between innate and adaptive immunity.

  9. Regulation of the Prostate Cancer Tumor Microenvironment

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-04-01

    growth can be altered through modulating the composition of TILs through innate immunity . Body Pathogens or cancerous cells alike can produce danger... innate immunity , including Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Thirteen mammalian TLRs have been identified to date with ligands ranging from...damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released by the tumor stimulate the innate immune pathways through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs

  10. The bovine spleen: Interactions among splenic cell populations in the innate immunologic control of hemoparasitic infections

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Over the past several years, innate immunity has been recognized as having an important role as a front-line defense mechanism and as an integral part of the adaptive immune response. Innate immunity in cattle exposed to hemoparasites is spleen-dependent and age-related. In this review, we discuss g...

  11. Structural similarities of human and mammalian lipocalins, and their function in innate immunity and allergy.

    PubMed

    Jensen-Jarolim, E; Pacios, L F; Bianchini, R; Hofstetter, G; Roth-Walter, F

    2016-03-01

    Owners and their domestic animals via skin shedding and secretions, mutually exchange microbiomes, potential pathogens and innate immune molecules. Among the latter especially lipocalins are multifaceted: they may have an immunomodulatory function and, furthermore, they represent one of the most important animal allergen families. The amino acid identities, as well as their structures by superposition modeling were compared among human lipocalins, hLCN1 and hLCN2, and most important animal lipocalin allergens, such as Can f 1, Can f 2 and Can f 4 from dog, Fel d 4 from cats, Bos d 5 from cow's milk, Equ c 1 from horses, and Mus m 1 from mice, all of them representing major allergens. The β-barrel fold with a central molecular pocket is similar among human and animal lipocalins. Thereby, lipocalins are able to transport a variety of biological ligands in their highly conserved calyx-like cavity, among them siderophores with the strongest known capability to complex iron (Fe(3+) ). Levels of human lipocalins are elevated in nonallergic inflammation and cancer, associated with innate immunoregulatory functions that critically depend on ligand load. Accordingly, deficient loading of lipocalin allergens establishes their capacity to induce Th2 hypersensitivity. Our similarity analysis of human and mammalian lipocalins highlights their function in innate immunity and allergy. © 2015 The Authors. Allergy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Innate and adaptive immune correlates of vaccine and adjuvant-induced control of mucosal transmission of SIV in macaques.

    PubMed

    Sui, Yongjun; Zhu, Qing; Gagnon, Susan; Dzutsev, Amiran; Terabe, Masaki; Vaccari, Monica; Venzon, David; Klinman, Dennis; Strober, Warren; Kelsall, Brian; Franchini, Genoveffa; Belyakov, Igor M; Berzofsky, Jay A

    2010-05-25

    Adjuvant effects on innate as well as adaptive immunity may be critical for inducing protection against mucosal HIV and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) exposure. We therefore studied effects of Toll-like receptor agonists and IL-15 as mucosal adjuvants on both innate and adaptive immunity in a peptide/poxvirus HIV/SIV mucosal vaccine in macaques, and made three critical observations regarding both innate and adaptive correlates of protection: (i) adjuvant-alone without vaccine antigen impacted the intrarectal SIVmac251 challenge outcome, correlating with surprisingly long-lived APOBEC3G (A3G)-mediated innate immunity; in addition, even among animals receiving vaccine with adjuvants, viral load correlated inversely with A3G levels; (ii) a surprising threshold-like effect existed for vaccine-induced adaptive immunity control of viral load, and only antigen-specific polyfunctional CD8(+) T cells correlated with protection, not tetramer(+) T cells, demonstrating the importance of T-cell quality; (iii) synergy was observed between Toll-like receptor agonists and IL-15 for driving adaptive responses through the up-regulation of IL-15Ralpha, which can present IL-15 in trans, as well as for driving the innate A3G response. Thus, strategic use of molecular adjuvants can provide better mucosal protection through induction of both innate and adaptive immunity.

  13. Enterovirus Exposure Uniquely Discriminates Type 1 Diabetes Patients with a Homozygous from a Heterozygous Melanoma Differentiation-Associated Protein 5/Interferon Induced with Helicase C Domain 1 A946T Genotype.

    PubMed

    Schulte, Barbara M; Gielen, Paul R; Kers-Rebel, Esther D; Prosser, Amy C; Lind, Katharina; Flodström-Tullberg, Malin; Tack, Cees J; Elving, Lammy D; Adema, Gosse J

    2016-09-01

    In children at risk for type 1 diabetes, innate immune activity is detected before seroconversion. Enterovirus infections have been linked to diabetes development, and a polymorphism (A946T) in the innate immune sensor recognizing enterovirus RNA, interferon-induced with helicase C domain 1/melanoma differentiation-associated protein 5, predisposes to disease. We hypothesized that the strength of innate antienteroviral responses is affected in autoimmune type 1 diabetes patients and linked to the A946T polymorphism. We compared induction of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and dendritic cells (DCs) in healthy individuals and diabetes patients upon stimulation with enterovirus, enterovirus-antibody complexes, or ligands mimicking infection in relation to the A946T polymorphism. Overall, PBMCs of diabetes patients and healthy donors showed comparable ISG induction upon stimulation. No differences were observed in DCs. Interestingly, the data imply that the magnitude of responses to enterovirus and enterovirus-antibody complexes in PBMCs is critically influenced by the A946T polymorphism and elevated in heterozygotes compared to TT homozygous individuals in autoimmune diabetes patients, but not healthy controls. These data imply an intrinsic difference in the responses to enterovirus and enterovirus-antibody complexes in diabetes patients carrying a TT risk genotype compared to heterozygotes that may influence control of enterovirus clearance.

  14. Mitochondrial dysfunction as a trigger of innate immune responses and inflammation.

    PubMed

    West, A Phillip

    2017-11-01

    A growing literature indicates that mitochondria are key participants in innate immune pathways, functioning as both signaling platforms and contributing to effector responses. In addition to regulating antiviral signaling and antibacterial immunity, mitochondria are also important drivers of inflammation caused by sterile injury. Much research on mitochondrial control of immunity now centers on understanding how mitochondrial constituents released during cellular damage simulate the innate immune system. When mitochondrial integrity is compromised, mitochondrial damage-associated molecular patterns engage pattern recognition receptors, trigger inflammation, and promote pathology in an expanding list of diseases. Here, I review the emerging knowledge of mitochondrial dysfunction in innate immune responses and discuss how environmental exposures may induce mitochondrial damage to potentiate inflammation and human disease. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Mechanisms for eco-immunity in a changing enviroment: how does the coral innate immune system contend with climate change?

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Traylor-Knowles, N. G.

    2016-02-01

    Innate immunity plays a central role in maintaining homeostasis, and within the context of impending climate change scenarios, understanding how this system works is critical. However, the actual mechanisms involved in the evolution of the innate immune system are largely unknown. Cnidaria (including corals, sea anemones and jellyfish) are well suited for studying the fundamental functions of innate immunity because they share a common ancestor with bilaterians. This study will highlight the transcriptomic changes during a heat shock in the coral Acropora hyacinthus of American Samoa, examining the temporal changes, every half an hour for 5 hours. We hypothesize that genes involved in innate immunity, and extracellular matrix maintenance will be key components to the heat stress response. This presentation will highlight the novel role of the tumor necrosis factor receptor gene family as a responder to heat stress and present future directions for this developing field in coral reef research.

  16. Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells: Friends or Foes—Role in Airway Allergic Inflammation and Asthma

    PubMed Central

    Pishdadian, Abbas; Varasteh, Abdol-Reza; Sankian, Mojtaba

    2012-01-01

    Innate-like lymphocytes (ILLs) and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are two newly characterized families of lymphocytes with limited and no rearranged antigen receptors, respectively. These soldiers provide a first line of defense against foreign insults by triggering a prompt innate immune response and bridging the gap of innate and adaptive immunity. Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs2) are newly identified members of the ILC family that play a key role in type 2 immune responses by prompt production of type 2 cytokines (especially IL-5 and IL-13) in response to antigen-induced IL-25/33 and by recruiting type 2 “immune franchise.” Regarding the two different roles of type 2 cytokines, helminth expulsion and type 2-related diseases, here we review the latest advances in ILC2 biology and examine the pivotal role of resident ILCs2 in allergen-specific airway inflammation and asthma. PMID:23209480

  17. Type 2 innate lymphoid cells: friends or foes-role in airway allergic inflammation and asthma.

    PubMed

    Pishdadian, Abbas; Varasteh, Abdol-Reza; Sankian, Mojtaba

    2012-01-01

    Innate-like lymphocytes (ILLs) and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are two newly characterized families of lymphocytes with limited and no rearranged antigen receptors, respectively. These soldiers provide a first line of defense against foreign insults by triggering a prompt innate immune response and bridging the gap of innate and adaptive immunity. Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILCs2) are newly identified members of the ILC family that play a key role in type 2 immune responses by prompt production of type 2 cytokines (especially IL-5 and IL-13) in response to antigen-induced IL-25/33 and by recruiting type 2 "immune franchise." Regarding the two different roles of type 2 cytokines, helminth expulsion and type 2-related diseases, here we review the latest advances in ILC2 biology and examine the pivotal role of resident ILCs2 in allergen-specific airway inflammation and asthma.

  18. Inflammasomes in the lung.

    PubMed

    Pinkerton, James W; Kim, Richard Y; Robertson, Avril A B; Hirota, Jeremy A; Wood, Lisa G; Knight, Darryl A; Cooper, Matthew A; O'Neill, Luke A J; Horvat, Jay C; Hansbro, Philip M

    2017-06-01

    Innate immune responses act as first line defences upon exposure to potentially noxious stimuli. The innate immune system has evolved numerous intracellular and extracellular receptors that undertake surveillance for potentially damaging particulates. Inflammasomes are intracellular innate immune multiprotein complexes that form and are activated following interaction with these stimuli. Inflammasome activation leads to the cleavage of pro-IL-1β and release of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, IL-1β, which initiates acute phase pro-inflammatory responses, and other responses are also involved (IL-18, pyroptosis). However, excessive activation of inflammasomes can result in chronic inflammation, which has been implicated in a range of chronic inflammatory diseases. The airways are constantly exposed to a wide variety of stimuli. Inflammasome activation and downstream responses clears these stimuli. However, excessive activation may drive the pathogenesis of chronic respiratory diseases such as severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Thus, there is currently intense interest in the role of inflammasomes in chronic inflammatory lung diseases and in their potential for therapeutic targeting. Here we review the known associations between inflammasome-mediated responses and the development and exacerbation of chronic lung diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. MAVS dimer is a crucial signaling component of innate immunity and the target of hepatitis C virus NS3/4A protease.

    PubMed

    Baril, Martin; Racine, Marie-Eve; Penin, François; Lamarre, Daniel

    2009-02-01

    The mitochondrial antiviral signaling (MAVS) protein plays a central role in innate antiviral immunity. Upon recognition of a virus, intracellular receptors of the RIG-I-like helicase family interact with MAVS to trigger a signaling cascade. In this study, we investigate the requirement of the MAVS structure for enabling its signaling by structure-function analyses and resonance energy transfer approaches in live cells. We now report the essential role of the MAVS oligomer in signal transduction and map the transmembrane domain as the main determinant of dimerization. A combination of mutagenesis and computational methods identified a cluster of residues making favorable van der Waals interactions at the MAVS dimer interface. We also correlated the activation of IRF3 and NF-kappaB with MAVS oligomerization rather than its mitochondrial localization. Finally, we demonstrated that MAVS oligomerization is disrupted upon expression of HCV NS3/4A protease, suggesting a mechanism for the loss of antiviral signaling. Altogether, our data suggest that the MAVS oligomer is essential in the formation of a multiprotein membrane-associated signaling complex and enables downstream activation of IRF3 and NF-kappaB in antiviral innate immunity.

  20. Developmental biology of the innate immune response: implications for neonatal and infant vaccine development.

    PubMed

    Philbin, Victoria Jane; Levy, Ofer

    2009-05-01

    Molecular characterization of mechanisms by which human pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) detect danger signals has greatly expanded our understanding of the innate immune system. PRRs include Toll-like receptors, nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptors, retinoic acid inducible gene-like receptors, and C-type lectin receptors. Characterization of the developmental expression of these systems in the fetus, newborn, and infant is incomplete but has yielded important insights into neonatal susceptibility to infection. Activation of PRRs on antigen-presenting cells enhances costimulatory function, and thus PRR agonists are potential vaccine adjuvants, some of which are already in clinical use. Thus, study of PRRs has also revealed how previously mysterious immunomodulators are able to mediate their actions, including the vaccine adjuvant aluminum hydroxide that activates a cytosolic protein complex known as the Nacht domain leucine-rich repeat and pyrin domain-containing protein 3 inflammasome leading to interleukin-1beta production. Progress in characterizing PRRs is thus informing and expanding the design of improved adjuvants. This review summarizes recent developments in the field of innate immunity emphasizing developmental expression in the fetus, newborn, and infant and its implications for the design of more effective neonatal and infant vaccines.

  1. Antimicrobial Peptides in Reptiles

    PubMed Central

    van Hoek, Monique L.

    2014-01-01

    Reptiles are among the oldest known amniotes and are highly diverse in their morphology and ecological niches. These animals have an evolutionarily ancient innate-immune system that is of great interest to scientists trying to identify new and useful antimicrobial peptides. Significant work in the last decade in the fields of biochemistry, proteomics and genomics has begun to reveal the complexity of reptilian antimicrobial peptides. Here, the current knowledge about antimicrobial peptides in reptiles is reviewed, with specific examples in each of the four orders: Testudines (turtles and tortosises), Sphenodontia (tuataras), Squamata (snakes and lizards), and Crocodilia (crocodilans). Examples are presented of the major classes of antimicrobial peptides expressed by reptiles including defensins, cathelicidins, liver-expressed peptides (hepcidin and LEAP-2), lysozyme, crotamine, and others. Some of these peptides have been identified and tested for their antibacterial or antiviral activity; others are only predicted as possible genes from genomic sequencing. Bioinformatic analysis of the reptile genomes is presented, revealing many predicted candidate antimicrobial peptides genes across this diverse class. The study of how these ancient creatures use antimicrobial peptides within their innate immune systems may reveal new understandings of our mammalian innate immune system and may also provide new and powerful antimicrobial peptides as scaffolds for potential therapeutic development. PMID:24918867

  2. The cell-mediated immunity of Drosophila melanogaster: hemocyte lineages, immune compartments, microanatomy and regulation.

    PubMed

    Honti, Viktor; Csordás, Gábor; Kurucz, Éva; Márkus, Róbert; Andó, István

    2014-01-01

    In the animal kingdom, innate immunity is the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The dangers of microbial and parasitic attacks are countered by similar mechanisms, involving the prototypes of the cell-mediated immune responses, the phagocytosis and encapsulation. Work on Drosophila has played an important role in promoting an understanding of the basic mechanisms of phylogenetically conserved modules of innate immunity. The aim of this review is to survey the developments in the identification and functional definition of immune cell types and the immunological compartments of Drosophila melanogaster. We focus on the molecular and developmental aspects of the blood cell types and compartments, as well as the dynamics of blood cell development and the immune response. Further advances in the characterization of the innate immune mechanisms in Drosophila will provide basic clues to the understanding of the importance of the evolutionary conserved mechanisms of innate immune defenses in the animal kingdom. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. The role of extracellular vesicles when innate meets adaptive.

    PubMed

    Groot Kormelink, Tom; Mol, Sanne; de Jong, Esther C; Wauben, Marca H M

    2018-04-03

    Innate immune cells are recognized for their rapid and critical contribution to the body's first line of defense against invading pathogens and harmful agents. These actions can be further amplified by specific adaptive immune responses adapted to the activating stimulus. Recently, the awareness has grown that virtually all innate immune cells, i.e., mast cells, neutrophils, macrophages, eosinophils, basophils, and NK cells, are able to communicate with dendritic cells (DCs) and/or T and B cells, and thereby significantly contribute to the orchestration of adaptive immune responses. The means of communication that are thus far primarily associated with this function are cell-cell contacts and the release of a broad range of soluble mediators. Moreover, the possible contribution of innate immune cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) to the modulation of adaptive immunity will be outlined in this review. EVs are submicron particles composed of a lipid bilayer, proteins, and nucleic acids released by cells in a regulated fashion. EVs are involved in intercellular communication between multiple cell types, including those of the immune system. A good understanding of the mechanisms by which innate immune cell-derived EVs influence adaptive immune responses, or vice versa, may reveal novel insights in the regulation of the immune system and can open up new possibilities for EVs (or their components) in controlling immune responses, either as a therapy, target, or as an adjuvant in future immune modulating treatments.

  4. Probiotic Modulation of Innate Cell Pathogen Sensing and Signaling Events

    PubMed Central

    Llewellyn, Amy; Foey, Andrew

    2017-01-01

    There is a growing body of evidence documenting probiotic bacteria to have a beneficial effect to the host through their ability to modulate the mucosal immune system. Many probiotic bacteria can be considered to act as either immune activators or immune suppressors, which have appreciable influence on homeostasis, inflammatory- and suppressive-immunopathology. What is becoming apparent is the ability of these probiotics to modulate innate immune responses via direct or indirect effects on the signaling pathways that drive these activatory or suppressive/tolerogenic mechanisms. This review will focus on the immunomodulatory role of probiotics on signaling pathways in innate immune cells: from positive to negative regulation associated with innate immune cells driving gut mucosal functionality. Research investigations have shown probiotics to modulate innate functionality in many ways including, receptor antagonism, receptor expression, binding to and expression of adaptor proteins, expression of negative regulatory signal molecules, induction of micro-RNAs, endotoxin tolerisation and finally, the secretion of immunomodulatory proteins, lipids and metabolites. The detailed understanding of the immunomodulatory signaling effects of probiotic strains will facilitate strain-specific selective manipulation of innate cell signal mechanisms in the modulation of mucosal adjuvanticity, immune deviation and tolerisation in both healthy subjects and patients with inflammatory and suppressive pathology. PMID:29065562

  5. Innate Immunity and Resistance to Tolerogenesis in Allotransplantation

    PubMed Central

    Benichou, Gilles; Tonsho, Makoto; Tocco, Georges; Nadazdin, Ognjenka; Madsen, Joren C.

    2012-01-01

    The development of immunosuppressive drugs to control adaptive immune responses has led to the success of transplantation as a therapy for end-stage organ failure. However, these agents are largely ineffective in suppressing components of the innate immune system. This distinction has gained in clinical significance as mounting evidence now indicates that innate immune responses play important roles in the acute and chronic rejection of whole organ allografts. For instance, whereas clinical interest in natural killer (NK) cells was once largely confined to the field of bone marrow transplantation, recent findings suggest that these cells can also participate in the acute rejection of cardiac allografts and prevent tolerance induction. Stimulation of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), another important component of innate immunity, by endogenous ligands released in response to ischemia/reperfusion is now known to cause an inflammatory milieu favorable to graft rejection and abrogation of tolerance. Emerging data suggest that activation of complement is linked to acute rejection and interferes with tolerance. In summary, the conventional wisdom that the innate immune system is of little importance in whole organ transplantation is no longer tenable. The addition of strategies that target TLRs, NK cells, complement, and other components of the innate immune system will be necessary to eventually achieve long-term tolerance to human allograft recipients. PMID:22566954

  6. Cell-to-cell transmission of retroviruses: Innate immunity and interferon-induced restriction factors

    PubMed Central

    Jolly, Clare

    2011-01-01

    It has been known for some time that retroviruses can disseminate between immune cells either by conventional cell-free transmission or by directed cell-to-cell spread. Over the past few years there has been increasing interest in how retroviruses may use cell-to-cell spread to promote more rapid infection kinetics and circumvent humoral immunity. Effective humoral immune responses are intimately linked with innate immunity and the interplay between retroviruses and innate immunity is a rapidly expanding area of research that has been advanced considerably by the identification of cellular restriction factors that provide barriers to retroviral infection. The effect of innate immunity and restriction factors on retroviral cell-to-cell spread has been comparatively little studied; however recent work suggests this maybe changing. Here I will review some recent advances in what is a budding area of retroviral research. PMID:21247613

  7. Novel Adaptive and Innate Immunity Targets in Hypertension

    PubMed Central

    Abais-Battad, Justine M.; Dasinger, John Henry; Fehrenbach, Daniel J.; Mattson, David L.

    2017-01-01

    Hypertension is a worldwide epidemic and global health concern as it is a major risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. A relationship between the immune system and its contributing role to the pathogenesis of hypertension has been long established, but substantial advancements within the last few years have dissected specific causal molecular mechanisms. This review will briefly examine these recent studies exploring the involvement of either innate or adaptive immunity pathways. Such pathways to be discussed include innate immunity factors such as antigen presenting cells and pattern recognition receptors, adaptive immune elements including T and B lymphocytes, and more specifically, the emerging role of T regulatory cells, as well as the potential of cytokines and chemokines to serve as signaling messengers connecting innate and adaptive immunity. Together, we summarize these studies to provide new perspective for what will hopefully lead to more targeted approaches to manipulate the immune system as hypertensive therapy. PMID:28336371

  8. Gut-liver axis: gut microbiota in shaping hepatic innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Wu, Xunyao; Tian, Zhigang

    2017-11-01

    Gut microbiota play an essential role in shaping immune cell responses. The liver was continuously exposed to metabolic products of intestinal commensal bacterial through portal vein and alteration of gut commensal bateria was always associated with increased risk of liver inflammation and autoimmune disease. Considered as a unique immunological organ, the liver is enriched with a large number of innate immune cells. Herein, we summarize the available literature of gut microbiota in shaping the response of hepatic innate immune cells including NKT cells, NK cells, γδ T cells and Kupffer cells during health and disease. Such knowledge might help to develop novel and innovative strategies for the prevention and therapy of innate immune cell-related liver disease.

  9. Alcohol resistance in Drosophila is modulated by the Toll innate immune pathway.

    PubMed

    Troutwine, B R; Ghezzi, A; Pietrzykowski, A Z; Atkinson, N S

    2016-04-01

    A growing body of evidence has shown that alcohol alters the activity of the innate immune system and that changes in innate immune system activity can influence alcohol-related behaviors. Here, we show that the Toll innate immune signaling pathway modulates the level of alcohol resistance in Drosophila. In humans, a low level of response to alcohol is correlated with increased risk of developing an alcohol use disorder. The Toll signaling pathway was originally discovered in, and has been extensively studied in Drosophila. The Toll pathway is a major regulator of innate immunity in Drosophila, and mammalian Toll-like receptor signaling has been implicated in alcohol responses. Here, we use Drosophila-specific genetic tools to test eight genes in the Toll signaling pathway for effects on the level of response to ethanol. We show that increasing the activity of the pathway increases ethanol resistance whereas decreasing the pathway activity reduces ethanol resistance. Furthermore, we show that gene products known to be outputs of innate immune signaling are rapidly induced following ethanol exposure. The interaction between the Toll signaling pathway and ethanol is rooted in the natural history of Drosophila melanogaster. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.

  10. γ-Oryzanol-Rich Black Rice Bran Extract Enhances the Innate Immune Response.

    PubMed

    Shin, Soon Young; Kim, Heon-Woong; Jang, Hwan-Hee; Hwang, Yu-Jin; Choe, Jeong-Sook; Lim, Yoongho; Kim, Jung-Bong; Lee, Young Han

    2017-09-01

    The innate immune response is an important host primary defense system against pathogens. γ-Oryzanol is one of the nutritionally important phytoceutical components in rice bran oil. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of γ-oryzanol-rich extract from black rice bran (γORE) on the activation of the innate immune system. In this study, we show that γORE increased the expression of CD14 and Toll-like receptor 4 and enhanced the phagocytic activity of RAW264.7 macrophages. Furthermore, γORE and its active ingredient γ-oryzanol promoted the secretion of innate cytokines, interleukin-8, and CCL2, which facilitate phagocytosis by RAW264.7 cells. These findings suggest that γ-oryzanol in the γORE enhances innate immune responses.

  11. Evasion of Influenza A Viruses from Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses

    PubMed Central

    van de Sandt, Carolien E.; Kreijtz, Joost H. C. M.; Rimmelzwaan, Guus F.

    2012-01-01

    The influenza A virus is one of the leading causes of respiratory tract infections in humans. Upon infection with an influenza A virus, both innate and adaptive immune responses are induced. Here we discuss various strategies used by influenza A viruses to evade innate immune responses and recognition by components of the humoral and cellular immune response, which consequently may result in reduced clearing of the virus and virus-infected cells. Finally, we discuss how the current knowledge about immune evasion can be used to improve influenza A vaccination strategies. PMID:23170167

  12. In Depth Analysis of Citrulline Specific CD4 T Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2018-01-01

    activation of lymphoid , myeloid and mast cells , indicating MALT1’s crucial role in innate and adaptive signaling. Therefore, MALT1 is regarded a...Session 7: Adaptive immunity vs. innate immunity and mesenchymal functions in RA Genetics, T cell specificity and T cell regulation in RA Jane Buckner...IFRA) Program Session 7: Adaptive immunity vs. innate immunity and mesenchymal functions in RA Genetics, T cell specificity and T cell regulation in

  13. In-Depth Analysis of Citrulline-Specific CD4 T-Cells in Rheumatoid Arthritis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2018-01-01

    player in the activation of lymphoid , myeloid and mast cells , indicating MALT1’s crucial role in innate and adaptive signaling. Therefore, MALT1 is...for RA (IFRA) Program Session 7: Adaptive immunity vs. innate immunity and mesenchymal functions in RA Genetics, T cell specificity and T cell ...Program Session 7: Adaptive immunity vs. innate immunity and mesenchymal functions in RA Genetics, T cell specificity and T cell regulation in RA

  14. Mast cell: an emerging partner in immune interaction.

    PubMed

    Gri, Giorgia; Frossi, Barbara; D'Inca, Federica; Danelli, Luca; Betto, Elena; Mion, Francesca; Sibilano, Riccardo; Pucillo, Carlo

    2012-01-01

    Mast cells (MCs) are currently recognized as effector cells in many settings of the immune response, including host defense, immune regulation, allergy, chronic inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. MC pleiotropic functions reflect their ability to secrete a wide spectrum of preformed or newly synthesized biologically active products with pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory and/or immunosuppressive properties, in response to multiple signals. Moreover, the modulation of MC effector phenotypes relies on the interaction of a wide variety of membrane molecules involved in cell-cell or cell-extracellular-matrix interaction. The delivery of co-stimulatory signals allows MC to specifically communicate with immune cells belonging to both innate and acquired immunity, as well as with non-immune tissue-specific cell types. This article reviews and discusses the evidence that MC membrane-expressed molecules play a central role in regulating MC priming and activation and in the modulation of innate and adaptive immune response not only against host injury, but also in peripheral tolerance and tumor-surveillance or -escape. The complex expression of MC surface molecules may be regarded as a measure of connectivity, with altered patterns of cell-cell interaction representing functionally distinct MC states. We will focalize our attention on roles and functions of recently discovered molecules involved in the cross-talk of MCs with other immune partners.

  15. Mast Cell: An Emerging Partner in Immune Interaction

    PubMed Central

    Gri, Giorgia; Frossi, Barbara; D’Inca, Federica; Danelli, Luca; Betto, Elena; Mion, Francesca; Sibilano, Riccardo; Pucillo, Carlo

    2012-01-01

    Mast cells (MCs) are currently recognized as effector cells in many settings of the immune response, including host defense, immune regulation, allergy, chronic inflammation, and autoimmune diseases. MC pleiotropic functions reflect their ability to secrete a wide spectrum of preformed or newly synthesized biologically active products with pro-inflammatory, anti-inflammatory and/or immunosuppressive properties, in response to multiple signals. Moreover, the modulation of MC effector phenotypes relies on the interaction of a wide variety of membrane molecules involved in cell–cell or cell-extracellular-matrix interaction. The delivery of co-stimulatory signals allows MC to specifically communicate with immune cells belonging to both innate and acquired immunity, as well as with non-immune tissue-specific cell types. This article reviews and discusses the evidence that MC membrane-expressed molecules play a central role in regulating MC priming and activation and in the modulation of innate and adaptive immune response not only against host injury, but also in peripheral tolerance and tumor-surveillance or -escape. The complex expression of MC surface molecules may be regarded as a measure of connectivity, with altered patterns of cell–cell interaction representing functionally distinct MC states. We will focalize our attention on roles and functions of recently discovered molecules involved in the cross-talk of MCs with other immune partners. PMID:22654879

  16. Innate immune response to Burkholderia mallei.

    PubMed

    Saikh, Kamal U; Mott, Tiffany M

    2017-06-01

    Burkholderia mallei is a facultative intracellular pathogen that causes the highly contagious and often the fatal disease, glanders. With its high rate of infectivity via aerosol and recalcitrance toward antibiotics, this pathogen is considered a potential biological threat agent. This review focuses on the most recent literature highlighting host innate immune response to B. mallei. Recent studies focused on elucidating host innate immune responses to the novel mechanisms and virulence factors employed by B. mallei for survival. Studies suggest that pathogen proteins manipulate various cellular processes, including host ubiquitination pathways, phagosomal escape, and actin-cytoskeleton rearrangement. Immune-signaling molecules such as Toll-like receptors, nucleotode-binding oligomerization domain, myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88, and proinflammatory cytokines such as interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-α, play key roles in the induction of innate immune responses. Modifications in B. mallei lipopolysaccharide, in particular, the lipid A acyl groups, stimulate immune responses via Toll-like receptor4 activation that may contribute to persistent infection. Mortality is high because of septicemia and immune pathogenesis with B. mallei exposure. An effective innate immune response is critical to controlling the acute phase of the infection. Both vaccination and therapeutic approaches are necessary for complete protection against B. mallei.

  17. Lung Epithelial Cells Coordinate Innate Lymphocytes and Immunity against Pulmonary Fungal Infection.

    PubMed

    Hernández-Santos, Nydiaris; Wiesner, Darin L; Fites, J Scott; McDermott, Andrew J; Warner, Thomas; Wüthrich, Marcel; Klein, Bruce S

    2018-04-11

    Lung epithelial cells (LECs) are strategically positioned in the airway mucosa to provide barrier defense. LECs also express pattern recognition receptors and a myriad of immune genes, but their role in immunity is often concealed by the activities of "professional" immune cells, particularly in the context of fungal infection. Here, we demonstrate that NF-κB signaling in LECs is essential for immunity against the pulmonary fungal pathogen Blastomyces dermatitidis. LECs orchestrate innate antifungal immunity by augmenting the numbers of interleukin-17A (IL-17A)- and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-producing innate lymphocytes, specifically "natural" Th17 (nTh17) cells. Innate lymphocyte-derived IL-17A and GM-CSF in turn enable phagocyte-driven fungal killing. LECs regulate the numbers of nTh17 cells via the production of chemokines such as CCL20, a process dependent on IL-1α-IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) signaling on LECs. Therefore, LECs orchestrate IL-17A- and GM-CSF-mediated immunity in an IL-1R-dependent manner and represent an essential component of innate immunity to pulmonary fungal pathogens. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Natural Killer Dendritic Cells Enhance Immune Responses Elicited by α -Galactosylceramide-Stimulated Natural Killer T Cells.

    PubMed

    Lee, Sung Won; Park, Hyun Jung; Kim, Nayoung; Hong, Seokmann

    2013-01-01

    Natural killer dendritic cells (NKDCs) possess potent anti-tumor activity, but the cellular effect of NKDC interactions with other innate immune cells is unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that the interaction of NKDCs and natural killer T (NKT) cells is required for the anti-tumor immune responses that are elicited by α -galactosylceramide ( α -GC) in mice. The rapid and strong expression of interferon- γ by NKDCs after α -GC stimulation was dependent on NKT cells. Various NK and DC molecular markers and cytotoxic molecules were up-regulated following α -GC administration. This up-regulation could improve NKDC presentation of tumor antigens and increase cytotoxicity against tumor cells. NKDCs were required for the stimulation of DCs, NK cells, and NKT cells. The strong anti-tumor immune responses elicited by α -GC may be due to the down-regulation of regulatory T cells. Furthermore, the depletion of NKDCs dampened the tumor clearance mediated by α -GC-stimulated NKT cells in vivo. Taken together, these results indicate that complex interactions of innate immune cells might be required to achieve optimal anti-tumor immune responses during the early stages of tumorigenesis.

  19. Dynamic modulation of innate immunity programming and memory.

    PubMed

    Yuan, Ruoxi; Li, Liwu

    2016-01-01

    Recent progress harkens back to the old theme of immune memory, except this time in the area of innate immunity, to which traditional paradigm only prescribes a rudimentary first-line defense function with no memory. However, both in vitro and in vivo studies reveal that innate leukocytes may adopt distinct activation states such as priming, tolerance, and exhaustion, depending upon the history of prior challenges. The dynamic programming and potential memory of innate leukocytes may have far-reaching consequences in health and disease. This review aims to provide some salient features of innate programing and memory, patho-physiological consequences, underlying mechanisms, and current pressing issues.

  20. Innate T cell responses in human gut.

    PubMed

    Meresse, Bertrand; Cerf-Bensussan, Nadine

    2009-06-01

    One arm of the gut-associated immune system is represented by a vast collection of T lymphocytes which participate in the subtle interplay between innate and adaptive immune mechanisms and maintain homeostasis at the main body external surface. Mounting data are providing exciting new insight into the innate-like mechanisms which enable intestinal T cells to rapidly sense local conditions and which broaden the spectrum of their functions and regulation at this strategic location. Herein we discuss how innate-like T cell recognition by unconventional T cell subsets and expression of innate NK receptors might modulate immune T cell responses in the human normal or diseased intestine.

  1. The role of the innate immune system in destruction of pancreatic beta cells in NOD mice and humans with type I diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Tai, Ningwen; Wong, F. Susan; Wen, Li

    2016-01-01

    Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease characterized by T cell-mediated destruction of the insulin-producing pancreatic β cells. A combination of genetic and environmental factors eventually leads to the loss of functional β cells mass and hyperglycemia. Both innate and adaptive immunity are involved in the development of T1D. In this review, we have highlighted the most recent findings on the role of innate immunity, especially the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), in disease development. In murine models and human studies, different PRRs, such as toll-like receptors (TLRs) and nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat-containing (or NOD-like) receptors (NLRs), have different roles in the pathogenesis of T1D. These PRRs play a critical role in defending against infection by sensing specific ligands derived from exogenous microorganisms to induce innate immune responses and shape adaptive immunity. Animal studies have shown that TLR7, TLR9, MyD88 and NLPR3 play a disease-predisposing role in T1D, while controversial results have been found with other PRRs, such as TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, TLR5 and others. Human studies also shown that TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4 are expressed in either islet β cells or infiltrated immune cells, indicating the innate immunity plays a role in β cell autoimmunity. Furthermore, some human genetic studies showed a possible association of TLR3, TLR7, TLR8 or NLRP3 genes, at single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) level, with human T1D. Increasing evidence suggest that the innate immunity modulates β cell autoimmunity. Thus, targeting pathways of innate immunity may provide novel therapeutic strategies to fight this disease. PMID:27021275

  2. Alcohol, aging, and innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Boule, Lisbeth A; Kovacs, Elizabeth J

    2017-07-01

    The global population is aging: in 2010, 8% of the population was older than 65 y, and that is expected to double to 16% by 2050. With advanced age comes a heightened prevalence of chronic diseases. Moreover, elderly humans fair worse after acute diseases, namely infection, leading to higher rates of infection-mediated mortality. Advanced age alters many aspects of both the innate and adaptive immune systems, leading to impaired responses to primary infection and poor development of immunologic memory. An often overlooked, yet increasingly common, behavior in older individuals is alcohol consumption. In fact, it has been estimated that >40% of older adults consume alcohol, and evidence reveals that >10% of this group is drinking more than the recommended limit by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol consumption, at any level, alters host immune responses, including changes in the number, phenotype, and function of innate and adaptive immune cells. Thus, understanding the effect of alcohol ingestion on the immune system of older individuals, who are already less capable of combating infection, merits further study. However, there is currently almost nothing known about how drinking alters innate immunity in older subjects, despite innate immune cells being critical for host defense, resolution of inflammation, and maintenance of immune homeostasis. Here, we review the effects of aging and alcohol consumption on innate immune cells independently and highlight the few studies that have examined the effects of alcohol ingestion in aged individuals. © Society for Leukocyte Biology.

  3. Innate immunity and HIV-1 infection.

    PubMed

    Lehner, T; Wang, Y; Whittall, T; Seidl, T

    2011-04-01

    HIV-1 is predominantly transmitted through mucosal tissues, targeting CD4(+)CCR5(+) T cells, 50% of which are destroyed within 2 weeks of infection. Conventional vaccination strategies have so far failed to prevent HIV-1 infection. Neither antibodies nor cytotoxic lymphocytes are capable of mounting a sufficiently rapid immune response to prevent early destruction of these cells. However, innate immunity is an early-response system, largely independent of prior encounter with a pathogen. Innate immunity can be classified into cellular, extracellular, and intracellular components, each of which is exemplified in this review by γδ T cells, CC chemokines, and APOBEC3G, respectively. First, γδ T cells are found predominantly in mucosal tissues and produce cytokines, CC chemokines, and antiviral factors. Second, the CC chemokines CCL-3, CCL-4, and CCL-5 can be upregulated by immunization of macaques with SIVgp120 and gag p27, and these can bind and downmodulate CCR5, thereby inhibiting HIV-1 entry into the host cells. Third, APOBEC3G is generated and maintained following rectal mucosal immunization in rhesus macaques for over 17 weeks, and the innate anti-SIV factor is generated by CD4(+)CD95(+)CCR7(-) effector memory T cells. Thus, innate anti-HIV-1 or SIV immunity can be linked with immune memory, mediated by CD4(+) T cells generating APOBEC3G. The multiple innate functions may mount an early anti-HIV-1 response and either prevent viral transmission or contain the virus until an effective adaptive immune response develops.

  4. Immune System Dysfunction in the Elderly.

    PubMed

    Fuentes, Eduardo; Fuentes, Manuel; Alarcón, Marcelo; Palomo, Iván

    2017-01-01

    Human aging is characterized by both physical and physiological frailty that profoundly affects the immune system. In this context aging is associated with declines in adaptive and innate immunity established as immunosenescence. Immunosenescence is a new concept that reflects the age-associated restructuring changes of innate and adaptive immune functions. Thus elderly individuals usually present chronic low-level inflammation, higher infection rates and chronic diseases. A study of alterations in the immune system during aging could provide a potentially useful biomarker for the evaluation of immune senescence treatment. The immune system is the result of the interplay between innate and adaptive immunity, yet the impact of aging on this function is unclear. In this article the function of the immune system during aging is explored.

