B. abortus RNA is the component involved in the down-modulation of MHC-I expression on human monocytes via TLR8 and the EGFR pathway.

Despite eliciting a potent CD8+ T cell response, Brucella abortus is able to persist and establish a chronic infection inside its host. We have previously reported that the infection of human monocytes/macrophages with B. abortus inhibits the IFN-γ-induced MHC-I cell surface expression down-modulating cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses. MHC-I down-modulation depends on bacterial viability and results from the capacity of B. abortus to retain the MHC-I molecules within the Golgi apparatus. Furthermore, we recently demonstrated that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway is involved in this phenomenon and that this is an early event during infection. However, the components and mechanisms whereby B. abortus is able to down-modulate MHC-I remained to be elucidated. In this study we demonstrated that the down-modulation of MHC-I expression is not mediated by well-known Brucella virulence factors but instead by B. abortus RNA, a PAMP associated to viability (vita-PAMP). Surprisingly, completely degraded RNA was also able to inhibit MHC-I expression to the same extent as intact RNA. Accordingly, B. abortus RNA and its degradation products were able to mimic the MHC-I intracellular retention within the Golgi apparatus observed upon infection. We further demonstrated that TLR8, a single-stranded RNA and RNA degradation products sensor, was involved in MHC-I inhibition. On the other hand, neutralization of the EGFR reversed the MHC-I inhibition, suggesting a connection between the TLR8 and EGFR pathways. Finally, B. abortus RNA-treated macrophages display diminished capacity of antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells. Overall, our results indicate that the vita-PAMP RNA as well as its degradation products constitute novel virulence factors whereby B. abortus, by a TLR8-dependent mechanism and through the EGFR pathway, inhibits the IFN-γ-induced MHC-I surface expression on human monocytes/macrophages. Thus, bacteria can hide within infected cells and avoid the immunological surveillance of cytotoxic CD8+ T cells.

Tau Isoforms Imbalance Impairs the Axonal Transport of the Amyloid Precursor Protein in Human Neurons.

Tau, as a microtubule (MT)-associated protein, participates in key neuronal functions such as the regulation of MT dynamics, axonal transport, and neurite outgrowth. Alternative splicing of exon 10 in the tau primary transcript gives rise to protein isoforms with three (3R) or four (4R) MT binding repeats. Although tau isoforms are balanced in the normal adult human brain, imbalances in 3R:4R ratio have been tightly associated with the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Several studies exploiting tau overexpression and/or mutations suggested that perturbations in tau metabolism impair axonal transport. Nevertheless, no physiological model has yet demonstrated the consequences of altering the endogenous relative content of tau isoforms over axonal transport regulation. Here, we addressed this issue using a trans-splicing strategy that allows modulating tau exon 10 inclusion/exclusion in differentiated human-derived neurons. Upon changes in 3R:4R tau relative content, neurons showed no morphological changes, but live imaging studies revealed that the dynamics of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) were significantly impaired. Single trajectory analyses of the moving vesicles showed that predominance of 3R tau favored the anterograde movement of APP vesicles, increasing anterograde run lengths and reducing retrograde runs and segmental velocities. Conversely, the imbalance toward the 4R isoform promoted a retrograde bias by a significant reduction of anterograde velocities. These findings suggest that changes in 3R:4R tau ratio has an impact on the regulation of axonal transport and specifically in APP dynamics, which might link tau isoform imbalances with APP abnormal metabolism in neurodegenerative processes. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The tau protein has a relevant role in the transport of cargos throughout neurons. Dysfunction in tau metabolism underlies several neurological disorders leading to dementia. In the adult human brain, two tau isoforms are found in equal amounts, whereas changes in such equilibrium have been associated with neurodegenerative diseases. We investigated the role of tau in human neurons in culture and found that perturbations in the endogenous balance of tau isoforms were sufficient to impair the transport of the Alzheimer's disease-related amyloid precursor protein (APP), although neuronal morphology was normal. Our results provide evidence of a direct relationship between tau isoform imbalance and defects in axonal transport, which induce an abnormal APP metabolism with important implications in neurodegeneration.