scholarly journals Alveolar Epithelial Cells in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection: Active Players or Innocent Bystanders?

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia M. Scordo ◽  
Daren L. Knoell ◽  
Jordi B. Torrelles
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Alveolar Epithelium ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Immune Balance ◽  
Global Threat ◽  
Cell Crosstalk

Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that kills one person every 18 s. TB remains a global threat due to the emergence of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) strains and the lack of an efficient vaccine. The ability of M.tb to persist in latency, evade recognition following seroconversion, and establish resistance in vulnerable populations warrants closer examination. Past and current research has primarily focused on examination of the role of alveolar macrophages and dendritic cells during M.tb infection, which are critical in the establishment of the host response during infection. However, emerging evidence indicates that the alveolar epithelium is a harbor for M.tb and critical during progression to active disease. Here we evaluate the relatively unexplored role of the alveolar epithelium as a reservoir and also its capacity to secrete soluble mediators upon M.tb exposure, which influence the extent of infection. We further discuss how the M.tb-alveolar epithelium interaction instigates cell-to-cell crosstalk that regulates the immune balance between a proinflammatory and an immunoregulatory state, thereby prohibiting or allowing the establishment of infection. We propose that consideration of alveolar epithelia provides a more comprehensive understanding of the lung environment in vivo in the context of host defense against M.tb.

scholarly journals Role of Rv3351c in trafficking Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacilli in alveolar epithelial cells and its contribution to disease

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Prescott ◽  
Kari Fine-Coulson ◽  
Maureen Metcalfe ◽  
Tuhina Gupta ◽  
Michelle Dookwah ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Lipid Raft ◽  
Alveolar Epithelium ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Type Ii Pneumocyte ◽  
Type Ii Pneumocytes

AbstractAlthough interactions with alveolar macrophages have been well characterized for Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the roles epithelial cells play during infection and disease development have been less studied. We have previously shown that deletion of gene rv3351c reduces M. tuberculosis replication in and necrosis of A549 human type II pneumocyte cells. In the present study, we report that rv3351c is required for lipid raft aggregation on A549 cell plasma membranes during M. tuberculosis infection. Lipid raft aggregation was also induced directly by recombinant Rv3351c protein. A Δrv3351c deletion mutant was less effective than wild type M. tuberculosis at circumventing phagolysosome fusion in A549 cells as evidenced by increased co-localization with lysosomal markers LAMP-2 and cathepsin-L by the mutant bacilli. These observations indicate a role for Rv3351c in modification of the plasma membrane to facilitate trafficking and survival of M. tuberculosis bacilli through alveolar epithelial cells, and support the hypothesis that M. tuberculosis has mechanisms to target the alveolar epithelium. Preliminary data also demonstrate that like the type II pneumocyte-targeting M. tuberculosis secreted protein heparin-binding filamentous hemagglutinin (HBHA), Rv3351c is detected by the host cellular and humoral immune responses during infection, and may play an important role in mycobacterial dissemination from the lungs.Author summaryMycobacterium tuberculosis is the leading causes of death due to a single infectious agent and many facets regarding the pathogenesis of this organism remain unknown. This facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen often establishes infection through inhalation of the bacilli into the alveoli of the lungs. Interactions with alveolar macrophages have been well characterized and it had been assumed that these interactions with phagocytic cells primarily determine the fate of the disease. However, alveolar epithelial cells, such as type II pneumocytes, play important roles in disease progression of other bacterial and viral respiratory pathogens, which provided the impetus to more-closely examine pneumocyte-M. tuberculosis interactions. We describe in this study the role of the M. tuberculosis rv3351c gene product in the internalization and survival of this pathogen in human type II pneumocytes. We previously showed that a Δrv3351c mutant replicates less efficiently and generates less necrosis than the parental M. tuberculosis strain in this cell type. We demonstrate herein that Rv3351c protein induces lipid raft aggregation on the membranes of alveolar epithelial cells and that M. tuberculosis Δrv3351c traffics through LAMP-2-labeled endosomes 30% more frequently than the parent strain. This trafficking toward phagolysosomes may underlie the reduced replication and cytotoxicity of the mutant. The role of Rv3351c in trafficking and survival of M. tuberculosis bacilli through epithelial cells ultimately resulting in dissemination from the lungs may begin with modifications to the plasma membrane prior to attachment. Such a mechanism of activity suggests Rv3351c as a potential vaccine target to train the host immune system to bind and eliminate the protein before it modulates the alveolar epithelium.

scholarly journals C3 Promotes Clearance of Klebsiella pneumoniae by A549 Epithelial Cells