  5. No genetic tradeoffs between hygienic behaviour and individual innate immunity in the honey bee, Apis mellifera.

    PubMed

    Harpur, Brock A; Chernyshova, Anna; Soltani, Arash; Tsvetkov, Nadejda; Mahjoorighasrodashti, Mohammad; Xu, Zhixing; Zayed, Amro

    2014-01-01

    Many animals have individual and social mechanisms for combating pathogens. Animals may exhibit short-term physiological tradeoffs between social and individual immunity because the latter is often energetically costly. Genetic tradeoffs between these two traits can also occur if mutations that enhance social immunity diminish individual immunity, or vice versa. Physiological tradeoffs between individual and social immunity have been previously documented in insects, but there has been no study of genetic tradeoffs involving these traits. There is strong evidence that some genes influence both innate immunity and behaviour in social insects--a prerequisite for genetic tradeoffs. Quantifying genetic tradeoffs is critical for understanding the evolution of immunity in social insects and for devising effective strategies for breeding disease-resistant pollinator populations. We conducted two experiments to test the hypothesis of a genetic tradeoff between social and individual immunity in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. First, we estimated the relative contribution of genetics to individual variation in innate immunity of honey bee workers, as only heritable traits can experience genetic tradeoffs. Second, we examined if worker bees with hygienic sisters have reduced individual innate immune response. We genotyped several hundred workers from two colonies and found that patriline genotype does not significantly influence the antimicrobial activity of a worker's hemolymph. Further, we did not find a negative correlation between hygienic behaviour and the average antimicrobial activity of a worker's hemolymph across 30 honey bee colonies. Taken together, our work indicates no genetic tradeoffs between hygienic behaviour and innate immunity in honey bees. Our work suggests that using artificial selection to increase hygienic behaviour of honey bee colonies is not expected to concurrently compromise individual innate immunity of worker bees.

  6. No Genetic Tradeoffs between Hygienic Behaviour and Individual Innate Immunity in the Honey Bee, Apis mellifera

    PubMed Central

    Harpur, Brock A.; Chernyshova, Anna; Soltani, Arash; Tsvetkov, Nadejda; Mahjoorighasrodashti, Mohammad; Xu, Zhixing; Zayed, Amro

    2014-01-01

    Many animals have individual and social mechanisms for combating pathogens. Animals may exhibit short-term physiological tradeoffs between social and individual immunity because the latter is often energetically costly. Genetic tradeoffs between these two traits can also occur if mutations that enhance social immunity diminish individual immunity, or vice versa. Physiological tradeoffs between individual and social immunity have been previously documented in insects, but there has been no study of genetic tradeoffs involving these traits. There is strong evidence that some genes influence both innate immunity and behaviour in social insects – a prerequisite for genetic tradeoffs. Quantifying genetic tradeoffs is critical for understanding the evolution of immunity in social insects and for devising effective strategies for breeding disease-resistant pollinator populations. We conducted two experiments to test the hypothesis of a genetic tradeoff between social and individual immunity in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. First, we estimated the relative contribution of genetics to individual variation in innate immunity of honey bee workers, as only heritable traits can experience genetic tradeoffs. Second, we examined if worker bees with hygienic sisters have reduced individual innate immune response. We genotyped several hundred workers from two colonies and found that patriline genotype does not significantly influence the antimicrobial activity of a worker’s hemolymph. Further, we did not find a negative correlation between hygienic behaviour and the average antimicrobial activity of a worker’s hemolymph across 30 honey bee colonies. Taken together, our work indicates no genetic tradeoffs between hygienic behaviour and innate immunity in honey bees. Our work suggests that using artificial selection to increase hygienic behaviour of honey bee colonies is not expected to concurrently compromise individual innate immunity of worker bees. PMID:25162411

  7. Postnatal Innate Immune Development: From Birth to Adulthood

    PubMed Central

    Georgountzou, Anastasia; Papadopoulos, Nikolaos G.

    2017-01-01

    It is well established that adaptive immune responses are deficient in early life, contributing to increased mortality and morbidity. The developmental trajectories of different components of innate immunity are only recently being explored. Individual molecules, cells, or pathways of innate recognition and signaling, within different compartments/anatomical sites, demonstrate variable maturation patterns. Despite some discrepancies among published data, valuable information is emerging, showing that the developmental pattern of cytokine responses during early life is age and toll-like receptor specific, and may be modified by genetic and environmental factors. Interestingly, specific environmental exposures have been linked both to innate function modifications and the occurrence of chronic inflammatory disorders, such as respiratory allergies. As these conditions are on the rise, our knowledge on innate immune development and its modulating factors needs to be expanded. Improved understanding of the sequence of events associated with disease onset and persistence will lead toward meaningful interventions. This review describes the state-of-the-art on normal postnatal innate immune ontogeny and highlights research areas that are currently explored or should be further addressed. PMID:28848557

  8. PQBP1 Is a Proximal Sensor of the cGAS-Dependent Innate Response to HIV-1.

    PubMed

    Yoh, Sunnie M; Schneider, Monika; Seifried, Janna; Soonthornvacharin, Stephen; Akleh, Rana E; Olivieri, Kevin C; De Jesus, Paul D; Ruan, Chunhai; de Castro, Elisa; Ruiz, Pedro A; Germanaud, David; des Portes, Vincent; García-Sastre, Adolfo; König, Renate; Chanda, Sumit K

    2015-06-04

    Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical role in the immune response to viral infection through the facilitation of cell-intrinsic antiviral activity and the activation of adaptive immunity. HIV-1 infection of DCs triggers an IRF3-dependent innate immune response, which requires the activity of cyclic GAMP synthase (cGAS). We report the results of a targeted RNAi screen utilizing primary human monocyte-derived DCs (MDDCs) to identify immune regulators that directly interface with HIV-1-encoded features to initiate this innate response. Polyglutamine binding protein 1 (PQBP1) emerged as a strong candidate through this analysis. We found that PQBP1 directly binds to reverse-transcribed HIV-1 DNA and interacts with cGAS to initiate an IRF3-dependent innate response. MDDCs derived from Renpenning syndrome patients, who harbor mutations in the PQBP1 locus, possess a severely attenuated innate immune response to HIV-1 challenge, underscoring the role of PQBP1 as a proximal innate sensor of a HIV-1 infection. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Chronic infection and the origin of adaptive immune system.

    PubMed

    Usharauli, David

    2010-08-01

    It has been speculated that the rise of the adaptive immune system in jawed vertebrates some 400 million years ago gave them a superior protection to detect and defend against pathogens that became more elusive and/or virulent to the host that had only innate immune system. First, this line of thought implies that adaptive immune system was a new, more sophisticated layer of host defense that operated independently of the innate immune system. Second, the natural consequence of this scenario would be that pathogens would have exercised so strong an evolutionary pressure that eventually no host could have afforded not to have an adaptive immune system. Neither of these arguments is supported by the facts. First, new experimental evidence has firmly established that operation of adaptive immune system is critically dependent on the ability of the innate immune system to detect invader-pathogens and second, the absolute majority of animal kingdom survives just fine with only an innate immune system. Thus, these data raise the dilemma: If innate immune system was sufficient to detect and protect against pathogens, why then did adaptive immune system develop in the first place? In contrast to the innate immune system, the adaptive immune system has one important advantage, precision. By precision I mean the ability of the defense system to detect and remove the target, for example, infected cells, without causing unwanted bystander damage of surrounding tissue. While the target precision per se is not important for short-term immune response, it becomes a critical factor when the immune response is long-lasting, as during chronic infection. In this paper I would like to propose new, "toxic index" hypothesis where I argue that the need to reduce the collateral damage to the tissue during chronic infection(s) was the evolutionary pressure that led to the development of the adaptive immune system. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Energetics of Endotoxin Recognition in the Toll-Like Receptor 4 Innate Immune Response.

    PubMed

    Paramo, Teresa; Tomasio, Susana M; Irvine, Kate L; Bryant, Clare E; Bond, Peter J

    2015-12-09

    Bacterial outer membrane lipopolysaccharide (LPS) potently stimulates the mammalian innate immune system, and can lead to sepsis, the primary cause of death from infections. LPS is sensed by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in complex with its lipid-binding coreceptor MD-2, but subtle structural variations in LPS can profoundly modulate the response. To better understand the mechanism of LPS-induced stimulation and bacterial evasion, we have calculated the binding affinity to MD-2 of agonistic and antagonistic LPS variants including lipid A, lipid IVa, and synthetic antagonist Eritoran, and provide evidence that the coreceptor is a molecular switch that undergoes ligand-induced conformational changes to appropriately activate or inhibit the receptor complex. The plasticity of the coreceptor binding cavity is shown to be essential for distinguishing between ligands, whilst similar calculations for a model bacterial LPS bilayer reveal the "membrane-like" nature of the protein cavity. The ability to predict the activity of LPS variants should facilitate the rational design of TLR4 therapeutics.

  11. Energetics of Endotoxin Recognition in the Toll-Like Receptor 4 Innate Immune Response

    PubMed Central

    Paramo, Teresa; Tomasio, Susana M.; Irvine, Kate L.; Bryant, Clare E.; Bond, Peter J.

    2015-01-01

    Bacterial outer membrane lipopolysaccharide (LPS) potently stimulates the mammalian innate immune system, and can lead to sepsis, the primary cause of death from infections. LPS is sensed by Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in complex with its lipid-binding coreceptor MD-2, but subtle structural variations in LPS can profoundly modulate the response. To better understand the mechanism of LPS-induced stimulation and bacterial evasion, we have calculated the binding affinity to MD-2 of agonistic and antagonistic LPS variants including lipid A, lipid IVa, and synthetic antagonist Eritoran, and provide evidence that the coreceptor is a molecular switch that undergoes ligand-induced conformational changes to appropriately activate or inhibit the receptor complex. The plasticity of the coreceptor binding cavity is shown to be essential for distinguishing between ligands, whilst similar calculations for a model bacterial LPS bilayer reveal the “membrane-like” nature of the protein cavity. The ability to predict the activity of LPS variants should facilitate the rational design of TLR4 therapeutics. PMID:26647780

  12. Cryptococcus and Phagocytes: Complex Interactions that Influence Disease Outcome

    PubMed Central

    Leopold Wager, Chrissy M.; Hole, Camaron R.; Wozniak, Karen L.; Wormley, Floyd L.

    2016-01-01

    Cryptococcus neoformans and C. gattii are fungal pathogens that cause life-threatening disease. These fungi commonly enter their host via inhalation into the lungs where they encounter resident phagocytes, including macrophages and dendritic cells, whose response has a pronounced impact on the outcome of disease. Cryptococcus has complex interactions with the resident and infiltrating innate immune cells that, ideally, result in destruction of the yeast. These phagocytic cells have pattern recognition receptors that allow recognition of specific cryptococcal cell wall and capsule components. However, Cryptococcus possesses several virulence factors including a polysaccharide capsule, melanin production and secretion of various enzymes that aid in evasion of the immune system or enhance its ability to thrive within the phagocyte. This review focuses on the intricate interactions between the cryptococci and innate phagocytic cells including discussion of manipulation and evasion strategies used by Cryptococcus, anti-cryptococcal responses by the phagocytes and approaches for targeting phagocytes for the development of novel immunotherapeutics. PMID:26903984

  13. RNA-Seq of the Caribbean reef-building coral Orbicella faveolata (Scleractinia-Merulinidae) under bleaching and disease stress expands models of coral innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Anderson, David A; Walz, Marcus E; Weil, Ernesto; Tonellato, Peter; Smith, Matthew C

    2016-01-01

    Climate change-driven coral disease outbreaks have led to widespread declines in coral populations. Early work on coral genomics established that corals have a complex innate immune system, and whole-transcriptome gene expression studies have revealed mechanisms by which the coral immune system responds to stress and disease. The present investigation expands bioinformatic data available to study coral molecular physiology through the assembly and annotation of a reference transcriptome of the Caribbean reef-building coral, Orbicella faveolata. Samples were collected during a warm water thermal anomaly, coral bleaching event and Caribbean yellow band disease outbreak in 2010 in Puerto Rico. Multiplex sequencing of RNA on the Illumina GAIIx platform and de novo transcriptome assembly by Trinity produced 70,745,177 raw short-sequence reads and 32,463 O. faveolata transcripts, respectively. The reference transcriptome was annotated with gene ontologies, mapped to KEGG pathways, and a predicted proteome of 20,488 sequences was generated. Protein families and signaling pathways that are essential in the regulation of innate immunity across Phyla were investigated in-depth. Results were used to develop models of evolutionarily conserved Wnt, Notch, Rig-like receptor, Nod-like receptor, and Dicer signaling. O. faveolata is a coral species that has been studied widely under climate-driven stress and disease, and the present investigation provides new data on the genes that putatively regulate its immune system.

  14. RNA-Seq of the Caribbean reef-building coral Orbicella faveolata (Scleractinia-Merulinidae) under bleaching and disease stress expands models of coral innate immunity

    PubMed Central

    Walz, Marcus E.; Weil, Ernesto; Smith, Matthew C.

    2016-01-01

    Climate change-driven coral disease outbreaks have led to widespread declines in coral populations. Early work on coral genomics established that corals have a complex innate immune system, and whole-transcriptome gene expression studies have revealed mechanisms by which the coral immune system responds to stress and disease. The present investigation expands bioinformatic data available to study coral molecular physiology through the assembly and annotation of a reference transcriptome of the Caribbean reef-building coral, Orbicella faveolata. Samples were collected during a warm water thermal anomaly, coral bleaching event and Caribbean yellow band disease outbreak in 2010 in Puerto Rico. Multiplex sequencing of RNA on the Illumina GAIIx platform and de novo transcriptome assembly by Trinity produced 70,745,177 raw short-sequence reads and 32,463 O. faveolata transcripts, respectively. The reference transcriptome was annotated with gene ontologies, mapped to KEGG pathways, and a predicted proteome of 20,488 sequences was generated. Protein families and signaling pathways that are essential in the regulation of innate immunity across Phyla were investigated in-depth. Results were used to develop models of evolutionarily conserved Wnt, Notch, Rig-like receptor, Nod-like receptor, and Dicer signaling. O. faveolata is a coral species that has been studied widely under climate-driven stress and disease, and the present investigation provides new data on the genes that putatively regulate its immune system. PMID:26925311

  15. The Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin FurinA Regulates Zebrafish Host Response against Mycobacterium marinum

    PubMed Central

    Ojanen, Markus J. T.; Turpeinen, Hannu; Cordova, Zuzet M.; Hammarén, Milka M.; Harjula, Sanna-Kaisa E.; Parikka, Mataleena; Rämet, Mika

    2015-01-01

    Tuberculosis is a chronic bacterial disease with a complex pathogenesis. An effective immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis requires both the innate and adaptive immune responses, including proper T helper (Th) type 1 cell function. FURIN is a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin (PCSK) enzyme, which is highly expressed in Th1 type cells. FURIN expression in T cells is essential for maintaining peripheral immune tolerance, but its role in the innate immunity and infections has remained elusive. Here, we utilized Mycobacterium marinum infection models in zebrafish (Danio rerio) to investigate how furin regulates host responses against mycobacteria. In steady-state furinAtd204e/+ fish reduced furinA mRNA levels associated with low granulocyte counts and elevated Th cell transcription factor expressions. Silencing furin genes reduced the survival of M. marinum-infected zebrafish embryos. A mycobacterial infection upregulated furinA in adult zebrafish, and infected furinAtd204e/+ mutants exhibited a proinflammatory phenotype characterized by elevated tumor necrosis factor a (tnfa), lymphotoxin alpha (lta) and interleukin 17a/f3 (il17a/f3) expression levels. The enhanced innate immune response in the furinAtd204e/+ mutants correlated with a significantly decreased bacterial burden in a chronic M. marinum infection model. Our data show that upregulated furinA expression can serve as a marker for mycobacterial disease, since it inhibits early host responses and consequently promotes bacterial growth in a chronic infection. PMID:25624351

  16. Dendritic Cell Immune Responses in HIV-1 Controllers.

    PubMed

    Martin-Gayo, Enrique; Yu, Xu G

    2017-02-01

    Robust HIV-1-specific CD8 T cell responses are currently regarded as the main correlate of immune defense in rare individuals who achieve natural, drug-free control of HIV-1; however, the mechanisms that support evolution of such powerful immune responses are not well understood. Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized innate immune cells critical for immune recognition, immune regulation, and immune induction, but their possible contribution to HIV-1 immune defense in controllers remains ill-defined. Recent studies suggest that myeloid DCs from controllers have improved abilities to recognize HIV-1 through cytoplasmic immune sensors, resulting in more potent, cell-intrinsic type I interferon secretion in response to viral infection. This innate immune response may facilitate DC-mediated induction of highly potent antiviral HIV-1-specific T cells. Moreover, protective HLA class I isotypes restricting HIV-1-specific CD8 T cells may influence DC function through specific interactions with innate myelomonocytic MHC class I receptors from the leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor family. Bi-directional interactions between dendritic cells and HIV-1-specific T cells may contribute to natural HIV-1 immune control, highlighting the importance of a fine-tuned interplay between innate and adaptive immune activities for effective antiviral immune defense.

  17. Early Immune Function and Duration of Organ Dysfunction in Critically Ill Septic Children.

    PubMed

    Muszynski, Jennifer A; Nofziger, Ryan; Moore-Clingenpeel, Melissa; Greathouse, Kristin; Anglim, Larissa; Steele, Lisa; Hensley, Josey; Hanson-Huber, Lisa; Nateri, Jyotsna; Ramilo, Octavio; Hall, Mark W

    2018-02-22

    Late immune suppression is associated with nosocomial infection and mortality in septic adults and children. Relationships between early immune suppression and outcomes in septic children remain unclear. Prospective observational study to test the hypothesis that early innate and adaptive immune suppression are associated with longer duration of organ dysfunction in children with severe sepsis/septic shock. Methods, Measurements and Main Results: Children aged < 18 years meeting consensus criteria for severe sepsis or septic shock were sampled within 48 hours of sepsis onset. Healthy controls were sampled once. Innate immune function was quantified by whole blood ex vivo lipopolysaccharide-induced TNFα production capacity. Adaptive immune function was quantified by ex vivo phytohemagglutinin-induced IFNγ production capacity. 102 septic children and 35 healthy children were enrolled. Compared to healthy children, septic children demonstrated lower LPS-induced TNFα production (p < 0.0001) and lower PHA-induced IFNγ production (p<0.0001). Among septic children, early innate and adaptive immune suppression were associated with greater number of days with multiple organ dysfunction (MODS) and greater number of days with any organ dysfunction. On multivariable analyses, early innate immune suppression remained independently associated with increased MODS days [aRR 1.2 (1.03, 1.5)] and organ dysfunction days [aRR 1.2 (1.1, 1.3)]. Critically ill children with severe sepsis or septic shock demonstrate early innate and adaptive immune suppression. Early suppression of both innate and adaptive immunity are associated with longer duration of organ dysfunction and may be useful markers to guide investigations of immunomodulatory therapies in septic children.

  18. Obligate brood parasites show more functionally effective innate immune responses: an eco-immunological hypothesis

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hahn, D. Caldwell; Summers, Scott G.; Genovese, Kenneth J.; He, Haiqi; Kogut, Michael H.

    2013-01-01

    Immune adaptations of obligate brood parasites attracted interest when three New World cowbird species (Passeriformes, Icteridae, genus Molothrus) proved unusually resistant to West Nile virus. We have used cowbirds as models to investigate the eco-immunological hypothesis that species in parasite-rich environments characteristically have enhanced immunity as a life history adaptation. As part of an ongoing program to understand the cowbird immune system, in this study we measured degranulation and oxidative burst, two fundamental responses of the innate immune system. Innate immunity provides non-specific, fast-acting defenses against a variety of invading pathogens, and we hypothesized that innate immunity experiences particularly strong selection in cowbirds, because their life history strategy exposes them to diverse novel and unpredictable parasites. We compared the relative effectiveness of degranulation and oxidative burst responses in two cowbird species and one related, non-parasitic species. Both innate immune defenses were significantly more functionally efficient in the two parasitic cowbird species than in the non-parasitic red-winged blackbird (Icteridae, Agelaius phoeniceus). Additionally, both immune defenses were more functionally efficient in the brown-headed cowbird (M. ater), an extreme host-generalist brood parasite, than in the bronzed cowbird (M. aeneus), a moderate host-specialist with lower exposure to other species and their parasites. Thus the relative effectiveness of these two innate immune responses corresponds to the diversity of parasites in the niche of each species and to their relative resistance to WNV. This study is the first use of these two specialized assays in a comparative immunology study of wild avian species.

  19. Characterization of the effect of Cr(VI) on humoral innate immunity using Drosophila melanogaster.

    PubMed

    Pragya, P; Shukla, A K; Murthy, R C; Abdin, M Z; Kar Chowdhuri, D

    2015-11-01

    With the advancement of human race, different anthropogenic activities have heaped the environment with chemicals that can cause alteration in the immune system of exposed organism. As a first line of barrier, the evolutionary conserved innate immunity is crucial for the health of an organism. However, there is paucity of information regarding in vivo assessment of the effect of environmental chemicals on innate immunity. Therefore, we examined the effect of a widely used environmental chemical, Cr(VI), on humoral innate immune response using Drosophila melanogaster. The adverse effect of Cr(VI) on host humoral response was characterized by decreased gene expression of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the exposed organism. Concurrently, a significantly decreased transcription of humoral pathway receptors (Toll and PGRP) and triglyceride level along with inhibition of antioxidant enzyme activities were observed in exposed organism. This in turn weakened the immune response of exposed organism that was manifested by their reduced resistance against bacterial infection. In addition, overexpression of the components of humoral immunity particularly Diptericin benefits Drosophila from Cr(VI)-induced humoral immune-suppressive effect. To our knowledge, this is the first report regarding negative impact of an environmental chemical on humoral innate immune response of Drosophila along with subsequent protection by AMPs, which may provide novel insight into host-chemical interactions. Also, our data validate the utility and sensitivity of Drosophila as a model that could be used for screening the possible risk of environmental chemicals on innate immunity with minimum ethical concern that can be further extrapolated to higher organisms. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Production and Release of Antimicrobial and Immune Defense Proteins by Mammary Epithelial Cells following Streptococcus uberis Infection of Sheep

    PubMed Central

    Pisanu, Salvatore; Marogna, Gavino; Cubeddu, Tiziana; Pagnozzi, Daniela; Cacciotto, Carla; Campesi, Franca; Schianchi, Giuseppe; Rocca, Stefano

    2013-01-01

    Investigating the innate immune response mediators released in milk has manifold implications, spanning from elucidation of the role played by mammary epithelial cells (MECs) in fighting microbial infections to the discovery of novel diagnostic markers for monitoring udder health in dairy animals. Here, we investigated the mammary gland response following a two-step experimental infection of lactating sheep with the mastitis-associated bacterium Streptococcus uberis. The establishment of infection was confirmed both clinically and by molecular methods, including PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization of mammary tissues. Proteomic investigation of the milk fat globule (MFG), a complex vesicle released by lactating MECs, enabled detection of enrichment of several proteins involved in inflammation, chemotaxis of immune cells, and antimicrobial defense, including cathelicidins and calprotectin (S100A8/S100A9), in infected animals, suggesting the consistent involvement of MECs in the innate immune response to pathogens. The ability of MECs to produce and release antimicrobial and immune defense proteins was then demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and confocal immunomicroscopy of cathelicidin and the calprotectin subunit S100A9 on mammary tissues. The time course of their release in milk was also assessed by Western immunoblotting along the course of the experimental infection, revealing the rapid increase of these proteins in the MFG fraction in response to the presence of bacteria. Our results support an active role of MECs in the innate immune response of the mammary gland and provide new potential for the development of novel and more sensitive tools for monitoring mastitis in dairy animals. PMID:23774600

  1. Production and release of antimicrobial and immune defense proteins by mammary epithelial cells following Streptococcus uberis infection of sheep.

    PubMed

    Addis, Maria Filippa; Pisanu, Salvatore; Marogna, Gavino; Cubeddu, Tiziana; Pagnozzi, Daniela; Cacciotto, Carla; Campesi, Franca; Schianchi, Giuseppe; Rocca, Stefano; Uzzau, Sergio

    2013-09-01

    Investigating the innate immune response mediators released in milk has manifold implications, spanning from elucidation of the role played by mammary epithelial cells (MECs) in fighting microbial infections to the discovery of novel diagnostic markers for monitoring udder health in dairy animals. Here, we investigated the mammary gland response following a two-step experimental infection of lactating sheep with the mastitis-associated bacterium Streptococcus uberis. The establishment of infection was confirmed both clinically and by molecular methods, including PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization of mammary tissues. Proteomic investigation of the milk fat globule (MFG), a complex vesicle released by lactating MECs, enabled detection of enrichment of several proteins involved in inflammation, chemotaxis of immune cells, and antimicrobial defense, including cathelicidins and calprotectin (S100A8/S100A9), in infected animals, suggesting the consistent involvement of MECs in the innate immune response to pathogens. The ability of MECs to produce and release antimicrobial and immune defense proteins was then demonstrated by immunohistochemistry and confocal immunomicroscopy of cathelicidin and the calprotectin subunit S100A9 on mammary tissues. The time course of their release in milk was also assessed by Western immunoblotting along the course of the experimental infection, revealing the rapid increase of these proteins in the MFG fraction in response to the presence of bacteria. Our results support an active role of MECs in the innate immune response of the mammary gland and provide new potential for the development of novel and more sensitive tools for monitoring mastitis in dairy animals.

  2. Immunity-Associated Programmed Cell Death as a Tool for the Identification of Genes Essential for Plant Innate Immunity.

    PubMed

    Zhou, Bangjun; Zeng, Lirong

    2018-01-01

    Plants have evolved a sophisticated innate immune system to contend with potential infection by various pathogens. Understanding and manipulation of key molecular mechanisms that plants use to defend against various pathogens are critical for developing novel strategies in plant disease control. In plants, resistance to attempted pathogen infection is often associated with hypersensitive response (HR), a form of rapid programmed cell death (PCD) at the site of attempted pathogen invasion. In this chapter, we describe a method for rapid identification of genes that are essential for plant innate immunity. It combines virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS), a tool that is suitable for studying gene function in high-throughput, with the utilization of immunity-associated PCD, particularly HR-linked PCD as the readout of changes in plant innate immunity. The chapter covers from the design of gene fragment for VIGS, the agroinfiltration of the Nicotiana benthamian plants, to the use of immunity-associated PCD induced by twelve elicitors as the indicator of activation of plant immunity.

  3. Dissecting and Targeting Latent Metastasis

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-09-01

    distinct class of stem-like cancer cells , which primed to enter quiescence and evade innate immunity after infiltrating distant organs. LCC cells express...state and actively silencing WNT signaling, LCC cells can enter quiescence and evade innate immunity to remain latent for extended periods. These...mutation in Foxn1 renders the mice athymic, severely blunting the maturation of effector T cells but preserving innate immunity components including

  4. COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TUMORIGENESIS AND TUMOR IMMUNITY IN INVERTEBRATES AND NONMAMMALIAN VERTEBRATES

    PubMed Central

    Robert, Jacques

    2010-01-01

    Despite intense study in mammals, the different roles played by the immune system in detecting (immunosurveillance), controlling and remodeling (immunoediting) neoplasia, and perhaps in metastasis are not fully understood. In this review, I will present evidence of neoplasia and invasive malignancy, as well as tumor immunity in invertebrates and nonmammalian vertebrates. I will also present a comparative and evolutionary view of the complex interactions between neoplasia and the host immune system. Overall, I wish to go beyond the too simplistic dichotomy between invertebrates with innate immunity that are only affected with benign neoplasia and vertebrates with adaptive immunity that are affected by metastatic malignancies or cancer. PMID:20553753

  5. PF4-HIT antibody (KKO) complexes activate broad innate immune and inflammatory responses.

    PubMed

    Haile, Lydia A; Rao, Roshni; Polumuri, Swamy K; Arepally, Gowthami M; Keire, David A; Verthelyi, Daniela; Sommers, Cynthia D

    2017-11-01

    Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an immune-mediated complication of heparin anticoagulation therapy resulting in thrombocytopenia frequently accompanied by thrombosis. Current evidence suggests that HIT is associated with antibodies developed in response to multi-molecular complexes formed by platelet factor 4 (PF4) bound to heparin or cell surface glycosaminoglycans. These antibody complexes activate platelets and monocytes typically through FcγRIIA receptors increasing the production of PF4, inflammatory mediators, tissue factor and thrombin. The influence of underlying events in HIT including complex-induced pro-inflammatory cell activation and structural determinants leading to local inflammatory responses are not fully understood. The stoichiometry and complex component requirements were determined by incubating fresh peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with different concentrations of unfractionated heparin (H), low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), PF4- and anti-PF4-H complex antibodies (KKO). Cytokine mRNA or protein were measured by qRT-PCR or Meso Scale Discovery technology, respectively. Gene expression profile analysis for 594 genes was performed using Nanostring technology and analyzed using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software. The data show that antibodies magnify immune responses induced in PBMCs by PF4 alone or in complex with heparin or LMWH. We propose that following induction of HIT antibodies by heparin-PF4 complexes, binding of the antibodies to PF4 is sufficient to induce a local pro-inflammatory response which may play a role in the progression of HIT. In vitro assays using PBMCs may be useful in characterizing local inflammatory and innate immune responses induced by HIT antibodies in the presence of PF4 and different sources of heparins. The findings and conclusions in this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and are not being formally disseminated by the Food and Drug Administration. Thus, they should not be construed to represent any Agency determination or policy. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  6. Differential Effect of Lactobacillus johnsonii BFE 6128 on Expression of Genes Related to TLR Pathways and Innate Immunity in Intestinal Epithelial Cells.

    PubMed

    Seifert, Stephanie; Rodriguez Gómez, Manuel; Watzl, Bernhard; Holzapfel, Wilhelm H; Franz, Charles M A P; Vizoso Pinto, María G

    2010-12-01

    Probiotics have been shown to enhance immune defenses, but their mechanisms of action are only partially understood. We investigated the modulation of signal pathways involved in innate immunity in enterocytes by Lactobacillus johnsonii BFE 6128 isolated from 'Kule naoto', a Maasai traditional fermented milk product. This lactobacillus sensitized HT29 intestinal epithelial cells toward recognition of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium by increasing the IL-8 levels released after challenge with this pathogen and by differentially modulating genes related to toll-like receptor (TLR) pathways and innate immunity. Thus, the modulation of pro-inflammatory mediators and TLR-pathway-related molecules may be an important mechanism contributing to the potential stimulation of innate immunity by lactobacilli at the intestinal epithelial level.

  7. Elimination of tumor by CD47/PD-L1 dual-targeting fusion protein that engages innate and adaptive immune responses.

    PubMed

    Liu, Boning; Guo, Huaizu; Xu, Jin; Qin, Ting; Guo, Qingcheng; Gu, Nana; Zhang, Dapeng; Qian, Weizhu; Dai, Jianxin; Hou, Sheng; Wang, Hao; Guo, Yajun

    The host immune system generally serves as a barrier against tumor formation. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a critical "don't find me" signal to the adaptive immune system, whereas CD47 transmits an anti-phagocytic signal, known as the "don't eat me" signal, to the innate immune system. These and similar immune checkpoints are often overexpressed on human tumors. Thus, dual targeting both innate and adaptive immune checkpoints would likely maximize anti-tumor therapeutic effect and elicit more durable responses. Herein, based on the variable region of atezolizumab and consensus variant 1 (CV1) monomer, we constructed a dual-targeting fusion protein targeting both CD47 and PD-L1 using "Knobs-into-holes" technology, denoted as IAB. It was effective in inducing phagocytosis of tumor cells, stimulating T-cell activation and mediating antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro. No obvious sign of hematological toxicity was observed in mice administered IAB at a dose of 100 mg/kg, and IAB exhibited potent antitumor activity in an immune-competent mouse model of MC38. Additionally, the anti-tumor effect of IAB was impaired by anti-CD8 antibody or clodronate liposomes, which implied that both CD8+ T cells and macrophages were required for the anti-tumor efficacy of IAB and IAB plays an essential role in the engagement of innate and adaptive immune responses. Collectively, these results demonstrate the capacity of an elicited endogenous immune response against tumors and elucidate essential characteristics of synergistic innate and adaptive immune response, and indicate dual blockade of CD47 and PD-L1 by IAB may be a synergistic therapy that activates both innate and adaptive immune response against tumors.

  8. Genome-Wide Characterization of Transcriptional Patterns in High and Low Antibody Responders to Rubella Vaccination

    PubMed Central

    Haralambieva, Iana H.; Oberg, Ann L.; Ovsyannikova, Inna G.; Kennedy, Richard B.; Grill, Diane E.; Middha, Sumit; Bot, Brian M.; Wang, Vivian W.; Smith, David I.; Jacobson, Robert M.; Poland, Gregory A.

    2013-01-01

    Immune responses to current rubella vaccines demonstrate significant inter-individual variability. We performed mRNA-Seq profiling on PBMCs from high and low antibody responders to rubella vaccination to delineate transcriptional differences upon viral stimulation. Generalized linear models were used to assess the per gene fold change (FC) for stimulated versus unstimulated samples or the interaction between outcome and stimulation. Model results were evaluated by both FC and p-value. Pathway analysis and self-contained gene set tests were performed for assessment of gene group effects. Of 17,566 detected genes, we identified 1,080 highly significant differentially expressed genes upon viral stimulation (p<1.00E−15, FDR<1.00E−14), including various immune function and inflammation-related genes, genes involved in cell signaling, cell regulation and transcription, and genes with unknown function. Analysis by immune outcome and stimulation status identified 27 genes (p≤0.0006 and FDR≤0.30) that responded differently to viral stimulation in high vs. low antibody responders, including major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I genes (HLA-A, HLA-B and B2M with p = 0.0001, p = 0.0005 and p = 0.0002, respectively), and two genes related to innate immunity and inflammation (EMR3 and MEFV with p = 1.46E−08 and p = 0.0004, respectively). Pathway and gene set analysis also revealed transcriptional differences in antigen presentation and innate/inflammatory gene sets and pathways between high and low responders. Using mRNA-Seq genome-wide transcriptional profiling, we identified antigen presentation and innate/inflammatory genes that may assist in explaining rubella vaccine-induced immune response variations. Such information may provide new scientific insights into vaccine-induced immunity useful in rational vaccine development and immune response monitoring. PMID:23658707

  9. Whey acidic proteins (WAPs): novel modulators of innate immunity to HIV infection.

    PubMed

    Reading, James L; Meyers, Adrienne F A; Vyakarnam, Annapurna

    2012-03-01

    To discuss how whey acidic proteins (WAPs), a new class of immunomodulatory soluble mediators, impact innate immunity to HIV infection. Innate immunity to HIV infection is increasingly being recognized as critical in determining initial virus transmission and dissemination and may, therefore, be exploited in vaccine and microbicide intervention strategies to combat HIV infection. Several important innate immune mediators have recently been shown to regulate HIV infection in vitro and are, thus, implicated in in vivo immunity to the virus. These include soluble mediators, such as type I interferon, the defensins and more recently WAPs. Recent evidence is discussed, which show that WAPs are pleiotropic soluble mediators that may impact the course of HIV infection in two ways: as regulators of HIV replication and as regulators of innate and adaptive immunity. A better understanding of host factors that regulate HIV transmission is essential in the development of novel therapeutic strategies. This review focuses on recent findings that highlight the HIV regulatory and anti-inflammatory function of WAPs and assesses their potential to be exploited as novel therapeutics.

  10. Innate Immune Signaling Activated by MDR Bacteria in the Airway

    PubMed Central

    Parker, Dane; Ahn, Danielle; Cohen, Taylor; Prince, Alice

    2015-01-01

    Health care-associated bacterial pneumonias due to multiple-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens are an important public health problem and are major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In addition to antimicrobial resistance, these organisms have adapted to the milieu of the human airway and have acquired resistance to the innate immune clearance mechanisms that normally prevent pneumonia. Given the limited efficacy of antibiotics, bacterial clearance from the airway requires an effective immune response. Understanding how specific airway pathogens initiate and regulate innate immune signaling, and whether this response is excessive, leading to host-induced pathology may guide future immunomodulatory therapy. We will focus on three of the most important causes of health care-associated pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and review the mechanisms through which an inappropriate or damaging innate immune response is stimulated, as well as describe how airway pathogens cause persistent infection by evading immune activation. PMID:26582515

  11. Keeping your armour intact: how HIV-1 evades detection by the innate immune system: HIV-1 capsid controls detection of reverse transcription products by the cytosolic DNA sensor cGAS.

    PubMed

    Maelfait, Jonathan; Seiradake, Elena; Rehwinkel, Jan

    2014-07-01

    HIV-1 infects dendritic cells (DCs) without triggering an effective innate antiviral immune response. As a consequence, the induction of adaptive immune responses controlling virus spread is limited. In a recent issue of Immunity, Lahaye and colleagues show that intricate interactions of HIV capsid with the cellular cofactor cyclophilin A (CypA) control infection and innate immune activation in DCs. Manipulation of HIV-1 capsid to increase its affinity for CypA results in reduced virus infectivity and facilitates access of the cytosolic DNA sensor cGAS to reverse transcribed DNA. This in turn induces a strong host response. Here, we discuss these findings in the context of recent developments in innate immunity and consider the implications for disease control and vaccine design. © 2014 The Authors. Bioessays published by WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

  12. Ion Channels in Innate and Adaptive Immunity

    PubMed Central

    Feske, Stefan; Wulff, Heike; Skolnik, Edward Y.

