scholarly journals Membrane Binding, Cellular Cholesterol Content and Resealing Capacity Contribute to Epithelial Cell Damage Induced by Suilysin of Streptococcus suis

Pathogens ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Désirée Vötsch ◽  
Maren Willenborg ◽  
Walter M.R. Oelemann ◽  
Graham Brogden ◽  
Peter Valentin-Weigand

Streptococcus (S.) suis is a major cause of economic losses in the pig industry worldwide and is an emerging zoonotic pathogen. One important virulence-associated factor is suilysin (SLY), a toxin that belongs to the family of cholesterol-dependent pore-forming cytolysins (CDC). However, the precise role of SLY in host–pathogen interactions is still unclear. Here, we investigated the susceptibility of different respiratory epithelial cells to SLY, including immortalized cell lines (HEp-2 and NPTr cells), which are frequently used in in vitro studies on S. suis virulence mechanisms, as well as primary porcine respiratory cells, which represent the first line of barrier during S. suis infections. SLY-induced cell damage was determined by measuring the release of lactate dehydrogenase after infection with a virulent S. suis serotype 2 strain, its isogenic SLY-deficient mutant strain, or treatment with the recombinant protein. HEp-2 cells were most susceptible, whereas primary epithelial cells were hardly affected by the toxin. This prompted us to study possible explanations for these differences. We first investigated the binding capacity of SLY using flow cytometry analysis. Since binding and pore-formation of CDC is dependent on the membrane composition, we also determined the cellular cholesterol content of the different cell types using TLC and HPLC. Finally, we examined the ability of those cells to reseal SLY-induced pores using flow cytometry analysis. Our results indicated that the amount of membrane-bound SLY, the cholesterol content of the cells, as well as their resealing capacity all affect the susceptibility of the different cells regarding the effects of SLY. These findings underline the differences of in vitro pathogenicity models and may further help to dissect the biological role of SLY during S. suis infections.

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galileo Escobedo ◽  
Gloria Soldevila ◽  
Guadalupe Ortega-Pierres ◽  
Jesús Ramsés Chávez-Ríos ◽  
Karen Nava ◽  
...  

MAP kinases (MAPK) are involved in the regulation of cellular processes such as reproduction and growth. In parasites, the role of MAPK has been scarcely studied. Here, we describe the participation of an ERK-like protein in estrogen-dependent reproduction of the helminth parasiteTaenia crassiceps. Our results show that 17β-estradiol induces a concentration-dependent increase in the bud number of in vitro cultured cysticerci. If parasites are also incubated in presence of an ERK-inhibitor, the stimulatory effect of estrogen is blocked. The expression of ERK-like mRNA and its corresponding protein was detected in the parasite. The ERK-like protein was over-expressed by all treatments. Nevertheless, a strong induction of phosphorylation of this protein was observed only in response to 17β-estradiol. Cross-contamination by host cells was discarded by flow cytometry analysis. Parasite cells expressing the ERK-like protein were exclusively located at the subtegument tissue by confocal microscopy. Finally, the ERK-like protein was separated by bidimensional electrophoresis and then sequenced, showing the conserved TEY activation motif, typical of all known ERK 1/2 proteins. Our results show that an ERK-like protein is involved in the molecular signalling during the interaction between the host andT. crassiceps, and may be considered as target for anti-helminth drugs design.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. e001866
Author(s):  
Weinan Guo ◽  
Jinyuan Ma ◽  
Sen Guo ◽  
Huina Wang ◽  
Sijia Wang ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe therapeutic effect of immune checkpoint blockers, especially the neutralizing antibodies of programmed cell death (PD-1) and its ligand programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), has been well verified in melanoma. Nevertheless, the dissatisfactory response rate and the occurrence of resistance significantly hinder the treatment effect. Inflammation-related molecules like A20 are greatly implicated in cancer immune response, but the role of tumorous A20 in antitumor immunity and immunotherapy efficacy remains elusive.MethodsThe association between tumorous A20 expression and the effect of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy was determined by immunoblotting, immunofluorescence staining and flow cytometry analysis of primary tumor specimens from melanoma patients. Preclinical mouse model, in vitro coculture system, immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry analysis were employed to investigate the role of A20 in regulating the effect of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. Bioinformatics, mass spectrum analysis and a set of biochemical analyzes were used to figure out the underlying mechanism.ResultsWe first discovered that upregulated A20 was associated with impaired antitumor capacity of CD8+T cells and poor response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in melanoma patients. Subsequent functional studies in preclinical mouse model and in vitro coculture system proved that targeting tumorous A20 prominently improved the effect of immunotherapy through the invigoration of infiltrating CD8+T cells via the regulation of PD-L1. Mechanistically, A20 facilitated the ubiquitination and degradation of prohibitin to potentiate STAT3 activation and PD-L1 expression. Moreover, tumorous A20 expression was highly associated with the ratio of Ki-67 percentage in circulating PD-1+CD8+T cells to tumor burden.ConclusionsTogether, our findings uncover a novel crosstalk between inflammatory molecules and antitumor immunity in melanoma, and highlight that A20 can be exploited as a promising target to bring clinical benefit to melanomas refractory to immune checkpoint blockade.


Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 759
Author(s):  
Gaku Yamanaka ◽  
Fuyuko Takata ◽  
Yasufumi Kataoka ◽  
Kanako Kanou ◽  
Shinichiro Morichi ◽  
...  

Pericytes are a component of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) neurovascular unit, in which they play a crucial role in BBB integrity and are also implicated in neuroinflammation. The association between pericytes, BBB dysfunction, and the pathophysiology of epilepsy has been investigated, and links between epilepsy and pericytes have been identified. Here, we review current knowledge about the role of pericytes in epilepsy. Clinical evidence has shown an accumulation of pericytes with altered morphology in the cerebral vascular territories of patients with intractable epilepsy. In vitro, proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, TNFα, and IL-6, cause morphological changes in human-derived pericytes, where IL-6 leads to cell damage. Experimental studies using epileptic animal models have shown that cerebrovascular pericytes undergo redistribution and remodeling, potentially contributing to BBB permeability. These series of pericyte-related modifications are promoted by proinflammatory cytokines, of which the most pronounced alterations are caused by IL-1β, a cytokine involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Furthermore, the pericyte-glial scarring process in leaky capillaries was detected in the hippocampus during seizure progression. In addition, pericytes respond more sensitively to proinflammatory cytokines than microglia and can also activate microglia. Thus, pericytes may function as sensors of the inflammatory response. Finally, both in vitro and in vivo studies have highlighted the potential of pericytes as a therapeutic target for seizure disorders.


2004 ◽  
Vol 287 (2) ◽  
pp. L448-L453 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Geiser ◽  
Masanobu Ishigaki ◽  
Coretta van Leer ◽  
Michael A. Matthay ◽  
V. Courtney Broaddus

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are released into the alveolar space and contribute to alveolar epithelial damage in patients with acute lung injury. However, the role of ROS in alveolar repair is not known. We studied the effect of ROS in our in vitro wound healing model using either human A549 alveolar epithelial cells or primary distal lung epithelial cells. We found that H2O2 inhibited alveolar epithelial repair in a concentration-dependent manner. At similar concentrations, H2O2 also induced apoptosis, an effect seen particularly at the edge of the wound, leading us to hypothesize that apoptosis contributes to H2O2-induced inhibition of wound repair. To learn the role of apoptosis, we blocked caspases with the pan-caspase inhibitor N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp (zVAD). In the presence of H2O2, zVAD inhibited apoptosis, particularly at the wound edge and, most importantly, maintained alveolar epithelial wound repair. In H2O2-exposed cells, zVAD also maintained cell viability as judged by improved cell spreading and/or migration at the wound edge and by a more normal mitochondrial potential difference compared with cells not treated with zVAD. In conclusion, H2O2 inhibits alveolar epithelial wound repair in large part by induction of apoptosis. Inhibition of apoptosis can maintain wound repair and cell viability in the face of ROS. Inhibiting apoptosis may be a promising new approach to improve repair of the alveolar epithelium in patients with acute lung injury.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (4) ◽  
pp. F793-F801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abolfazl Zarjou ◽  
Shanzhong Yang ◽  
Edward Abraham ◽  
Anupam Agarwal ◽  
Gang Liu

Renal fibrosis is a final stage of many forms of kidney disease and leads to impairment of kidney function. The molecular pathogenesis of renal fibrosis is currently not well-understood. microRNAs (miRNAs) are important players in initiation and progression of many pathologic processes including diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. However, the role of miRNAs in kidney injury and repair is not well-characterized. In the present study, we found a unique miRNA signature associated with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced renal fibrosis. We found altered expression in UUO kidneys of miRNAs that have been shown to be responsive to stimulation by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 or TNF-α. Among these miRNAs, miR-21 demonstrated the greatest increase in UUO kidneys. The enhanced expression of miR-21 was located mainly in distal tubular epithelial cells. miR-21 expression was upregulated in response to treatment with TGF-β1 or TNF-α in human renal tubular epithelial cells in vitro. Furthermore, we found that blocking miR-21 in vivo attenuated UUO-induced renal fibrosis, presumably through diminishing the expression of profibrotic proteins and reducing infiltration of inflammatory macrophages in UUO kidneys. Our data suggest that targeting specific miRNAs could be a novel therapeutic approach to treat renal fibrosis.