2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 1767-1774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz de Astorza ◽  
Guadalupe Cortés ◽  
Catalina Crespí ◽  
Carles Saus ◽  
José María Rojo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Klebsiella Pneumoniae ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Complement Components ◽  
Innate Defense ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial

ABSTRACT The airway epithelium represents a primary site for contact between microbes and their hosts. To assess the role of complement in this event, we studied the interaction between the A549 cell line derived from human alveolar epithelial cells and a major nosocomial pathogen, Klebsiella pneumoniae, in the presence of serum. In vitro, we found that C3 opsonization of poorly encapsulated K. pneumoniae clinical isolates and an unencapsulated mutant enhanced dramatically bacterial internalization by A549 epithelial cells compared to highly encapsulated clinical isolates. Local complement components (either present in the human bronchoalveolar lavage or produced by A549 epithelial cells) were sufficient to opsonize K. pneumoniae. CD46 could competitively inhibit the internalization of K. pneumoniae by the epithelial cells, suggesting that CD46 is a receptor for the binding of complement-opsonized K. pneumoniae to these cells. We observed that poorly encapsulated strains appeared into the alveolar epithelial cells in vivo but that (by contrast) they were completely avirulent in a mouse model of pneumonia compared to the highly encapsulated strains. Our results show that bacterial opsonization by complement enhances the internalization of the avirulent microorganisms by nonphagocytic cells such as A549 epithelial cells and allows an efficient innate defense.

Impairment of cation transport in A549 cells and rat alveolar epithelial cells by hypoxia

1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (4) ◽  
pp. L797-L806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heimo Mairbäurl ◽  
Ralf Wodopia ◽  
Sigrid Eckes ◽  
Susanne Schulz ◽  
Peter Bärtsch
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
A549 Cells ◽  
Alveolar Epithelium ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Cation Transport ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Alveolar Type ◽  
Water Reabsorption ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial

A reduced cation reabsorption across the alveolar epithelium decreases water reabsorption from the alveoli and could diminish clearing accumulated fluid. To test whether hypoxia restricts cation transport in alveolar epithelial cells, cation uptake was measured in rat lung alveolar type II pneumocytes (AII cells) in primary culture and in A549 cells exposed to normoxia and hypoxia. In AII and A549 cells, hypoxia caused a[Formula: see text]-dependent inhibition of the Na-K pump, of Na-K-2Cl cotransport, and of total and amiloride-sensitive22Na uptake. Nifedipine failed to prevent hypoxia-induced transport inhibition in both cell types. In A549 cells, the inhibition of the Na-K pump and Na-K-2Cl cotransport occurred within ∼30 min of hypoxia, was stable >20 h, and was reversed by 2 h of reoxygenation. There was also a reduction in cell membrane-associated Na-K-ATPase and a decrease in Na-K-2Cl cotransport flux after full activation with calyculin A, indicating a decreased transport capacity. [14C]serine incorporation into cell proteins was reduced in hypoxic A549 cells, but inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide did not reduce ion transport. In AII and A549 cells, ATP levels decreased slightly, and ADP and the ATP-to-ADP ratio were unchanged after 4 h of hypoxia. In A549 cells, lactate, intracellular Na, and intracellular K were unchanged. These results indicate that hypoxia inhibits apical Na entry pathways and the basolateral Na-K pump in A549 cells and rat AII pneumocytes in culture, indicating a hypoxia-induced reduction of transepithelial Na transport and water reabsorption by alveolar epithelium. If similar changes occur in vivo, the impaired cation transport across alveolar epithelial cells might contribute to the formation of hypoxic pulmonary edema.

scholarly journals Fibrinolytic niche is requested for alveolar type 2 cell-mediated alveologenesis and injury repair

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Gibran ◽  
Runzhen Zhao ◽  
Mo Zhang ◽  
Krishan G. Jain ◽  
Jianjun Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alveolar Epithelium ◽  
Influenza Viruses ◽  
Alveolar Type ◽  
Differential Rate ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Proliferation And Differentiation ◽  
Marked Suppression

ABSTRACTCOVID-19, SARS, and MERS are featured by fibrinolytic dysfunction. To test the role of the fibrinolytic niche in the regeneration of alveolar epithelium, we compared the self-renewing capacity of alveolar epithelial type 2 (AT2) cells and its differentiation to AT1 cells between wild type (wt) and fibrinolytic niche deficient mice (Plau−/− and Serpine1Tg). A significant reduction in both proliferation and differentiation of deficient AT2 cells was observed in vivo and in 3D organoid cultures. This decrease was mainly restored by uPA derived A6 peptide, a binding fragment to CD44 receptors. The proliferative and differential rate of CD44+ AT2 cells was greater than that of CD44− controls. There was a reduction in transepithelial ion transport in deficient monolayers compared to wt cells. Moreover, we found a marked suppression in total AT2 cells and CD44+ subpopulation in lungs from brain dead patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and a mouse model infected by influenza viruses. Thus, we demonstrate that the fibrinolytic niche can regulate AT2-mediated homeostasis and regeneration via a novel uPA-A6-CD44+-ENaC cascade.