    2016-01-01

    Ion channels and transporters mediate the transport of charged ions across hydrophobic lipid membranes. In immune cells, divalent cations such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc have important roles as second messengers to regulate intracellular signaling pathways. By contrast, monovalent cations such as sodium and potassium mainly regulate the membrane potential, which indirectly controls the influx of calcium and immune cell signaling. Studies investigating human patients with mutations in ion channels and transporters, analysis of gene-targeted mice, or pharmacological experiments with ion channel inhibitors have revealed important roles of ionic signals in lymphocyte development and in innate and adaptive immune responses. We here review the mechanisms underlying the function of ion channels and transporters in lymphocytes and innate immune cells and discuss their roles in lymphocyte development, adaptive and innate immune responses, and autoimmunity, as well as recent efforts to develop pharmacological inhibitors of ion channels for immunomodulatory therapy. PMID:25861976

  13. The role of innate immunity in acute allograft rejection after lung transplantation.

    PubMed

    Palmer, Scott M; Burch, Lauranell H; Davis, R Duane; Herczyk, Walter F; Howell, David N; Reinsmoen, Nancy L; Schwartz, David A

    2003-09-15

    Although innate immunity is crucial to pulmonary host defense and can initiate immune and inflammatory responses independent of adaptive immunity, it remains unstudied in the context of transplant rejection. To investigate the role of innate immunity in the development of allograft rejection, we assessed the impact of two functional polymorphisms in the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) associated with endotoxin hyporesponsiveness on the development of acute rejection after human lung transplantation. Patients and donors were screened for the TLR4 Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile polymorphisms by polymerase chain reaction using sequence-specific primers. The rate of acute rejection at 6 months was significantly reduced in recipients, but not in donors, with the Asp299Gly or Thr399Ile alleles as compared with wild type (29 vs. 56%, respectively, p = 0.05). This association was confirmed in Cox proportional hazards and multivariate logistic regression models. Our results suggest activation of innate immunity in lung transplant recipients through TLR4 contributes to the development acute rejection after lung transplantation. Therapies directed at inhibition of innate immune responses mediated by TLR4 may represent a novel and effective means to prevent acute rejection after lung transplantation.

  14. Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells in Pulmonary Immunity and Tissue Homeostasis.

    PubMed

    Mindt, Barbara C; Fritz, Jörg H; Duerr, Claudia U

    2018-01-01

    Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) represent an evolutionary rather old but only recently identified member of the family of innate lymphoid cells and have received much attention since their detailed description in 2010. They can orchestrate innate as well as adaptive immune responses as they interact with and influence several immune and non-immune cell populations. Moreover, ILC2 are able to rapidly secrete large amounts of type 2 cytokines that can contribute to protective but also detrimental host immune responses depending on timing, location, and physiological context. Interestingly, ILC2, despite their scarcity, are the dominant innate lymphoid cell population in the lung, indicating a key role as first responders and amplifiers upon immune challenge at this site. In addition, the recently described tissue residency of ILC2 further underlines the importance of their respective microenvironment. In this review, we provide an overview of lung physiology including a description of the most prominent pulmonary resident cells together with a review of known and potential ILC2 interactions within this unique environment. We will further outline recent observations regarding pulmonary ILC2 during immune challenge including respiratory infections and discuss different models and approaches to study ILC2 biology in the lung.

  15. miR-34 Modulates Innate Immunity and Ecdysone Signaling in Drosophila

    PubMed Central

    Xiong, Xiao-Peng; Chang, Kung-Yen; Ren, Xingjie; Ni, Jian-Quan; Rana, Tariq M.; Zhou, Rui

    2016-01-01

    microRNAs are endogenous small regulatory RNAs that modulate myriad biological processes by repressing target gene expression in a sequence-specific manner. Here we show that the conserved miRNA miR-34 regulates innate immunity and ecdysone signaling in Drosophila. miR-34 over-expression activates antibacterial innate immunity signaling both in cultured cells and in vivo, and flies over-expressing miR-34 display improved survival and pathogen clearance upon Gram-negative bacterial infection; whereas miR-34 knockout animals are defective in antibacterial defense. In particular, miR-34 achieves its immune-stimulatory function, at least in part, by repressing the two novel target genes Dlg1 and Eip75B. In addition, our study reveals a mutual repression between miR-34 expression and ecdysone signaling, and identifies miR-34 as a node in the intricate interplay between ecdysone signaling and innate immunity. Lastly, we identify cis-regulatory genomic elements and trans-acting transcription factors required for optimal ecdysone-mediated repression of miR-34. Taken together, our study enriches the repertoire of immune-modulating miRNAs in animals, and provides new insights into the interplay between steroid hormone signaling and innate immunity. PMID:27893816

  16. miR-34 Modulates Innate Immunity and Ecdysone Signaling in Drosophila.

    PubMed

    Xiong, Xiao-Peng; Kurthkoti, Krishna; Chang, Kung-Yen; Li, Jian-Liang; Ren, Xingjie; Ni, Jian-Quan; Rana, Tariq M; Zhou, Rui

    2016-11-01

    microRNAs are endogenous small regulatory RNAs that modulate myriad biological processes by repressing target gene expression in a sequence-specific manner. Here we show that the conserved miRNA miR-34 regulates innate immunity and ecdysone signaling in Drosophila. miR-34 over-expression activates antibacterial innate immunity signaling both in cultured cells and in vivo, and flies over-expressing miR-34 display improved survival and pathogen clearance upon Gram-negative bacterial infection; whereas miR-34 knockout animals are defective in antibacterial defense. In particular, miR-34 achieves its immune-stimulatory function, at least in part, by repressing the two novel target genes Dlg1 and Eip75B. In addition, our study reveals a mutual repression between miR-34 expression and ecdysone signaling, and identifies miR-34 as a node in the intricate interplay between ecdysone signaling and innate immunity. Lastly, we identify cis-regulatory genomic elements and trans-acting transcription factors required for optimal ecdysone-mediated repression of miR-34. Taken together, our study enriches the repertoire of immune-modulating miRNAs in animals, and provides new insights into the interplay between steroid hormone signaling and innate immunity.

  17. A key requirement for CD300f in innate immune responses of eosinophils in colitis.

    PubMed

    Moshkovits, I; Reichman, H; Karo-Atar, D; Rozenberg, P; Zigmond, E; Haberman, Y; Ben Baruch-Morgenstern, N; Lampinen, M; Carlson, M; Itan, M; Denson, L A; Varol, C; Munitz, A

    2017-01-01

    Eosinophils are traditionally studied in the context of type 2 immune responses. However, recent studies highlight key innate immune functions for eosinophils especially in colonic inflammation. Surprisingly, molecular pathways regulating innate immune activities of eosinophil are largely unknown. We have recently shown that the CD300f is highly expressed by colonic eosinophils. Nonetheless, the role of CD300f in governing innate immune eosinophil activities is ill-defined. RNA sequencing of 162 pediatric Crohn's disease patients revealed upregulation of multiple Cd300 family members, which correlated with the presence of severe ulcerations and inflammation. Increased expression of CD300 family receptors was also observed in active ulcerative colitis (UC) and in mice following induction of experimental colitis. Specifically, the expression of CD300f was dynamically regulated in monocytes and eosinophils. Dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-treated Cd300f -/- mice exhibit attenuated disease activity and histopathology in comparison with DSS-treated wild type (WT). Decreased disease activity in Cd300f -/- mice was accompanied with reduced inflammatory cell infiltration and nearly abolished production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Monocyte depletion and chimeric bone marrow transfer experiments revealed a cell-specific requirement for CD300f in innate immune activation of eosinophils. Collectively, we uncover a new pathway regulating innate immune activities of eosinophils, a finding with significant implications in eosinophil-associated gastrointestinal diseases.

  18. Silencing the alarms: innate immune antagonism by rotavirus NSP1 and VP3

    PubMed Central

    Morelli, Marco; Ogden, Kristen M.; Patton, John T.

    2016-01-01

    The innate immune response involves a broad array of pathogen sensors that stimulate the production of interferons (IFN) to induce an antiviral state. Rotavirus, a significant cause of childhood gastroenteritis and a member of the Reoviridae family of segmented, double-stranded RNA viruses, encodes at least two direct antagonists of host innate immunity: NSP1 and VP3. NSP1, a putative E3 ubiquitin ligase, mediates the degradation of cellular factors involved in both IFN induction and downstream signaling. VP3, the viral capping enzyme, utilizes a 2H-phosphodiesterase domain to prevent activation of the cellular oligoadenylate synthase (OAS)-RNase L pathway. Computational, molecular, and biochemical studies have provided key insights into the structural and mechanistic basis of innate immune antagonism by NSP1 and VP3 of group A rotaviruses (RVA). Future studies with non-RVA isolates will be essential to understand how other RV species evade host innate immune responses. PMID:25724417

  19. The role of neuroimmune signaling in alcoholism.

    PubMed

    Crews, Fulton T; Lawrimore, Colleen J; Walter, T Jordan; Coleman, Leon G

    2017-08-01

    Alcohol consumption and stress increase brain levels of known innate immune signaling molecules. Microglia, the innate immune cells of the brain, and neurons respond to alcohol, signaling through Toll-like receptors (TLRs), high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), miRNAs, pro-inflammatory cytokines and their associated receptors involved in signaling between microglia, other glia and neurons. Repeated cycles of alcohol and stress cause a progressive, persistent induction of HMGB1, miRNA and TLR receptors in brain that appear to underlie the progressive and persistent loss of behavioral control, increased impulsivity and anxiety, as well as craving, coupled with increasing ventral striatal responses that promote reward seeking behavior and increase risk of developing alcohol use disorders. Studies employing anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, and innate immune antagonists further link innate immune gene expression to addiction-like behaviors. Innate immune molecules are novel targets for addiction and affective disorders therapies. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled "Alcoholism". Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Innate and adaptive immune responses in male and female reproductive tracts in homeostasis and following HIV infection

    PubMed Central

    Nguyen, Philip V; Kafka, Jessica K; Ferreira, Victor H; Roth, Kristy; Kaushic, Charu

    2014-01-01

    The male and female reproductive tracts are complex microenvironments that have diverse functional demands. The immune system in the reproductive tract has the demanding task of providing a protective environment for a fetal allograft while simultaneously conferring protection against potential pathogens. As such, it has evolved a unique set of adaptations, primarily under the influence of sex hormones, which make it distinct from other mucosal sites. Here, we discuss the various components of the immune system that are present in both the male and female reproductive tracts, including innate soluble factors and cells and humoral and cell-mediated adaptive immunity under homeostatic conditions. We review the evidence showing unique phenotypic and functional characteristics of immune cells and responses in the male and female reproductive tracts that exhibit compartmentalization from systemic immunity and discuss how these features are influenced by sex hormones. We also examine the interactions among the reproductive tract, sex hormones and immune responses following HIV-1 infection. An improved understanding of the unique characteristics of the male and female reproductive tracts will provide insights into improving clinical treatments of the immunological causes of infertility and the design of prophylactic interventions for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. PMID:24976268

  1. C-type lectins: their network and roles in pathogen recognition and immunity.

    PubMed

    Mayer, Sabine; Raulf, Marie-Kristin; Lepenies, Bernd

    2017-02-01

    C-type lectins (CTLs) represent the most complex family of animal/human lectins that comprises 17 different groups. During evolution, CTLs have developed by diversification to cover a broad range of glycan ligands. However, ligand binding by CTLs is not necessarily restricted to glycans as some CTLs also bind to proteins, lipids, inorganic molecules, or ice crystals. CTLs share a common fold that harbors a Ca 2+ for contact to the sugar and about 18 invariant residues in a phylogenetically conserved pattern. In vertebrates, CTLs have numerous functions, including serum glycoprotein homeostasis, pathogen sensing, and the initiation of immune responses. Myeloid CTLs in innate immunity are mainly expressed by antigen-presenting cells and play a prominent role in the recognition of a variety of pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. However, myeloid CTLs such as the macrophage inducible CTL (Mincle) or Clec-9a may also bind to self-antigens and thus contribute to immune homeostasis. While some CTLs induce pro-inflammatory responses and thereby lead to activation of adaptive immune responses, other CTLs act as inhibitory receptors and dampen cellular functions. Since CTLs are key players in pathogen recognition and innate immunity, targeting CTLs may be a promising strategy for cell-specific delivery of drugs or vaccine antigens and to modulate immune responses.

  2. The Immune Response and the Pathogenesis of Idiopathic Inflammatory Myositis: a Critical Review.

    PubMed

    Ceribelli, Angela; De Santis, Maria; Isailovic, Natasa; Gershwin, M Eric; Selmi, Carlo

    2017-02-01

    The pathogenesis of idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIMs, including polymyositis and dermatomyositis) remains largely enigmatic, despite advances in the study of the role played by innate immunity, adaptive immunity, genetic predisposition, and environmental factors in an orchestrated response. Several factors are involved in the inflammatory state that characterizes the different forms of IIMs which share features and mechanisms but are clearly different with respect to the involved sites and characteristics of the inflammation. Cellular and non-cellular mechanisms of both the immune and non-immune systems have been identified as key regulators of inflammation in polymyositis/dermatomyositis, particularly at different stages of disease, leading to the fibrotic state that characterizes the end stage. Among these, a special role is played by an interferon signature and complement cascade with different mechanisms in polymyositis and dermatomyositis; these differences can be identified also histologically in muscle biopsies. Numerous cellular components of the adaptive and innate immune response are present in the site of tissue inflammation, and the complexity of idiopathic inflammatory myositis is further supported by the involvement of non-immune mechanisms such as hypoxia and autophagy. The aim of this comprehensive review is to describe the major pathogenic mechanisms involved in the onset of idiopathic inflammatory myositis and to report on the major working hypothesis with therapeutic implications.

  3. The non-small cell lung cancer immune landscape: emerging complexity, prognostic relevance and prospective significance in the context of immunotherapy.

    PubMed

    Anichini, Andrea; Tassi, Elena; Grazia, Giulia; Mortarini, Roberta

    2018-06-01

    Immunotherapy of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), by immune checkpoint inhibitors, has profoundly improved the clinical management of advanced disease. However, only a fraction of patients respond and no effective predictive factors have been defined. Here, we discuss the prospects for identification of such predictors of response to immunotherapy, by fostering an in-depth analysis of the immune landscape of NSCLC. The emerging picture, from several recent studies, is that the immune contexture of NSCLC lesions is a complex and heterogeneous feature, as documented by analysis for frequency, phenotype and spatial distribution of innate and adaptive immune cells, and by characterization of functional status of inhibitory receptor + T cells. The complexity of the immune landscape of NSCLC stems from the interaction of several factors, including tumor histology, molecular subtype, main oncogenic drivers, nonsynonymous mutational load, tumor aneuploidy, clonal heterogeneity and tumor evolution, as well as the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition. All these factors contribute to shape NSCLC immune profiles that have clear prognostic significance. An integrated analysis of the immune and molecular profile of the neoplastic lesions may allow to define the potential predictive role of the immune landscape for response to immunotherapy.

  4. Regulation of Mitochondria Function by TRAF3 in B Lymphocytes and B Cell Malignancies

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-10-01

    1, 2014. 2. Chair, Block Symposia of Innate Immune Responses in Monocytes/Macrophages, Dendritic Cells , and Myeloid Cells , the Annual Meeting of...Xie P. TRAF3-mediated regulation of innate immunity and inflammation. Research Forum, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers...TRAF3: a regulator of innate immunity and inflammation. Department of Cell & Molecular Physiology, University of Loyola, Chicago, IL. Aug. 27, 2014 9

  5. Comparative metabolomic analysis highlights the involvement of sugars and glycerol in melatonin-mediated innate immunity against bacterial pathogen in Arabidopsis

    PubMed Central

    Qian, Yongqiang; Tan, Dun-Xian; Reiter, Russel J.; Shi, Haitao

    2015-01-01

    Melatonin is an important secondary messenger in plant innate immunity against the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringe pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 in the salicylic acid (SA)- and nitric oxide (NO)-dependent pathway. However, the metabolic homeostasis in melatonin-mediated innate immunity is unknown. In this study, comparative metabolomic analysis found that the endogenous levels of both soluble sugars (fructose, glucose, melibose, sucrose, maltose, galatose, tagatofuranose and turanose) and glycerol were commonly increased after both melatonin treatment and Pst DC3000 infection in Arabidopsis. Further studies showed that exogenous pre-treatment with fructose, glucose, sucrose, or glycerol increased innate immunity against Pst DC3000 infection in wild type (Col-0) Arabidopsis plants, but largely alleviated their effects on the innate immunity in SA-deficient NahG plants and NO-deficient mutants. This indicated that SA and NO are also essential for sugars and glycerol-mediated disease resistance. Moreover, exogenous fructose, glucose, sucrose and glycerol pre-treatments remarkably increased endogenous NO level, but had no significant effect on the endogenous melatonin level. Taken together, this study highlights the involvement of sugars and glycerol in melatonin-mediated innate immunity against bacterial pathogen in SA and NO-dependent pathway in Arabidopsis. PMID:26508076

  6. Recent advances targeting innate immunity-mediated therapies against HIV-1 infection.

    PubMed

    Shankar, Esaki Muthu; Velu, Vijayakumar; Vignesh, Ramachandran; Vijayaraghavalu, Sivakumar; Rukumani, Devi Velayuthan; Sabet, Negar Shafiei

    2012-08-01

    Early defence mechanisms of innate immunity respond rapidly to infection against HIV-1 in the genital mucosa. Additionally, innate immunity optimises effective adaptive immune responses against persistent HIV infection. Recent research has highlighted the intrinsic roles of apolipoprotein B mRNA-editing, enzyme-catalytic, polypeptide-like 3G, tripartite motif-containing protein 5, tetherin, sterile α-motif and histidine/aspartic acid domain-containing protein 1 in restricting HIV-1 replication. Likewise, certain endogenously secreted antimicrobial peptides, namely α/β/θ-defensins, lactoferrins, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor, trappin-2/elafin and macrophage inflammatory protein-3α are reportedly protective. Whilst certain factors directly inhibit HIV, others can be permissive. Interferon-λ3 exerts an anti-HIV function by activating Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription-mediated innate responses. Morphine has been found to impair intracellular innate immunity, contributing to HIV establishment in macrophages. Interestingly, protegrin-1 could be used therapeutically to inhibit early HIV-1 establishment. Moreover, chloroquine inhibits plasmacytoid dendritic cell activation and improves effective T-cell responses. This minireview summarizes the recently identified targets for innate immunity-mediated therapies and outlines the challenges that lie ahead in improving treatment of HIV infection. © 2012 The Societies and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  7. Innate immunity in the small intestine

    PubMed Central

    Santaolalla, Rebeca; Abreu, Maria T.

    2012-01-01

    Purpose of review This manuscript reviews the most recent publications on innate immunity in the small intestine. We will go over the innate immune receptors that act as sensors of microbial presence or cell injury, Paneth cells as the main epithelial cell type that secrete antimicrobial peptides, and mucosal production of IgA. In addition, we will give an update on examples of imbalance of the innate immune response resulting in clinical disease with the most relevant example being Crohn’s disease. Recent findings Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are involved in B-cell homing to the intestine, rejection of small intestinal allografts and recruitment of mast cells. The TLR adaptor TRIF is necessary to activate innate immunity after Yersinia enterocolitica infection. Moreover, MyD88 is required to keep the intestinal microbiota under control and physically separated from the epithelium and RegIIIγ is responsible for the bacterial segregation from the lining epithelial cells. In Crohn’s disease, ATG16L1 T300A variant promotes a pro-inflammatory response; and miR-196 downregulates a protective IRGM polymorphism leading to impaired clearance of adherent Escherichia coli in the intestine. Summary The intestine is continuously exposed to dietary and microbial antigens. The host has to maintain intestinal homeostasis to keep the commensal and pathogenic bacteria under control. Some of the mechanisms to do so are by expression of innate immune receptors, production of antimicrobial peptides, secretion of IgA or autophagy of intracellular bacteria. Unfortunately, in some cases the innate immune response fails to protect the host and chronic inflammation, transplant rejection, or other pathologies may occur. PMID:22241076

  8. Innate immune response to Burkholderia mallei

    PubMed Central

    Saikh, Kamal U.; Mott, Tiffany M.

    2017-01-01

    Purpose of review Burkholderia mallei is a facultative intracellular pathogen that causes the highly contagious and often the fatal disease, glanders. With its high rate of infectivity via aerosol and recalcitrance toward antibiotics, this pathogen is considered a potential biological threat agent. This review focuses on the most recent literature highlighting host innate immune response to B. mallei. Recent findings Recent studies focused on elucidating host innate immune responses to the novel mechanisms and virulence factors employed by B. mallei for survival. Studies suggest that pathogen proteins manipulate various cellular processes, including host ubiquitination pathways, phagosomal escape, and actin–cytoskeleton rearrangement. Immune-signaling molecules such as Toll-like receptors, nucleotode-binding oligomerization domain, myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88, and proinflammatory cytokines such as interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor-α, play key roles in the induction of innate immune responses. Modifications in B. mallei lipopolysaccharide, in particular, the lipid A acyl groups, stimulate immune responses via Toll-like receptor4 activation that may contribute to persistent infection. Summary Mortality is high because of septicemia and immune pathogenesis with B. mallei exposure. An effective innate immune response is critical to controlling the acute phase of the infection. Both vaccination and therapeutic approaches are necessary for complete protection against B. mallei. PMID:28177960

  9. Innate immunity against HIV: a priority target for HIV prevention research.

    PubMed

    Borrow, Persephone; Shattock, Robin J; Vyakarnam, Annapurna

    2010-10-11

    This review summarizes recent advances and current gaps in understanding of innate immunity to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and identifies key scientific priorities to enable application of this knowledge to the development of novel prevention strategies (vaccines and microbicides). It builds on productive discussion and new data arising out of a workshop on innate immunity against HIV held at the European Commission in Brussels, together with recent observations from the literature.Increasing evidence suggests that innate responses are key determinants of the outcome of HIV infection, influencing critical events in the earliest stages of infection including the efficiency of mucosal HIV transmission, establishment of initial foci of infection and local virus replication/spread as well as virus dissemination, the ensuing acute burst of viral replication, and the persisting viral load established. They also impact on the subsequent level of ongoing viral replication and rate of disease progression. Modulation of innate immunity thus has the potential to constitute a powerful effector strategy to complement traditional approaches to HIV prophylaxis and therapy. Importantly, there is increasing evidence to suggest that many arms of the innate response play both protective and pathogenic roles in HIV infection. Consequently, understanding the contributions made by components of the host innate response to HIV acquisition/spread versus control is a critical pre-requisite for the employment of innate immunity in vaccine or microbicide design, so that appropriate responses can be targeted for up- or down-modulation. There is also an important need to understand the mechanisms via which innate responses are triggered and mediate their activity, and to define the structure-function relationships of individual innate factors, so that they can be selectively exploited or inhibited. Finally, strategies for achieving modulation of innate functions need to be developed and subjected to rigorous testing to ensure that they achieve the desired level of protection without stimulation of immunopathological effects. Priority areas are identified where there are opportunities to accelerate the translation of recent gains in understanding of innate immunity into the design of improved or novel vaccine and microbicide strategies against HIV infection.

  10. Linking species habitat and past palaeoclimatic events to evolution of the teleost innate immune system.

    PubMed

    Solbakken, Monica Hongrø; Voje, Kjetil Lysne; Jakobsen, Kjetill Sigurd; Jentoft, Sissel

    2017-04-26

    Host-intrinsic factors as well as environmental changes are known to be strong evolutionary drivers defining the genetic foundation of immunity. Using a novel set of teleost genomes and a time-calibrated phylogeny, we here investigate the family of Toll-like receptor ( TLR ) genes and address the underlying evolutionary processes shaping the diversity of the first-line defence. Our findings reveal remarkable flexibility within the evolutionary design of teleost innate immunity characterized by prominent TLR gene losses and expansions. In the order of Gadiformes, expansions correlate with the loss of major histocompatibility complex class II ( MHCII ) and diversifying selection analyses support that this has fostered new immunological innovations in TLR s within this lineage. In teleosts overall, TLRs expansions correlate with species latitudinal distributions and maximum depth. By contrast, lineage-specific gene losses overlap with well-described changes in palaeoclimate (global ocean anoxia) and past Atlantic Ocean geography. In conclusion, we suggest that the evolvability of the teleost immune system has most likely played a prominent role in the survival and successful radiation of this lineage. © 2017 The Authors.

  11. Global analysis of gene expression reveals mRNA superinduction is required for the inducible immune response to a bacterial pathogen

    PubMed Central

    Barry, Kevin C; Ingolia, Nicholas T; Vance, Russell E

    2017-01-01

    The inducible innate immune response to infection requires a concerted process of gene expression that is regulated at multiple levels. Most global analyses of the innate immune response have focused on transcription induced by defined immunostimulatory ligands, such as lipopolysaccharide. However, the response to pathogens involves additional complexity, as pathogens interfere with virtually every step of gene expression. How cells respond to pathogen-mediated disruption of gene expression to nevertheless initiate protective responses remains unclear. We previously discovered that a pathogen-mediated blockade of host protein synthesis provokes the production of specific pro-inflammatory cytokines. It remains unclear how these cytokines are produced despite the global pathogen-induced block of translation. We addressed this question by using parallel RNAseq and ribosome profiling to characterize the response of macrophages to infection with the intracellular bacterial pathogen Legionella pneumophila. Our results reveal that mRNA superinduction is required for the inducible immune response to a bacterial pathogen. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.22707.001 PMID:28383283

  12. Opinion: Interactions of innate and adaptive lymphocytes

    PubMed Central

    Gasteiger, Georg; Rudensky, Alexander Y.

    2015-01-01

    Innate lymphocytes, including natural killer (NK) cells and the recently discovered innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) have crucial roles during infection, tissue injury and inflammation. Innate signals regulate the activation and homeostasis of innate lymphocytes. Less well understood is the contribution of the adaptive immune system to the orchestration of innate lymphocyte responses. We review our current understanding of the interactions between adaptive and innate lymphocytes, and propose a model in which adaptive T cells function as antigen-specific sensors for the activation of innate lymphocytes to amplify and instruct local immune responses. We highlight the potential role of regulatory and helper T cells in these processes and discuss major questions in the emerging area of crosstalk between adaptive and innate lymphocytes. PMID:25132095

  13. Salivary Mucin 19 Glycoproteins

    PubMed Central

    Culp, David J.; Robinson, Bently; Cash, Melanie N.; Bhattacharyya, Indraneel; Stewart, Carol; Cuadra-Saenz, Giancarlo

    2015-01-01

    Saliva functions in innate immunity of the oral cavity, protecting against demineralization of teeth (i.e. dental caries), a highly prevalent infectious disease associated with Streptococcus mutans, a pathogen also linked to endocarditis and atheromatous plaques. Gel-forming mucins are a major constituent of saliva. Because Muc19 is the dominant salivary gel-forming mucin in mice, we studied Muc19−/− mice for changes in innate immune functions of saliva in interactions with S. mutans. When challenged with S. mutans and a cariogenic diet, total smooth and sulcal surface lesions are more than 2- and 1.6-fold higher in Muc19−/− mice compared with wild type, whereas the severity of lesions are up to 6- and 10-fold higher, respectively. Furthermore, the oral microbiota of Muc19−/− mice display higher levels of indigenous streptococci. Results emphasize the importance of a single salivary constituent in the innate immune functions of saliva. In vitro studies of S. mutans and Muc19 interactions (i.e. adherence, aggregation, and biofilm formation) demonstrate Muc19 poorly aggregates S. mutans. Nonetheless, aggregation is enhanced upon adding Muc19 to saliva from Muc19−/− mice, indicating Muc19 assists in bacterial clearance through formation of heterotypic complexes with salivary constituents that bind S. mutans, thus representing a novel innate immune function for salivary gel-forming mucins. In humans, expression of salivary MUC19 is unclear. We find MUC19 transcripts in salivary glands of seven subjects and demonstrate MUC19 glycoproteins in glandular mucous cells and saliva. Similarities and differences between mice and humans in the expression and functions of salivary gel-forming mucins are discussed. PMID:25512380

  14. The Quantitative Basis of the Arabidopsis Innate Immune System to Endemic Pathogens Depends on Pathogen Genetics

    PubMed Central

    Corwin, Jason A.; Copeland, Daniel; Feusier, Julie; Subedy, Anushriya; Eshbaugh, Robert; Palmer, Christine; Maloof, Julin; Kliebenstein, Daniel J.

    2016-01-01

    The most established model of the eukaryotic innate immune system is derived from examples of large effect monogenic quantitative resistance to pathogens. However, many host-pathogen interactions involve many genes of small to medium effect and exhibit quantitative resistance. We used the Arabidopsis-Botrytis pathosystem to explore the quantitative genetic architecture underlying host innate immune system in a population of Arabidopsis thaliana. By infecting a diverse panel of Arabidopsis accessions with four phenotypically and genotypically distinct isolates of the fungal necrotroph B. cinerea, we identified a total of 2,982 genes associated with quantitative resistance using lesion area and 3,354 genes associated with camalexin production as measures of the interaction. Most genes were associated with resistance to a specific Botrytis isolate, which demonstrates the influence of pathogen genetic variation in analyzing host quantitative resistance. While known resistance genes, such as receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRs), were found to be enriched among associated genes, they only account for a small fraction of the total genes associated with quantitative resistance. Using publically available co-expression data, we condensed the quantitative resistance associated genes into co-expressed gene networks. GO analysis of these networks implicated several biological processes commonly connected to disease resistance, including defense hormone signaling and ROS production, as well as novel processes, such as leaf development. Validation of single gene T-DNA knockouts in a Col-0 background demonstrate a high success rate (60%) when accounting for differences in environmental and Botrytis genetic variation. This study shows that the genetic architecture underlying host innate immune system is extremely complex and is likely able to sense and respond to differential virulence among pathogen genotypes. PMID:26866607

  15. The Quantitative Basis of the Arabidopsis Innate Immune System to Endemic Pathogens Depends on Pathogen Genetics.

    PubMed

    Corwin, Jason A; Copeland, Daniel; Feusier, Julie; Subedy, Anushriya; Eshbaugh, Robert; Palmer, Christine; Maloof, Julin; Kliebenstein, Daniel J

    2016-02-01

    The most established model of the eukaryotic innate immune system is derived from examples of large effect monogenic quantitative resistance to pathogens. However, many host-pathogen interactions involve many genes of small to medium effect and exhibit quantitative resistance. We used the Arabidopsis-Botrytis pathosystem to explore the quantitative genetic architecture underlying host innate immune system in a population of Arabidopsis thaliana. By infecting a diverse panel of Arabidopsis accessions with four phenotypically and genotypically distinct isolates of the fungal necrotroph B. cinerea, we identified a total of 2,982 genes associated with quantitative resistance using lesion area and 3,354 genes associated with camalexin production as measures of the interaction. Most genes were associated with resistance to a specific Botrytis isolate, which demonstrates the influence of pathogen genetic variation in analyzing host quantitative resistance. While known resistance genes, such as receptor-like kinases (RLKs) and nucleotide-binding site leucine-rich repeat proteins (NLRs), were found to be enriched among associated genes, they only account for a small fraction of the total genes associated with quantitative resistance. Using publically available co-expression data, we condensed the quantitative resistance associated genes into co-expressed gene networks. GO analysis of these networks implicated several biological processes commonly connected to disease resistance, including defense hormone signaling and ROS production, as well as novel processes, such as leaf development. Validation of single gene T-DNA knockouts in a Col-0 background demonstrate a high success rate (60%) when accounting for differences in environmental and Botrytis genetic variation. This study shows that the genetic architecture underlying host innate immune system is extremely complex and is likely able to sense and respond to differential virulence among pathogen genotypes.

  16. Deubiquitinase function of arterivirus papain-like protease 2 suppresses the innate immune response in infected host cells.

    PubMed

    van Kasteren, Puck B; Bailey-Elkin, Ben A; James, Terrence W; Ninaber, Dennis K; Beugeling, Corrine; Khajehpour, Mazdak; Snijder, Eric J; Mark, Brian L; Kikkert, Marjolein

    2013-02-26

    Protein ubiquitination regulates important innate immune responses. The discovery of viruses encoding deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) suggests they remove ubiquitin to evade ubiquitin-dependent antiviral responses; however, this has never been conclusively demonstrated in virus-infected cells. Arteriviruses are economically important positive-stranded RNA viruses that encode an ovarian tumor (OTU) domain DUB known as papain-like protease 2 (PLP2). This enzyme is essential for arterivirus replication by cleaving a site within the viral replicase polyproteins and also removes ubiquitin from cellular proteins. To dissect this dual specificity, which relies on a single catalytic site, we determined the crystal structure of equine arteritis virus PLP2 in complex with ubiquitin (1.45 Å). PLP2 binds ubiquitin using a zinc finger that is uniquely integrated into an exceptionally compact OTU-domain fold that represents a new subclass of zinc-dependent OTU DUBs. Notably, the ubiquitin-binding surface is distant from the catalytic site, which allowed us to mutate this surface to significantly reduce DUB activity without affecting polyprotein cleavage. Viruses harboring such mutations exhibited WT replication kinetics, confirming that PLP2-mediated polyprotein cleavage was intact, but the loss of DUB activity strikingly enhanced innate immune signaling. Compared with WT virus infection, IFN-β mRNA levels in equine cells infected with PLP2 mutants were increased by nearly an order of magnitude. Our findings not only establish PLP2 DUB activity as a critical factor in arteriviral innate immune evasion, but the selective inactivation of DUB activity also opens unique possibilities for developing improved live attenuated vaccines against arteriviruses and other viruses encoding similar dual-specificity proteases.

  17. Three Pairs of Protease-Serpin Complexes Cooperatively Regulate the Insect Innate Immune Responses*

    PubMed Central

    Jiang, Rui; Kim, Eun-Hye; Gong, Ji-Hee; Kwon, Hyun-Mi; Kim, Chan-Hee; Ryu, Kyoung-Hwa; Park, Ji-Won; Kurokawa, Kenji; Zhang, Jinghai; Gubb, David; Lee, Bok-Luel

    2009-01-01

    Serpins are known to be necessary for the regulation of several serine protease cascades. However, the mechanisms of how serpins regulate the innate immune responses of invertebrates are not well understood due to the uncertainty of the identity of the serine proteases targeted by the serpins. We recently reported the molecular activation mechanisms of three serine protease-mediated Toll and melanin synthesis cascades in a large beetle, Tenebrio molitor. Here, we purified three novel serpins (SPN40, SPN55, and SPN48) from the hemolymph of T. molitor. These serpins made specific serpin-serine protease pairs with three Toll cascade-activating serine proteases, such as modular serine protease, Spätzle-processing enzyme-activating enzyme, and Spätzle-processing enzyme and cooperatively blocked the Toll signaling cascade and β-1,3-glucan-mediated melanin biosynthesis. Also, the levels of SPN40 and SPN55 were dramatically increased in vivo by the injection of a Toll ligand, processed Spätzle, into Tenebrio larvae. This increase in SPN40 and SPN55 levels indicates that these serpins function as inducible negative feedback inhibitors. Unexpectedly, SPN55 and SPN48 were cleaved at Tyr and Glu residues in reactive center loops, respectively, despite being targeted by trypsin-like Spätzle-processing enzyme-activating enzyme and Spätzle-processing enzyme. These cleavage patterns are also highly similar to those of unusual mammalian serpins involved in blood coagulation and blood pressure regulation, and they may contribute to highly specific and timely inactivation of detrimental serine proteases during innate immune responses. Taken together, these results demonstrate the specific regulatory evidences of innate immune responses by three novel serpins. PMID:19858208

  18. Mechanistic Modelling of Drug-Induced Liver Injury: Investigating the Role of Innate Immune Responses.

    PubMed

    Shoda, Lisl Km; Battista, Christina; Siler, Scott Q; Pisetsky, David S; Watkins, Paul B; Howell, Brett A

    2017-01-01

    Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) remains an adverse event of significant concern for drug development and marketed drugs, and the field would benefit from better tools to identify liver liabilities early in development and/or to mitigate potential DILI risk in otherwise promising drugs. DILIsym software takes a quantitative systems toxicology approach to represent DILI in pre-clinical species and in humans for the mechanistic investigation of liver toxicity. In addition to multiple intrinsic mechanisms of hepatocyte toxicity (ie, oxidative stress, bile acid accumulation, mitochondrial dysfunction), DILIsym includes the interaction between hepatocytes and cells of the innate immune response in the amplification of liver injury and in liver regeneration. The representation of innate immune responses, detailed here, consolidates much of the available data on the innate immune response in DILI within a single framework and affords the opportunity to systematically investigate the contribution of the innate response to DILI.

  19. Taking a Toll on Self-Renewal: TLR-Mediated Innate Immune Signaling in Stem Cells.

    PubMed

    Alvarado, Alvaro G; Lathia, Justin D

    2016-07-01

    Innate immunity has evolved as the front-line cellular defense mechanism to acutely sense and decisively respond to microenvironmental alterations. The Toll-like receptor (TLR) family activates signaling pathways in response to stimuli and is well-characterized in both resident and infiltrating immune cells during neural inflammation, injury, and degeneration. Innate immune signaling has also been observed in neural cells during development and disease, including in the stem and progenitor cells that build the brain and are responsible for its homeostasis. Recently, the activation of developmental programs in malignant brain tumors has emerged as a driver for growth via cancer stem cells. In this review we discuss how innate immune signaling interfaces with stem cell maintenance in the normal and neoplastic brain. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Tribbles role in reproduction.

    PubMed

    Basatvat, Shaghayegh; Carter, Deborah Angela Louise; Kiss-Toth, Endre; Fazeli, Alireza

    2015-10-01

    Tribbles (TRIB) proteins, a family of evolutionary conserved psuedokinase proteins, modulate various signalling pathways within the cell. The regulatory roles of TRIB make them an important part of a number of biological processes ranging from cell proliferation to metabolism, immunity, inflammation and carcinogenesis. Innate immune system plays a pivotal role during the regulation of reproductive processes that allows successful creation of an offspring. Its involvement initiates from fertilization of the oocyte by spermatozoon and lasts throughout early embryonic development, pregnancy and labour. Therefore, there is a close cooperation between the reproductive system and the innate immune system. Evidence from our lab has demonstrated that improper activation of the innate immune system can reduce embryo implantation, thus leading to infertility. Therefore, control mechanisms regulating the innate immune system function can be critical for successful reproductive events. © 2015 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited.

  1. Viral Inhibition of PRR-Mediated Innate Immune Response: Learning from KSHV Evasion Strategies.

    PubMed

    Lee, Hye-Ra; Choi, Un Yung; Hwang, Sung-Woo; Kim, Stephanie; Jung, Jae U

    2016-11-30

    The innate immune system has evolved to detect and destroy invading pathogens before they can establish systemic infection. To successfully eradicate pathogens, including viruses, host innate immunity is activated through diverse pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) which detect conserved viral signatures and trigger the production of type I interferon (IFN) and pro-inflammatory cytokines to mediate viral clearance. Viral persistence requires that viruses co-opt cellular pathways and activities for their benefit. In particular, due to the potent antiviral activities of IFN and cytokines, viruses have developed various strategies to meticulously modulate intracellular innate immune sensing mechanisms to facilitate efficient viral replication and persistence. In this review, we highlight recent advances in the study of viral immune evasion strategies with a specific focus on how Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) effectively targets host PRR signaling pathways.

  2. Ly49 Receptors: Innate and Adaptive Immune Paradigms

    PubMed Central

    Rahim, Mir Munir A.; Tu, Megan M.; Mahmoud, Ahmad Bakur; Wight, Andrew; Abou-Samra, Elias; Lima, Patricia D. A.; Makrigiannis, Andrew P.