2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 1767-1774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Beatriz de Astorza ◽  
Guadalupe Cortés ◽  
Catalina Crespí ◽  
Carles Saus ◽  
José María Rojo ◽  
...  

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.


2000 ◽  
Vol 113 (16) ◽  
pp. 2821-2827 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Quarmby

Recent biochemical studies of the AAA ATPase, katanin, provide a foundation for understanding how microtubules might be severed along their length. These in vitro studies are complemented by a series of recent reports of direct in vivo observation of microtubule breakage, which indicate that the in vitro phenomenon of catalysed microtubule severing is likely to be physiological. There is also new evidence that microtubule severing by katanin is important for the production of non-centrosomal microtubules in cells such as neurons and epithelial cells. Although it has been difficult to establish the role of katanin in mitosis, new genetic evidence indicates that a katanin-like protein, MEI-1, plays an essential role in meiosis in C. elegans. Finally, new proteins involved in the severing of axonemal microtubules have been discovered in the deflagellation system of Chlamydomonas.


1980 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 1146-1151 ◽  
Author(s):  
D E Woods ◽  
D C Straus ◽  
W G Johanson ◽  
V K Berry ◽  
J A Bass

Adherence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa organisms to the upper respiratory epithelium of seriously ill patients in vitro is correlated with subsequent colonization of the respiratory tract by this opportunistic pathogen. The role of pili in the attachment to epithelial cells of P. aeruginosa was studied in an in vitro system employing human buccal epithelial cells and P. aeruginosa pretreated by various means. Pretreatment of the bacteria with proteases, heat, or Formalin caused a significant decrease in adherence. A decrease when compared with controls was also noted in the adherence of P. aeruginosa organisms to buccal epithelial cells preincubated with purified pili prepared from the strain used for adherence testing; however, pili prepared from a heterologous strain failed to block adherence. Similar results were obtained in serological studies when antisera to purified pili prepared from the strain used for adherence testing decreased adherence, whereas heterologous antiserum to pili did not decrease adherence. From these results it appears that pili mediate the adherence of P. aeruginosa organisms to human buccal epithelial cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A925-A925
Author(s):  
Alessandra Romano ◽  
Nunziatina Parrinello ◽  
Sara Marino ◽  
Enrico La Spina ◽  
Massimo Fantini ◽  
...  

BackgroundNEO-201 is an IgG1 mAb targeting variants of CEACAM5/6 and has demonstrated tumor sensitivity and specificity in epithelial cells. Functional analysis has revealed that NEO-201 can engage innate immune effector mechanisms including ADCC and CDC to directly kill tumor cells expressing its target. A recent Phase 1 clinical trial at the NCI has determined both safety and recommended Phase 2 dosing. We have also seen the expression of the NEO-201 target on hematologic cells, specifically Tregs and neutrophils. Due to epitope being expressed both on malignant epithelial cells as well as several hematologic cells, we designed this study to explore the reactivity of NEO-201 against hematological neoplastic cells in vitro.MethodsPhenotypic analysis was conducted by flow cytometry. Cell lines used were six AML (HL60, U937, MOLM13, AML2, IMS-M2 and OCL-AML3), two multiple myelomas (MM) (OPM2, MM1.S), two acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (SUP-B15, RPMI8402) and four mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) (Jeko-1, Z138, JVM2 and JVM13). Markers used for flow cytometry analysis were CD15, CD45, CD38, CD138, CD14, CD19 and NEO-201. Functional analysis was performed by evaluating the ability of NEO-201 to mediate ADCC activity against AML cell lines using human NK cells as effector cells.Results5 of 6 AML cell lines tested bind to NEO-201 and the% of positive cells were 47%, 99.5%,100%,100% and 97.8% for HL60, U937, MOLM13, AML3 and IMS-M2, respectively. The% of positive cells in the two MM cell line were 99% and 18% for OPM2 and MM1.S, respectively. NEO-201 binding was not detected in the two ALL and the four MCL cell lines tested. Functional analysis has demonstrated that NEO-201 can mediate ADCC activity against the AML cell line (HL60) tested.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that NEO-201 mAb’s target is expressed in most of the AML cell lines tested in vitro. In addition, we have shown it can mediate ADCC activity against HL60 cells (AML). Together, these findings provide a rationale for further investigation of the role of NEO-201 in AML as well as MM, further exploring patient PBMCs and bone marrow samples.


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