scholarly journals MAIT cell-directed therapy of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 199-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shunsuke Sakai ◽  
Keith D. Kauffman ◽  
Sangmi Oh ◽  
Christine E. Nelson ◽  
Clifton E. Barry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Cd4 T Cell ◽  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Infection ◽  
Mait Cells ◽  
T Cell Priming ◽  
Draining Lymph Nodes ◽  
Mait Cell

AbstractMucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are potential targets of vaccination and host-directed therapeutics for tuberculosis, but the role of MAIT cells during Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection in vivo is not well understood. Here we find that following Mtb infection MAIT cells mount minimal responses, and MAIT cell-deficient MR1−/− mice display normal survival. Preinfection expansion of MAIT cells through 5-OP-RU vaccination fails to protect against subsequent Mtb challenge. In fact, 5-OP-RU vaccination delays Mtb-specific CD4 T cell priming in lung-draining lymph nodes, and conversely MR1 deficiency or blockade accelerates T cell priming. The MAIT cell-mediated delay in T cell priming is partly dependent on TGF-β. Surprisingly, 5-OP-RU treatment during chronic infection drives MAIT cell expansion and an IL-17A-dependent reduction in bacterial loads. Thus, during early infection MAIT cells directly contribute to the notoriously slow priming of CD4 T cells, but later during infection MAIT cell stimulation may be an effective host-directed therapy for tuberculosis.

scholarly journals The role of hypoxia-induced modulation of alveolar epithelial Na+- transport in hypoxemia at high altitude

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 50-58
Author(s):  
Emel Baloglu ◽  
Gabriel Nonnenmacher ◽  
Anna Seleninova ◽  
Lena Berg ◽  
Kalpana Velineni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Exchange ◽  
High Altitude ◽  
Active Form ◽  
Alveolar Epithelium ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Laboratory Animals ◽  
Apical Plasma Membrane ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Pulmonary Vasoconstriction

Reabsorption of excess alveolar fluid is driven by vectorial Na+-transport across alveolar epithelium, which protects from alveolar flooding and facilitates gas exchange. Hypoxia inhibits Na+-reabsorption in cultured cells and in-vivo by decreasing activity of epithelial Na+-channels (ENaC), which impairs alveolar fluid clearance. Inhibition also occurs during in-vivo hypoxia in humans and laboratory animals. Signaling mechanisms that inhibit alveolar reabsorption are poorly understood. Because cellular adaptation to hypoxia is regulated by hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIF), we tested whether HIFs are involved in decreasing Na+-transport in hypoxic alveolar epithelium. Expression of HIFs was suppressed in cultured rat primary alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) with shRNAs. Hypoxia (1.5% O2, 24 h) decreased amiloride-sensitive transepithelial Na+-transport, decreased the mRNA expression of α-, β-, and γ-ENaC subunits, and reduced the amount of αβγ-ENaC subunits in the apical plasma membrane. Silencing HIF-2α partially prevented impaired fluid reabsorption in hypoxic rats and prevented the hypoxia-induced decrease in α- but not the βγ-subunits of ENaC protein expression resulting in a less active form of ENaC in hypoxic AEC. Inhibition of alveolar reabsorption also caused pulmonary vasoconstriction in ventilated rats. These results indicate that a HIF-2α-dependent decrease in Na+-transport in hypoxic alveolar epithelium decreases alveolar reabsorption. Because susceptibles to high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) have decreased Na+-transport even in normoxia, inhibition of alveolar reabsorption by hypoxia at high altitude might further impair alveolar gas exchange. Thus, aggravated hypoxemia might further enhance hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and might subsequently cause HAPE.