    2014-01-01

    The Ly49 receptors are type II C-type lectin-like membrane glycoproteins encoded by a family of highly polymorphic and polygenic genes within the mouse natural killer (NK) gene complex. This gene family is designated Klra, and includes genes that encode both inhibitory and activating Ly49 receptors in mice. Ly49 receptors recognize class I major histocompatibility complex-I (MHC-I) and MHC-I-like proteins on normal as well as altered cells. Their functional homologs in humans are the killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors, which recognize HLA class I molecules as ligands. Classically, Ly49 receptors are described as being expressed on both the developing and mature NK cells. The inhibitory Ly49 receptors are involved in NK cell education, a process in which NK cells acquire function and tolerance toward cells that express “self-MHC-I.” On the other hand, the activating Ly49 receptors recognize altered cells expressing activating ligands. New evidence shows a broader Ly49 expression pattern on both innate and adaptive immune cells. Ly49 receptors have been described on multiple NK cell subsets, such as uterine NK and memory NK cells, as well as NKT cells, dendritic cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, macrophages, neutrophils, and cells of the adaptive immune system, such as activated T cells and regulatory CD8+ T cells. In this review, we discuss the expression pattern and proposed functions of Ly49 receptors on various immune cells and their contribution to immunity. PMID:24765094

  3. Immune Receptors and Co-receptors in Antiviral Innate Immunity in Plants.

    PubMed

    Gouveia, Bianca C; Calil, Iara P; Machado, João Paulo B; Santos, Anésia A; Fontes, Elizabeth P B

    2016-01-01

    Plants respond to pathogens using an innate immune system that is broadly divided into PTI (pathogen-associated molecular pattern- or PAMP-triggered immunity) and ETI (effector-triggered immunity). PTI is activated upon perception of PAMPs, conserved motifs derived from pathogens, by surface membrane-anchored pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). To overcome this first line of defense, pathogens release into plant cells effectors that inhibit PTI and activate effector-triggered susceptibility (ETS). Counteracting this virulence strategy, plant cells synthesize intracellular resistance (R) proteins, which specifically recognize pathogen effectors or avirulence (Avr) factors and activate ETI. These coevolving pathogen virulence strategies and plant resistance mechanisms illustrate evolutionary arms race between pathogen and host, which is integrated into the zigzag model of plant innate immunity. Although antiviral immune concepts have been initially excluded from the zigzag model, recent studies have provided several lines of evidence substantiating the notion that plants deploy the innate immune system to fight viruses in a manner similar to that used for non-viral pathogens. First, most R proteins against viruses so far characterized share structural similarity with antibacterial and antifungal R gene products and elicit typical ETI-based immune responses. Second, virus-derived PAMPs may activate PTI-like responses through immune co-receptors of plant PTI. Finally, and even more compelling, a viral Avr factor that triggers ETI in resistant genotypes has recently been shown to act as a suppressor of PTI, integrating plant viruses into the co-evolutionary model of host-pathogen interactions, the zigzag model. In this review, we summarize these important progresses, focusing on the potential significance of antiviral immune receptors and co-receptors in plant antiviral innate immunity. In light of the innate immune system, we also discuss a newly uncovered layer of antiviral defense that is specific to plant DNA viruses and relies on transmembrane receptor-mediated translational suppression for defense.

  4. Drosophila as a model system to unravel the layers of innate immunity to infection

    PubMed Central

    Kounatidis, Ilias; Ligoxygakis, Petros

    2012-01-01

    Summary Innate immunity relies entirely upon germ-line encoded receptors, signalling components and effector molecules for the recognition and elimination of invading pathogens. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with its powerful collection of genetic and genomic tools has been the model of choice to develop ideas about innate immunity and host–pathogen interactions. Here, we review current research in the field, encompassing all layers of defence from the role of the microbiota to systemic immune activation, and attempt to speculate on future directions and open questions. PMID:22724070

  5. Drosophila as a model system to unravel the layers of innate immunity to infection.

    PubMed

    Kounatidis, Ilias; Ligoxygakis, Petros

    2012-05-01

    Innate immunity relies entirely upon germ-line encoded receptors, signalling components and effector molecules for the recognition and elimination of invading pathogens. The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster with its powerful collection of genetic and genomic tools has been the model of choice to develop ideas about innate immunity and host-pathogen interactions. Here, we review current research in the field, encompassing all layers of defence from the role of the microbiota to systemic immune activation, and attempt to speculate on future directions and open questions.

  6. Complex Immune Correlates of Protection in HIV-1 Vaccine Efficacy Trials

    PubMed Central

    Tomaras, Georgia D.; Plotkin, Stanley A.

    2016-01-01

    Summary Development of an efficacious HIV-1 vaccine is a major priority for improving human health worldwide. Vaccine mediated protection against human pathogens can be achieved through elicitation of protective innate, humoral, and cellular responses. Identification of specific immune responses responsible for pathogen protection enables vaccine development and provides insights into host defenses against pathogens and the immunological mechanisms that most effectively fight infection. Defining immunological correlates of transmission risk in preclinical and clinical HIV-1 vaccine trials has moved the HIV-1 vaccine development field forward and directed new candidate vaccine development. Immune correlate studies are providing novel hypotheses about immunological mechanisms that may be responsible for preventing HIV-1 acquisition. Recent results from HIV-1 immune correlates work has demonstrated that there are multiple types of immune responses that together, comprise an immune correlate—thus implicating polyfunctional immune control of HIV-1 transmission. An in depth understanding of these complex immunological mechanisms of protection against HIV-1 will accelerate the development of an efficacious HIV-1 vaccine. PMID:28133811

  7. Plant innate immunity – sunny side up?

    PubMed Central

    Stael, Simon; Kmiecik, Przemyslaw; Willems, Patrick; Van Der Kelen, Katrien; Coll, Nuria S.; Teige, Markus; Van Breusegem, Frank

    2016-01-01

    Reactive oxygen species (ROS)- and calcium- dependent signaling pathways play well-established roles during plant innate immunity. Chloroplasts host major biosynthetic pathways and have central roles in energy production, redox homeostasis, and retrograde signaling. However, the organelle’s importance in immunity has been somehow overlooked. Recent findings suggest that the chloroplast also has an unanticipated function as a hub for ROS- and calcium-signaling that affects immunity responses at an early stage after pathogen attack. In this opinion article, we discuss a chloroplastic calcium-ROS signaling branch of plant innate immunity. We propose that this chloroplastic branch acts as a light-dependent rheostat that, through the production of ROS, influences the severity of the immune response. PMID:25457110

  8. Targeting complement-mediated immunoregulation for cancer immunotherapy.

    PubMed

    Kolev, Martin; Markiewski, Maciej M

    2018-06-01

    Complement was initially discovered as an assembly of plasma proteins "complementing" the cytolytic activity of antibodies. However, our current knowledge places this complex system of several plasma proteins, receptors, and regulators in the center of innate immunity as a bridge between the initial innate responses and adaptive immune reactions. Consequently, complement appears to be pivotal for elimination of pathogens, not only as an early response defense, but by directing the subsequent adaptive immune response. The discovery of functional intracellular complement and its roles in cellular metabolism opened novel avenues for research and potential therapeutic implications. The recent studies demonstrating immunoregulatory functions of complement in the tumor microenvironment and the premetastatic niche shifted the paradigm on our understanding of functions of the complement system in regulating immunity. Several complement proteins, through their interaction with cells in the tumor microenvironment and in metastasis-targeted organs, contribute to modulating tumor growth, antitumor immunity, angiogenesis, and therefore, the overall progression of malignancy and, perhaps, responsiveness of cancer to different therapies. Here, we focus on recent progress in our understanding of immunostimulatory vs. immunoregulatory functions of complement and potential applications of these findings to the design of novel therapies for cancer patients. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. CpG-STAT3siRNA for Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer Therapy

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-12-01

    RESULTS TLR9 promotes prostate cancer cell engraftment and progression in vivo Previous studies reported expression of the innate immune receptor...cancer cells express innate immune receptors, such as TLR9, normally restricted to the hematopoietic cell lineage [2, 5, 7]. Rather than becoming... innate immune gene family is differentially influenced by DNA stress and p53 status in cancer cells . Cancer Res. 2012; 72:3948–3957. 7. Ilvesaro JM

  10. Pellino enhances innate immunity in Drosophila.

    PubMed

    Haghayeghi, Amirhossein; Sarac, Amila; Czerniecki, Stefan; Grosshans, Jörg; Schöck, Frieder

    2010-01-01

    The innate immune response is a defense mechanism against infectious agents in both vertebrates and invertebrates, and is in part mediated by the Toll pathway. Toll receptor activation upon exposure to bacteria causes stimulation of Pelle/IRAK kinase, eventually resulting in translocation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB to the nucleus. Here we show that Pellino, a highly conserved protein interacting with activated Pelle/IRAK, acts as a positive regulator of innate immunity in Drosophila.

  11. Persistent inflammation in HIV infection: established concepts, new perspectives.

    PubMed

    Nasi, Milena; Pinti, Marcello; Mussini, Cristina; Cossarizza, Andrea

    2014-10-01

    Immune activation is now considered a main driving force for the progressive immune failure in HIV infection. During the early phases of infection, a rapid depletion of gastrointestinal CD4+ T cells occurs that is followed by a deterioration of the gut epithelium and by the subsequent translocation of microbial products into the blood. Activation of innate immunity results in massive production of proinflammatory cytokines, which can trigger activation induced cell death phenomena among T lymphocytes. Moreover, persistent antigenic stimulation and inflammatory status causes immune exhaustion. The chronic immune activation also damages lymphoid tissue architecture, so contributing to the impairment of immune reconstitution. Recently, new mechanisms were identified, so opening new perspective on the innate immune sensing in HIV-1 infection. Cell death is followed by the release of molecules containing "damage-associated molecular patterns", that trigger a potent innate immune response through the engagement of Toll-like receptors. Then, also different types of HIV-related nucleic acids can act as potent stimulators of innate immunity. All these events contribute to the loss of T cell homeostatic regulation and to the failure of adaptive immunity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Immune system development during early childhood in tropical Latin America: evidence for the age-dependent down regulation of the innate immune response.

    PubMed

    Teran, Rommy; Mitre, Edward; Vaca, Maritza; Erazo, Silvia; Oviedo, Gisela; Hübner, Marc P; Chico, Martha E; Mattapallil, Joseph J; Bickle, Quentin; Rodrigues, Laura C; Cooper, Philip J

    2011-03-01

    The immune response that develops in early childhood underlies the development of inflammatory diseases such as asthma and there are few data from tropical Latin America (LA). This study investigated the effects of age on the development of immunity during the first 5 years of life by comparing innate and adaptive immune responses in Ecuadorian children aged 6-9 months, 22-26 months, and 48-60 months. Percentages of naïve CD4+ T cells declined with age while those of memory CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells increased indicating active development of the immune system throughout the first five years. Young infants had greater innate immune responses to TLR agonists compared to older children while regulatory responses including SEB-induced IL-10 and percentages of FoxP3(+) T-regulatory cells decreased with age. Enhanced innate immunity in early life may be important for host defense against pathogens but may increase the risk of immunopathology. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Activation of the immune system by bacterial CpG-DNA

    PubMed Central

    Häcker, Georg; Redecke, Vanessa; Häcker, Hans

    2002-01-01

    The past decade has seen a remarkable process of refocusing in immunology. Cells of the innate immune system, especially macrophages and dendritic cells, have been at the centre of this process. These cells had been regarded by some scientists as non-specific, sometimes perhaps even confined to the menial job of serving T cells by scavenging antigen and presenting it to the sophisticated adaptive immune system. Only over the last few years has it become unequivocally clear that cells of the innate immunity hold, by variation of context and mode of antigen presentation, the power of shaping an adaptive immune response. The innate immune response, in turn, is to a significant degree the result of stimulation by so-called pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). One compound with high stimulatory potential for the innate immune system is bacterial DNA. Here we will review recent evidence that bacterial DNA should be ranked with other PAMPs such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and lipoteichoic acid. We will further review our present knowledge of DNA recognition and DNA-dependent signal transduction in cells of the immune system. PMID:11918685

  14. [Plant immune system: the basal immunity].

    PubMed

    Shamraĭ, S N

    2014-01-01

    Plants have an efficient system of innate immunity which is based on the effective detection of potentially harmful microorganisms and rapid induction of defense responses. The first level of plant immunity is the basal immunity which is induced by the conserved molecular structures of microbes such as bacterial flagellins or fungal chitin, or molecules that result from the interaction of plants with pathogens, for example oligosaccharides and peptides ("danger signals"). Plants recognize these inducers through receptors localized to the plasma membrane, represented mainly receptor-like protein kinases or receptor-like proteins. Activation of the receptor by a ligand triggers a complex network of signaling events which eventually cause an array of plant defense responses to prevent further spread of the pathogen.

  15. Mathematical and Computational Modeling for Tumor Virotherapy with Mediated Immunity.

    PubMed

    Timalsina, Asim; Tian, Jianjun Paul; Wang, Jin

    2017-08-01

    We propose a new mathematical modeling framework based on partial differential equations to study tumor virotherapy with mediated immunity. The model incorporates both innate and adaptive immune responses and represents the complex interaction among tumor cells, oncolytic viruses, and immune systems on a domain with a moving boundary. Using carefully designed computational methods, we conduct extensive numerical simulation to the model. The results allow us to examine tumor development under a wide range of settings and provide insight into several important aspects of the virotherapy, including the dependence of the efficacy on a few key parameters and the delay in the adaptive immunity. Our findings also suggest possible ways to improve the virotherapy for tumor treatment.

  16. Animal Models of Inflammasomopathies Reveal Roles for Innate but not Adaptive Immunity

    PubMed Central

    Brydges, Susannah D; Mueller, James L; McGeough, Matthew D; Pena, Carla A; Misaghi, Amirhossein; Gandhi, Chhavi; Putnam, Chris D; Boyle, David L; Firestein, Gary S; Horner, Anthony A; Soroosh, Pejman; Watford, Wendy T; O’Shea, John J; Kastner, Daniel L; Hoffman, Hal M

    2009-01-01

    SUMMARY Cryopyrin (NALP3) mediates formation of the inflammasome, a protein complex responsible for cleavage of pro-IL-1β to its active form. Mutations in the cryopyrin gene, NLRP3, cause the autoinflammatory disease spectrum: cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS). The central role of IL-1β in CAPS is supported by the remarkable response to IL-1 targeted therapy. We developed two novel Nlrp3 mutant knock-in mouse strains to model CAPS to examine the role of other inflammatory mediators and adaptive immune responses in an innate immune driven disease. These mice had systemic inflammation and poor growth, similar to some human CAPS patients, and demonstrated early mortality, primarily mediated by myeloid cells. Mating these mutant mice to various knock-out backgrounds confirmed the mouse disease phenotype required an intact inflammasome, was only partially dependent on IL-1β, and was independent of T cells. This data suggests CAPS are true inflammasomopathies and provide insight for more common inflammatory disorders. PMID:19501000

  17. Eros is a novel transmembrane protein that controls the phagocyte respiratory burst and is essential for innate immunity

    PubMed Central

    Thomas, David C.; Clare, Simon; Sowerby, John M.; Juss, Jatinder K.; Goulding, David A.; van der Weyden, Louise; Prakash, Ananth; Harcourt, Katherine; Mukhopadhyay, Subhankar; Antrobus, Robin; Bateman, Alex

    2017-01-01

    The phagocyte respiratory burst is crucial for innate immunity. The transfer of electrons to oxygen is mediated by a membrane-bound heterodimer, comprising gp91phox and p22phox subunits. Deficiency of either subunit leads to severe immunodeficiency. We describe Eros (essential for reactive oxygen species), a protein encoded by the previously undefined mouse gene bc017643, and show that it is essential for host defense via the phagocyte NAPDH oxidase. Eros is required for expression of the NADPH oxidase components, gp91phox and p22phox. Consequently, Eros-deficient mice quickly succumb to infection. Eros also contributes to the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETS) and impacts on the immune response to melanoma metastases. Eros is an ortholog of the plant protein Ycf4, which is necessary for expression of proteins of the photosynthetic photosystem 1 complex, itself also an NADPH oxio-reductase. We thus describe the key role of the previously uncharacterized protein Eros in host defense. PMID:28351984

  18. Beyond empiricism: informing vaccine development through innate immunity research.

    PubMed

    Levitz, Stuart M; Golenbock, Douglas T

    2012-03-16

    Although a great public heath success, vaccines provide suboptimal protection in some patient populations and are not available to protect against many infectious diseases. Insights from innate immunity research have led to a better understanding of how existing vaccines work and have informed vaccine development. New adjuvants and delivery systems are being designed based upon their capacity to stimulate innate immune sensors and target antigens to dendritic cells, the cells responsible for initiating adaptive immune responses. Incorporating these adjuvants and delivery systems in vaccines can beneficially alter the quantitative and qualitative nature of the adaptive immune response, resulting in enhanced protection. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Beyond empiricism: Informing vaccine development through innate immunity research

    PubMed Central

    Levitz, Stuart M.; Golenbock, Douglas T.

    2012-01-01

    Summary While a great public heath success, vaccines provide suboptimal protection in some patient populations and are not available to protect against many infectious diseases. Insights from innate immunity research have led to a better understanding of how existing vaccines work and informed vaccine development. New adjuvants and delivery systems are being designed based upon their capacity to stimulate innate immune sensors and target antigens to dendritic cells, the cells responsible for initiating adaptive immune responses. Incorporating these adjuvants and delivery systems in vaccines can beneficially alter the quantitative and qualitative nature of the adaptive immune response resulting in enhanced protection. PMID:22424235

  20. Interactions between the intestinal microbiota and innate lymphoid cells

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Vincent L; Kasper, Dennis L

    2014-01-01

    The mammalian intestine must manage to contain 100 trillion intestinal bacteria without inducing inappropriate immune responses to these microorganisms. The effects of the immune system on intestinal microorganisms are numerous and well-characterized, and recent research has determined that the microbiota influences the intestinal immune system as well. In this review, we first discuss the intestinal immune system and its role in containing and maintaining tolerance to commensal organisms. We next introduce a category of immune cells, the innate lymphoid cells, and describe their classification and function in intestinal immunology. Finally, we discuss the effects of the intestinal microbiota on innate lymphoid cells. PMID:24418741

  1. Innate Immune Mechanisms in Transplant Allograft Vasculopathy

    PubMed Central

    Jane-wit, D; Fang, C; Goldstein, DR

    2016-01-01

    Purpose of Review Allograft vasculopathy (AV) is the leading cause of late allograft loss following solid organ transplantation. Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) and donor specific antibody (DSA)-induced complement activation confer heightened risk for AV via numerous innate immune mechanisms including MyD88, HMGB1, and complement induced non-canonical NF-kB signaling. Recent Findings The role of MyD88, a signal adaptor downstream of the toll-like receptors (TLR), has been defined in an experimental heart transplant model, which demonstrated that recipient MyD88 enhanced AV. Importantly, triggering receptor on myeloid receptor 1(Trem1), a MyD88 amplifying signal, was present in rejecting human cardiac transplant biopsies and enhanced the development of AV in mice. HMGB1, a nuclear protein that activates TLRs, also enhanced the development of AV. Complement activation elicits assembly of membrane attack complexes (MAC) on endothelial cells which activate non-canonical NF-kB signaling, a novel complement effector pathway that induces pro-inflammatory genes and potentiates endothelial cell mediated alloimmune T cell activation, processes which enhance AV. Summary Innate immune mediators including HMGB1, MyD88, and non-canonical NFκB signaling via complement activation contribute to AV. These pathways represent potential therapeutic targets to reduce AV after solid organ transplantation. PMID:27077602

  2. Therapeutic neutralization of the NLRP1 inflammasome reduces the innate immune response and improves histopathology after traumatic brain injury.

    PubMed

    de Rivero Vaccari, Juan Pablo; Lotocki, George; Alonso, Ofelia F; Bramlett, Helen M; Dietrich, W Dalton; Keane, Robert W

    2009-07-01

    Traumatic brain injury elicits acute inflammation that in turn exacerbates primary brain damage. A crucial part of innate immunity in the immune privileged central nervous system involves production of proinflammatory cytokines mediated by inflammasome signaling. Here, we show that the nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeat pyrin domain containing protein 1 (NLRP1) inflammasome consisting of NLRP1, caspase-1, caspase-11, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein, and pannexin 1 is expressed in neurons of the cerebral cortex. Moderate parasagittal fluid-percussion injury (FPI) induced processing of interleukin-1beta, activation of caspase-1, cleavage of X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein, and promoted assembly of the NLRP1 inflammasome complex. Anti-ASC neutralizing antibodies administered immediately after fluid-percussion injury to injured rats reduced caspase-1 activation, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein cleavage, and processing of interleukin-1beta, resulting in a significant decrease in contusion volume. These studies show that the NLRP1 inflammasome constitutes an important component of the innate central nervous system inflammatory response after traumatic brain injury and may be a novel therapeutic target for reducing the damaging effects of posttraumatic brain inflammation.

  3. The interplay between Angiotensin II, TLR4 and hypertension.

    PubMed

    Biancardi, Vinicia Campana; Bomfim, Gisele Facholi; Reis, Wagner Luis; Al-Gassimi, Sarah; Nunes, Kenia Pedrosa

    2017-06-01

    Hypertension is a multifactorial disease. Although a number of different underlying mechanisms have been learned from the various experimental models of the disease, hypertension still poses challenges for treatment. Angiotensin II plays an unquestionable role in blood pressure regulation acting through central and peripheral mechanisms. During hypertension, dysregulation of the Renin-Angiotensin System is associated with increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and reactive oxygen species causing kidney damage, endothelial dysfunction, and increase in sympathetic activity, among other damages, eventually leading to decline in organ function. Recent studies have shown that these effects involve both the innate and the adaptive immune response. The contribution of adaptive immune responses involving different lymphocyte populations in various models of hypertension has been extensively studied. However, the involvement of the innate immunity mediating inflammation in hypertension is still not well understood. The innate and adaptive immune systems intimately interact with one another and are essential to an effectively functioning of the immune response; hence, the importance of a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms mediating innate immune system during hypertension. In this review, we aim to discuss mechanisms linking Angiotensin II and the innate immune system, in the pathogenesis of hypertension. The newest research investigating Angiotensin II triggering toll like receptor 4 activation in the kidney, vasculature and central nervous system contributing to hypertension will be discussed. Understanding the role of the innate immune system in the development of hypertension may bring to light new insights necessary to improve hypertension management. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species modulate innate immune response to influenza A virus in human nasal epithelium.

    PubMed

    Kim, Sujin; Kim, Min-Ji; Park, Do Yang; Chung, Hyo Jin; Kim, Chang-Hoon; Yoon, Joo-Heon; Kim, Hyun Jik

    2015-07-01

    The innate immune system of the nasal epithelium serves as a first line of defense against invading respiratory viruses including influenza A virus (IAV). Recently, it was verified that interferon (IFN)-related immune responses play a critical role in local antiviral innate immunity. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation by exogenous pathogens has also been demonstrated in respiratory epithelial cells and modulation of ROS has been reported to be important for respiratory virus-induced innate immune mechanisms. Passage-2 normal human nasal epithelial (NHNE) cells were inoculated with IAV (WS/33, H1N1) to assess the sources of IAV-induced ROS and the relationship between ROS and IFN-related innate immune responses. Both STAT1 and STAT2 phosphorylation and the mRNA levels of IFN-stimulated genes, including Mx1, 2,5-OAS1, IFIT1, and CXCL10, were induced after IAV infection up to three days post infection. Similarly, we observed that mitochondrial ROS generation increased maximally at 2 days after IAV infection. After suppression of mitochondrial ROS generation, IAV-induced phosphorylation of STAT and mRNA levels of IFN-stimulated genes were attenuated and actually, viral titers of IAV were significantly higher in cases with scavenging ROS. Our findings suggest that mitochondrial ROS might be responsible for controlling IAV infection and may be potential sources of ROS generation, which is required to initiate an innate immune response in NHNE cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Innate Immunity and the Pathogenicity of Inhaled Microbial Particles

    PubMed Central

    Wolff, C. Henrik J.

    2011-01-01

    Non-infectious inhaled microbial particles can cause illness by triggering an inappropriate immunological response. From the pathogenic point of view these illnesses can be seen to be related to on one hand autoimmune diseases and on the other infectious diseases. In this review three such illnesses are discussed in some detail. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is the best known of these illnesses and it has also been widely studied in animal models and clinically. In contrast to HP Pulmonary mycotoxicosis (PM) is not considered to involve immunological memory, it is an acute self-limiting condition is caused by an immediate "toxic" effect. Damp building related illness (DBRI) is a controversial and from a diagnostic point poorly defined entity that is however causing, or attributed to cause, much more morbidity than the two other diseases. In the recent decade there has been a shift in the focus of immunology from the lymphocyte centered, adaptive immunity towards innate immunity. The archetypal cell in innate immunity is the macrophage although many other cell types participate. Innate immunity relies on a limited number of germline coded receptors for the recognition of pathogens and signs of cellular damage. The focus on innate immunity has opened new paths for the understanding of many chronic inflammatory diseases. The purpose of this review is to discuss the impact of some recent studies, that include aspects concerning innate immunity, on our understanding of the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases associated with exposure to inhaled microbial matter. PMID:21448336

  6. Innate immune responses in central nervous system inflammation.

    PubMed

    Finsen, Bente; Owens, Trevor

    2011-12-01

    In autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), innate glial cell responses play a key role in determining the outcome of leukocyte infiltration. Access of leukocytes is controlled via complex interactions with glial components of the blood-brain barrier that include angiotensin II receptors on astrocytes and immunoregulatory mediators such as Type I interferons which regulate cellular traffic. Myeloid cells at the blood-brain barrier present antigen to T cells and influence cytokine effector function. Myelin-specific T cells interact with microglia and promote differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells in response to axonal injury. These innate responses offer potential targets for immunomodulatory therapy. Copyright © 2011 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Delivery route determines the presence of immune complexes on umbilical cord erythrocytes.

    PubMed

    de Lima, Andrés; Franco, Luis C; Sarmiento, Andrés; González, John M

    2017-11-01

    Umbilical cord blood offers a unique opportunity to study the basal level of immunoglobulin complexes. This study aims to determine the presence of immune complexes and complement deposition on erythrocytes from umbilical cord blood from normal, full-term pregnancies. In vitro pre-formed IgA, IgG, and IgM complexes were used as positive control for flow cytometry detection, and for C3d deposition. Blood samples (34) of umbilical cord blood taken from vaginal and cesarean deliveries were tested for the presence of immunoglobulin complexes. Fourteen samples from vaginal deliveries and 20 samples from cesarean deliveries were assessed. IgG and IgM complexes were detected on erythrocytes, whereas no IgA complexes or complement deposition was observed. Interestingly, the percentage of IgG complexes was higher on erythrocytes from vaginal delivery samples compared to those from cesarean deliveries. No other associations between immune complexes and other maternal or newborn variables were found. IgG and IgM complexes seem to be normally present on umbilical cord erythrocytes. Erythrocytes from vaginal deliveries have a higher percentage of IgG complexes present compared to that from cesarean deliveries. Since no C3d activity was detected, these complexes are non-pathological and should be part of the newborn's initial innate immune response.

  8. Requirement for interleukin-1 to drive brain inflammation reveals tissue-specific mechanisms of innate immunity

    PubMed Central

    Giles, James A; Greenhalgh, Andrew D; Davies, Claire L; Denes, Adam; Shaw, Tovah; Coutts, Graham; Rothwell, Nancy J; McColl, Barry W; Allan, Stuart M

    2015-01-01

    The immune system is implicated in a wide range of disorders affecting the brain and is, therefore, an attractive target for therapy. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a potent regulator of the innate immune system important for host defense but is also associated with injury and disease in the brain. Here, we show that IL-1 is a key mediator driving an innate immune response to inflammatory challenge in the mouse brain but is dispensable in extracerebral tissues including the lung and peritoneum. We also demonstrate that IL-1α is an important ligand contributing to the CNS dependence on IL-1 and that IL-1 derived from the CNS compartment (most likely microglia) is the major source driving this effect. These data reveal previously unknown tissue-specific requirements for IL-1 in driving innate immunity and suggest that IL-1-mediated inflammation in the brain could be selectively targeted without compromising systemic innate immune responses that are important for resistance to infection. This property could be exploited to mitigate injury- and disease-associated inflammation in the brain without increasing susceptibility to systemic infection, an important complication in several neurological disorders. PMID:25367678

  9. Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells in Pulmonary Immunity and Tissue Homeostasis

    PubMed Central

    Mindt, Barbara C.; Fritz, Jörg H.; Duerr, Claudia U.

    2018-01-01

    Group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) represent an evolutionary rather old but only recently identified member of the family of innate lymphoid cells and have received much attention since their detailed description in 2010. They can orchestrate innate as well as adaptive immune responses as they interact with and influence several immune and non-immune cell populations. Moreover, ILC2 are able to rapidly secrete large amounts of type 2 cytokines that can contribute to protective but also detrimental host immune responses depending on timing, location, and physiological context. Interestingly, ILC2, despite their scarcity, are the dominant innate lymphoid cell population in the lung, indicating a key role as first responders and amplifiers upon immune challenge at this site. In addition, the recently described tissue residency of ILC2 further underlines the importance of their respective microenvironment. In this review, we provide an overview of lung physiology including a description of the most prominent pulmonary resident cells together with a review of known and potential ILC2 interactions within this unique environment. We will further outline recent observations regarding pulmonary ILC2 during immune challenge including respiratory infections and discuss different models and approaches to study ILC2 biology in the lung. PMID:29760695

  10. A test of life-history theories of immune defence in two ecotypes of the garter snake, Thamnophis elegans.

    PubMed

    Sparkman, Amanda Marie; Palacios, Maria Gabriela

    2009-11-01

    1. Life-history theorists have long observed that fast growth and high reproduction tend to be associated with short life span, suggesting that greater investment in such traits may trade off with self-maintenance. The immune system plays an integral role in self-maintenance and has been proposed as a mediator of life-history trade-offs. 2. Ecoimmunologists have predicted that fast-living organisms should rely more heavily on constitutive innate immunity than slow-living organisms, as constitutive innate defences are thought to be relatively inexpensive to develop and can provide a rapid, general response to pathogens. 3. We present the first study to examine this hypothesis in an ectothermic vertebrate, by testing for differences in three aspects of constitutive innate immunity in replicate populations of two life-history ecotypes of the garter snake Thamnophis elegans, one fast-living and one slow-living. 4. As predicted, free-ranging snakes from the fast-living ecotype had higher levels of all three measures of constitutive innate immunity than the slow-living ecotype. These differences in immunity were not explained by parasite loads measured. Furthermore, both ecotypes exhibited a positive relationship between innate immunity and body size/age, which we discuss in the context of ectotherm physiology and ecotype differences in developmental rates.

  11. Genomic Signatures of Selective Pressures and Introgression from Archaic Hominins at Human Innate Immunity Genes

    PubMed Central

    Deschamps, Matthieu; Laval, Guillaume; Fagny, Maud; Itan, Yuval; Abel, Laurent; Casanova, Jean-Laurent; Patin, Etienne; Quintana-Murci, Lluis

    2016-01-01

    Human genes governing innate immunity provide a valuable tool for the study of the selective pressure imposed by microorganisms on host genomes. A comprehensive, genome-wide study of how selective constraints and adaptations have driven the evolution of innate immunity genes is missing. Using full-genome sequence variation from the 1000 Genomes Project, we first show that innate immunity genes have globally evolved under stronger purifying selection than the remainder of protein-coding genes. We identify a gene set under the strongest selective constraints, mutations in which are likely to predispose individuals to life-threatening disease, as illustrated by STAT1 and TRAF3. We then evaluate the occurrence of local adaptation and detect 57 high-scoring signals of positive selection at innate immunity genes, variation in which has been associated with susceptibility to common infectious or autoimmune diseases. Furthermore, we show that most adaptations targeting coding variation have occurred in the last 6,000–13,000 years, the period at which populations shifted from hunting and gathering to farming. Finally, we show that innate immunity genes present higher Neandertal introgression than the remainder of the coding genome. Notably, among the genes presenting the highest Neandertal ancestry, we find the TLR6-TLR1-TLR10 cluster, which also contains functional adaptive variation in Europeans. This study identifies highly constrained genes that fulfill essential, non-redundant functions in host survival and reveals others that are more permissive to change—containing variation acquired from archaic hominins or adaptive variants in specific populations—improving our understanding of the relative biological importance of innate immunity pathways in natural conditions. PMID:26748513

  12. CXCR3+CD4+ T cells mediate innate immune function in the pathophysiology of liver ischemia/reperfusion injury.

    PubMed

    Zhai, Yuan; Shen, Xiu-da; Hancock, Wayne W; Gao, Feng; Qiao, Bo; Lassman, Charles; Belperio, John A; Strieter, Robert M; Busuttil, Ronald W; Kupiec-Weglinski, Jerzy W

    2006-05-15

    Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), an innate immune-dominated inflammatory response, develops in the absence of exogenous Ags. The recently highlighted role of T cells in IRI raises a question as to how T lymphocytes interact with the innate immune system and function with no Ag stimulation. This study dissected the mechanism of innate immune-induced T cell recruitment and activation in rat syngeneic orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) model. Liver IRI was induced after cold storage (24-36 h) at 4 degrees C in University of Wisconsin solution. Gene products contributing to IRI were identified by cDNA microarray at 4-h posttransplant. IRI triggered increased intrahepatic expression of CXCL10, along with CXCL9 and 11. The significance of CXCR3 ligand induction was documented by the ability of neutralizing anti-CXCR3 Ab treatment to ameliorate hepatocellular damage and improve 14-day survival of 30-h cold-stored OLTs (95 vs 40% in controls; p < 0.01). Immunohistology analysis confirmed reduced CXCR3+ and CD4+ T cell infiltration in OLTs after treatment. Interestingly, anti-CXCR3 Ab did not suppress innate immune activation in the liver, as evidenced by increased levels of IL-1beta, IL-6, inducible NO synthase, and multiple neutrophil/monokine-targeted chemokine programs. In conclusion, this study demonstrates a novel mechanism of T cell recruitment and function in the absence of exogenous Ag stimulation. By documenting that the execution of innate immune function requires CXCR3+CD4+ T cells, it highlights the critical role of CXCR3 chemokine biology for the continuum of innate to adaptive immunity in the pathophysiology of liver IRI.

  13. Toll-like receptors in the pathogenesis of chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal toxicity.

    PubMed

    Cario, Elke

    2016-06-01

    Intestinal mucositis represents a common complication and dose-limiting toxicity of cancer chemotherapy. So far chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis remains poorly treatable resulting in significant morbidity and reduced quality of life in cancer patients. This review discusses recent insights into the pathophysiology of chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis. Novel mechanisms linking gut microbiota, host innate immunity and anticancer drug metabolism are highlighted. Gut microbiota may affect xenobiotic metabolism by direct and indirect mechanisms, critically modulating gut toxicity of chemotherapy drugs. Composition and metabolic function of the gut microbiome as well as innate immune responses of the intestinal mucosa are severely altered during chemotherapy. Commensal-mediated innate immune signaling via Toll-like receptors (TLRs) ambiguously shapes chemotherapy-induced genotoxic damage in the gastrointestinal tract. TLR2 may accelerate host detoxification by activating the multidrug transporter ATP-binding cassette 1 (ABCB1)/MDR1 P-glycoprotein to efflux harmful drugs, thus controlling the severity of cancer therapy-induced mucosal damage in the gastrointestinal tract. In contrast, selective chemotherapy drugs may drive LPS hyperresponsiveness via TLR4, which exacerbates mucosal injury through aberrant cytokine storms. Broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment does not seem to represent a valid therapeutic option, as drastic reduction in global gut microbiota may enhance risk of gastrointestinal toxicity and reduce efficacy of some chemotherapy drugs, at least in murine models. Several variables (environment, metabolism, dysbiosis, infections and/or genetics) influence the outcome of mucosal TLR signaling during cancer treatment. Differences in innate immune responses also reflect chemotherapy drug-specific effects. Future studies must investigate in more detail whether manipulating the delicate balance between gut microbiota and host immune responses by either monotherapy or combinations of different TLR agonists and antagonists may be indeed useful to limit the toxic side-effects of complex chemotherapy regimens, accelerate mucosal tissue regeneration and improve the anticancer treatment response.

  14. Experimental Chagas disease. Innate immune response in Balb/c mice previously vaccinated with Trypanosoma rangeli. I. The macrophage shows immunological memory: Reality or fiction?

    PubMed

    Basso, B; Marini, V

    2014-04-01

    Chagas' disease, caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a major vector borne health problem in Latin America and an emerging or re-emerging infectious disease in several countries. Immune response to T. cruzi infection is highly complex and involves many components, both regulators and effectors. Although different parasites have been shown to activate different mechanisms of innate immunity, T. cruzi is often able to survive and replicate in its host because they are well adapted to resisting host defences. An experimental model for vaccinating mice with Trypanosoma rangeli, a parasite closely related to T. cruzi, but nonpathogenic to humans, has been designed in our laboratory, showing protection against challenge with T. cruzi infection. The aim of this work was to analyze some mechanisms of the early innate immune response in T. rangeli vaccinated mice challenged with T. cruzi. For this purpose, some interactions were studied between T. cruzi and peritoneal macrophages of mice vaccinated with T. rangeli, infected or not with T. cruzi and the levels of some molecules or soluble mediators which could modify these interactions. The results in vaccinated animals showed a strong innate immune response, where the adherent cells of the vaccinated mice revealed important phagocytic activity, and some soluble mediator (Respiratory Burst: significantly increase, p ≤ 0.03; NO: the levels of vaccinated animals were lower than those of the control group; Arginasa: significantly increase, p ≤ 0.04). The results showed an important role in the early elimination of the parasites and their close relation with the absence of histological lesions that these animals present with regard to the only infected mice. This behaviour reveals that the macrophages act with some type of memory, recognizing the antigens to which they have previously been exposed, in mice were vaccinated with T. rangeli, which shares epitopes with T. cruzi. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  15. Genes of innate immunity and the biological response to inhaled ozone

    PubMed Central

    Li, Zhuowei; Tighe, Robert M.; Feng, Feifei; Ledford, Julie G.; Hollingsworth, John W.

