0000000000132981
AUTHOR
Celia Murciano
MARTX Toxin in the Zoonotic Serovar of Vibrio vulnificus Triggers an Early Cytokine Storm in Mice
Vibrio vulnificus biotype 2-serovar E is a zoonotic clonal complex that can cause death by sepsis in humans and fish. Unlike other biotypes, Bt2 produces a unique type of MARTXVv (Multifunctional-Autoprocessive-Repeats-in-Toxin; RtxA13), which is encoded by a gene duplicated in the pVvBt2 plasmid and chromosome II. In this work, we analyzed the activity of this toxin and its role in human sepsis by performing in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo assays. First, we demonstrated that the ACD domain, present exclusively in this toxin variant, effectively has an actin-cross-linking activity. Second, we determined that the whole toxin caused death of human endotheliocytes and monocytes by lysis and apo…
Host–pathogen interactions in Vibrio vulnificus: responses of monocytes and vascular endothelial cells to live bacteria
ABSTRACT Aim: To demonstrate that Vibrio vulnificus, a sepsis-related aquatic pathogen, can provoke a strong pro-inflammatory reaction in blood-associated target cells. Materials & methods: We selected two strains of the two main phylogenetic lineages, two human cell lines, monocytes and vascular endothelial cells and designed an in vitro infection model simulating early septicemia. Results: Both strains caused a strong cell-specific pro-inflammatory response and produced a high degree of cell damage that ended with death by lysis (endothelial cells) or apoptosis/lysis (monocytes). The interaction with endothelial cells was stronger than expected and significantly different for both l…
Killed Candida albicans yeasts and hyphae inhibit gamma interferon release by murine natural killer cells.
ABSTRACT Killed yeasts and hyphae of Candida albicans inhibit gamma interferon secretion by highly purified murine NK cells in response to the Toll-like receptor ligands lipopolysaccharide and zymosan. This effect, which is also observed in the presence of NK-activating cytokines (interleukin-2 [IL-2], IL-12, and IL-15), may represent a novel mechanism of immune evasion that contributes to the virulence of C. albicans .
Characterization of a new murine retinal cell line (MU-PH1) with glial, progenitor and photoreceptor characteristics
Unlike fish and amphibians, mammals do not regenerate retinal neurons throughout life. However, neurogenic potential may be conserved in adult mammal retina and it is necessary to identify the factors that regulate retinal progenitor cells (RPC) proliferative capacity to scope their therapeutic potential. Müller cells can be progenitors for retinal neuronal cells and can play an essential role in the restoration of visual function after retinal injury. Some members of the Toll-like receptor (TLR) family, TLR2, TLR3 and TLR4, are related to progenitor cells proliferation. Müller cells are important in retinal regeneration and stable cell lines are useful for the study of retinal stem cell bi…
Influence of aging on murine neutrophil and macrophage function against Candida albicans.
Previous work by our group showed that aged C57BL/6 mice develop an altered innate and adaptive immune response to Candida albicans and are more susceptible to systemic primary candidiasis. In this work, we used young (2-3 months old) and aged (18-20 months old) C57BL/6 mice to study in vitro the influence of aging on (1) the fungicidal activity of neutrophils and macrophages, (2) the production of cytokines by resident peritoneal macrophages in response to C. albicans, and (3) cell surface Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 expression on resident peritoneal macrophages. Our results indicate that murine phagocytes have a fungicidal activity well preserved with aging. In vitro production of proinfla…
Impaired immune response to Candida albicans in aged mice
The prevalence of opportunistic fungal infections has increased dramatically among the aged population in recent years. This work investigated the effect of ageing on murine defences against Candida albicans. Aged C57BL/6 mice that were experimentally infected intravenously had a significantly impaired survival and a higher tissue fungal burden compared with young mice. In vitro production of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α by macrophages from aged mice in response to yeast cells and hyphae of C. albicans was significantly lower than production by macrophages from young mice. In vitro production of cytokines, such as TNF-α and gamma interferon (IFN-γ), by antigen-stimulated splenocytes from …
Oral and Vaginal Epithelial Cell Lines Bind and Transfer Cell-Free Infectious HIV-1 to Permissive Cells but Are Not Productively Infected
The majority of HIV-1 infections worldwide are acquired via mucosal surfaces. However, unlike the vaginal mucosa, the issue of whether the oral mucosa can act as a portal of entry for HIV-1 infection remains controversial. To address potential differences with regard to the fate of HIV-1 after exposure to oral and vaginal epithelium, we utilized two epithelial cell lines representative of buccal (TR146) and pharyngeal (FaDu) sites of the oral cavity and compared them with a cell line derived from vaginal epithelium (A431) in order to determine (i) HIV-1 receptor gene and protein expression, (ii) whether HIV-1 genome integration into epithelial cells occurs, (iii) whether productive viral in…
Evaluation of the Role of Candida albicans Agglutinin-Like Sequence (Als) Proteins in Human Oral Epithelial Cell Interactions
The fungus C. albicans uses adhesins to interact with human epithelial surfaces in the processes of colonization and pathogenesis. The C. albicans ALS (agglutinin-like sequence) gene family encodes eight large cell-surface glycoproteins (Als1-Als7 and Als9) that have adhesive function. This study utilized C. albicans Δals mutant strains to investigate the role of the Als family in oral epithelial cell adhesion and damage, cytokine induction and activation of a MAPK-based (MKP1/c-Fos) signaling pathway that discriminates between yeast and hyphae. Of the eight Δals mutants tested, only the Δals3 strain showed significant reductions in oral epithelial cell adhesion and damage, and cytokine pro…
Enhanced proinflammatory response to the Candida albicans gpi7 null mutant by murine cells.