Tight monolayers of rat alveolar epithelial cells: bioelectric properties and active sodium transport

1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (3) ◽  
pp. C688-C693 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Cheek ◽  
K. J. Kim ◽  
E. D. Crandall
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Sodium Transport ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Alveolar Epithelium ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Active Sodium ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial ◽  
Active Sodium Transport ◽  
Complex Anatomy

Because the pulmonary alveolar epithelium separates air spaces from a fluid-filled compartment, it is expected that this barrier would be highly resistant to the flow of solutes and water. Investigation of alveolar epithelial resistance has been limited due to the complex anatomy of adult mammalian lung. Previous efforts to study isolated alveolar epithelium cultured on porous substrata yielded leaky monolayers. In this study, alveolar epithelial cells isolated from rat lungs and grown on tissue culture-treated Nucleopore filters resulted in tight monolayers with transepithelial resistance greater than 2,000 omega.cm2. Changes in bioelectric properties of these alveolar epithelial monolayers in response to ouabain, amiloride, and terbutaline are consistent with active sodium transport across a polarized barrier. 22Na flux measurements under short-circuit conditions directly confirm net transepithelial absorption of sodium by alveolar epithelial cells in the apical to basolateral direction, comparable to the observed short-circuit current (4.37 microA/cm2). The transport properties of these tight monolayers may be representative of the characteristics of the mammalian alveolar epithelial barrier in vivo.

Effect of endocytosis inhibitors on alveolar clearance of albumin, immunoglobulin G, and SP-A in rabbits

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (5) ◽  
pp. L544-L552 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Hastings ◽  
J. R. Wright ◽  
K. H. Albertine ◽  
R. Ciriales ◽  
M. A. Matthay
Keyword(s):  
Immunoglobulin G ◽  
Protein Transport ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Alveolar Epithelium ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Capillary Endothelium ◽  
Alveolar Type ◽  
Protein Uptake ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial

Protein in the alveolar space may be cleared by endocytosis and degradation inside alveolar epithelial cells, by transcytosis across the alveolar epithelium, or by restricted diffusion through the epithelium. The relative contributions of these three pathways to clearance of large quantities of protein from the air spaces is not known. This study investigated the effects of monensin and nocodazole, agents which inhibit endocytosis in cell culture, on alveolar epithelial protein transport in anesthetized rabbits. There was evidence that monensin and nocodazole inhibited endocytosis by the alveolar epithelium in vivo. Nocodazole increased the number of vesicles in the alveolar epithelium and capillary endothelium. Monensin increased vesicle density in the endothelium. These results suggested that the inhibitors disrupted microtubules or interrupted cellular membrane traffic in the lung. Both inhibitors decreased lung parenchymal uptake of immunoreactive human albumin from the air spaces. Monensin and nocodazole inhibited albumin uptake in cultured alveolar type II cells. Monensin increased the amount of 125I-labeled surfactant protein A associated with the lungs, compared with the quantity remaining in the air space 2 h after instillation. Although the drugs decreased alveolar epithelial protein uptake, they did not decrease alveolar clearance of 125I-labeled immunoglobulin G or 131I-labeled albumin in anesthetized rabbits. Thus monensin- and nocodazole-sensitive protein-uptake pathways do not account for most alveolar protein clearance when the distal air spaces are filled with a protein solution.

Reticulocalbin 3 deficiency in alveolar epithelium attenuated LPS-induced ALI via NF-κB signaling

2021 ◽  
Vol 320 (4) ◽  
pp. L627-L639
Author(s):  
Xiaoqian Shi ◽  
Xiaojie An ◽  
Liu Yang ◽  
Zhipeng Wu ◽  
Danni Zan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Lung Injury ◽  
Inflammatory Response ◽  
Secretory Pathway ◽  
Alveolar Epithelium ◽  
Repair Process ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial Cells ◽  
Alveolar Epithelial

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is characterized by acute lung injury (ALI) secondary to an excessive alveolar inflammatory response. Reticulocalbin 3 (Rcn3) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen protein in the secretory pathway. We previously reported the indispensable role of Rcn3 in type II alveolar epithelial cells (AECIIs) during lung development and the lung injury repair process. In the present study, we further observed a marked induction of Rcn3 in the alveolar epithelium during LPS-induced ALI. In vitro alveolar epithelial (MLE-12) cells consistently exhibited a significant induction of Rcn3 accompanied with NF-κB activation in response to LPS exposure. We examined the role of Rcn3 in the alveolar inflammatory response by using mice with a selective deletion of Rcn3 in alveolar epithelial cells upon doxycycline administration. The Rcn3 deficiency significantly blunted the ALI and alveolar inflammation induced by intratracheal LPS instillation but not that induced by an intraperitoneal LPS injection (secondary insult); the alleviated ALI was accompanied by decreases in NF-κB activation and NLRP3 levels but not in GRP78 and cleaved caspase-3 levels. The studies conducted in MLE-12 cells consistently showed that Rcn3 knockdown blunted the activations of NF-κB signaling and NLRP3-dependent inflammasome upon LPS exposure. Collectively, these findings suggest a novel role for Rcn3 in regulating the alveolar inflammatory response to pulmonary infection via the NF-κB/NLRP3/inflammasome axis and shed additional light on the mechanism of ARDS/ALI.

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