    2013-01-01

    Ambient ozone has a significant impact on human health. We have made considerable progress in understanding the fundamental mechanisms that regulate the biological response to ozone. It is increasingly clear that genes of innate immunity play a central role in both infectious and non-infectious lung disease. The biological response to ambient ozone provides a clinically relevant environmental exposure that allows us to better understand the role of innate immunity in non-infectious airways disease. In this brief review, we focus on: (1) specific cell types in the lung modified by ozone; (2) ozone and oxidative stress; (3) the relationship between genes of innate immunity and ozone; (4) the role of extracellular matrix in reactive airways disease; and (5) the effect of ozone on the adaptive immune system. We summarize recent advances in understanding the mechanisms that ozone contributes to environmental airways disease. PMID:23169704

  16. Innate Immune Cells in Liver Inflammation

    PubMed Central

    Liaskou, Evaggelia; Wilson, Daisy V.; Oo, Ye H.

    2012-01-01

    Innate immune system is the first line of defence against invading pathogens that is critical for the overall survival of the host. Human liver is characterised by a dual blood supply, with 80% of blood entering through the portal vein carrying nutrients and bacterial endotoxin from the gastrointestinal tract. The liver is thus constantly exposed to antigenic loads. Therefore, pathogenic microorganism must be efficiently eliminated whilst harmless antigens derived from the gastrointestinal tract need to be tolerized in the liver. In order to achieve this, the liver innate immune system is equipped with multiple cellular components; monocytes, macrophages, granulocytes, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells which coordinate to exert tolerogenic environment at the same time detect, respond, and eliminate invading pathogens, infected or transformed self to mount immunity. This paper will discuss the innate immune cells that take part in human liver inflammation, and their roles in both resolution of inflammation and tissue repair. PMID:22933833

  17. Staphylococcus aureus Manipulates Innate Immunity through Own and Host-Expressed Proteases.

    PubMed

    Pietrocola, Giampiero; Nobile, Giulia; Rindi, Simonetta; Speziale, Pietro

    2017-01-01

    Neutrophils, complement system and skin collectively represent the main elements of the innate immune system, the first line of defense of the host against many common microorganisms. Bacterial pathogens have evolved strategies to counteract all these defense activities. Specifically, Staphylococcus aureus , a major human pathogen, secretes a variety of immune evasion molecules including proteases, which cleave components of the innate immune system or disrupt the integrity of extracellular matrix and intercellular connections of tissues. Additionally, S. aureus secretes proteins that can activate host zymogens which, in turn, target specific defense components. Secreted proteins can also inhibit the anti-bacterial function of neutrophils or complement system proteases, potentiating S. aureus chances of survival. Here, we review the current understanding of these proteases and modulators of host proteases in the functioning of innate immunity and describe the importance of these mechanisms in the pathology of staphylococcal diseases.

  18. Staphylococcus aureus Manipulates Innate Immunity through Own and Host-Expressed Proteases

    PubMed Central

    Pietrocola, Giampiero; Nobile, Giulia; Rindi, Simonetta; Speziale, Pietro

    2017-01-01

    Neutrophils, complement system and skin collectively represent the main elements of the innate immune system, the first line of defense of the host against many common microorganisms. Bacterial pathogens have evolved strategies to counteract all these defense activities. Specifically, Staphylococcus aureus, a major human pathogen, secretes a variety of immune evasion molecules including proteases, which cleave components of the innate immune system or disrupt the integrity of extracellular matrix and intercellular connections of tissues. Additionally, S. aureus secretes proteins that can activate host zymogens which, in turn, target specific defense components. Secreted proteins can also inhibit the anti-bacterial function of neutrophils or complement system proteases, potentiating S. aureus chances of survival. Here, we review the current understanding of these proteases and modulators of host proteases in the functioning of innate immunity and describe the importance of these mechanisms in the pathology of staphylococcal diseases. PMID:28529927

  19. Innate immune response of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) mannose-binding lectin to channel catfish virus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The channel catfish virus (CCV) is a pathogenic herpesvirus that infects channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in pond aquaculture in the Southeast USA. The innate immune protein mannose-binding lectin (MBL) could play an important role in the innate response of channel catfish by binding to the CC...

  20. Rapid Link of Innate Immune Signal to Adaptive Immunity by Brain–Fat Axis

    PubMed Central

    Kim, Min Soo; Yan, Jingqi; Wu, Wenhe; Zhang, Guo; Zhang, Yalin; Cai, Dongsheng

    2015-01-01

    Innate immunity signals induced by pathogen/damage-associated molecular patterns are essential for adaptive immune responses, but it is unclear if the brain plays a role in this process. Here we show that while tumor necrosis factor (TNF) quickly increased in the brain of mice following bacterial infection, intra-brain TNF delivery mimicked bacterial infection to rapidly increase peripheral lymphocytes, especially in the spleen and fat. Multiple mouse models revealed that hypothalamic responses to TNF were accountable for this increase of peripheral lymphocytes in response to bacterial infection. Finally, hypothalamic induction of lipolysis was found to mediate the brain's action in promoting this increase in peripheral adaptive immune response. Thus, the brain-fat axis is important for rapidly linking innate immunity to adaptive immunity. PMID:25848866

  1. Innate immunity and effector and regulatory mechanisms involved in allergic contact dermatitis.

    PubMed

    Silvestre, Marilene Chaves; Sato, Maria Notomi; Reis, Vitor Manoel Silva Dos

    2018-03-01

    Skin's innate immunity is the initial activator of immune response mechanisms, influencing the development of adaptive immunity. Some contact allergens are detected by Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and inflammasome NLR3. Keratinocytes participate in innate immunity and, in addition to functioning as an anatomical barrier, secrete cytokines, such as TNF, IL-1β, and IL-18, contributing to the development of Allergic Contact Dermatitis. Dendritic cells recognize and process antigenic peptides into T cells. Neutrophils cause pro-inflammatory reactions, mast cells induce migration/maturation of skin DCs, the natural killer cells have natural cytotoxic capacity, the γδ T cells favor contact with hapten during the sensitization phase, and the innate lymphoid cells act in the early stages by secreting cytokines, as well as act in inflammation and tissue homeostasis. The antigen-specific inflammation is mediated by T cells, and each subtype of T cells (Th1/Tc1, Th2/Tc2, and Th17/Tc17) activates resident skin cells, thus contributing to inflammation. Skin's regulatory T cells have a strong ability to inhibit the proliferation of hapten-specific T cells, acting at the end of the Allergic Contact Dermatitis response and in the control of systemic immune responses. In this review, we report how cutaneous innate immunity is the first line of defense and focus its role in the activation of the adaptive immune response, with effector response induction and its regulation.

  2. Linking innate to adaptive immunity through dendritic cells.

    PubMed

    Steinman, Ralph M

    2006-01-01

    The function of dendritic cells (DCs) in linking innate to adaptive immunity is often summarized with two terms. DCs are sentinels, able to capture, process and present antigens and to migrate to lymphoid tissues to select rare, antigen-reactive T cell clones. DCs are also sensors, responding to a spectrum of environmental cues by extensive differentiation or maturation. The type of DC and the type of maturation induced by different stimuli influences the immunological outcome, such as the differentiation of Thl vs. Th2 T cells. Here we summarize the contributions of DCs to innate defences, particularly the production of immune enhancing cytokines and the activation of innate lymphocytes. Then we outline three innate features of DCs that influence peripheral tolerance and lead to adaptive immunity: a specialized endocytic system for antigen capture and processing, location and movements in vivo, and maturation in response to an array of stimuli. A new approach to the analysis of DC biology is to target antigens selectively to maturing DCs in vivo. This leads to stronger, more prolonged and broader (many immunogenic peptides) immunity by both T cells and B cells.

  3. Helminth Infections: Recognition and Modulation of the Immune Response by Innate Immune Cells

    PubMed Central

    Motran, Claudia Cristina; Silvane, Leonardo; Chiapello, Laura Silvina; Theumer, Martin Gustavo; Ambrosio, Laura Fernanda; Volpini, Ximena; Celias, Daiana Pamela; Cervi, Laura

    2018-01-01

    The survival of helminths in the host over long periods of time is the result of a process of adaptation or dynamic co-evolution between the host and the parasite. However, infection with helminth parasites causes damage to the host tissues producing the release of danger signals that induce the recruitment of various cells, including innate immune cells such as macrophages (Mo), dendritic cells (DCs), eosinophils, basophils, and mast cells. In this scenario, these cells are able to secrete soluble factors, which orchestrate immune effector mechanisms that depend on the different niches these parasites inhabit. Here, we focus on recent advances in the knowledge of excretory-secretory products (ESP), resulting from helminth recognition by DCs and Mo. Phagocytes and other cells types such as innate lymphocyte T cells 2 (ILC2), when activated by ESP, participate in an intricate cytokine network to generate innate and adaptive Th2 responses. In this review, we also discuss the mechanisms of innate immune cell-induced parasite killing and the tissue repair necessary to assure helminth survival over long periods of time. PMID:29670630

  4. Plant immunity: unravelling the complexity of plant responses to biotic stresses.

    PubMed

    Miller, Robert Neil Gerard; Costa Alves, Gabriel Sergio; Van Sluys, Marie-Anne

    2017-03-01

    Plants are constantly exposed to evolving pathogens and pests, with crop losses representing a considerable threat to global food security. As pathogen evolution can overcome disease resistance that is conferred by individual plant resistance genes, an enhanced understanding of the plant immune system is necessary for the long-term development of effective disease management strategies. Current research is rapidly advancing our understanding of the plant innate immune system, with this multidisciplinary subject area reflected in the content of the 18 papers in this Special Issue. Advances in specific areas of plant innate immunity are highlighted in this issue, with focus on molecular interactions occurring between plant hosts and viruses, bacteria, phytoplasmas, oomycetes, fungi, nematodes and insect pests. We provide a focus on research across multiple areas related to pathogen sensing and plant immune response. Topics covered are categorized as follows: binding proteins in plant immunity; cytokinin phytohormones in plant growth and immunity; plant-virus interactions; plant-phytoplasma interactions; plant-fungus interactions; plant-nematode interactions; plant immunity in Citrus; plant peptides and volatiles; and assimilate dynamics in source/sink metabolism. Although knowledge of the plant immune system remains incomplete, the considerable ongoing scientific progress into pathogen sensing and plant immune response mechanisms suggests far reaching implications for the development of durable disease resistance against pathogens and pests. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  5. Let’s Tie the Knot: Marriage of Complement and Adaptive Immunity in Pathogen Evasion, for Better or Worse

    PubMed Central

    Bennett, Kaila M.; Rooijakkers, Suzan H. M.; Gorham, Ronald D.

    2017-01-01

    The complement system is typically regarded as an effector arm of innate immunity, leading to recognition and killing of microbial invaders in body fluids. Consequently, pathogens have engaged in an arms race, evolving molecules that can interfere with proper complement responses. However, complement is no longer viewed as an isolated system, and links with other immune mechanisms are continually being discovered. Complement forms an important bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. While its roles in innate immunity are well-documented, its function in adaptive immunity is less characterized. Therefore, it is no surprise that the field of pathogenic complement evasion has focused on blockade of innate effector functions, while potential inhibition of adaptive immune responses (via complement) has been overlooked to a certain extent. In this review, we highlight past and recent developments on the involvement of complement in the adaptive immune response. We discuss the mechanisms by which complement aids in lymphocyte stimulation and regulation, as well as in antigen presentation. In addition, we discuss microbial complement evasion strategies, and highlight specific examples in the context of adaptive immune responses. These emerging ties between complement and adaptive immunity provide a catalyst for future discovery in not only the field of adaptive immune evasion but in elucidating new roles of complement. PMID:28197139

  6. Let's Tie the Knot: Marriage of Complement and Adaptive Immunity in Pathogen Evasion, for Better or Worse.

    PubMed

    Bennett, Kaila M; Rooijakkers, Suzan H M; Gorham, Ronald D

    2017-01-01

    The complement system is typically regarded as an effector arm of innate immunity, leading to recognition and killing of microbial invaders in body fluids. Consequently, pathogens have engaged in an arms race, evolving molecules that can interfere with proper complement responses. However, complement is no longer viewed as an isolated system, and links with other immune mechanisms are continually being discovered. Complement forms an important bridge between innate and adaptive immunity. While its roles in innate immunity are well-documented, its function in adaptive immunity is less characterized. Therefore, it is no surprise that the field of pathogenic complement evasion has focused on blockade of innate effector functions, while potential inhibition of adaptive immune responses (via complement) has been overlooked to a certain extent. In this review, we highlight past and recent developments on the involvement of complement in the adaptive immune response. We discuss the mechanisms by which complement aids in lymphocyte stimulation and regulation, as well as in antigen presentation. In addition, we discuss microbial complement evasion strategies, and highlight specific examples in the context of adaptive immune responses. These emerging ties between complement and adaptive immunity provide a catalyst for future discovery in not only the field of adaptive immune evasion but in elucidating new roles of complement.

  7. Altered Cellular Metabolism Drives Trained Immunity.

    PubMed

    Sohrabi, Yahya; Godfrey, Rinesh; Findeisen, Hannes M

    2018-04-04

    Exposing innate immune cells to an initial insult induces a long-term proinflammatory response due to metabolic and epigenetic alterations which encompass an emerging new concept called trained immunity. Recent studies provide novel insights into mechanisms centered on metabolic reprogramming which induce innate immune memory in hematopoietic stem cells and monocytes. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Contributions of immune responses to developmental resistance in Lymantria dispar challenged with baculovirus

    Treesearch

    James McNeil; Diana Cox-Foster; James Slavicek; Kelli Hoover

    2010-01-01

    How the innate immune system functions to defend insects from viruses is an emerging field of study. We examined the impact of melanized encapsulation, a component of innate immunity that integrates both cellular and humoral immune responses, on the success of the baculovirus Lymantria dispar multiple nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (LdMNPV) in its...

  9. The innate immune response during urinary tract infection and pyelonephritis

    PubMed Central

    Spencer, John David; Schwaderer, Andrew L.; Becknell, Brian; Watson, Joshua; Hains, David S.

    2013-01-01

    Despite its proximity to the fecal flora, the urinary tract is considered sterile. The precise mechanisms by which the urinary tract maintains sterility are not well understood. Host immune responses are critically important in the antimicrobial defense of the urinary tract. During recent years, considerable advances have been made in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying immune homeostasis of the kidney and urinary tract. Dysfunctions in these immune mechanisms may result in acute disease, tissue destruction and overwhelming infection. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the innate immune response in the urinary tract in response to microbial assault. In doing so, we focus on the role of antimicrobial peptides – a ubiquitous component of the innate immune response. PMID:23732397

  10. The innate immune response during urinary tract infection and pyelonephritis.

    PubMed

    Spencer, John David; Schwaderer, Andrew L; Becknell, Brian; Watson, Joshua; Hains, David S

    2014-07-01

    Despite its proximity to the fecal flora, the urinary tract is considered sterile. The precise mechanisms by which the urinary tract maintains sterility are not well understood. Host immune responses are critically important in the antimicrobial defense of the urinary tract. During recent years, considerable advances have been made in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying immune homeostasis of the kidney and urinary tract. Dysfunctions in these immune mechanisms may result in acute disease, tissue destruction and overwhelming infection. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the innate immune response in the urinary tract in response to microbial assault. In doing so, we focus on the role of antimicrobial peptides-a ubiquitous component of the innate immune response.

  11. Innate Immune Activation in Obesity

    PubMed Central

    Lumeng, Carey N.

    2014-01-01

    The innate immune system is a prewired set of cellular and humoral components that has developed to sense perturbations in normal physiology and trigger responses to restore the system back to baseline. It is now understood that many of these components can also sense the physiologic changes that occur with obesity and be activated. While the exact reasons for this chronic immune response to obesity are unclear, there is strong evidence to suggest that innate inflammatory systems link obesity and disease. Based on this, anti-inflammatory therapies for diseases like type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome may form the core of future treatment plans. This review will highlight the components involved in the innate immune response and discuss the evidence that they contribute to the pathogenesis of obesity-associated diseases. PMID:23068074

  12. GPCRs in invertebrate innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Reboul, Jerome; Ewbank, Jonathan J

    2016-08-15

    G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) represent a privileged point of contact between cells and their surrounding environment. They have been widely adopted in vertebrates as mediators of signals involved in both innate and adaptive immunity. Invertebrates rely on innate immune defences to resist infection. We review here evidence from a number of different species, principally the genetically tractable Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster that points to an important role for GPCRs in modulating innate immunity in invertebrates too. In addition to examples of GPCRs involved in regulating the expression of defence genes, we discuss studies in C. elegans addressing the role of GPCR signalling in pathogen aversive behaviour. Despite the many lacunae in our current knowledge, it is clear that GPCR signalling contributes to host defence across the animal kingdom. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. CD22 and Siglec-G in B cell function and tolerance

    PubMed Central

    Poe, Jonathan C.; Tedder, Thomas F.

    2012-01-01

    The immune system has evolved into two main arms, the primitive innate arm that is the first line of defense but relatively short-lived and broad acting, and the advanced adaptive arm that generates immunologic “memory” allowing rapid, specific recall responses. T cell-independent type-2 (TI-2) antigens (Ags) invoke innate immune responses. However, due to its “at the ready” nature, how the innate arm of the immune system maintains tolerance to potentially abundant host TI-2 Ags remains elusive. Therefore, it is important to define the mechanisms that establish innate immune tolerance. This review highlights recent insights into B cell tolerance to theoretical self TI-2 Ags, and examines how the B cell-restricted Siglecs, CD22 and Siglec-G, might contribute to this process. PMID:22677186

  14. Manipulation of the Glycan-Specific Natural Antibody Repertoire for Immunotherapy

    PubMed Central

    New, J. Stewart; King, R. Glenn; Kearney, John F.

    2015-01-01

    Summary Natural immunoglobulin derived from innate-like B lymphocytes plays important roles in the suppression of inflammatory responses and represents a promising therapeutic target in a growing number of allergic and autoimmune diseases. These antibodies are commonly autoreactive and incorporate evolutionarily conserved specificities, including certain glycan-specific antibodies. Despite this conservation, exposure to bacterial polysaccharides during innate-like B lymphocyte development, through either natural exposure or immunization, induces significant changes in clonal representation within the glycan-reactive B cell pool. Glycan-reactive natural antibodies have been reported to play protective and pathogenic roles in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. An understanding of the composition and functions of a healthy glycan-reactive natural antibody repertoire is therefore paramount. A more thorough understanding of natural antibody repertoire development holds promise for the design of both biological diagnostics and therapies. In this article we review the development and functions of natural antibodies and examine three glycan specificities, represented in the innate-like B cell pool, to illustrate the complex roles environmental antigens play in natural antibody repertoire development. We also discuss the implications of increased clonal plasticity of the innate-like B cell repertoire during neonatal and perinatal periods, and the prospect of targeting B cell development with interventional therapies and correct defects in this important arm of the adaptive immune system. PMID:26864103

  15. Insights into the innate immunome of actiniarians using a comparative genomic approach.

    PubMed

    van der Burg, Chloé A; Prentis, Peter J; Surm, Joachim M; Pavasovic, Ana

    2016-11-02

    Innate immune genes tend to be highly conserved in metazoans, even in early divergent lineages such as Cnidaria (jellyfish, corals, hydroids and sea anemones) and Porifera (sponges). However, constant and diverse selection pressures on the immune system have driven the expansion and diversification of different immune gene families in a lineage-specific manner. To investigate how the innate immune system has evolved in a subset of sea anemone species (Order: Actiniaria), we performed a comprehensive and comparative study using 10 newly sequenced transcriptomes, as well as three publically available transcriptomes, to identify the origins, expansions and contractions of candidate and novel immune gene families. We characterised five conserved genes and gene families, as well as multiple novel innate immune genes, including the newly recognised putative pattern recognition receptor CniFL. Single copies of TLR, MyD88 and NF-κB were found in most species, and several copies of IL-1R-like, NLR and CniFL were found in almost all species. Multiple novel immune genes were identified with domain architectures including the Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) homology domain, which is well documented as functioning in protein-protein interactions and signal transduction in immune pathways. We hypothesise that these genes may interact as novel proteins in immune pathways of cnidarian species. Novelty in the actiniarian immunome is not restricted to only TIR-domain-containing proteins, as we identify a subset of NLRs which have undergone neofunctionalisation and contain 3-5 N-terminal transmembrane domains, which have so far only been identified in two anthozoan species. This research has significance in understanding the evolution and origin of the core eumetazoan gene set, including how novel innate immune genes evolve. For example, the evolution of transmembrane domain containing NLRs indicates that these NLRs may be membrane-bound, while all other metazoan and plant NLRs are exclusively cytosolic receptors. This is one example of how species without an adaptive immune system may evolve innovative solutions to detect pathogens or interact with native microbiota. Overall, these results provide an insight into the evolution of the innate immune system, and show that early divergent lineages, such as actiniarians, have a diverse repertoire of conserved and novel innate immune genes.

  16. Innate Immunity and the Inter-exposure Interval Determine the Dynamics of Secondary Influenza Virus Infection and Explain Observed Viral Hierarchies.

    PubMed

    Cao, Pengxing; Yan, Ada W C; Heffernan, Jane M; Petrie, Stephen; Moss, Robert G; Carolan, Louise A; Guarnaccia, Teagan A; Kelso, Anne; Barr, Ian G; McVernon, Jodie; Laurie, Karen L; McCaw, James M

    2015-08-01

    Influenza is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the respiratory system. Innate immunity provides both a very early defense to influenza virus invasion and an effective control of viral growth. Previous modelling studies of virus-innate immune response interactions have focused on infection with a single virus and, while improving our understanding of viral and immune dynamics, have been unable to effectively evaluate the relative feasibility of different hypothesised mechanisms of antiviral immunity. In recent experiments, we have applied consecutive exposures to different virus strains in a ferret model, and demonstrated that viruses differed in their ability to induce a state of temporary immunity or viral interference capable of modifying the infection kinetics of the subsequent exposure. These results imply that virus-induced early immune responses may be responsible for the observed viral hierarchy. Here we introduce and analyse a family of within-host models of re-infection viral kinetics which allow for different viruses to stimulate the innate immune response to different degrees. The proposed models differ in their hypothesised mechanisms of action of the non-specific innate immune response. We compare these alternative models in terms of their abilities to reproduce the re-exposure data. Our results show that 1) a model with viral control mediated solely by a virus-resistant state, as commonly considered in the literature, is not able to reproduce the observed viral hierarchy; 2) the synchronised and desynchronised behaviour of consecutive virus infections is highly dependent upon the interval between primary virus and challenge virus exposures and is consistent with virus-dependent stimulation of the innate immune response. Our study provides the first mechanistic explanation for the recently observed influenza viral hierarchies and demonstrates the importance of understanding the host response to multi-strain viral infections. Re-exposure experiments provide a new paradigm in which to study the immune response to influenza and its role in viral control.

  17. Innate Immunity and the Inter-exposure Interval Determine the Dynamics of Secondary Influenza Virus Infection and Explain Observed Viral Hierarchies

    PubMed Central

    Cao, Pengxing; Yan, Ada W. C.; Heffernan, Jane M.; Petrie, Stephen; Moss, Robert G.; Carolan, Louise A.; Guarnaccia, Teagan A.; Kelso, Anne; Barr, Ian G.; McVernon, Jodie; Laurie, Karen L.; McCaw, James M.

    2015-01-01

    Influenza is an infectious disease that primarily attacks the respiratory system. Innate immunity provides both a very early defense to influenza virus invasion and an effective control of viral growth. Previous modelling studies of virus–innate immune response interactions have focused on infection with a single virus and, while improving our understanding of viral and immune dynamics, have been unable to effectively evaluate the relative feasibility of different hypothesised mechanisms of antiviral immunity. In recent experiments, we have applied consecutive exposures to different virus strains in a ferret model, and demonstrated that viruses differed in their ability to induce a state of temporary immunity or viral interference capable of modifying the infection kinetics of the subsequent exposure. These results imply that virus-induced early immune responses may be responsible for the observed viral hierarchy. Here we introduce and analyse a family of within-host models of re-infection viral kinetics which allow for different viruses to stimulate the innate immune response to different degrees. The proposed models differ in their hypothesised mechanisms of action of the non-specific innate immune response. We compare these alternative models in terms of their abilities to reproduce the re-exposure data. Our results show that 1) a model with viral control mediated solely by a virus-resistant state, as commonly considered in the literature, is not able to reproduce the observed viral hierarchy; 2) the synchronised and desynchronised behaviour of consecutive virus infections is highly dependent upon the interval between primary virus and challenge virus exposures and is consistent with virus-dependent stimulation of the innate immune response. Our study provides the first mechanistic explanation for the recently observed influenza viral hierarchies and demonstrates the importance of understanding the host response to multi-strain viral infections. Re-exposure experiments provide a new paradigm in which to study the immune response to influenza and its role in viral control. PMID:26284917

  18. Impaired functioning of immune defenses to infection in premature and term infants and their implications for vaccination.

    PubMed

    Baxter, David

    2010-06-01

    Newborn infants, particularly those born prematurely are at increased risk of infections, including vaccine preventable ones, resulting in an increased morbidity and mortality risk. Defects associated with higher mortality may involve external barriers and the innate and adaptive systems. The available evidence suggests a complex situation that ranges from pathogen/immunogen non-responsiveness to fully mature adult-equivalent functionality depending on both host and vaccine characteristics. This review considers potential qualitative and quantitative differences with respect to immune defences between premature/term infants and adults and evaluates implications of such differences for immunization outcomes.

  19. Immune cells in term and preterm labor

    PubMed Central

    Gomez-Lopez, Nardhy; StLouis, Derek; Lehr, Marcus A; Sanchez-Rodriguez, Elly N; Arenas-Hernandez, Marcia

    2014-01-01

    Labor resembles an inflammatory response that includes secretion of cytokines/chemokines by resident and infiltrating immune cells into reproductive tissues and the maternal/fetal interface. Untimely activation of these inflammatory pathways leads to preterm labor, which can result in preterm birth. Preterm birth is a major determinant of neonatal mortality and morbidity; therefore, the elucidation of the process of labor at a cellular and molecular level is essential for understanding the pathophysiology of preterm labor. Here, we summarize the role of innate and adaptive immune cells in the physiological or pathological activation of labor. We review published literature regarding the role of innate and adaptive immune cells in the cervix, myometrium, fetal membranes, decidua and the fetus in late pregnancy and labor at term and preterm. Accumulating evidence suggests that innate immune cells (neutrophils, macrophages and mast cells) mediate the process of labor by releasing pro-inflammatory factors such as cytokines, chemokines and matrix metalloproteinases. Adaptive immune cells (T-cell subsets and B cells) participate in the maintenance of fetomaternal tolerance during pregnancy, and an alteration in their function or abundance may lead to labor at term or preterm. Also, immune cells that bridge the innate and adaptive immune systems (natural killer T (NKT) cells and dendritic cells (DCs)) seem to participate in the pathophysiology of preterm labor. In conclusion, a balance between innate and adaptive immune cells is required in order to sustain pregnancy; an alteration of this balance will lead to labor at term or preterm. PMID:24954221

  20. RAD51 interconnects between DNA replication, DNA repair and immunity.

    PubMed

    Bhattacharya, Souparno; Srinivasan, Kalayarasan; Abdisalaam, Salim; Su, Fengtao; Raj, Prithvi; Dozmorov, Igor; Mishra, Ritu; Wakeland, Edward K; Ghose, Subroto; Mukherjee, Shibani; Asaithamby, Aroumougame

    2017-05-05

    RAD51, a multifunctional protein, plays a central role in DNA replication and homologous recombination repair, and is known to be involved in cancer development. We identified a novel role for RAD51 in innate immune response signaling. Defects in RAD51 lead to the accumulation of self-DNA in the cytoplasm, triggering a STING-mediated innate immune response after replication stress and DNA damage. In the absence of RAD51, the unprotected newly replicated genome is degraded by the exonuclease activity of MRE11, and the fragmented nascent DNA accumulates in the cytosol, initiating an innate immune response. Our data suggest that in addition to playing roles in homologous recombination-mediated DNA double-strand break repair and replication fork processing, RAD51 is also implicated in the suppression of innate immunity. Thus, our study reveals a previously uncharacterized role of RAD51 in initiating immune signaling, placing it at the hub of new interconnections between DNA replication, DNA repair, and immunity. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

  1. TAM receptor tyrosine kinases as emerging targets of innate immune checkpoint blockade for cancer therapy.

    PubMed

    Akalu, Yemsratch T; Rothlin, Carla V; Ghosh, Sourav

    2017-03-01

    Cancer immunotherapy utilizing T-cell checkpoint inhibitors has shown tremendous clinical success. Yet, this mode of treatment is effective in only a subset of patients. Unresponsive patients tend to have non-T-cell-inflamed tumors that lack markers associated with the activation of adaptive anti-tumor immune responses. Notably, elimination of cancer cells by T cells is critically dependent on the optimal activity of innate immune cells. Therefore, identifying new targets that regulate innate immune cell function and promote the engagement of adaptive tumoricidal responses is likely to lead to the development of improved therapies against cancer. Here, we review the TAM receptor tyrosine kinases-TYRO3, AXL, and MERTK-as an emerging class of innate immune checkpoints that participate in key steps of anti-tumoral immunity. Namely, TAM-mediated efferocytosis, negative regulation of dendritic cell activity, and dysregulated production of chemokines collectively favor the escape of malignant cells. Hence, disabling TAM signaling may promote engagement of adaptive immunity and complement T-cell checkpoint blockade. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Innate Immune Cytokines, Fibroblast Phenotypes, and Regulation of Extracellular Matrix in Lung.

    PubMed

    Richards, Carl D

    2017-02-01

    Chronic inflammation can be caused by adaptive immune responses in autoimmune and allergic conditions, driven by a T lymphocyte subset balance (TH1, TH2, Th17, Th22, and/or Treg) and skewed cellular profiles in an antigen-specific manner. However, several chronic inflammatory diseases have no clearly defined adaptive immune mechanisms that drive chronicity. These conditions include those that affect the lung such as nonatopic asthma or idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis comprising significant health problems. The remodeling of extracellular matrix (ECM) causes organ dysfunction, and it is largely generated by fibroblasts as the major cell controlling net ECM. As such, these are potential targets of treatment approaches in the context of ECM pathology. Fibroblast phenotypes contribute to ECM and inflammatory cell accumulation, and they are integrated into chronic disease mechanisms including cancer. Evidence suggests that innate cytokine responses may be critical in nonallergic/nonautoimmune disease, and they enable environmental agent exposure mechanisms that are independent of adaptive immunity. Innate immune cytokines derived from macrophage subsets (M1/M2) and innate lymphoid cell (ILC) subsets can directly regulate fibroblast function. We also suggest that STAT3-activating gp130 cytokines can sensitize fibroblasts to the innate cytokine milieu to drive phenotypes and exacerbate existing adaptive responses. Here, we review evidence exploring innate cytokine regulation of fibroblast behavior.

  3. Herpes simplex virus-2 in the genital mucosa: insights into the mucosal host response and vaccine development.

    PubMed

    Lee, Amanda J; Ashkar, Ali A

    2012-02-01

    Herpes simplex virus (HSV)-2 is the predominant cause of genital herpes and has been implicated in HIV infection and transmission. Thus far, vaccines developed against HSV-2 have been clinically ineffective in preventing infection. This review aims to summarize the innate and adaptive immune responses against HSV-2 and examines the current status of vaccine development. Both innate and adaptive immune responses are essential for an effective primary immune response and the generation of immunity. The innate response involves Toll-like receptors, natural killer cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and type I, II, and III interferons. The adaptive response requires a balance between CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells for optimal viral clearance. T-regulatory cells may be involved, although their exact function has yet to be determined. Current vaccine development involves the use of HSV-2 peptides or attenuated/replication-defective HSV-2 to generate adaptive anti-HSV-2 immune responses, however the generation of innate responses may also be an important consideration. Although vaccine development has primarily focused on the adaptive response, arguments for innate involvement are emerging. A greater understanding of the innate and adaptive processes underlying the response to HSV-2 infection will provide the foundation for the development of an effective vaccine.

  4. Pathogen recognition in the innate immune response.

    PubMed

    Kumar, Himanshu; Kawai, Taro; Akira, Shizuo

    2009-04-28

    Immunity against microbial pathogens primarily depends on the recognition of pathogen components by innate receptors expressed on immune and non-immune cells. Innate receptors are evolutionarily conserved germ-line-encoded proteins and include TLRs (Toll-like receptors), RLRs [RIG-I (retinoic acid-inducible gene-I)-like receptors] and NLRs (Nod-like receptors). These receptors recognize pathogens or pathogen-derived products in different cellular compartments, such as the plasma membrane, the endosomes or the cytoplasm, and induce the expression of cytokines, chemokines and co-stimulatory molecules to eliminate pathogens and instruct pathogen-specific adaptive immune responses. In the present review, we will discuss the recent progress in the study of pathogen recognition by TLRs, RLRs and NLRs and their signalling pathways.

  5. ID’ing Innate and Innate-like Lymphoid Cells

    PubMed Central

    Verykokakis, Mihalis; Zook, Erin C.; Kee, Barbara L.

    2014-01-01

    Summary The immune system can be divided into innate and adaptive components that differ in their rate and mode of cellular activation, with innate immune cells being the first responders to invading pathogens. Recent advances in the identification and characterization of innate lymphoid cells have revealed reiterative developmental programs that result in cells with effector fates that parallel those of adaptive lymphoid cells and are tailored to effectively eliminate a broad spectrum of pathogenic challenges. However, activation of these cells can also be associated with pathologies such as autoimmune disease. One major distinction between innate and adaptive immune system cells is the constitutive expression of ID proteins in the former and inducible expression in the latter. ID proteins function as antagonists of the E protein transcription factors that play critical roles in lymphoid specification as well as B and T-lymphocyte development. In this review, we examine the transcriptional mechanisms controlling the development of innate lymphocytes, including natural killer cells and the recently identified innate lymphoid cells (ILC1, ILC2, and ILC3), and innate-like lymphocytes, including natural killer T cells, with an emphasis on the known requirements for the ID proteins. PMID:25123285

  6. ID'ing innate and innate-like lymphoid cells.

    PubMed

    Verykokakis, Mihalis; Zook, Erin C; Kee, Barbara L

    2014-09-01

    The immune system can be divided into innate and adaptive components that differ in their rate and mode of cellular activation, with innate immune cells being the first responders to invading pathogens. Recent advances in the identification and characterization of innate lymphoid cells have revealed reiterative developmental programs that result in cells with effector fates that parallel those of adaptive lymphoid cells and are tailored to effectively eliminate a broad spectrum of pathogenic challenges. However, activation of these cells can also be associated with pathologies such as autoimmune disease. One major distinction between innate and adaptive immune system cells is the constitutive expression of ID proteins in the former and inducible expression in the latter. ID proteins function as antagonists of the E protein transcription factors that play critical roles in lymphoid specification as well as B- and T-lymphocyte development. In this review, we examine the transcriptional mechanisms controlling the development of innate lymphocytes, including natural killer cells and the recently identified innate lymphoid cells (ILC1, ILC2, and ILC3), and innate-like lymphocytes, including natural killer T cells, with an emphasis on the known requirements for the ID proteins. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Expression of Putative Immune Response Genes during Early Ontogeny in the Coral Acropora millepora

    PubMed Central

    Puill-Stephan, Eneour; Seneca, François O.; Miller, David J.; van Oppen, Madeleine J. H.; Willis, Bette L.

    2012-01-01

    Background Corals, like many other marine invertebrates, lack a mature allorecognition system in early life history stages. Indeed, in early ontogeny, when corals acquire and establish associations with various surface microbiota and dinoflagellate endosymbionts, they do not efficiently distinguish between closely and distantly related individuals from the same population. However, very little is known about the molecular components that underpin allorecognition and immunity responses or how they change through early ontogeny in corals. Methodology/Principal Findings Patterns in the expression of four putative immune response genes (apextrin, complement C3, and two CELIII type lectin genes) were examined in juvenile colonies of Acropora millepora throughout a six-month post-settlement period using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Expression of a CELIII type lectin gene peaked in the fourth month for most of the coral juveniles sampled and was significantly higher at this time than at any other sampling time during the six months following settlement. The timing of this increase in expression levels of putative immune response genes may be linked to allorecognition maturation which occurs around this time in A.millepora. Alternatively, the increase may represent a response to immune challenges, such as would be involved in the recognition of symbionts (such as Symbiodinium spp. or bacteria) during winnowing processes as symbioses are fine-tuned. Conclusions/Significance Our data, although preliminary, are consistent with the hypothesis that lectins may play an important role in the maturation of allorecognition responses in corals. The co-expression of lectins with apextrin during development of coral juveniles also raises the possibility that these proteins, which are components of innate immunity in other invertebrates, may influence the innate immune systems of corals through a common pathway or system. However, further studies investigating the expression of these genes in alloimmune-challenged corals are needed to further clarify emerging evidence of a complex innate immunity system in corals. PMID:22792163

  8. Expression of putative immune response genes during early ontogeny in the coral Acropora millepora.

    PubMed

    Puill-Stephan, Eneour; Seneca, François O; Miller, David J; van Oppen, Madeleine J H; Willis, Bette L

    2012-01-01

    Corals, like many other marine invertebrates, lack a mature allorecognition system in early life history stages. Indeed, in early ontogeny, when corals acquire and establish associations with various surface microbiota and dinoflagellate endosymbionts, they do not efficiently distinguish between closely and distantly related individuals from the same population. However, very little is known about the molecular components that underpin allorecognition and immunity responses or how they change through early ontogeny in corals. Patterns in the expression of four putative immune response genes (apextrin, complement C3, and two CELIII type lectin genes) were examined in juvenile colonies of Acropora millepora throughout a six-month post-settlement period using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR). Expression of a CELIII type lectin gene peaked in the fourth month for most of the coral juveniles sampled and was significantly higher at this time than at any other sampling time during the six months following settlement. The timing of this increase in expression levels of putative immune response genes may be linked to allorecognition maturation which occurs around this time in A. millepora. Alternatively, the increase may represent a response to immune challenges, such as would be involved in the recognition of symbionts (such as Symbiodinium spp. or bacteria) during winnowing processes as symbioses are fine-tuned. Our data, although preliminary, are consistent with the hypothesis that lectins may play an important role in the maturation of allorecognition responses in corals. The co-expression of lectins with apextrin during development of coral juveniles also raises the possibility that these proteins, which are components of innate immunity in other invertebrates, may influence the innate immune systems of corals through a common pathway or system. However, further studies investigating the expression of these genes in alloimmune-challenged corals are needed to further clarify emerging evidence of a complex innate immunity system in corals.

  9. Reproduction Alters Hydration State but Does Not Impact the Positive Effects of Dehydration on Innate Immune Function in Children's Pythons (Antaresia childreni).