International audience; The Candida albicans gpi7/gpi7 null mutant strain (Deltagpi7), which is affected in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor biosynthesis, showed a reduced virulence following systemic infection of C57BL/6 mice. In vitro production of TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-1beta by macrophages in response to Deltagpi7 cells was significantly increased as compared to control (wild type GPI7/GPI7 and revertant gpi7/GPI7) cells; this probably contributes to the enhanced recruitment of neutrophils to the peritoneal cavity in response to Deltagpi7 cells. Survival of knockout mice for Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 and TLR4 following intravenous injection of Deltagpi7 cells showed no signifi…
In vitroresponse toCandida albicansin cultures of whole human blood from young and aged donors
Invasive infections with opportunistic fungi, such as Candida albicans, have become an increasing problem in aged adults in recent years. This work investigates the influence of human ageing on C. albicans recognition by toll-like receptors (TLRs), essential components of the innate immune system, using a cohort of 96 young (15-42 years) and aged (70 years) human volunteers. No significant differences between aged and young donors were observed on (1) cell surface TLR2, TLR6 and TLR4 expression on lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes, (2) production of cytokines [IL-8, IL-1beta, IL-6, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and IL-12p70] and prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) by whole human b…
Candida albicans triggers proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells by a MyD88-dependent signaling.
As TLRs are expressed by hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, these receptors may play a role in hematopoiesis in response to pathogens during infection. We showed here that inactivated yeasts and hyphae of Candida albicans induce in vitro the proliferation of purified murine hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (Lin(-)c-Kit(+) Sca-1(+)) as well as their differentiation to lineage positive cells, through a MyD88-dependent pathway. These results indicate that TLR-mediated recognition of C. albicans by hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells may augment the host capability for rapidly replenishing the innate immune system during candidiasis.
Candida albicans Yeast and Hyphae are Discriminated by MAPK Signaling in Vaginal Epithelial Cells
We previously reported that a bi-phasic innate immune MAPK response, constituting activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase MKP1 and c-Fos transcription factor, discriminates between the yeast and hyphal forms of Candida albicans in oral epithelial cells (ECs). Since the vast majority of mucosal Candida infections are vaginal, we sought to determine whether a similar bi-phasic MAPK-based immune response was activated by C. albicans in vaginal ECs. Here, we demonstrate that vaginal ECs orchestrate an innate response to C. albicans via NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways. However, unlike in oral ECs, the first MAPK response, defined by c-Jun transcription factor acti…
Toll-like receptor 4 defective mice carrying point or null mutations do not show increased susceptibility toCandida albicansin a model of hematogenously disseminated infection
We have studied the role of TLR4 in murine defenses against Candida albicans in two TLR4-defective mouse strains: C3H/HeJ mice which have defective TLR4 signaling, and TLR4-/- knockout mice. Both TLR4-defective mice strains experimentally infected with virulent C. albicans cells showed no significant difference in survival as compared with their respective controls. Recruitment of neutrophils to the peritoneal cavity of i.p. infected mice was not affected in TLR4-/-animals, but significantly enhanced in C3H/HeJ mice, compared with their control mice. In vitro production of TNF-alpha by macrophages from both types of TLR4-defective mice, in response to yeasts and hyphae of C. albicans, was n…
Signalling through TLR2/MyD88 induces differentiation of murine bone marrow stem and progenitor cells to functional phagocytes in response to Candida albicans.
Summary We have previously demonstrated that inactivated yeasts and hyphae of Candida albicans induce in vitro the proliferation of murine haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs, sorted as LKS cells: Lin - c-Kit + Sca-1 + ) as well as their differentia- tion to lineage-positive cells, through a MyD88- dependent pathway. In this work, we have found that this process is mainly mediated by TLR2, and that expanding cells express myeloid and not lym- phoid markers. Incubation of long-term repopulat- ing HSCs (Lin - CD105 + and Sca-1 + ) with C. albicans yeasts resulted in their proliferation and up regu- lation of the common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) markers, CD34 and FcgRII/III, by a …
Dectin-1 mediatesin vitrophagocytosis ofCandida albicansyeast cells by retinal microglia: Figure 1
We have investigated the expression of TLR2 and Dectin-1 in retinal microglia and their involvement in Candida albicans phagocytosis using a cytometric approach. The expression of both receptors has been demonstrated in CD11b+ retinal cells. Phagocytosis of pHrodo-labelled C. albicans yeasts by microglial CD11b+ cells of C57BL/6 mice was inhibited both by the Dectin-1 antagonist laminarin and anti-Dectin-1 antibodies, whereas phagocytosis of yeasts by retinal microglia of TLR2 KO mice was unaffected. These data indicate that phagocytosis of C. albicans yeasts by retinal microglia is mediated by Dectin-1, whereas TLR2 does not play a significant role in this process.
Role of Toll-like receptors in systemic Candida albicans infections.
Toll-like receptors (TLRs) constitute a family of pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) that recognize molecular signatures of microbial pathogens and function as sensors for infection that induce the activation of the innate immune responses as well as the subsequent development of adaptive immune responses. It is well established that TLRs, mainly TLR2 and TLR4, are involved in the host interaction with Candida albicans and play a significant role in the development of host immune responses during candidiasis. Recognition of C. albicans by TLRs on the phagocytic cells activates intracellular signaling pathways that trigger production of proinflammatory cytokines that are critical for innat…