Isolated aggregates of lymphoid cells in the inner bronchial wall in asthma patients.

Here, we report findings in volunteers with bronchial asthma. Biopsies were obtained from the inner bronchial wall before and a short time again after segmental allergen provocation. In most of the baseline biopsies and in all evaluable biopsies after segmental allergen provocation, the follicular lymphoid tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry in the epithelium of these asthmatic patients. The basic occurrence of the tertiary lymphoid tissue in the bronchial mucosa of mild asthmatics was unexpected and may have consequences for the interpretation of pathophysiology, e.g., as a cause or consequence of bronchial asthma.

Functional analysis of ZFP36 proteins in keratinocytes.

The ZFP36 family of zinc finger proteins, including ZFP36, ZFP36L1, and ZFP36L2, regulates the production of growth factors and cytokines via destabilization of the respective mRNAs. We could recently demonstrate that in cultured keratinocytes, expression of the ZFP36, ZFP36L1, and ZFP36L2 genes is induced by growth factors and cytokines and that ZFP36L1 is a potent regulator of keratinocyte VEGF production. We now further analyzed the localization and function of ZFP36 proteins in the skin, specifically in epidermal keratinocytes. We found that in human epidermis, the ZFP36 protein could be detected in basal and suprabasal keratinocytes, whereas ZFP36L1 and ZFP36L2 were expressed mainly in the basal layer, indicating different and non-redundant functions of the three proteins in the epidermis. Consistently, upon inhibition of ZFP36 or ZFP36L1 expression using specific siRNAs, there was no major effect on expression of the respective other gene. In addition, we demonstrate that both ZFP36 and ZFP36L1 influence keratinocyte cell cycle, differentiation, and apoptosis in a distinct manner. Finally, we show that similarly as ZFP36L1, ZFP36 is a potent regulator of keratinocyte VEGF production. Thus, it is likely that both proteins regulate angiogenesis via paracrine mechanisms. Taken together, our results suggest that ZFP36 proteins might control reepithelialization and angiogenesis in the skin in a multimodal manner.

Exercise, skeletal muscle and inflammation: ARE-binding proteins as key regulators in inflammatory and adaptive networks.

The role of inflammation in skeletal muscle adaptation to exercise is complex and has hardly been elucidated so far. While the acute inflammatory response to exercise seems to promote skeletal muscle training adaptation and regeneration, persistent, low-grade inflammation, as seen in a multitude of chronic diseases, is obviously detrimental. The regulation of cytokine production in skeletal muscle cells has been relatively well studied, yet little is known about the compensatory and anti-inflammatory mechanisms that resolve inflammation and restore tissue homeostasis. One important strategy to ensure sequential, timely and controlled resolution of inflammation relies on the regulated stability of mRNAs encoding pro-inflammatory mediators. Many key transcripts in early immune responses are characterized by the presence of AU-rich elements (AREs) in the 3'-untranslated regions of their mRNAs, allowing efficient fine-tuning of gene expression patterns at the post-transcriptional level. AREs exert their function by recruiting particular RNA-binding proteins, resulting, in most cases, in de-stabilization of the target transcripts. The best-characterized ARE-binding proteins are HuR, CUGBP1, KSRP, AUF1, and the three ZFP36 proteins, especially TTP/ZFP36. Here, we give a general introduction into the role of inflammation in the adaptation of skeletal muscle to exercise. Subsequently, we focus on potential roles of ARE-binding proteins in skeletal muscle tissue in general and specifically exercise-induced skeletal muscle remodeling. Finally, we present novel data suggesting a specific function of TTP/ZFP36 in exercise-induced skeletal muscle plasticity.

Aeroallergen challenge promotes dendritic cell proliferation in the airways.

Aeroallergen provocation induces the rapid accumulation of CD11c(+)MHC class II (MHC II)(+) dendritic cells (DCs) in the lungs, which is driven by an increased recruitment of blood-derived DC precursors. Recent data show, however, that well-differentiated DCs proliferate in situ in various tissues. This may also contribute to their allergen-induced expansion; therefore, we studied DC proliferation in the airways of mice in the steady state and after local aeroallergen provocation. Confocal whole-mount microscopy was used to visualize proliferating DCs in different microanatomical compartments of the lung. We demonstrate that in the steady state, CD11c(+)MHC II(+) DCs proliferate in both the epithelial and subepithelial layers of the airway mucosa as well as in the lung parenchyma. A 1-h pulse of the nucleotide 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine was sufficient to label 5% of DCs in both layers of the airway mucosa. On the level of whole-lung tissue, 3-5% of both CD11b(+) and CD11b(-) DC populations and 0.3% of CD11c(+)MHC II(low) lung macrophages incorporated 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine. Aeroallergen provocation caused a 3-fold increase in the frequency of locally proliferating DCs in the airway mucosa. This increase in mucosal DC proliferation was later followed by an elevation in the number of DCs. The recruitment of monocyte-derived inflammatory DCs contributed to the increasing number of DCs in the lung parenchyma, but not in the airway mucosa. We conclude that local proliferation significantly contributes to airway DC homeostasis in the steady state and that it is the major mechanism underlying the expansion of the mucosal epithelial/subepithelial DC network in allergic inflammation.

Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin reduces human alveolar epithelial barrier function.

The lung is the site of entry for Bacillus anthracis in inhalation anthrax, the deadliest form of the disease. Bacillus anthracis produces virulence toxins required for disease. Alveolar macrophages were considered the primary target of the Bacillus anthracis virulence factor lethal toxin because lethal toxin inhibits mouse macrophages through cleavage of MEK signaling pathway components, but we have reported that human alveolar macrophages are not a target of lethal toxin. Our current results suggest that, unlike human alveolar macrophages, the cells lining the respiratory units of the lung, alveolar epithelial cells, are a target of lethal toxin in humans. Alveolar epithelial cells expressed lethal toxin receptor protein, bound the protective antigen component of lethal toxin, and were subject to lethal-toxin-induced cleavage of multiple MEKs. These findings suggest that human alveolar epithelial cells are a target of Bacillus anthracis lethal toxin. Further, no reduction in alveolar epithelial cell viability was observed, but lethal toxin caused actin rearrangement and impaired desmosome formation, consistent with impaired barrier function as well as reduced surfactant production. Therefore, by compromising epithelial barrier function, lethal toxin may play a role in the pathogenesis of inhalation anthrax by facilitating the dissemination of Bacillus anthracis from the lung in early disease and promoting edema in late stages of the illness.

Dendritic cell-nerve clusters are sites of T cell proliferation in allergic airway inflammation.

Interactions between T cells and dendritic cells in the airway mucosa precede secondary immune responses to inhaled antigen. The purpose of this study was to identify the anatomical locations where dendritic cell-T cell interactions occur, resulting in T cells activation by dendritic cells. In a mouse model of allergic airway inflammation, we applied whole-mount immunohistology and confocal microscopy to visualize dendritic cells and T cells together with nerves, epithelium, and smooth muscle in three dimensions. Proliferating T cells were identified by the detection of the incorporation of the nucleotide analogue 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine into the DNA. We developed a novel quantification method that enabled the accurate determination of cell-cell contacts in a semi-automated fashion. Dendritic cell-T cell interactions occurred beneath the smooth muscle layer, but not in the epithelium. Approximately 10% of the dendritic cells were contacted by nerves, and up to 4% of T cells formed clusters with these dendritic cells. T cells that were clustered with nerve-contacting dendritic cells proliferated only in the airways of mice with allergic inflammation but not in the airways of negative controls. Taken together, these results suggest that during the secondary immune response, sensory nerves influence dendritic cell-driven T cell activation in the airway mucosa.

Spatial interactions between dendritic cells and sensory nerves in allergic airway inflammation.

Neuroimmune interactions play a critical role in the pathogenesis of asthma. Symptoms like wheezing and cough have been attributed to neural dysregulation, whereas sensitization and the induction of allergic inflammation have been linked with the activity of dendritic cells. Neuropeptides were previously shown to control dendritic cell function in vitro, suggesting interactions between dendritic cells and sensory nerves. Here we characterized the anatomical basis of the interactions between dendritic cells and nerves in the airways of mice and monitored the changes during allergic inflammation. Airway microdissection, whole-mount immunohistology, and confocal microscopy were used for the three-dimensional quantitative mapping of airway nerves and dendritic cells along the main axial pathway of nonsensitized versus ovalbumin-sensitized and -challenged CD11c-enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (CD11c-EYFP) transgenic mice. CD11c-EYFP-positive airway mucosal dendritic cells were contacted by calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunoreactive sensory fibers and their co-localization increased in allergic inflammation. Moreover, protein gene product 9.5-positive neuroepithelial bodies and airway ganglia were associated with dendritic cells. In human airways, human leukocyte antigen DR-positive mucosal dendritic cells were found in the close proximity of sensory nerves and neuroepithelial cells. These results provide morphologic evidence of the interactions between dendritic cells and the neural network of the airways at multiple anatomical sites.