    PubMed

    Brusch, George A; Billy, Gopal; Blattman, Joseph N; DeNardo, Dale F

    Resource availability can impact immune function, with the majority of studies of such influences focusing on the allocation of energy investment into immune versus other physiological functions. When energy is a limited resource, performance trade-offs can result, compromising immunity. Dehydration is also considered a physiological challenge resulting from the limitation of a vital resource, yet previous research has found a positive relationship between dehydration and innate immune performance. However, these studies did not examine the effects of dehydration on immunity when there was another concurrent, substantial physiological challenge. Thus, we examined the impact of reproduction and water deprivation, individually and in combination, on immune performance in Children's pythons (Antaresia childreni). We collected blood samples from free-ranging A. childreni to evaluate osmolality and innate immune function (lysis, agglutination, bacterial growth inhibition) during the austral dry season, when water availability is limited and this species is typically reproducing. To examine how reproduction and water imbalance, both separately and combined, impact immune function, we used a laboratory-based 2 × 2 experiment. Our results demonstrate that A. childreni experience significant dehydration during the dry season and that, overall, osmolality, regardless of the underlying cause (seasonal rainfall, water deprivation, or reproduction), is positively correlated with increased innate immune performance.

  10. Life-history dependent relationships between body condition and immunity, between immunity indices in male Eurasian tree sparrows.

    PubMed

    Zhao, Yuliang; Li, Mo; Sun, Yanfeng; Wu, Wei; Kou, Guanqun; Guo, Lingling; Xing, Danning; Wu, Yuefeng; Li, Dongming; Zhao, Baohua

    2017-08-01

    In free-living animals, recent evidence indicates that innate, and acquired, immunity varies with annual variation in the demand for, and availability of, food resources. However, little is known about how animals adjust the relationships between immunity and body condition, and between innate and acquired immunity to optimize survival over winter and reproductive success during the breeding stage. Here, we measured indices of body condition (size-corrected mass [SCM], and hematocrit [Hct]), constitutive innate immunity (plasma total complement hemolysis activity [CH 50 ]) and acquired immunity (plasma immunoglobulin A [IgA]), plus heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios, in male Eurasian tree sparrows (Passer montanus) during the wintering and the breeding stages. We found that birds during the wintering stage had higher IgA levels than those from the breeding stage. Two indices of body condition were both negatively correlated with plasma CH 50 activities, and positively with IgA levels in wintering birds, but this was not the case in the breeding birds. However, there was no correlation between CH 50 activities and IgA levels in both stages. These results suggest that the relationships between body condition and immunity can vary across life-history stage, and there are no correlations between innate and acquired immunity independent of life-history stage, in male Eurasian tree sparrows. Therefore, body condition indices predict immunological state, especially during the non-breeding stage, which can be useful indicators of individual immunocompetences for understanding the variations in innate and acquired immunity in free-living animals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Innate lymphoid cells: the new kids on the block.

    PubMed

    Withers, David R; Mackley, Emma C; Jones, Nick D

    2015-08-01

    The purpose of this article is to review recent advances in our understanding of innate lymphoid cell function and to speculate on how these cells may become activated and influence the immune response to allogeneic tissues and cells following transplantation. Innate lymphoid cells encompass several novel cell types whose wide-ranging roles in the immune system are only now being uncovered. Through cytokine production, cross-talk with both haematopoietic and nonhaematopoietic populations and antigen presentation to T cells, these cells have been shown to be key regulators in maintaining tissue integrity, as well as initiating and then sustaining immune responses. It is now clear that innate lymphoid cells markedly contribute to immune responses and tissue repair in a number of disease contexts. Although experimental and clinical data on the behaviour of these cells following transplantation are scant, it is highly likely that innate lymphoid cells will perform similar functions in the alloimmune response following transplantation and therefore may be potential therapeutic targets for manipulation to prevent allograft rejection.

  12. Characterization and mucosal responses of interleukin 17 family ligand and receptor genes in channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Interleukin (IL) 17 family cytokines are important mediators of mucosal immune responses, tightly regulated by signals from the complex milieu of pathogenic and commensal microbes, epithelial cells and innate and adaptive leukocytes found at tissue barriers. In mammals, IL17 ligand expression has be...

  13. Immune evasion by pathogens of bovine respiratory disease complex.

    PubMed

    Srikumaran, Subramaniam; Kelling, Clayton L; Ambagala, Aruna

    2007-12-01

    Bovine respiratory tract disease is a multi-factorial disease complex involving several viruses and bacteria. Viruses that play prominent roles in causing the bovine respiratory disease complex include bovine herpesvirus-1, bovine respiratory syncytial virus, bovine viral diarrhea virus and parinfluenza-3 virus. Bacteria that play prominent roles in this disease complex are Mannheimia haemolytica and Mycoplasma bovis. Other bacteria that infect the bovine respiratory tract of cattle are Histophilus (Haemophilus) somni and Pasteurella multocida. Frequently, severe respiratory tract disease in cattle is associated with concurrent infections of these pathogens. Like other pathogens, the viral and bacterial pathogens of this disease complex have co-evolved with their hosts over millions of years. As much as the hosts have diversified and fine-tuned the components of their immune system, the pathogens have also evolved diverse and sophisticated strategies to evade the host immune responses. These pathogens have developed intricate mechanisms to thwart both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune responses of their hosts. This review presents an overview of the strategies by which the pathogens suppress host immune responses, as well as the strategies by which the pathogens modify themselves or their locations in the host to evade host immune responses. These immune evasion strategies likely contribute to the failure of currently-available vaccines to provide complete protection to cattle against these pathogens.

  14. The Human Papillomavirus E6 Oncoprotein Targets USP15 and TRIM25 To Suppress RIG-I-Mediated Innate Immune Signaling.

    PubMed

    Chiang, Cindy; Pauli, Eva-Katharina; Biryukov, Jennifer; Feister, Katharina F; Meng, Melissa; White, Elizabeth A; Münger, Karl; Howley, Peter M; Meyers, Craig; Gack, Michaela U

    2018-03-15

    Retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) is a key pattern recognition receptor that senses viral RNA and interacts with the mitochondrial adaptor MAVS, triggering a signaling cascade that results in the production of type I interferons (IFNs). This signaling axis is initiated by K63-linked ubiquitination of RIG-I mediated by the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIM25, which promotes the interaction of RIG-I with MAVS. USP15 was recently identified as an upstream regulator of TRIM25, stabilizing the enzyme through removal of degradative K48-linked polyubiquitin, ultimately promoting RIG-I-dependent cytokine responses. Here, we show that the E6 oncoprotein of human papillomavirus type 16 (HPV16) as well as of other HPV types form a complex with TRIM25 and USP15 in human cells. In the presence of E6, the K48-linked ubiquitination of TRIM25 was markedly increased, and in line with this, TRIM25 degradation was enhanced. Our results further showed that E6 inhibited the TRIM25-mediated K63-linked ubiquitination of RIG-I and its CARD-dependent interaction with MAVS. HPV16 E6, but not E7, suppressed the RIG-I-mediated induction of IFN-β, chemokines, and IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Finally, CRISPR-Cas9 gene targeting in human keratinocytes showed that the TRIM25-RIG-I-MAVS triad is important for eliciting an antiviral immune response to HPV16 infection. Our study thus identifies a novel immune escape mechanism that is conserved among different HPV strains and further indicates that the RIG-I signaling pathway plays an important role in the innate immune response to HPV infection. IMPORTANCE Persistent infection and tumorigenesis by HPVs are known to require viral manipulation of a variety of cellular processes, including those involved in innate immune responses. Here, we show that the HPV E6 oncoprotein antagonizes the activation of the cytoplasmic innate immune sensor RIG-I by targeting its upstream regulatory enzymes TRIM25 and USP15. We further show that the RIG-I signaling cascade is important for an antiviral innate immune response to HPV16 infection, providing evidence that RIG-I, whose role in sensing RNA virus infections has been well characterized, also plays a crucial role in the antiviral host response to small DNA viruses of the Papillomaviridae family. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

  15. Mitochondrial Complex I Activity Suppresses Inflammation and Enhances Bone Resorption by Tipping the Balance of Macrophage-Osteoclast Polarization

    PubMed Central

    Jin, Zixue; Wei, Wei; Yang, Marie; Du, Yang; Wan, Yihong

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY Mitochondrial complex I (CI) deficiency is associated with multiple neurological and metabolic disorders. However, its effect on innate immunity and bone remodeling is unclear. Using deletion of the essential CI subunit Ndufs4 as a model for mitochondrial dysfunction, we report that mitochondria suppress macrophage activation and inflammation while promoting osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption via both cell-autonomous and systemic regulation. Global Ndufs4 deletion causes systemic inflammation and osteopetrosis. Hematopoietic Ndufs4 deletion causes an intrinsic lineage shift from osteoclast to macrophage. Liver Ndufs4 deletion causes a metabolic shift from fatty acid oxidation to glycolysis, accumulating fatty acids and lactate (FA/LAC) in circulation. FA/LAC further activates Ndufs4−/− macrophages via ROS induction, and diminishes osteoclast lineage commitment in Ndufs4−/− progenitors; both inflammation and osteopetrosis in Ndufs4−/− mice are attenuated by TLR4/2 deletion. Together, these findings reveal mitochondrial CI as a critical rheostat of innate immunity and skeletal homeostasis. PMID:25130399

  16. Structural and functional insights into 5'-ppp RNA pattern recognition by the innate immune receptor RIG-I.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yanli; Ludwig, Janos; Schuberth, Christine; Goldeck, Marion; Schlee, Martin; Li, Haitao; Juranek, Stefan; Sheng, Gang; Micura, Ronald; Tuschl, Thomas; Hartmann, Gunther; Patel, Dinshaw J

    2010-07-01

    RIG-I is a cytosolic helicase that senses 5'-ppp RNA contained in negative-strand RNA viruses and triggers innate antiviral immune responses. Calorimetric binding studies established that the RIG-I C-terminal regulatory domain (CTD) binds to blunt-end double-stranded 5'-ppp RNA a factor of 17 more tightly than to its single-stranded counterpart. Here we report on the crystal structure of RIG-I CTD bound to both blunt ends of a self-complementary 5'-ppp dsRNA 12-mer, with interactions involving 5'-pp clearly visible in the complex. The structure, supported by mutation studies, defines how a lysine-rich basic cleft within the RIG-I CTD sequesters the observable 5'-pp of the bound RNA, with a stacked phenylalanine capping the terminal base pair. Key intermolecular interactions observed in the crystalline state are retained in the complex of 5'-ppp dsRNA 24-mer and full-length RIG-I under in vivo conditions, as evaluated from the impact of binding pocket RIG-I mutations and 2'-OCH(3) RNA modifications on the interferon response.

  17. Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 1 function and its pathogenic role in regulating innate and adaptive immunity in cancer and major histocompatibility complex class I-associated autoimmune diseases.

    PubMed

    Fruci, D; Romania, P; D'Alicandro, V; Locatelli, F

    2014-08-01

    Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules present antigenic peptides on the cell surface to alert natural killer (NK) cells and CD8(+) T cells for the presence of abnormal intracellular events, such as virus infection or malignant transformation. The generation of antigenic peptides is a multistep process that ends with the trimming of N-terminal extensions in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by aminopeptidases ERAP1 and ERAP2. Recent studies have highlighted the potential role of ERAP1 in reprogramming the immunogenicity of tumor cells in order to elicit innate and adaptive antitumor immune responses, and in conferring susceptibility to autoimmune diseases in predisposed individuals. In this review, we will provide an overview of the current knowledge about the role of ERAP1 in MHC class I antigen processing and how its manipulation may constitute a promising tool for cancer immunotherapy and treatment of MHC class I-associated autoimmune diseases. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  18. Innate immunity is sufficient for the clearance of Chlamydia trachomatis from the female mouse genital tract.

    PubMed

    Sturdevant, Gail L; Caldwell, Harlan D

    2014-10-01

    Chlamydia muridarum and Chlamydia trachomatis, mouse and human strains, respectively, have been used to study immunity in a murine model of female genital tract infection. Despite evidence that unique genes of these otherwise genomically similar strains could play a role in innate immune evasion in their respective mouse and human hosts, there have been no animal model findings to directly support this conclusion. Here, we infected C57BL/6 and adaptive immune-deficient Rag1(-/-) female mice with these strains and evaluated their ability to spontaneously resolve genital infection. Predictably, C57BL/6 mice spontaneously cleared infection caused by both chlamydial strains. In contrast, Rag1(-/-) mice which lack mature T and B cell immunity but maintain functional innate immune effectors were incapable of resolving C. muridarum infection but spontaneously cleared C. trachomatis infection. This distinct dichotomy in adaptive and innate immune-mediated clearance between mouse and human strains has important cautionary implications for the study of natural immunity and vaccine development in the mouse model. © 2014 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. The Memories of NK Cells: Innate-Adaptive Immune Intrinsic Crosstalk

    PubMed Central

    Ortolani, Claudio; del Zotto, Genny; Luchetti, Francesca; Canonico, Barbara; Artico, Marco; Papa, Stefano

    2016-01-01

    Although NK cells are considered part of the innate immune system, a series of evidences has demonstrated that they possess characteristics typical of the adaptive immune system. These NK adaptive features, in particular their memory-like functions, are discussed from an ontogenetic and evolutionary point of view. PMID:28078307

  20. The Memories of NK Cells: Innate-Adaptive Immune Intrinsic Crosstalk.

    PubMed

    Gabrielli, Sara; Ortolani, Claudio; Del Zotto, Genny; Luchetti, Francesca; Canonico, Barbara; Buccella, Flavia; Artico, Marco; Papa, Stefano; Zamai, Loris

    2016-01-01

    Although NK cells are considered part of the innate immune system, a series of evidences has demonstrated that they possess characteristics typical of the adaptive immune system. These NK adaptive features, in particular their memory-like functions, are discussed from an ontogenetic and evolutionary point of view.

  1. Accelerated evolution of innate immunity proteins in social insects: adaptive evolution or relaxed constraint?

    PubMed

    Harpur, Brock A; Zayed, Amro

    2013-07-01

    The genomes of eusocial insects have a reduced complement of immune genes-an unusual finding considering that sociality provides ideal conditions for disease transmission. The following three hypotheses have been invoked to explain this finding: 1) social insects are attacked by fewer pathogens, 2) social insects have effective behavioral or 3) novel molecular mechanisms for combating pathogens. At the molecular level, these hypotheses predict that canonical innate immune pathways experience a relaxation of selective constraint. A recent study of several innate immune genes in ants and bees showed a pattern of accelerated amino acid evolution, which is consistent with either positive selection or a relaxation of constraint. We studied the population genetics of innate immune genes in the honey bee Apis mellifera by partially sequencing 13 genes from the bee's Toll pathway (∼10.5 kb) and 20 randomly chosen genes (∼16.5 kb) sequenced in 43 diploid workers. Relative to the random gene set, Toll pathway genes had significantly higher levels of amino acid replacement mutations segregating within A. mellifera and fixed between A. mellifera and A. cerana. However, levels of diversity and divergence at synonymous sites did not differ between the two gene sets. Although we detect strong signs of balancing selection on the pathogen recognition gene pgrp-sa, many of the genes in the Toll pathway show signatures of relaxed selective constraint. These results are consistent with the reduced complement of innate immune genes found in social insects and support the hypothesis that some aspect of eusociality renders canonical innate immunity superfluous.

  2. Plant pattern recognition receptor complexes at the plasma membrane.

    PubMed

    Monaghan, Jacqueline; Zipfel, Cyril

    2012-08-01

    A key feature of innate immunity is the ability to recognize and respond to potential pathogens in a highly sensitive and specific manner. In plants, the activation of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) elicits a defense programme known as PAMP-triggered immunity (PTI). Although only a handful of PAMP-PRR pairs have been defined, all known PRRs are modular transmembrane proteins containing ligand-binding ectodomains. It is becoming clear that PRRs do not act alone but rather function as part of multi-protein complexes at the plasma membrane. Recent studies describing the molecular interactions and protein modifications that occur between PRRs and their regulatory proteins have provided important mechanistic insight into how plants avoid infection and achieve immunity. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Adaptive and Innate Transforming Growth Factor β Signaling Impact Herpes Simplex Virus 1 Latency and Reactivation▿

    PubMed Central

    Allen, Sariah J.; Mott, Kevin R.; Wechsler, Steven L.; Flavell, Richard A.; Town, Terrence; Ghiasi, Homayon

    2011-01-01

    Innate and adaptive immunity play important protective roles by combating herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection. Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is a key negative cytokine regulator of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Yet, it is unknown whether TGF-β signaling in either immune compartment impacts HSV-1 replication and latency. We undertook genetic approaches to address these issues by infecting two different dominant negative TGF-β receptor type II transgenic mouse lines. These mice have specific TGF-β signaling blockades in either T cells or innate cells. Mice were ocularly infected with HSV-1 to evaluate the effects of restricted innate or adaptive TGF-β signaling during acute and latent infections. Limiting innate cell but not T cell TGF-β signaling reduced virus replication in the eyes of infected mice. On the other hand, blocking TGF-β signaling in either innate cells or T cells resulted in decreased latency in the trigeminal ganglia of infected mice. Furthermore, inhibiting TGF-β signaling in T cells reduced cell lysis and leukocyte infiltration in corneas and trigeminal ganglia during primary HSV-1 infection of mice. These findings strongly suggest that TGF-β signaling, which generally functions to dampen immune responses, results in increased HSV-1 latency. PMID:21880769

  4. The role of hybrid ubiquitin chains in the MyD88 and other innate immune signalling pathways.

    PubMed

    Cohen, Philip; Strickson, Sam

    2017-07-01

    The adaptor protein MyD88 is required for signal transmission by toll-like receptors and receptors of the interleukin-1 family of cytokines. MyD88 signalling triggers the formation of Lys63-linked and Met1-linked ubiquitin (K63-Ub, M1-Ub) chains within minutes. The K63-Ub chains, which are formed by the E3 ubiquitin ligases TRAF6, Pellino1 and Pellino2, activate TAK1, the master kinase that switches on mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascades and initiates activation of the canonical IκB kinase (IKK) complex. The M1-Ub chains, which are formed by the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), bind to the NEMO (NF-κB essential modulator) component of the IKK complex and are required for TAK1 to activate IKKs, but not MAP kinases. An essential E3 ligase-independent role of TRAF6 is to recruit LUBAC into the MyD88 signalling complex, where it recognises preformed K63-Ub chains attached to protein components of these complexes, such as IRAK1 (IL-1 receptor-associated kinase), producing ubiquitin chains containing both types of linkage, termed K63/M1-Ub hybrids. The formation of K63/M1-Ub hybrids, which is a feature of several innate immune signalling pathways, permits the co-recruitment of proteins that interact with either K63-Ub or M1-Ub chains. Two likely roles for K63/M1-Ub hybrids are to facilitate the TAK1-dependent activation of the IKK complex and to prevent the hyperactivation of these kinases by recruiting A20 and A20-binding inhibitor of NF-κB1 (ABIN1). These proteins restrict activation of the TAK1 and IKK complexes, probably by competing with them for binding to K63/M1-Ub hybrids. The formation of K63/M1-Ub hybrids may also regulate the rate at which the ubiquitin linkages in these chains are hydrolysed. The IKK-catalysed phosphorylation of some of its substrates permits their recognition by the E3 ligase SCF βTRCP , leading to their Lys48-linked ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation. Innate immune signalling is therefore controlled by the formation and destruction of three different types of ubiquitin linkage.

  5. The role of hybrid ubiquitin chains in the MyD88 and other innate immune signalling pathways

    PubMed Central

    Cohen, Philip; Strickson, Sam

    2017-01-01

    The adaptor protein MyD88 is required for signal transmission by toll-like receptors and receptors of the interleukin-1 family of cytokines. MyD88 signalling triggers the formation of Lys63-linked and Met1-linked ubiquitin (K63-Ub, M1-Ub) chains within minutes. The K63-Ub chains, which are formed by the E3 ubiquitin ligases TRAF6, Pellino1 and Pellino2, activate TAK1, the master kinase that switches on mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascades and initiates activation of the canonical IκB kinase (IKK) complex. The M1-Ub chains, which are formed by the linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC), bind to the NEMO (NF-κB essential modulator) component of the IKK complex and are required for TAK1 to activate IKKs, but not MAP kinases. An essential E3 ligase-independent role of TRAF6 is to recruit LUBAC into the MyD88 signalling complex, where it recognises preformed K63-Ub chains attached to protein components of these complexes, such as IRAK1 (IL-1 receptor-associated kinase), producing ubiquitin chains containing both types of linkage, termed K63/M1-Ub hybrids. The formation of K63/M1-Ub hybrids, which is a feature of several innate immune signalling pathways, permits the co-recruitment of proteins that interact with either K63-Ub or M1-Ub chains. Two likely roles for K63/M1-Ub hybrids are to facilitate the TAK1-dependent activation of the IKK complex and to prevent the hyperactivation of these kinases by recruiting A20 and A20-binding inhibitor of NF-κB1 (ABIN1). These proteins restrict activation of the TAK1 and IKK complexes, probably by competing with them for binding to K63/M1-Ub hybrids. The formation of K63/M1-Ub hybrids may also regulate the rate at which the ubiquitin linkages in these chains are hydrolysed. The IKK-catalysed phosphorylation of some of its substrates permits their recognition by the E3 ligase SCFβTRCP, leading to their Lys48-linked ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation. Innate immune signalling is therefore controlled by the formation and destruction of three different types of ubiquitin linkage. PMID:28475177

  6. Characterization of main cytokine sources from the innate and adaptive immune responses following primary 17DD yellow fever vaccination in adults.

    PubMed

    Silva, Maria Luiza; Martins, Marina Angela; Espírito-Santo, Luçandra Ramos; Campi-Azevedo, Ana Carolina; Silveira-Lemos, Denise; Ribeiro, José Geraldo Leite; Homma, Akira; Kroon, Erna Geessien; Teixeira-Carvalho, Andréa; Elói-Santos, Silvana Maria; Martins-Filho, Olindo Assis

    2011-01-10

    The mechanisms of immune response following yellow fever (YF-17DD) vaccination are still poorly understood. In this study, we have performed a longitudinal investigation (days 0, 7, 15 and 30) to characterize the cytokine profile of innate and adaptive immunity following YF-17DD first-time vaccination. Data from non-stimulated cultures demonstrated a prominent participation of the innate immunity with increased frequency of TNF-α(+) neutrophils and IFN-γ(+) NK-cells at day 7 besides TNF-α(+) monocytes at day 7, day 15 and day 30. Increased frequency of IL-10(+) monocytes was observed at day 15 and day 30, and decreased percentage of IL-4(+) NK-cells were detected at day 7, day 15 and day 30. Time-dependent and oscillating cytokine pattern was observed in CD4(+) T-cells, with low percentage of IL-12(+), IL-4(+) and IL-10(+) cells at day 7 and increased frequency of TNF-α(+) cells at day 15 besides IFN-γ(+) and IL-5(+) cells at day 15 and day 30. Later changes with increased percentage of IL-12(+) and IL-5(+)CD8(+) T-cells were observed at day 30. Increased frequency of IL-10(+) B-cells was observed at day 15, when seroconversion was detected in all vaccinees. The overall cytokine analysis of non-stimulated leukocytes showed a transient shift towards a pro-inflammatory profile at day 7, mainly due to changes in the innate immunity, which draws back toward a mixed/regulatory pattern at day 15 and day 30. The changes induced by the in vitro YF-17DD vaccine-stimulation were mainly observed at day 0 and day 7 (before seroconversion) with minor changes at day 15 and day 30 (after seroconversion). These data support the hypothesis that a complex network with mixed pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine profile is associated with the establishment of the protective immunity following YF-17DD primo-vaccination, free of adverse events. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Houttuynia cordata modulates oral innate immune mediators: potential role of herbal plant on oral health.

    PubMed

    Satthakarn, S; Chung, W O; Promsong, A; Nittayananta, W

    2015-05-01

    Epithelial cells play an active role in oral innate immunity by producing various immune mediators. Houttuynia cordata Thunb (H. cordata), a herbal plant found in Asia, possesses many activities. However, its impacts on oral innate immunity have never been reported. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of H. cordata extract on the expression of innate immune mediators produced by oral epithelial cells. Primary gingival epithelial cells (GECs) were treated with various concentrations of the extract for 18 h. The gene expression of hBD2, SLPI, cytokines, and chemokines was measured using quantitative real-time RT-PCR. The secreted proteins in the culture supernatants were detected by ELISA or Luminex assay. Cytotoxicity of the extract was assessed using CellTiter-Blue Assay. H. cordata significantly induced the expression of hBD2, SLPI, IL-8, and CCL20 in a dose-dependent manner without cytotoxicity. The secreted hBD2 and SLPI proteins were modulated, and the levels of IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, and IFN-γ were significantly induced by the extract. Our data indicated that H. cordata can modulate oral innate immune mediators. These findings may lead to the development of new topical agents from H. cordata for the prevention and treatment of immune-mediated oral diseases. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Regulation of Innate Responses during Pre-patent Schistosome Infection Provides an Immune Environment Permissive for Parasite Development

    PubMed Central

    Riner, Diana K.; Ferragine, Christine E.; Maynard, Sean K.; Davies, Stephen J.

    2013-01-01

    Blood flukes of the genus Schistosoma infect over 200 million people, causing granulomatous pathology with accompanying morbidity and mortality. As a consequence of extensive host-parasite co-evolution, schistosomes exhibit a complex relationship with their hosts, in which immunological factors are intimately linked with parasite development. Schistosomes fail to develop normally in immunodeficient mice, an outcome specifically dependent on the absence of CD4+ T cells. The role of CD4+ T cells in parasite development is indirect and mediated by interaction with innate cells, as repeated toll-like receptor 4 stimulation is sufficient to restore parasite development in immunodeficient mice in the absence of CD4+ T cells. Here we show that repeated stimulation of innate immunity by an endogenous danger signal can also restore parasite development and that both these stimuli, when administered repeatedly, lead to the regulation of innate responses. Supporting a role for regulation of innate responses in parasite development, we show that regulation of inflammation by neutralizing anti-TNF antibodies also restores parasite development in immunodeficient mice. Finally, we show that administration of IL-4 to immunodeficient mice to regulate inflammation by induction of type 2 responses also restores parasite development. These findings suggest that the type 2 response driven by CD4+ T cells during pre-patent infection of immunocompetent hosts is exploited by schistosomes to complete their development to reproductively mature adult parasites. PMID:24130499

  9. Histomorphology and innate immunity during the progression of osteoarthritis: Does synovitis affect cartilage degradation?

    PubMed

    Wang, Huan; Wang, Qingguo; Yang, Meijuan; Yang, Lili; Wang, Weili; Ding, Haobin; Zhang, Dong; Xu, Jing; Tang, Xuezhang; Ding, Haitao; Wang, Qingfu

    2018-02-01

    Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic degenerative disease that affects all joints. At present, the pathological processes and mechanisms of OA are still unclear. Innate immunity, a key player in damage to the structure of the joint and the mechanism by which the host attempts to repair OA, affects all pathological stages of the disease. In the present study, our aim was to assess changes in innate immunity during the pathological processes of OA in articular cartilage (AC) and the synovial membrane (SM), which are the major structures in joints, and to systematically examine the histological changes in AC and SM in mild, moderate and severe cases of OA, in order to further speculate about the manner in which the interactions of AC and SM are facilitated by innate immunity. Histological methods (including HE and Safranin O-fast green staining), immunofluorescent double staining, TUNEL stain, and Western blots were used to assess the morphological changes within AC and SM tissues in healthy and mild, moderate, or severe OA rats. Our results showed that the damage to AC and SM within the joints progressively worsened in different degrees during the course of the disease, and that the innate immune system was closely involved in the AC and SM during each stage of OA. These findings also confirmed that SM may affect the pathological changes in AC through the innate immune system, and therefore affect the progress of OA. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Requirement for interleukin-1 to drive brain inflammation reveals tissue-specific mechanisms of innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Giles, James A; Greenhalgh, Andrew D; Davies, Claire L; Denes, Adam; Shaw, Tovah; Coutts, Graham; Rothwell, Nancy J; McColl, Barry W; Allan, Stuart M

    2015-02-01

    The immune system is implicated in a wide range of disorders affecting the brain and is, therefore, an attractive target for therapy. Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a potent regulator of the innate immune system important for host defense but is also associated with injury and disease in the brain. Here, we show that IL-1 is a key mediator driving an innate immune response to inflammatory challenge in the mouse brain but is dispensable in extracerebral tissues including the lung and peritoneum. We also demonstrate that IL-1α is an important ligand contributing to the CNS dependence on IL-1 and that IL-1 derived from the CNS compartment (most likely microglia) is the major source driving this effect. These data reveal previously unknown tissue-specific requirements for IL-1 in driving innate immunity and suggest that IL-1-mediated inflammation in the brain could be selectively targeted without compromising systemic innate immune responses that are important for resistance to infection. This property could be exploited to mitigate injury- and disease-associated inflammation in the brain without increasing susceptibility to systemic infection, an important complication in several neurological disorders. © 2014 The Authors. European Journal of Immunology published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA Weinheim.

  11. Are you experienced? Understanding bladder innate immunity in the context of recurrent urinary tract infection

    PubMed Central

    O’Brien, Valerie P.; Hannan, Thomas J.; Schaeffer, Anthony J.; Hultgren, Scott J.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose of review Recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI) is a serious clinical problem, yet effective therapeutic options are limited, especially against multidrug-resistant uropathogens. In this review, we explore the development of a clinically relevant model of rUTI in previously infected mice and review recent developments in bladder innate immunity that may affect susceptibility to rUTI. Recent findings Chronic bladder inflammation during prolonged bacterial cystitis in mice causes bladder mucosal remodelling that sensitizes the host to rUTI. Although constitutive defenses help prevent bacterial colonization of the urinary bladder, once infection occurs, induced cytokine and myeloid cell responses predominate and the balance of immune cell defense and bladder immunopathology is critical for determining disease outcome, in both naïve and experienced mice. In particular, the maintenance of the epithelial barrier appears to be essential for preventing severe infection. Summary The innate immune response plays a key role in determining susceptibility to rUTI. Future studies should be directed towards understanding how the innate immune response changes as a result of bladder mucosal remodelling in previously infected mice, and validating these findings in human clinical specimens. New therapeutics targeting the immune response should selectively target the induced innate responses that cause bladder immunopathology, while leaving protective defenses intact. PMID:25517222

  12. Dendritic cells in transplantation and immune-based therapies.

    PubMed

    Young, James W; Merad, Miriam; Hart, Derek N J

    2007-01-01

    Dendritic cells (DCs) are specialized, bone marrow-derived leukocytes critical to the onset of both innate and adaptive immunity. The divisions of labor among distinct human DC subtypes achieve the most effective balance between steady-state tolerance and the induction of innate and adaptive immunity against pathogens, tumors, and other insults. Maintenance of tolerance in the steady state is an active process involving resting or semimature DCs. Breakdowns in this homeostasis can result in autoimmunity. Perturbation of the steady state should first lead to the onset of innate immunity mediated by rapid responders in the form of plasmacytoid and monocyte-derived DC stimulators and natural killer (NK) and NK T-cell responders. These innate effectors then provide additional inflammatory cytokines, including interferon-gamma, which support the activation and maturation of resident and circulating populations of DCs. These are critical to the onset and expansion of adaptive immunity, including Th1, Th2, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses. Rodent models are now revealing important data about distinct DC precursors, homeostasis of tissue-resident DCs, and DC turnover in response to inflammation and pathological conditions like graft-versus-host disease. The use of defined DC subtypes to stimulate both innate and adaptive immunity, either in combination or in a prime-boost vaccine sequence, may prove most useful clinically by harnessing both effector cell compartments.

  13. Are you experienced? Understanding bladder innate immunity in the context of recurrent urinary tract infection.

    PubMed

    O'Brien, Valerie P; Hannan, Thomas J; Schaeffer, Anthony J; Hultgren, Scott J

    2015-02-01

    Recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI) is a serious clinical problem, yet effective therapeutic options are limited, especially against multidrug-resistant uropathogens. In this review, we explore the development of a clinically relevant model of rUTI in previously infected mice and review recent developments in bladder innate immunity that may affect susceptibility to rUTI. Chronic bladder inflammation during prolonged bacterial cystitis in mice causes bladder mucosal remodelling that sensitizes the host to rUTI. Although constitutive defenses help prevent bacterial colonization of the urinary bladder, once infection occurs, induced cytokine and myeloid cell responses predominate and the balance of immune cell defense and bladder immunopathology is critical for determining disease outcome, in both naïve and experienced mice. In particular, the maintenance of the epithelial barrier appears to be essential for preventing severe infection. The innate immune response plays a key role in determining susceptibility to rUTI. Future studies should be directed towards understanding how the innate immune response changes as a result of bladder mucosal remodelling in previously infected mice, and validating these findings in human clinical specimens. New therapeutics targeting the immune response should selectively target the induced innate responses that cause bladder immunopathology, while leaving protective defenses intact.

  14. Innate immunity and effector and regulatory mechanisms involved in allergic contact dermatitis*

    PubMed Central

    Silvestre, Marilene Chaves; Sato, Maria Notomi; dos Reis, Vitor Manoel Silva

    2018-01-01

    Skin's innate immunity is the initial activator of immune response mechanisms, influencing the development of adaptive immunity. Some contact allergens are detected by Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and inflammasome NLR3. Keratinocytes participate in innate immunity and, in addition to functioning as an anatomical barrier, secrete cytokines, such as TNF, IL-1β, and IL-18, contributing to the development of Allergic Contact Dermatitis. Dendritic cells recognize and process antigenic peptides into T cells. Neutrophils cause pro-inflammatory reactions, mast cells induce migration/maturation of skin DCs, the natural killer cells have natural cytotoxic capacity, the γδ T cells favor contact with hapten during the sensitization phase, and the innate lymphoid cells act in the early stages by secreting cytokines, as well as act in inflammation and tissue homeostasis. The antigen-specific inflammation is mediated by T cells, and each subtype of T cells (Th1/Tc1, Th2/Tc2, and Th17/Tc17) activates resident skin cells, thus contributing to inflammation. Skin's regulatory T cells have a strong ability to inhibit the proliferation of hapten-specific T cells, acting at the end of the Allergic Contact Dermatitis response and in the control of systemic immune responses. In this review, we report how cutaneous innate immunity is the first line of defense and focus its role in the activation of the adaptive immune response, with effector response induction and its regulation. PMID:29723367

  15. Merck Ad5/HIV induces broad innate immune activation that predicts CD8⁺ T-cell responses but is attenuated by preexisting Ad5 immunity.

    PubMed

    Zak, Daniel E; Andersen-Nissen, Erica; Peterson, Eric R; Sato, Alicia; Hamilton, M Kristina; Borgerding, Joleen; Krishnamurty, Akshay T; Chang, Joanne T; Adams, Devin J; Hensley, Tiffany R; Salter, Alexander I; Morgan, Cecilia A; Duerr, Ann C; De Rosa, Stephen C; Aderem, Alan; McElrath, M Juliana

    2012-12-11

    To better understand how innate immune responses to vaccination can lead to lasting protective immunity, we used a systems approach to define immune signatures in humans over 1 wk following MRKAd5/HIV vaccination that predicted subsequent HIV-specific T-cell responses. Within 24 h, striking increases in peripheral blood mononuclear cell gene expression associated with inflammation, IFN response, and myeloid cell trafficking occurred, and lymphocyte-specific transcripts decreased. These alterations were corroborated by marked serum inflammatory cytokine elevations and egress of circulating lymphocytes. Responses of vaccinees with preexisting adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) neutralizing antibodies were strongly attenuated, suggesting that enhanced HIV acquisition in Ad5-seropositive subgroups in the Step Study may relate to the lack of appropriate innate activation rather than to increased systemic immune activation. Importantly, patterns of chemoattractant cytokine responses at 24 h and alterations in 209 peripheral blood mononuclear cell transcripts at 72 h were predictive of subsequent induction and magnitude of HIV-specific CD8(+) T-cell responses. This systems approach provides a framework to compare innate responses induced by vectors, as shown here by contrasting the more rapid, robust response to MRKAd5/HIV with that to yellow fever vaccine. When applied iteratively, the findings may permit selection of HIV vaccine candidates eliciting innate immune response profiles more likely to drive HIV protective immunity.

  16. Innate immunity in rice

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Xuewei; Ronald, Pamela C.

    2011-01-01

    Advances in studies of rice innate immunity have led to the identification and characterization of host sensors encoding receptor kinases that perceive conserved microbial signatures. The non-RD domain, a newly recognized hallmark of these receptor kinases is highly expanded in rice (Oryza sativa) compared with Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Researchers have also identified a diverse array of microbial effectors from bacterial and fungal pathogens that triggers immune responses upon perception. These include both, effectors that indirectly target host Nucleotide binding site/Leucine rice repeat (NBS-LRR) proteins and transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors that directly bind promoters of host genes. Here we review the recognition and signaling events that govern rice innate immunity. PMID:21602092

  17. Innate immunity and protective neuroinflammation: new emphasis on the role of neuroimmune regulatory proteins.

    PubMed

    Griffiths, M; Neal, J W; Gasque, P

    2007-01-01

    Brain inflammation due to infection, hemorrhage, and aging is associated with activation of the local innate immune system as expressed by infiltrating cells, resident glial cells, and neurons. The innate immune response relies on the detection of "nonself" and "danger-self" ligands behaving as "eat me signals" by a plethora of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) expressed by professional and amateur phagocytes to promote the clearance of pathogens, toxic cell debris (amyloid fibrils, aggregated synucleins, prions), and apoptotic cells accumulating within the brain parenchyma and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). These PRRs (e.g., complement, TLR, CD14, scavenger receptors) are highly conserved between vertebrates and invertebrates and may represent the most ancestral innate scavenging system involved in tissue homeostasis. However, in some diseases, these protective mechanisms lead to neurodegeneration on the ground that several innate immune molecules have neurocytotoxic activities. The response is a "double-edged sword" representing a fine balance between protective and detrimental effects. Several key regulatory mechanisms have now been evidenced in the control of CNS innate immunity, and these could be harnessed to explore novel therapeutic avenues. We will herein provide new emphasis on the role of neuroimmune regulatory proteins (NIRegs), such as CD95L, TNF, CD200, CD47, sialic acids, CD55, CD46, fH, C3a, HMGB1, which are involved in silencing innate immunity at the cellular and molecular levels and suppression of inflammation. For instance, NIRegs may play an important role in controlling lymphocyte/macrophage/microglia hyperinflammatory responses, while sparing host defense and repair mechanisms. Moreover, NIRegs have direct beneficial effects on neurogenesis and contributing to brain tissue remodeling.

  18. Regulatory role of periodontal ligament fibroblasts for innate immune cell function and differentiation.

    PubMed

    Konermann, Anna; Stabenow, Dirk; Knolle, Percy A; Held, Stefanie A E; Deschner, James; Jäger, Andreas

    2012-10-01

    Innate immunity is crucial for an effective host defense against pathogenic microorganisms in periodontal tissues. As periodontal ligament (PDL) cells synthesize immunomodulatory cytokines, the aim of this in vitro study was to investigate whether these cells can interact with innate immune cells. Resting and inflammatory primed (IL-1β, TNF-α, HMGB1) human PDL cells were co-cultured with human monocyte-derived dendritic cells or macrophages. Migration, phenotypic maturation and modulation of phagocytosis of Porphyromonas gingivalis by immune cells were investigated upon co-culture with PDL cells and/or their released soluble factors. PDL cells interacted with immune cells under both non-inflammatory and inflammatory conditions. Immune cell migration was significantly enhanced by co-culture with PDL cells, which also affected their phenotypic maturation both through cell-cell contact and through released soluble mediators. The dendritic cell maturation markers CD83 and CD86 were upregulated as much as both 'alternatively activated' M2 macrophage maturation markers CD23 and CD163. In contrast, the 'classically activated' M1 macrophage maturation marker CD64 was downregulated. Finally, PDL cells significantly enhanced the phagocytosis of Porphyromonas gingivalis by immune cells. Our experiments revealed that PDL cells are not only structural elements of the periodontium, but actively influence immune responses by interaction with innate immune cells.

  19. Innate lymphoid cells and the MHC.

    PubMed

    Robinette, M L; Colonna, M

    2016-01-01

    Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a new class of immune cells that include natural killer (NK) cells and appear to be the innate counterparts to CD4(+) helper T cells and CD8(+) cytotoxic T cells based on developmental and functional similarities. Like T cells, both NK cells and other ILCs also show connections to the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). In human and mouse, NK cells recognize and respond to classical and nonclassical MHC I molecules as well as structural homologues, whereas mouse ILCs have recently been shown to express MHC II. We describe the history of MHC I recognition by NK cells and discuss emerging roles for MHC II expression by ILC subsets, making comparisons between both mouse and human when possible. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Photoperiod but not food restriction modulates innate immunity in an opportunistic breeder, Loxia curvirostra.

    PubMed

    Schultz, Elizabeth M; Hahn, Thomas P; Klasing, Kirk C

    2017-02-15

    An organism's investment in immune function often varies seasonally but understanding of how fluctuations in environmental conditions directly modulate investment remains limited. This experiment investigated how changes in photoperiod and food availability affect investment in constitutive innate immunity and the acute phase response induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injections in captive red crossbills ( Loxia curvirostra ). Crossbills are reproductively flexible songbirds that specialize on an unpredictably available food resource and display temporal variation in immunity in the wild. Birds were separated into four treatments and exposed to long or short day lengths for 6 weeks before continuing on an ad libitum diet or experiencing a 20% food reduction for 10 days. Birds were un-injected or injected with LPS both before and after diet change. Innate immunity was quantified throughout the experiment to assess effects of photoperiod, food availability and their interactions on hemolysis-hemagglutination, haptoglobin, bacterial killing ability and leukocyte counts. Overall, increasing day length significantly increased both bacterial killing ability and leukocyte counts. Surprisingly, food restriction had little effect on the immune parameters, potentially owing to the 'low-cost' environment of captivity and suggesting that investment in innate immunity is prioritized and maintained whenever possible. LPS injections induced stereotypical sickness behaviors and increased bacterial killing ability in short day birds and complement activity (hemolysis) both before and after food restriction. These results demonstrate robust seasonal modulation of immune investment and an ability to maintain innate immunity in the face of limited resources in these temporally flexible songbirds. © 2017. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  1. Targeting Interferon Regulatory Factor for Cardiometabolic Diseases: Opportunities and Challenges.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Yaxing; Zhang, Xiao-Jing; Li, Hongliang

    2017-01-01

    The pathological activation of innate immune system may contribute to the development of cardiometabolic diseases. The interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family members, which are the major transcription factors in innate immune signaling, are implicated in cardiometabolic diseases. The aim of this review is to summary the current knowledge of the biological functions of IRFs in innate immune responses and immune cell development, and highlight our contemporary understanding of the functions and molecular mechanisms of IRFs in metabolic diseases, cardiovascular remodeling, and stroke. IRFs are the essential regulators of cardiometabolic diseases via immune-dependent and - independent manners. IRFs signaling is the promising target to manage the initiation and progression of cardiometabolic disorders. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  2. Synthetic Rhamnolipid Bolaforms trigger an innate immune response in Arabidopsis thaliana.

    PubMed

    Luzuriaga-Loaiza, W Patricio; Schellenberger, Romain; De Gaetano, Yannick; Obounou Akong, Firmin; Villaume, Sandra; Crouzet, Jérôme; Haudrechy, Arnaud; Baillieul, Fabienne; Clément, Christophe; Lins, Laurence; Allais, Florent; Ongena, Marc; Bouquillon, Sandrine; Deleu, Magali; Dorey, Stephan

    2018-06-04

    Stimulation of plant innate immunity by natural and synthetic elicitors is a promising alternative to conventional pesticides for a more sustainable agriculture. Sugar-based bolaamphiphiles are known for their biocompatibility, biodegradability and low toxicity. In this work, we show that Synthetic Rhamnolipid Bolaforms (SRBs) that have been synthesized by green chemistry trigger Arabidopsis innate immunity. Using structure-function analysis, we demonstrate that SRBs, depending on the acyl chain length, differentially activate early and late immunity-related plant defense responses and provide local increase in resistance to plant pathogenic bacteria. Our biophysical data suggest that SRBs can interact with plant biomimetic plasma membrane and open the possibility of a lipid driven process for plant-triggered immunity by SRBs.

  3. Heads up! How the intestinal epithelium safeguards mucosal barrier immunity through the inflammasome and beyond.

    PubMed

    Cario, Elke

    2010-11-01

    The intestinal epithelium serves as a highly dynamic immunologic frontier - exhibiting both innate and adaptive immune features. This review focuses on recent advances and novel insights into key intrinsic processes of the intestinal epithelium to closely monitor its intracellular and extracellular environment, communicate messages to neighbouring cells and rapidly initiate active defensive and repair measures, if necessary. The intestinal epithelium is uniquely equipped with a vast array of features to control immune barrier homeostasis at the gates of the healthy intestinal mucosa. Deficient Toll-like receptor or NOD-like receptor signalling in the intestinal epithelium may imbalance commensal-dependent homeostasis, facilitating mucosal injury and leading to inflammatory disease. Dysfunction of the NLRP3 inflammasome may trigger aggravation of mucosal inflammation and cancer and has been associated with human inflammatory bowel diseases. Deregulated autophagy may alter inflammasome activity. Exciting progress has been made in better understanding the complex diversity of physiological functions of innate immune responses in the intestinal epithelial barrier. Regulatory platforms of signalling mechanisms exist which are closely related and interact. However, many questions remain to be answered and more puzzles have arisen which are highlighted here.

  4. Identification of quantitative trait loci controlling gene expression during the innate immunity response of soybean

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Microbe associated molecular pattern (MAMP)-triggered immunity (MTI) is an important component of the plant innate immunity response to invading pathogens. However, most of our knowledge of MTI comes from studies of model systems with relatively little work done with crop plants. In this work, we re...

  5. ß-1,3 glucan derived from Euglena gracilis and Algamune enhances innate immune responses of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    To reduce susceptibility to stressors and diseases, immune-modulators such as ß-glucans have been proven effective tools to enhance the innate immune responses of fish. Consequently, commercial sources of this polysaccharide are becoming increasingly more available. AlgamuneTM is a commercial addi...

  6. Innate Immune System at the Maternal-Fetal Interface: Mechanisms of Disease and Targets of Therapy in Pregnancy Syndromes.

    PubMed

    Triggianese, Paola; Perricone, Carlo; Chimenti, Maria Sole; De Carolis, Caterina; Perricone, Roberto

    2016-10-01

    The maternal-fetal interface is an immunologically unique site that allows the tolerance to the allogenic fetus and maintains host defense against possible pathogens. Balanced immune responses are required for the maintenance of successful pregnancy. It has been demonstrated that innate immune disturbances may be responsible for some adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia (PE); hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets (HELLP) syndrome; intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR); and recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA). Observational studies suggest that immunomodulatory treatments in pregnancy-specific complications may improve both the hematological/biochemical features in the mother and the perinatal outcomes. The following review will discuss how recent and relevant findings in the field of the innate immunity have advanced our understanding of the role of inflammation and innate immune system in the pathogenesis of pregnancy failure and will discuss the therapeutic outcomes of the existing studies and clinical trials in light of these new insights. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Natural variation in the parameters of innate immune cells is preferentially driven by genetic factors.

    PubMed

    Patin, Etienne; Hasan, Milena; Bergstedt, Jacob; Rouilly, Vincent; Libri, Valentina; Urrutia, Alejandra; Alanio, Cécile; Scepanovic, Petar; Hammer, Christian; Jönsson, Friederike; Beitz, Benoît; Quach, Hélène; Lim, Yoong Wearn; Hunkapiller, Julie; Zepeda, Magge; Green, Cherie; Piasecka, Barbara; Leloup, Claire; Rogge, Lars; Huetz, François; Peguillet, Isabelle; Lantz, Olivier; Fontes, Magnus; Di Santo, James P; Thomas, Stéphanie; Fellay, Jacques; Duffy, Darragh; Quintana-Murci, Lluís; Albert, Matthew L

    2018-03-01

    The quantification and characterization of circulating immune cells provide key indicators of human health and disease. To identify the relative effects of environmental and genetic factors on variation in the parameters of innate and adaptive immune cells in homeostatic conditions, we combined standardized flow cytometry of blood leukocytes and genome-wide DNA genotyping of 1,000 healthy, unrelated people of Western European ancestry. We found that smoking, together with age, sex and latent infection with cytomegalovirus, were the main non-genetic factors that affected variation in parameters of human immune cells. Genome-wide association studies of 166 immunophenotypes identified 15 loci that showed enrichment for disease-associated variants. Finally, we demonstrated that the parameters of innate cells were more strongly controlled by genetic variation than were those of adaptive cells, which were driven by mainly environmental exposure. Our data establish a resource that will generate new hypotheses in immunology and highlight the role of innate immunity in susceptibility to common autoimmune diseases.

  8. Investigation of Anti-Infection Mechanism of Lactoferricin and Splunc-1

    PubMed Central

    Tsou, Yung An; Huang, Hung-Jin; Lin, Wesley Wen Yang; Chen, Calvin Yu-Chian

    2014-01-01

    The innate immune system is the first line in the defense system and prevents the body from further bacteria, virus, or fungal infections. Most of the innate immune system is relevant to mucosa immunity. Lactotransferrin is secreted from the human mammal breast duct epithelial tissue and strengthens infant immunity to defense with regard to outward pathogens. Splunc-1 is also an innate material secreted from the soft palate, lung, nasal cavity epithelium, and mucosa. It helps with mucosa defense against bacterial, virus, and even fungus. LPS is the main etiology of Gram-negative bacilla infection source. And studies of lactoferricin and slpunc-1 both can combine with LPS and subsequently cause insults to the mucosa. Although, we know that both of them partake in an important role in innate immunity, we do not know the effects when they work together. In this study, we just overview silicon stimulation to examine the combination of Lactoferricin and Splunc-1 and the effect with regard to LPS. PMID:24876880

  9. Innate and adaptive immunity in experimental glomerulonephritis: a pathfinder tale.

    PubMed

    Artinger, Katharina; Kirsch, Alexander H; Aringer, Ida; Moschovaki-Filippidou, Foteini; Eller, Philipp; Rosenkranz, Alexander R; Eller, Kathrin

    2017-06-01

    The role of innate and adaptive immune cells in the experimental model of nephrotoxic serum nephritis (NTS) has been rigorously studied in recent years. The model is dependent on kidney-infiltrating T helper (TH) 17 and TH1 cells, which recruit neutrophils and macrophages, respectively, and cause sustained kidney inflammation. In a later phase of disease, regulatory T cells (Tregs) infiltrate the kidney in an attempt to limit disease activity. In the early stage of NTS, lymph node drainage plays an important role in disease initiation since dendritic cells present the antigen to T cells in the T cell zones of the draining lymph nodes. This results in the differentiation and proliferation of TH17 and TH1 cells. In this setting, immune regulatory cells (Tregs), namely, CCR7-expressing Tregs and mast cells (MCs), which are recruited by Tregs via the production of interleukin-9, exert their immunosuppressive capacity. Together, these two cell populations inhibit T cell differentiation and proliferation, thereby limiting disease activity by as yet unknown mechanisms. In contrast, the spleen plays no role in immune activation in NTS, but constitutes a place of extramedullary haematopoiesis. The complex interactions of immune cells in NTS are still under investigation and might ultimately lead to targeted therapies in glomerulonephritis.

  10. Neutrophils, dendritic cells and Toxoplasma.

    PubMed

    Denkers, Eric Y; Butcher, Barbara A; Del Rio, Laura; Bennouna, Soumaya

    2004-03-09

    Toxoplasma gondii rapidly elicits strong Type 1 cytokine-based immunity. The necessity for this response is well illustrated by the example of IFN-gamma and IL-12 gene knockout mice that rapidly succumb to the effects of acute infection. The parasite itself is skilled at sparking complex interactions in the innate immune system that lead to protective immunity. Neutrophils are one of the first cell types to arrive at the site of infection, and the cells release several proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in response to Toxoplasma. Dendritic cells are an important source of IL-12 during infection with T. gondii and other microbial pathogens, and they are also specialized for high-level antigen presentation to T lymphocytes. Tachyzoites express at least two types of molecules that trigger innate immune cell cytokine production. One of these involves Toll-like receptor/MyD88 pathways common to many microbial pathogens. The second pathway is less conventional and involves molecular mimicry between a parasite cyclophilin and host CC chemokine receptor 5-binding ligands. Neutrophils, dendritic cells and Toxoplasma work together to elicit the immune response required for host survival. Cytokine and chemokine cross-talk between parasite-triggered neutrophils and dendritic cells results in recruitment, maturation and activation of the latter. Neutrophil-empowered dendritic cells possess properties expected of highly potent antigen presenting cells that drive T helper 1 generation.

  11. Host-pathogen interactions between the human innate immune system and Candida albicans—understanding and modeling defense and evasion strategies

    PubMed Central

    Dühring, Sybille; Germerodt, Sebastian; Skerka, Christine; Zipfel, Peter F.; Dandekar, Thomas; Schuster, Stefan

    2015-01-01

    The diploid, polymorphic yeast Candida albicans is one of the most important human pathogenic fungi. C. albicans can grow, proliferate and coexist as a commensal on or within the human host for a long time. However, alterations in the host environment can render C. albicans virulent. In this review, we describe the immunological cross-talk between C. albicans and the human innate immune system. We give an overview in form of pairs of human defense strategies including immunological mechanisms as well as general stressors such as nutrient limitation, pH, fever etc. and the corresponding fungal response and evasion mechanisms. Furthermore, Computational Systems Biology approaches to model and investigate these complex interactions are highlighted with a special focus on game-theoretical methods and agent-based models. An outlook on interesting questions to be tackled by Systems Biology regarding entangled defense and evasion mechanisms is given. PMID:26175718

  12. IMPDHII Protein Inhibits Toll-like Receptor 2-mediated Activation of NF-κB*

    PubMed Central

    Toubiana, Julie; Rossi, Anne-Lise; Grimaldi, David; Belaidouni, Nadia; Chafey, Philippe; Clary, Guilhem; Courtine, Emilie; Pene, Frederic; Mira, Jean-Paul; Claessens, Yann-Erick; Chiche, Jean-Daniel

    2011-01-01

    Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) plays an essential role in innate immunity by the recognition of a large variety of pathogen-associated molecular patterns. It induces its recruitment to lipid rafts induces the formation of a membranous activation cluster necessary to enhance, amplify, and control downstream signaling. However, the exact composition of the TLR2-mediated molecular complex is unknown. We performed a proteomic analysis in lipopeptide-stimulated THP1 and found IMPDHII protein rapidly recruited to lipid raft. Whereas IMPDHII is essential for lymphocyte proliferation, its biologic function within innate immune signal pathways has not been established yet. We report here that IMPDHII plays an important role in the negative regulation of TLR2 signaling by modulating PI3K activity. Indeed, IMPDHII increases the phosphatase activity of SHP1, which participates to the inactivation of PI3K. PMID:21460227

  13. Neutrophil evasion strategies by Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus.

    PubMed

    Lewis, Megan L; Surewaard, Bas G J

    2018-03-01

    Humans are well equipped to defend themselves against bacteria. The innate immune system employs diverse mechanisms to recognize, control and initiate a response that can destroy millions of different microbes. Microbes that evade the sophisticated innate immune system are able to escape detection and could become pathogens. The pathogens Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus are particularly successful due to the development of a wide variety of virulence strategies for bacterial pathogenesis and they invest significant efforts towards mechanisms that allow for neutrophil evasion. Neutrophils are a primary cellular defense and can rapidly kill invading microbes, which is an indispensable function for maintaining host health. This review compares the key features of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus in epidemiology, with a specific focus on virulence mechanisms utilized to evade neutrophils in bacterial pathogenesis. It is important to understand the complex interactions between pathogenic bacteria and neutrophils so that we can disrupt the ability of pathogens to cause disease.

  14. Escaping Deleterious Immune Response in Their Hosts: Lessons from Trypanosomatids

    PubMed Central

    Geiger, Anne; Bossard, Géraldine; Sereno, Denis; Pissarra, Joana; Lemesre, Jean-Loup; Vincendeau, Philippe; Holzmuller, Philippe

    2016-01-01

    The Trypanosomatidae family includes the genera Trypanosoma and Leishmania, protozoan parasites displaying complex digenetic life cycles requiring a vertebrate host and an insect vector. Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, Trypanosoma cruzi, and Leishmania spp. are important human pathogens causing human African trypanosomiasis (HAT or sleeping sickness), Chagas’ disease, and various clinical forms of Leishmaniasis, respectively. They are transmitted to humans by tsetse flies, triatomine bugs, or sandflies, and affect millions of people worldwide. In humans, extracellular African trypanosomes (T. brucei) evade the hosts’ immune defenses, allowing their transmission to the next host, via the tsetse vector. By contrast, T. cruzi and Leishmania sp. have developed a complex intracellular lifestyle, also preventing several mechanisms to circumvent the host’s immune response. This review seeks to set out the immune evasion strategies developed by the different trypanosomatids resulting from parasite–host interactions and will focus on: clinical and epidemiological importance of diseases; life cycles: parasites–hosts–vectors; innate immunity: key steps for trypanosomatids in invading hosts; deregulation of antigen-presenting cells; disruption of efficient specific immunity; and the immune responses used for parasite proliferation. PMID:27303406

  15. An RLP23-SOBIR1-BAK1 complex mediates NLP-triggered immunity.

    PubMed

    Albert, Isabell; Böhm, Hannah; Albert, Markus; Feiler, Christina E; Imkampe, Julia; Wallmeroth, Niklas; Brancato, Caterina; Raaymakers, Tom M; Oome, Stan; Zhang, Heqiao; Krol, Elzbieta; Grefen, Christopher; Gust, Andrea A; Chai, Jijie; Hedrich, Rainer; Van den Ackerveken, Guido; Nürnberger, Thorsten

    2015-10-05

    Plants and animals employ innate immune systems to cope with microbial infection. Pattern-triggered immunity relies on the recognition of microbe-derived patterns by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Necrosis and ethylene-inducing peptide 1-like proteins (NLPs) constitute plant immunogenic patterns that are unique, as these proteins are produced by multiple prokaryotic (bacterial) and eukaryotic (fungal, oomycete) species. Here we show that the leucine-rich repeat receptor protein (LRR-RP) RLP23 binds in vivo to a conserved 20-amino-acid fragment found in most NLPs (nlp20), thereby mediating immune activation in Arabidopsis thaliana. RLP23 forms a constitutive, ligand-independent complex with the LRR receptor kinase (LRR-RK) SOBIR1 (Suppressor of Brassinosteroid insensitive 1 (BRI1)-associated kinase (BAK1)-interacting receptor kinase 1), and recruits a second LRR-RK, BAK1, into a tripartite complex upon ligand binding. Stable, ectopic expression of RLP23 in potato (Solanum tuberosum) confers nlp20 pattern recognition and enhanced immunity to destructive oomycete and fungal plant pathogens, such as Phytophthora infestans and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. PRRs that recognize widespread microbial patterns might be particularly suited for engineering immunity in crop plants.

  16. Essential Neuroscience in Immunology

    PubMed Central

    Chavan, Sangeeta S.; Tracey, Kevin J.

    2017-01-01

    The field of immunology is principally focused on the molecular mechanisms by which hematopoetic cells initiate and maintain innate and adaptive immunity. That cornerstone of attention has been expanded by recent discoveries that neuronal signals occupy a critical regulatory niche in immunity. The discovery is that neuronal circuits operating reflexively regulate innate and adaptive immunity. One particularly well-characterized circuit regulating innate immunity, the inflammatory reflex, is dependent upon action potentials transmitted to the reticuloendothelial system via the vagus and splenic nerves. This field has grown significantly with identification of several other reflexes regulating discrete immune functions. As reviewed here, the delineation of these mechanisms revealed a new understanding of immunity, enabled a first in class clinical trial using bioelectronic devices to inhibit cytokines and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis patients, and provided a mosaic view of immunity as the integration of hematopoetic and neural responses to infection and injury. PMID:28416717

  17. Essential Neuroscience in Immunology.

    PubMed

    Chavan, Sangeeta S; Tracey, Kevin J

    2017-05-01

    The field of immunology is principally focused on the molecular mechanisms by which hematopoietic cells initiate and maintain innate and adaptive immunity. That cornerstone of attention has been expanded by recent discoveries that neuronal signals occupy a critical regulatory niche in immunity. The discovery is that neuronal circuits operating reflexively regulate innate and adaptive immunity. One particularly well-characterized circuit regulating innate immunity, the inflammatory reflex, is dependent upon action potentials transmitted to the reticuloendothelial system via the vagus and splenic nerves. This field has grown significantly with the identification of several other reflexes regulating discrete immune functions. As outlined in this review, the delineation of these mechanisms revealed a new understanding of immunity, enabled a first-in-class clinical trial using bioelectronic devices to inhibit cytokines and inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis patients, and provided a mosaic view of immunity as the integration of hematopoietic and neural responses to infection and injury. Copyright © 2017 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

  18. Intrinsic functional defects of type 2 innate lymphoid cells impair innate allergic inflammation in promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF)-deficient mice.

    PubMed

    Verhoef, Philip A; Constantinides, Michael G; McDonald, Benjamin D; Urban, Joseph F; Sperling, Anne I; Bendelac, Albert

    2016-02-01

    The transcription factor promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF) is transiently expressed during development of type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) but is not present at the mature stage. We hypothesized that PLZF-deficient ILC2s have functional defects in the innate allergic response and represent a tool for studying innate immunity in a mouse with a functional adaptive immune response. We determined the consequences of PLZF deficiency on ILC2 function in response to innate and adaptive immune stimuli by using PLZF(-/-) mice and mixed wild-type:PLZF(-/-) bone marrow chimeras. PLZF(-/-) mice, wild-type littermates, or mixed bone marrow chimeras were treated with the protease allergen papain or the cytokines IL-25 and IL-33 or infected with the helminth Nippostrongylus brasiliensis to induce innate type 2 allergic responses. Mice were sensitized with intraperitoneal ovalbumin-alum, followed by intranasal challenge with ovalbumin alone, to induce adaptive TH2 responses. Lungs were analyzed for immune cell subsets, and alveolar lavage fluid was analyzed for ILC2-derived cytokines. In addition, ILC2s were stimulated ex vivo for their capacity to release type 2 cytokines. PLZF-deficient lung ILC2s exhibit a cell-intrinsic defect in the secretion of IL-5 and IL-13 in response to innate stimuli, resulting in defective recruitment of eosinophils and goblet cell hyperplasia. In contrast, the adaptive allergic inflammatory response to ovalbumin and alum was unimpaired. PLZF expression at the innate lymphoid cell precursor stage has a long-range effect on the functional properties of mature ILC2s and highlights the importance of these cells for innate allergic responses in otherwise immunocompetent mice. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. All rights reserved.

  19. Lack of broad functional differences in immunity in fully vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children.

    PubMed

    Sherrid, Ashley M; Ruck, Candice E; Sutherland, Darren; Cai, Bing; Kollmann, Tobias R

    2017-04-01

    Concerns have been raised that with an increase in the number of vaccines administered early in life, immune development could be altered, leading to either increased or decreased immune reactivity. We investigated the impact of vaccination on immune status, contrasting the immune response to general, nonantigen-specific stimuli in a cohort of entirely unvaccinated vs. fully vaccinated children at 3-5 y of age. Innate immunity was assessed by quantifying bulk and cell-type-specific cytokine production in response to stimulation with pathogen associated microbial patterns. Adaptive immune status was characterized by assessing lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine production in response to generic T cell stimuli. Our investigations failed to reveal a broadly evident alteration of either innate or adaptive immunity in vaccinated children. Equivalently robust innate and adaptive responses to pathogen associated microbial patterns and generic T cell stimulants were observed in both groups. Although our sample size was small, our data suggest that standard childhood vaccinations do not lead to long-lasting gross alterations of the immune system.

  20. Intradermal infections of mice by low numbers of african trypanosomes are controlled by innate resistance but enhance susceptibility to reinfection.

    PubMed

    Wei, Guojian; Bull, Harold; Zhou, Xia; Tabel, Henry

    2011-02-01

    Antibodies are required to control blood-stage forms of African trypanosomes in humans and animals. Here, we report that intradermal infections by low numbers of African trypanosomes are controlled by innate resistance but prime the adaptive immune response to increase susceptibility to a subsequent challenge. Mice were found 100 times more resistant to intradermal infections by Trypanosoma congolense or Trypanosoma brucei than to intraperitoneal infections. B cell-deficient and RAG2(-/-) mice are as resistant as wild-type mice to intradermal infections, whereas inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)(-/-) mice and wild-type mice treated with antibody to tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α are more susceptible. We conclude that primary intradermal infections with low numbers of parasites are controlled by innate defense mediated by induced nitric oxide (NO). CD1d(-/-) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II(-/-) mice are more resistant than wild-type mice to primary intradermal infections. Trypanosome-specific spleen cells, as shown by cytokine production, are primed as early as 24 h after intradermal infection. Infecting mice intradermally with low numbers of parasites, or injecting them intradermally with a trypanosomal lysate, makes mice more susceptible to an intradermal challenge. We suggest that intradermal infections with low numbers of trypanosomes or injections with trypanosomal lysates prime the adaptive immune system to suppress protective immunity to an intradermal challenge.

  1. Evaluation of invertebrate infection models for pathogenic corynebacteria.

    PubMed

    Ott, Lisa; McKenzie, Ashleigh; Baltazar, Maria Teresa; Britting, Sabine; Bischof, Andrea; Burkovski, Andreas; Hoskisson, Paul A

    2012-08-01

    For several pathogenic bacteria, model systems for host-pathogen interactions were developed, which provide the possibility of quick and cost-effective high throughput screening of mutant bacteria for genes involved in pathogenesis. A number of different model systems, including amoeba, nematodes, insects, and fish, have been introduced, and it was observed that different bacteria respond in different ways to putative surrogate hosts, and distinct model systems might be more or less suitable for a certain pathogen. The aim of this study was to develop a suitable invertebrate model for the human and animal pathogens Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, and Corynebacterium ulcerans. The results obtained in this study indicate that Acanthamoeba polyphaga is not optimal as surrogate host, while both Caenorhabtitis elegans and Galleria larvae seem to offer tractable models for rapid assessment of virulence between strains. Caenorhabtitis elegans gives more differentiated results and might be the best model system for pathogenic corynebacteria, given the tractability of bacteria and the range of mutant nematodes available to investigate the host response in combination with bacterial virulence. Nevertheless, Galleria will also be useful in respect to innate immune responses to pathogens because insects offer a more complex cell-based innate immune system compared with the simple innate immune system of C. elegans. © 2012 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. KH-type splicing regulatory protein is regulated by nuclear factor-κB signaling to mediate innate immunity in Caco-2 cells infected by Salmonella enteritidis.

    PubMed

    Nie, Yuanyang; Cao, Mei; Wu, Daoyan; Li, Ningzhe; Peng, Jingshan; Yi, Sijun; Yang, Xiaofan; Zhang, Mao; Hu, Guoku; Zhao, Jian

    2018-05-04

    Salmonella enteritidis infection occurs in enterogenous diseases, such as gastroenteritis and parenteral focal infection, which often involve inflammation of intestinal epithelial cells. The nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) pathway participates in the innate immune response to many gram-negative pathogenic bacteria and initiates inflammation in epithelial cells. KH-type splicing regulatory protein (KSRP) is a multi-domain RNA-binding protein that recruits the exosome-containing mRNA degradation complex to mRNAs coding for inflammatory response factors. However, it remains unclear whether KSRP is regulated by NF-κB signaling pathway in response to S. enteritidis infection and affects the development of inflammation. Accordingly, in this study, we investigated the role of KSRP in mediating the response to S. enteritidis in Caco-2 cells. The data revealed that S. enteritidis infection decreased KSRP expression, which was suppressed by blocking the NF-κB pathway. Additionally, S. enteritidis infection significantly increased the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. Overexpression of KSRP reduced the expression levels of inflammatory factors in Caco-2 cells. KSRP was regulated by the NF-κB signaling pathway and participated in mediating the innate immune response to S. enteritidis infection in Caco-2 cells, and KSRP acted as a negative regulator of inflammatory gene expression.

  3. Association of variants in innate immune genes with asthma and eczema

    PubMed Central

    Sharma, Sunita; Poon, Audrey; Himes, Blanca E.; Lasky-Su, Jessica; Sordillo, Joanne E.; Belanger, Kathleen; Milton, Donald K.; Bracken, Michael B.; Triche, Elizabeth W.; Leaderer, Brian P.; Gold, Diane R.; Litonjua, Augusto A.

    2012-01-01

    Background The innate immune pathway is important in the pathogenesis of asthma and eczema. However, only a few variants in these genes have been associated with either disease. We investigate the association between polymorphisms of genes in the innate immune pathway with childhood asthma and eczema. In addition, we compare individual associations with those discovered using a multivariate approach. Methods Using a novel method, case control based association testing (C2BAT), 569 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 44 innate immune genes were tested for association with asthma and eczema in children from the Boston Home Allergens and Asthma Study and the Connecticut Childhood Asthma Study. The screening algorithm was used to identify the top SNPs associated with asthma and eczema. We next investigated the interaction of innate immune variants with asthma and eczema risk using Bayesian networks. Results After correction for multiple comparisons, 7 SNPs in 6 genes (CARD25, TGFB1, LY96, ACAA1, DEFB1, and IFNG) were associated with asthma (adjusted p-value<0.02), while 5 SNPs in 3 different genes (CD80, STAT4, and IRAKI) were significantly associated with eczema (adjusted p-value < 0.02). None of these SNPs were associated with both asthma and eczema. Bayesian network analysis identified 4 SNPs that were predictive of asthma and 10 SNPs that predicted eczema. Of the genes identified using Bayesian networks, only CD80 was associated with eczema in the single-SNP study. Using novel methodology that allows for screening and replication in the same population, we have identified associations of innate immune genes with asthma and eczema. Bayesian network analysis suggests that additional SNPs influence disease susceptibility via SNP interactions. Conclusion Our findings suggest that innate immune genes contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma and eczema, and that these diseases likely have different genetic determinants. PMID:22192168

  4. Interaction of Antibiotics with Innate Host Defense Factors against Salmonella enterica Serotype Newport

    PubMed Central

    Kumaraswamy, Monika; Kousha, Armin; Nizet, Victor

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT This study examines the pharmacodynamics of antimicrobials that are used to treat Salmonella with each other and with key components of the innate immune system. Antimicrobial synergy was assessed using time-kill and checkerboard assays. Antimicrobial interactions with innate immunity were studied by employing cathelicidin LL-37, whole-blood, and neutrophil killing assays. Ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin were found to be synergistic in vitro against Salmonella enterica serotype Newport. Ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin, and azithromycin each demonstrated synergy with the human cathelicidin defense peptide LL-37 in killing Salmonella. Exposure of Salmonella to sub-MICs of ceftriaxone resulted in enhanced susceptibility to LL-37, whole blood, and neutrophil killing. The activity of antibiotics in vivo against Salmonella may be underestimated in bacteriologic media lacking components of innate immunity. The pharmacodynamic interactions of antibiotics used to treat Salmonella with each other and with components of innate immunity warrant further study in light of recent findings showing in vivo selection of antimicrobial resistance by single agents in this pathogen. IMPORTANCE It is becoming increasingly understood that the current paradigms of in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility testing may have significant shortcomings in predicting activity in vivo. This study evaluated the activity of several antibiotics alone and in combination against clinical isolates of Salmonella enterica serotype Newport (meningitis case) utilizing both conventional and physiological media. In addition, the interactions of these antibiotics with components of the innate immune system were evaluated. Azithromycin, which has performed quite well clinically despite high MICs in conventional media, was shown to be more active in physiological media and to enhance innate immune system killing. Alternatively, chloramphenicol did not show enhanced immune system killing, paralleling its inferior clinical performance to other antibiotics that have been used to treat Salmonella meningitis. These findings are important additions to the building understanding of current in vitro antimicrobial assay limitations that hopefully will amount to future improvements in these assays to better predict clinical efficacy and activity in vivo. PMID:29242830

  5. In vivo Ebola virus infection leads to a strong innate response in circulating immune cells.

    PubMed

    Caballero, Ignacio S; Honko, Anna N; Gire, Stephen K; Winnicki, Sarah M; Melé, Marta; Gerhardinger, Chiara; Lin, Aaron E; Rinn, John L; Sabeti, Pardis C; Hensley, Lisa E; Connor, John H

    2016-09-05

    Ebola virus is the causative agent of a severe syndrome in humans with a fatality rate that can approach 90 %. During infection, the host immune response is thought to become dysregulated, but the mechanisms through which this happens are not entirely understood. In this study, we analyze RNA sequencing data to determine the host response to Ebola virus infection in circulating immune cells. Approximately half of the 100 genes with the strongest early increases in expression were interferon-stimulated genes, such as ISG15, OAS1, IFIT2, HERC5, MX1 and DHX58. Other highly upregulated genes included cytokines CXCL11, CCL7, IL2RA, IL2R1, IL15RA, and CSF2RB, which have not been previously reported to change during Ebola virus infection. Comparing this response in two different models of exposure (intramuscular and aerosol) revealed a similar signature of infection. The strong innate response in the aerosol model was seen not only in circulating cells, but also in primary and secondary target tissues. Conversely, the innate immune response of vaccinated macaques was almost non-existent. This suggests that the innate response is a major aspect of the cellular response to Ebola virus infection in multiple tissues. Ebola virus causes a severe infection in humans that is associated with high mortality. The host immune response to virus infection is thought to be an important aspect leading to severe pathology, but the components of this overactive response are not well characterized. Here, we analyzed how circulating immune cells respond to the virus and found that there is a strong innate response dependent on active virus replication. This finding is in stark contrast to in vitro evidence showing a suppression of innate immune signaling, and it suggests that the strong innate response we observe in infected animals may be an important contributor to pathogenesis.

  6. Novel Target for Ameliorating Pain and Other Problems after SCI: Spontaneous Activity in Nociceptors

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-10-01

    disruption of the BSCB will permit blood-borne mye- loid and lymphoid immune cells to enter the spinal cord parenchyma and exert direct inflammatory actions...recently evolved adaptive immune system, the innate immune system does not em- ploy antigen-specific humoral and cell -mediated immunity mecha- nisms. Two... innate immune functions have been emphasized traditionally: 1) the recruitment of cells and proteins to destroy pathogens and toxins, and 2) increases

  7. Hepatitis C virus and antiviral innate immunity: who wins at tug-of-war?

    PubMed

    Yang, Da-Rong; Zhu, Hai-Zhen

    2015-04-07

    Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major human pathogen of chronic hepatitis and related liver diseases. Innate immunity is the first line of defense against invading foreign pathogens, and its activation is dependent on the recognition of these pathogens by several key sensors. The interferon (IFN) system plays an essential role in the restriction of HCV infection via the induction of hundreds of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) that inhibit viral replication and spread. However, numerous factors that trigger immune dysregulation, including viral factors and host genetic factors, can help HCV to escape host immune response, facilitating viral persistence. In this review, we aim to summarize recent advances in understanding the innate immune response to HCV infection and the mechanisms of ISGs to suppress viral survival, as well as the immune evasion strategies for chronic HCV infection.

  8. Ontogenetic profile of innate immune related genes and their tissue-specific expression in brown trout, Salmo trutta (Linnaeus, 1758).

    PubMed

    Cecchini, Stefano; Paciolla, Mariateresa; Biffali, Elio; Borra, Marco; Ursini, Matilde V; Lioi, Maria B

    2013-09-01

    The innate immune system is a fundamental defense weapon of fish, especially during early stages of development when acquired immunity is still far from being completely developed. The present study aims at looking into ontogeny of innate immune system in the brown trout, Salmo trutta, using RT-PCR based approach. Total RNA extracted from unfertilized and fertilized eggs and hatchlings at 0, 1 h and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 weeks post-fertilization was subjected to RT-PCR using self-designed primers to amplify some innate immune relevant genes (TNF-α, IL-1β, TGF-β and lysozyme c-type). The constitutive expression of β-actin was detected in all developmental stages. IL-1β and TNF-α transcripts were detected from 4 week post-fertilization onwards, whereas TGF-β transcript was detected only from 7 week post-fertilization onwards. Lysozyme c-type transcript was detected early from unfertilized egg stage onwards. Similarly, tissues such as muscle, ovary, heart, brain, gill, testis, liver, intestine, spleen, skin, posterior kidney, anterior kidney and blood collected from adult brown trout were subjected to detection of all selected genes by RT-PCR. TNF-α and lysozyme c-type transcripts were expressed in all tissues. IL-1β and TGF-β transcripts were expressed in all tissues except for the brain and liver, respectively. Taken together, our results show a spatial-temporal expression of some key innate immune-related genes, improving the basic knowledge of the function of innate immune system at early stage of brown trout. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Transcriptional Innate Immune Response of the Developing Chicken Embryo to Newcastle Disease Virus Infection

    PubMed Central

    Schilling, Megan A.; Katani, Robab; Memari, Sahar; Cavanaugh, Meredith; Buza, Joram; Radzio-Basu, Jessica; Mpenda, Fulgence N.; Deist, Melissa S.; Lamont, Susan J.; Kapur, Vivek

    2018-01-01

    Traditional approaches to assess the immune response of chickens to infection are through animal trials, which are expensive, require enhanced biosecurity, compromise welfare, and are frequently influenced by confounding variables. Since the chicken embryo becomes immunocompetent prior to hatch, we here characterized the transcriptional response of selected innate immune genes to Newcastle disease virus (NDV) infection in chicken embryos at days 10, 14, and 18 of embryonic development. The results suggest that the innate immune response 72 h after challenge of 18-day chicken embryo is both consistent and robust. The expression of CCL5, Mx1, and TLR3 in lung tissues of NDV challenged chicken embryos from the outbred Kuroiler and Tanzanian local ecotype lines showed that their expression was several orders of magnitude higher in the Kuroiler than in the local ecotypes. Next, the expression patterns of three additional innate-immunity related genes, IL-8, IRF-1, and STAT1, were examined in the highly congenic Fayoumi (M5.1 and M15.2) and Leghorn (Ghs6 and Ghs13) sublines that differ only at the microchromosome bearing the major histocompatibility locus. The results show that the Ghs13 Leghorn subline had a consistently higher expression of all genes except IL-8 and expression seemed to be subline-dependent rather than breed-dependent, suggesting that the innate immune response of chicken embryos to NDV infection may be genetically controlled by the MHC-locus. Taken together, the results suggest that the chicken embryo may represent a promising model to studying the patterns and sources of variation of the avian innate immune response to infection with NDV and related pathogens. PMID:29535762

  10. NK cells interactions with dendritic cells shape innate and adaptive immunity.

    PubMed

    Brilot, Fabienne; Strowig, Till; Munz, Christian

    2008-05-01

    While natural killer (NK) cells received their name from their ability to mediate spontaneous cytotoxicity, it has recently become clear that they require activation to target most transformed and infected cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) have been shown to mediate NK cell activation during innate immune responses. Surprisingly, this interaction was recently reported to be required to restrict infections by NK cells, and to take place in secondary lymphoid organs. Here we review these recent studies on NK cell interactions with DCs, discuss the molecular mechanisms underlying the cross-talk between these two innate lymphocyte populations, and out-line how DCs and NK cells synergize to enhance innate immunity against microbes and tumors as well as shape the adaptive immune system. Based on this better understanding, we propose that NK cells should be targeted for their protective functions and as an adjuvant during immunotherapy development.

  11. Genetic variants of innate immune receptors and infections after liver transplantation

    PubMed Central

    Sanclemente, Gemma; Moreno, Asuncion; Navasa, Miquel; Lozano, Francisco; Cervera, Carlos

    2014-01-01

    Infection is the leading cause of complication after liver transplantation, causing morbidity and mortality in the first months after surgery. Allograft rejection is mediated through adaptive immunological responses, and thus immunosuppressive therapy is necessary after transplantation. In this setting, the presence of genetic variants of innate immunity receptors may increase the risk of post-transplant infection, in comparison with patients carrying wild-type alleles. Numerous studies have investigated the role of genetic variants of innate immune receptors and the risk of complication after liver transplantation, but their results are discordant. Toll-like receptors and mannose-binding lectin are arguably the most important studied molecules; however, many other receptors could increase the risk of infection after transplantation. In this article, we review the published studies analyzing the impact of genetic variants in the innate immune system on the development of infectious complications after liver transplantation. PMID:25170199

  12. Microglia and Beyond: Innate Immune Cells As Regulators of Brain Development and Behavioral Function.

    PubMed

    Lenz, Kathryn M; Nelson, Lars H

    2018-01-01

    Innate immune cells play a well-documented role in the etiology and disease course of many brain-based conditions, including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, traumatic brain and spinal cord injury, and brain cancers. In contrast, it is only recently becoming clear that innate immune cells, primarily brain resident macrophages called microglia, are also key regulators of brain development. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge regarding microglia in brain development, with particular emphasis on how microglia during development are distinct from microglia later in life. We also summarize the effects of early life perturbations on microglia function in the developing brain, the role that biological sex plays in microglia function, and the potential role that microglia may play in developmental brain disorders. Finally, given how new the field of developmental neuroimmunology is, we highlight what has yet to be learned about how innate immune cells shape the development of brain and behavior.

  13. Characteristics of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and their role in immunological disorders (an update).

    PubMed

    Yazdani, Reza; Sharifi, Mehri; Shirvan, Aylar Saba; Azizi, Gholamreza; Ganjalikhani-Hakemi, Mazdak

    2015-01-01

    Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a novel family of hematopoietic effectors and regulators of innate immunity. Although these cells are morphologically similar to B cells and T cells, however they do not express antigen receptors. ILCs seems to have emerging roles in innate immune responses against infectious or non-infectious microorganisms, protection of the epithelial barrier, lymphoid organogenesis and inflammation, tissue remodeling and regulating homeostasis of tissue stromal cells. In addition, it has recently been reported that ILCs have a crucial role in several disorders such as allergy and autoimmunity. Based on their phenotype and functions, ILCs are classified into three major groups called ILCs1, ILCs2, and ILCs3. Here we reviewed the most recent data concerning diverse ILC phenotypes, subclasses, functions in immune responses as well as in immune mediated disorders. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. The Role of Sphingolipids on Innate Immunity to Intestinal Salmonella Infection.

    PubMed

    Huang, Fu-Chen

    2017-08-07

    Salmonella spp. remains a major public health problem for the whole world. To reduce the use of antimicrobial agents and drug-resistant Salmonella , a better strategy is to explore alternative therapy rather than to discover another antibiotic. Sphingolipid- and cholesterol-enriched lipid microdomains attract signaling proteins and orchestrate them toward cell signaling and membrane trafficking pathways. Recent studies have highlighted the crucial role of sphingolipids in the innate immunity against infecting pathogens. It is therefore mandatory to exploit the role of the membrane sphingolipids in the innate immunity of intestinal epithelia infected by this pathogen. In the present review, we focus on the role of sphingolipids in the innate immunity of intestinal epithelia against Salmonella infection, including adhesion, autophagy, bactericidal effect, barrier function, membrane trafficking, cytokine and antimicrobial peptide expression. The intervention of sphingolipid-enhanced foods to make our life healthy or pharmacological agents regulating sphingolipids is provided at the end.

  15. CD22 and Siglec-G in B cell function and tolerance.

    PubMed

    Poe, Jonathan C; Tedder, Thomas F

    2012-08-01

    The immune system has evolved into two main arms: the primitive innate arm that is the first line of defense but relatively short-lived and broad acting; and the advanced adaptive arm that generates immunological memory, allowing rapid, specific recall responses. T cell-independent type-2 (TI-2) antigens (Ags) invoke innate immune responses. However, due to its 'at the ready' nature, how the innate arm of the immune system maintains tolerance to potentially abundant host TI-2 Ags remains elusive. Therefore, it is important to define the mechanisms that establish innate immune tolerance. This review highlights recent insights into B cell tolerance to theoretical self TI-2 Ags, and examines how the B cell-restricted sialic acid binding Ig-like lectins (Siglecs), CD22 and Siglec-G, might contribute to this process. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. The Immune System: Basis of so much Health and Disease: 2. Innate Immunity.

    PubMed

    Scully, Crispian; Georgakopoulou, Eleni A; Hassona, Yazan

    2017-03-01

    The immune system is the body’s primary defence mechanism against infections, and disturbances in the system can cause disease if the system fails in defence functions (in immunocompromised people), or if the activity is detrimental to the host (as in auto-immune and auto-inflammatory states). A healthy immune system is also essential to normal health of dental and oral tissues. This series presents the basics for the understanding of the immune system, this article covering innate immunity. Clinical relevance: Modern dental clinicians need a basic understanding of the immune system as it underlies health and disease.

  17. Mass spectrometry based structural analysis and systems immunoproteomics strategies for deciphering the host response to endotoxin.

    PubMed

    Khan, Mohd M; Ernst, Orna; Sun, Jing; Fraser, Iain D C; Ernst, Robert K; Goodlett, David R; Nita-Lazar, Aleksandra

    2018-06-24

    One cause of sepsis is systemic maladaptive immune response of the host to bacteria and specifically, to Gram-negative bacterial outer membrane glycolipid lipopolysaccharide (LPS). On the host myeloid cell surface, proinflammatory LPS activates the innate immune system via Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor-2 (MD2) complex. Intracellularly, LPS is also sensed by the noncanonical inflammasome through caspase-11 in mice and 4/5 in humans. The minimal functional determinant for innate immune activation is the membrane anchor of LPS called lipid A. Even subtle modifications to the lipid A scaffold can enable, diminish, or abolish immune activation. Bacteria are known to modify their LPS structure during environmental stress, and infection of hosts to alter cellular immune phenotypes. In this review, we describe how mass spectrometry (MS)-based structural analysis of endotoxin helped uncover major determinations of molecular pathogenesis. Through characterization of LPS modifications, we now better understand resistance to antibiotics and cationic antimicrobial peptides, as well as how the environment impacts overall endotoxin structure. In addition, MS-based systems immunoproteomics approaches can assist in elucidating the immune response against LPS. Many regulatory proteins have been characterized through proteomics and global/targeted analysis of protein modifications, enabling the discovery and characterization of novel endotoxin-mediated protein translational modifications (PTMs). Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  18. Immune defense in leaf-cutting ants: a cross-fostering approach.

    PubMed

    Armitage, Sophie A O; Broch, Jens F; Marín, Hermogenes Fernández; Nash, David R; Boomsma, Jacobus J

    2011-06-01

    To ameliorate the impact of disease, social insects combine individual innate immune defenses with collective social defenses. This implies that there are different levels of selection acting on investment in immunity, each with their own trade-offs. We present the results of a cross-fostering experiment designed to address the influences of genotype and social rearing environment upon individual and social immune defenses. We used a multiply mating leaf-cutting ant, enabling us to test for patriline effects within a colony, as well as cross-colony matriline effects. The worker's father influenced both individual innate immunity (constitutive antibacterial activity) and the size of the metapleural gland, which secretes antimicrobial compounds and functions in individual and social defense, indicating multiple mating could have important consequences for both defense types. However, the primarily social defense, a Pseudonocardia bacteria that helps to control pathogens in the ants' fungus garden, showed a significant colony of origin by rearing environment interaction, whereby ants that acquired the bacteria of a foster colony obtained a less abundant cover of bacteria: one explanation for this pattern would be co-adaptation between host colonies and their vertically transmitted mutualist. These results illustrate the complexity of the selection pressures that affect the expression of multilevel immune defenses. © 2011 The Author(s). Evolution© 2011 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

  19. The Involvement of MicroRNAs in Modulation of Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Lupus Nephritis.

    PubMed

    Honarpisheh, Mohsen; Köhler, Paulina; von Rauchhaupt, Ekaterina; Lech, Maciej

    2018-01-01

    Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), represent a family of RNA molecules that do not translate into protein. Nevertheless, they have the ability to regulate gene expression and play an essential role in immune cell differentiation and function. MicroRNAs were found to be differentially expressed in various tissues, and changes in their expression have been associated with several pathological processes. Yet, their roles in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN) remain to be elucidated. Both SLE and LN are characterized by a complex dysfunction of the innate and adaptive immunity. Recently, significant findings have been made in understanding SLE through the use of genetic variant identification and expression pattern analysis and mouse models, as well as epigenetic analyses. Abnormalities in immune cell responses, cytokine and chemokine production, cell activation, and apoptosis have been linked to a unique expression pattern of a number of miRNAs that have been implicated in the immune pathogenesis of this autoimmune disease. The recent evidence that significantly increased the understanding of the pathogenesis of SLE drives a renewed interest in efficient therapy targets. This review aims at providing an overview of the current state of research on the expression and role of miRNAs in the immune pathogenesis of SLE and LN.

  20. The Involvement of MicroRNAs in Modulation of Innate and Adaptive Immunity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Lupus Nephritis

    PubMed Central

    Köhler, Paulina; von Rauchhaupt, Ekaterina

    2018-01-01

    Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs (miRNAs), represent a family of RNA molecules that do not translate into protein. Nevertheless, they have the ability to regulate gene expression and play an essential role in immune cell differentiation and function. MicroRNAs were found to be differentially expressed in various tissues, and changes in their expression have been associated with several pathological processes. Yet, their roles in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis (LN) remain to be elucidated. Both SLE and LN are characterized by a complex dysfunction of the innate and adaptive immunity. Recently, significant findings have been made in understanding SLE through the use of genetic variant identification and expression pattern analysis and mouse models, as well as epigenetic analyses. Abnormalities in immune cell responses, cytokine and chemokine production, cell activation, and apoptosis have been linked to a unique expression pattern of a number of miRNAs that have been implicated in the immune pathogenesis of this autoimmune disease. The recent evidence that significantly increased the understanding of the pathogenesis of SLE drives a renewed interest in efficient therapy targets. This review aims at providing an overview of the current state of research on the expression and role of miRNAs in the immune pathogenesis of SLE and LN. PMID:29854836

  1. Innate immune response to a bovine mastitis pathogen profiled in milk and blood monocytes using a systems biology approach

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bovine mastitis is an inflammatory condition of the mammary gland which leads to reduced milk yield and increased milk somatic cell counts (SCC) resulting in an estimated annual cost to the dairy industry worldwide of ~ 2 billion euros. Mastitis has a complex etiology, with pathogenic, host and envi...

  2. Absence of human innate immune evasion complex in LA-MRSA ST5 strains isolated from pigs, swine facilities, and humans with swine contact

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Background: Since its first ties to swine, livestock associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) has raised public health concerns because livestock may be the largest reservoir of MRSA outside the hospital setting. In contrast to Europe and Asia, where the primary sequence type...

  3. Burn Enhances Toll-Like Receptor Induced Responses by Circulating Leukocytes

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-04-30

    Introduction Major burn is associated with a local and sys- temic activation of the innate immune system resulting in a profound inflammatory...plications. Previous studies have shown that responses after burn differ between fixed-tissue immune cells and circulating immune cells [15]. In the current...Abstract: Burn and toll-like receptors (TLR) are associated with innate immune system activation, but the impact of burn on TLR-induced inflammation

  4. Microbial Degradation of Cellular Kinases Impairs Innate Immune Signaling and Paracrine TNFα Responses

    PubMed Central

    Barth, Kenneth; Genco, Caroline Attardo

    2016-01-01

    The NFκB and MAPK signaling pathways are critical components of innate immunity that orchestrate appropriate immune responses to control and eradicate pathogens. Their activation results in the induction of proinflammatory mediators, such as TNFα a potent bioactive molecule commonly secreted by recruited inflammatory cells, allowing for paracrine signaling at the site of an infection. In this study we identified a novel mechanism by which the opportunistic pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis dampens innate immune responses by disruption of kinase signaling and degradation of inflammatory mediators. The intracellular immune kinases RIPK1, TAK1, and AKT were selectively degraded by the P. gingivalis lysine-specific gingipain (Kgp) in human endothelial cells, which correlated with dysregulated innate immune signaling. Kgp was also observed to attenuate endothelial responsiveness to TNFα, resulting in a reduction in signal flux through AKT, ERK and NFκB pathways, as well as a decrease in downstream proinflammatory mRNA induction of cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules. A deficiency in Kgp activity negated decreases to host cell kinase protein levels and responsiveness to TNFα. Given the essential role of kinase signaling in immune responses, these findings highlight a unique mechanism of pathogen-induced immune dysregulation through inhibition of cell activation, paracrine signaling, and dampened cellular proinflammatory responses. PMID:27698456

  5. A tetrapod-like repertoire of innate immune receptors and effectors for coelacanths

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Boudinot, Pierre; Zou, Jun; Ota, Tatsuya; Buonocore, Francesco; Scapigliati, Giuseppe; Canapa, Adriana; Cannon, John; Litman, Gary; Hansen, John D.

    2014-01-01

    The recent availability of both robust transcriptome and genome resources for coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae) has led to unique discoveries for coelacanth immunity such as the lack of IgM, a central component of adaptive immunity. This study was designed to more precisely address the origins and evolution of gene families involved in the initial recognition and response to microbial pathogens, which effect innate immunity. Several multigene families involved in innate immunity are addressed, including: Toll-like receptors (TLRs), retinoic acid inducible gene 1 (RIG1)-like receptors (RLRs), the nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat containing proteins (NLRs), diverse immunoglobulin domain-containing proteins (DICP) and modular domain immune-type receptors (MDIRs). Our analyses also include the tripartite motif-containing proteins (TRIM), which are involved in pathogen recognition as well as the positive regulation of antiviral immunity. Finally, this study addressed some of the downstream effectors of the antimicrobial response including IL-1 family members, type I and II interferons (IFN) and IFN-stimulated effectors (ISGs). Collectively, the genes and gene families in coelacanth that effect innate immune functions share characteristics both in content, structure and arrangement with those found in tetrapods but not in teleosts. The findings support the sister group relationship of coelacanth fish with tetrapods.

  6. Synthetic RNAs Mimicking Structural Domains in the Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Genome Elicit a Broad Innate Immune Response in Porcine Cells Triggered by RIG-I and TLR Activation.

    PubMed

    Borrego, Belén; Rodríguez-Pulido, Miguel; Revilla, Concepción; Álvarez, Belén; Sobrino, Francisco; Domínguez, Javier; Sáiz, Margarita

    2015-07-17

    The innate immune system is the first line of defense against viral infections. Exploiting innate responses for antiviral, therapeutic and vaccine adjuvation strategies is being extensively explored. We have previously described, the ability of small in vitro RNA transcripts, mimicking the sequence and structure of different domains in the non-coding regions of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) genome (ncRNAs), to trigger a potent and rapid innate immune response. These synthetic non-infectious molecules have proved to have a broad-range antiviral activity and to enhance the immunogenicity of an FMD inactivated vaccine in mice. Here, we have studied the involvement of pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) in the ncRNA-induced innate response and analyzed the antiviral and cytokine profiles elicited in swine cultured cells, as well as peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

  7. Inflammatory Monocytes Orchestrate Innate Antifungal Immunity in the Lung

    PubMed Central

    Dutta, Orchi; Kasahara, Shinji; Donnelly, Robert; Du, Peicheng; Rosenfeld, Jeffrey; Leiner, Ingrid; Chen, Chiann-Chyi; Ron, Yacov; Hohl, Tobias M.; Rivera, Amariliz

    2014-01-01

    Aspergillus fumigatus is an environmental fungus that causes invasive aspergillosis (IA) in immunocompromised patients. Although -CC-chemokine receptor-2 (CCR2) and Ly6C-expressing inflammatory monocytes (CCR2+Mo) and their derivatives initiate adaptive pulmonary immune responses, their role in coordinating innate immune responses in the lung remain poorly defined. Using conditional and antibody-mediated cell ablation strategies, we found that CCR2+Mo and monocyte-derived dendritic cells (Mo-DCs) are essential for innate defense against inhaled conidia. By harnessing fluorescent Aspergillus reporter (FLARE) conidia that report fungal cell association and viability in vivo, we identify two mechanisms by which CCR2+Mo and Mo-DCs exert innate antifungal activity. First, CCR2+Mo and Mo-DCs condition the lung inflammatory milieu to augment neutrophil conidiacidal activity. Second, conidial uptake by CCR2+Mo temporally coincided with their differentiation into Mo-DCs, a process that resulted in direct conidial killing. Our findings illustrate both indirect and direct functions for CCR2+Mo and their derivatives in innate antifungal immunity in the lung. PMID:24586155

  8. Does Infection-Induced Immune Activation Contribute to Dementia?

    PubMed Central

    Barichello, Tatiana; Generoso, Jaqueline S; Goularte, Jessica A; Collodel, Allan; Pitcher, Meagan R; Simões, Lutiana R; Quevedo, João; Dal-Pizzol, Felipe

    2015-01-01

    The central nervous system (CNS) is protected by a complex blood-brain barrier system; however, a broad diversity of virus, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa can gain access and cause illness. As pathogens replicate, they release molecules that can be recognized by innate immune cells. These molecules are pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMP) and they are identified by pattern-recognition receptors (PRR) expressed on antigen-presenting cells. Examples of PRR include toll-like receptors (TLR), receptors for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE), nucleotide binding oligomerisation domain (NOD)-like receptors (NLR), c-type lectin receptors (CLR), RIG-I-like receptors (RLR), and intra-cytosolic DNA sensors. The reciprocal action between PAMP and PRR triggers the release of inflammatory mediators that regulate the elimination of invasive pathogens. Damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMP) are endogenous constituents released from damaged cells that also have the ability to activate the innate immune response. An increase of RAGE expression levels on neurons, astrocytes, microglia, and endothelial cells could be responsible for the accumulation of αβ-amyloid in dementia and related to the chronic inflammatory state that is found in neurodegenerative disorders. PMID:26425389

  9. Re-evaluation of insect melanogenesis research: Views from the dark side.

    PubMed

    Whitten, Miranda M A; Coates, Christopher J

    2017-07-01

    Melanins (eumelanin and pheomelanin) are synthesized in insects for several purposes including cuticle sclerotization and color patterning, clot formation, organogenesis, and innate immunity. Traditional views of insect immunity detail the storage of pro-phenoloxidases inside specialized blood cells (hemocytes) and their release upon recognition of foreign bodies. Activated phenoloxidases convert monophenols into reactive quinones in a two-step enzymatic reaction, and until recently, the mechanism of tyrosine hydroxylation remained a mystery. Herein, we present our interpretations of these enzyme-substrate complexes. The resultant melanins are deposited onto the surface of microbes to immobilize, agglutinate, and suffocate them. Phenoloxidase activity and melanin production are not limited to the blood (hemolymph) or cuticle, as recent evidence points to more diverse, sophisticated interactions in the gut and with the resident symbionts. This review offers insight into the somewhat neglected areas of insect melanogenesis research, particularly in innate immunity, its role in beneficial insects such as pollinators, the functional versatility of phenoloxidases, and the limitations of common experimental approaches that may impede progress inadvertently. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Identification of Substituted Pyrimido[5,4-b]indoles as Selective Toll-Like Receptor 4 Ligands

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    A cell-based high-throughput screen to identify small molecular weight stimulators of the innate immune system revealed substituted pyrimido[5,4-b]indoles as potent NFκB activators. The most potent hit compound selectively stimulated Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in human and mouse cells. Synthetic modifications of the pyrimido[5,4-b]indole scaffold at the carboxamide, N-3, and N-5 positions revealed differential TLR4 dependent production of NFκB and type I interferon associated cytokines, IL-6 and interferon γ-induced protein 10 (IP-10) respectively. Specifically, a subset of compounds bearing phenyl and substituted phenyl carboxamides induced lower IL-6 release while maintaining higher IP-10 production, skewing toward the type I interferon pathway. Substitution at N-5 with short alkyl substituents reduced the cytotoxicity of the leading hit compound. Computational studies supported that active compounds appeared to bind primarily to MD-2 in the TLR4/MD-2 complex. These small molecules, which stimulate innate immune cells with minimal toxicity, could potentially be used as adjuvants or immune modulators. PMID:23656327

  11. A bacterial cysteine protease effector protein interferes with photosynthesis to suppress plant innate immune responses.

    PubMed

    Rodríguez-Herva, José J; González-Melendi, Pablo; Cuartas-Lanza, Raquel; Antúnez-Lamas, María; Río-Alvarez, Isabel; Li, Ziduo; López-Torrejón, Gema; Díaz, Isabel; Del Pozo, Juan C; Chakravarthy, Suma; Collmer, Alan; Rodríguez-Palenzuela, Pablo; López-Solanilla, Emilia

    2012-05-01

    The bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv tomato DC3000 suppresses plant innate immunity with effector proteins injected by a type III secretion system (T3SS). The cysteine protease effector HopN1, which reduces the ability of DC3000 to elicit programmed cell death in non-host tobacco, was found to also suppress the production of defence-associated reactive oxygen species (ROS) and callose when delivered by Pseudomonas fluorescens heterologously expressing a P. syringae T3SS. Purified His(6) -tagged HopN1 was used to identify tomato PsbQ, a member of the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II (PSII), as an interacting protein. HopN1 localized to chloroplasts and both degraded PsbQ and inhibited PSII activity in chloroplast preparations, whereas a HopN1(D299A) non-catalytic mutant lost these abilities. Gene silencing of NtPsbQ in tobacco compromised ROS production and programmed cell death by DC3000. Our data reveal PsbQ as a contributor to plant immunity responses and a target for pathogen suppression. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  12. Eros is a novel transmembrane protein that controls the phagocyte respiratory burst and is essential for innate immunity.

    PubMed

    Thomas, David C; Clare, Simon; Sowerby, John M; Pardo, Mercedes; Juss, Jatinder K; Goulding, David A; van der Weyden, Louise; Storisteanu, Daniel; Prakash, Ananth; Espéli, Marion; Flint, Shaun; Lee, James C; Hoenderdos, Kim; Kane, Leanne; Harcourt, Katherine; Mukhopadhyay, Subhankar; Umrania, Yagnesh; Antrobus, Robin; Nathan, James A; Adams, David J; Bateman, Alex; Choudhary, Jyoti S; Lyons, Paul A; Condliffe, Alison M; Chilvers, Edwin R; Dougan, Gordon; Smith, Kenneth G C

    2017-04-03

    The phagocyte respiratory burst is crucial for innate immunity. The transfer of electrons to oxygen is mediated by a membrane-bound heterodimer, comprising gp91 phox and p22 phox subunits. Deficiency of either subunit leads to severe immunodeficiency. We describe Eros (essential for reactive oxygen species), a protein encoded by the previously undefined mouse gene bc017643 , and show that it is essential for host defense via the phagocyte NAPDH oxidase. Eros is required for expression of the NADPH oxidase components, gp91 phox and p22 phox Consequently, Eros -deficient mice quickly succumb to infection. Eros also contributes to the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETS) and impacts on the immune response to melanoma metastases. Eros is an ortholog of the plant protein Ycf4, which is necessary for expression of proteins of the photosynthetic photosystem 1 complex, itself also an NADPH oxio-reductase. We thus describe the key role of the previously uncharacterized protein Eros in host defense. © 2017 Thomas et al.

  13. Cytokine networking of innate immunity cells: a potential target of therapy.

    PubMed

    Striz, Ilja; Brabcova, Eva; Kolesar, Libor; Sekerkova, Alena

    2014-05-01

    Innate immune cells, particularly macrophages and epithelial cells, play a key role in multiple layers of immune responses. Alarmins and pro-inflammatory cytokines from the IL (interleukin)-1 and TNF (tumour necrosis factor) families initiate the cascade of events by inducing chemokine release from bystander cells and by the up-regulation of adhesion molecules required for transendothelial trafficking of immune cells. Furthermore, innate cytokines produced by dendritic cells, macrophages, epithelial cells and innate lymphoid cells seem to play a critical role in polarization of helper T-cell cytokine profiles into specific subsets of Th1/Th2/Th17 effector cells or regulatory T-cells. Lastly, the innate immune system down-regulates effector mechanisms and restores homoeostasis in injured tissue via cytokines from the IL-10 and TGF (transforming growth factor) families mainly released from macrophages, preferentially the M2 subset, which have a capacity to induce regulatory T-cells, inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and induce healing of the tissue by regulating extracellular matrix protein deposition and angiogenesis. Cytokines produced by innate immune cells represent an attractive target for therapeutic intervention, and multiple molecules are currently being tested clinically in patients with inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic diseases, autoinflammatory syndromes, fibrosing processes or malignancies. In addition to the already widely used blockers of TNFα and the tested inhibitors of IL-1 and IL-6, multiple therapeutic molecules are currently in clinical trials targeting TNF-related molecules [APRIL (a proliferation-inducing ligand) and BAFF (B-cell-activating factor belonging to the TNF family)], chemokine receptors, IL-17, TGFβ and other cytokines.

  14. Norovirus P particle efficiently elicits innate, humoral and cellular immunity.

    PubMed

    Fang, Hao; Tan, Ming; Xia, Ming; Wang, Leyi; Jiang, Xi

    2013-01-01

    Norovirus (NoV) P domain complexes, the 24 mer P particles and the P dimers, induced effective humoral immunity, but their role in the cellular immune responses remained unclear. We reported here a study on cellular immune responses of the two P domain complexes in comparison with the virus-like particle (VLP) of a GII.4 NoV (VA387) in mice. The P domain complexes induced significant central memory CD4(+) T cell phenotypes (CD4(+) CD44(+) CD62L(+) CCR7(+)) and activated polyclonal CD4(+) T cells as shown by production of Interleukin (IL)-2, Interferon (IFN)-γ, and Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α. Most importantly, VA387-specific CD4(+) T cell epitope induced a production of IFN-γ, indicating an antigen-specific CD4(+) T cell response in P domain complex-immunized mice. Furthermore, P domain complexes efficiently induced bone marrow-derived dendritic cell (BMDC) maturation, evidenced by up-regulation of co-stimulatory and MHC class II molecules, as well as production of IL-12 and IL-1β. Finally, P domain complex-induced mature dendritic cells (DCs) elicited proliferation of specific CD4(+) T cells targeting VA387 P domain. Overall, we conclude that the NoV P domain complexes are efficiently presented by DCs to elicit not only humoral but also cellular immune responses against NoVs. Since the P particle is highly effective for both humoral and cellular immune responses and easily produced in Escherichia coli (E. coli), it is a good choice of vaccine against NoVs and a vaccine platform against other diseases.

  15. Without Adaptive Immunity, There's a Cost to Responding STAT.

    PubMed

    Brown, Eric M; Xavier, Ramnik J

    2018-04-03

    The relative contributions of innate and adaptive immune mechanisms in responding to the intestinal microbiota during ontogeny are largely unknown. A recent study in Nature by Mao et al. (2018) elegantly dissects the role of each cell type in the intestine and further describes the metabolic cost to innate immunity. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  16. Mycobacterium tuberculosis inhibits human innate immune responses via the production of TLR2 antagonist glycolipids.

    PubMed

    Blanc, Landry; Gilleron, Martine; Prandi, Jacques; Song, Ok-Ryul; Jang, Mi-Seon; Gicquel, Brigitte; Drocourt, Daniel; Neyrolles, Olivier; Brodin, Priscille; Tiraby, Gérard; Vercellone, Alain; Nigou, Jérôme

    2017-10-17

    Mycobacterium tuberculosis is a major human pathogen that is able to survive inside host cells and resist immune clearance. Most particularly, it inhibits several arms of the innate immune response, including phagosome maturation or cytokine production. To better understand the molecular mechanisms by which M. tuberculosis circumvents host immune defenses, we used a transposon mutant library generated in a virulent clinical isolate of M. tuberculosis of the W/Beijing family to infect human macrophages, utilizing a cell line derivative of THP-1 cells expressing a reporter system for activation of the transcription factor NF-κB, a key regulator of innate immunity. We identified several M. tuberculosis mutants inducing a NF-κB activation stronger than that of the wild-type strain. One of these mutants was found to be deficient for the synthesis of cell envelope glycolipids, namely sulfoglycolipids, suggesting that the latter can interfere with innate immune responses. Using natural and synthetic molecular variants, we determined that sulfoglycolipids inhibit NF-κB activation and subsequent cytokine production or costimulatory molecule expression by acting as competitive antagonists of Toll-like receptor 2, thereby inhibiting the recognition of M. tuberculosis by this receptor. Our study reveals that producing glycolipid antagonists of pattern recognition receptors is a strategy used by M. tuberculosis to undermine innate immune defense. Sulfoglycolipids are major and specific lipids of M. tuberculosis , considered for decades as virulence factors of the bacilli. Our study uncovers a mechanism by which they may contribute to M. tuberculosis virulence.

  17. Requirement for Innate Immunity and CD90+ NK1.1− Lymphocytes to Treat Established Melanoma with Chemo-Immunotherapy

    PubMed Central

    Moskalenko, Marina; Pan, Michael; Fu, Yichun; de Moll, Ellen H.; Hashimoto, Daigo; Mortha, Arthur; Leboeuf, Marylene; Jayaraman, Padmini; Bernardo, Sebastian; Sikora, Andrew G.; Wolchok, Jedd; Bhardwaj, Nina; Merad, Miriam; Saenger, Yvonne

    2015-01-01

    We sought to define cellular immune mechanisms of synergy between tumor-antigen–targeted monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy. Established B16 melanoma in mice was treated with cytotoxic doses of cyclophosphamide in combination with an antibody targeting tyrosinase-related protein 1 (αTRP1), a native melanoma differentiation antigen. We find that Fcγ receptors are required for efficacy, showing that antitumor activity of combination therapy is immune mediated. Rag1−/− mice deficient in adaptive immunity are able to clear tumors, and thus innate immunity is sufficient for efficacy. Furthermore, previously treated wild-type mice are not significantly protected against tumor reinduction, as compared with mice inoculated with irradiated B16 alone, consistent with a primarily innate immune mechanism of action of chemo-immunotherapy. In contrast, mice deficient in both classical natural killer (NK) lymphocytes and nonclassical innate lymphocytes (ILC) due to deletion of the IL2 receptor common gamma chain IL2γc−/−) are refractory to chemo-immunotherapy. Classical NK lymphocytes are not critical for treatment, as depletion of NK1.1+ cells does not impair antitumor effect. Depletion of CD90+NK1.1− lymphocytes, however, both diminishes therapeutic benefit and decreases accumulation of macrophages within the tumor. Tumor clearance during combination chemo-immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies against native antigen is mediated by the innate immune system. We highlight a novel potential role for CD90+NK1.1− ILCs in chemo-immunotherapy. PMID:25600438

  18. Group 1 innate lymphoid cells in Toxoplasma gondii infection.

    PubMed

    Dunay, I R; Diefenbach, A

    2018-02-01

    Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are a group of lymphocytes that carry out important functions in immunity to infections and in organ homeostasis at epithelial barrier surfaces. ILCs are innate immune cells that provide an early source of cytokines to initiate immune responses against pathogens. Cytotoxic ILCs (i.e. conventional (c)NK cells) and several subsets of helper-like ILCs are the major branches of the ILC family. Conventional NK cells and group 1 ILCs share several characteristics such as surface receptors and the ability to produce IFN-γ upon activation, but they differ in their developmental paths and in their dependence on specific transcription factors. Infection of mice with the intracellular parasite Toxoplasma gondii is followed by a strong Th1-mediated immune response. Previous studies indicate that NK1.1 + cells contribute to the production of IFN-γ and TNF and cytotoxicity during acute T. gondii infection. Upon oral infection, the parasite infects intestinal enterocytes, and within the lamina propria, innate immune responses lead to initial parasite control although the infection disseminates widely and persists long-term in immune privileged sites despite adaptive immunity. Upon parasite entry into the small intestine, during the acute stage, ILC1 produce high levels of IFN-γ and TNF protecting barrier surfaces, thus essentially contributing to early parasite control. We will discuss here the role of innate lymphocytes during T. gondii infection in the context of the only recently appreciated diversity of ILC subsets. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Innate immunity is not related to the sex of adult Tree Swallows during the nestling period

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Houdek, Bradley J.; Lombardo, Michael P.; Thorpe, Patrick A.; Hahn, D. Caldwell

    2011-01-01

    Evolutionary theory predicts that exposure to more diverse pathogens will result in the evolution of a more robust immune response. We predicted that during the breeding season the innate immune function of female Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) should be more effective than that of males because (1) the transmission of sexually transmitted microbes during copulation puts females at greater risk because ejaculates move from males to females, (2) females copulate with multiple males, exposing them to the potentially pathogenic microbes in semen, and (3) females spend more time in the nest than do males so may be more exposed to nest microbes and ectoparasites that can be vectors of bacterial and viral pathogens. In addition, elevated testosterone in males may suppress immune function. We tested our prediction during the 2009 breeding season with microbicidal assays in vitro to assess the ability of the innate immune system to kill Escherichia coli. The sexes did not differ in the ability of their whole blood to kill E. coli. We also found no significant relationships between the ability of whole blood to kill E. coli and the reproductive performance or the physical condition of males or females. These results indicate that during the nestling period there are no sexual differences in this component of the innate immune system. In addition, they suggest that there is little association between this component of innate immunity and the reproductive performance and physical condition during the nestling period of adult Tree Swallows.

  20. PBMC transcriptome profiles identifies potential candidate genes and functional networks controlling the innate and the adaptive immune response to PRRSV vaccine in Pietrain pig

    PubMed Central

    Islam, Md. Aminul; Große-Brinkhaus, Christine; Pröll, Maren Julia; Uddin, Muhammad Jasim; Aqter Rony, Sharmin; Tesfaye, Dawit; Tholen, Ernst; Hoelker, Michael; Schellander, Karl; Neuhoff, Christiane

    2017-01-01

    The porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a devastating viral disease affecting swine production, health and welfare throughout the world. A synergistic action of the innate and the adaptive immune system of the host is essential for mounting a durable protective immunity through vaccination. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate the transcriptome profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to characterize the innate and the adaptive immune response to PRRS Virus (PRRSV) vaccination in Pietrain pigs. The Affymetrix gene chip porcine gene 1.0 ST array was used for the transcriptome profiling of PBMCs collected at immediately before (D0), at one (D1) and 28 days (D28) post PRRSV vaccination with three biological replications. With FDR <0.05 and log2 fold change ±1.5 as cutoff criteria, 295 and 115 transcripts were found to be differentially expressed in PBMCs during the stage of innate and adaptive response, respectively. The microarray expression results were technically validated by qRT-PCR. The gene ontology terms such as viral life cycle, regulation of lymphocyte activation, cytokine activity and inflammatory response were enriched during the innate immunity; cytolysis, T cell mediated cytotoxicity, immunoglobulin production were enriched during adaptive immunity to PRRSV vaccination. Significant enrichment of cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, signaling by interleukins, signaling by the B cell receptor (BCR), viral mRNA translation, IFN-gamma pathway and AP-1 transcription factor network pathways were indicating the involvement of altered genes in the antiviral defense. Network analysis revealed that four network modules were functionally involved with the transcriptional network of innate immunity, and five modules were linked to adaptive immunity in PBMCs. The innate immune transcriptional network was found to be regulated by LCK, STAT3, ATP5B, UBB and RSP17. While TGFß1, IL7R, RAD21, SP1 and GZMB are likely to be predictive for the adaptive immune transcriptional response to PRRSV vaccine in PBMCs. Results of the current immunogenomics study advances our understanding of PRRS in term of host-vaccine interaction, and thereby contribute to design a rationale for disease control strategy. PMID:28278192

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