ABSTRACT
Candida spp. can cause severe and chronic mucocutaneous and systemic infections in immunocompromised individuals. Protection from mucocutaneous candidiasis depends on T helper cells, in particular those secreting IL-17. The events regulating T cell activation and differentiation toward effector fates in response to fungal invasion in different tissues are poorly understood. Here we generated a Candida-specific TCR transgenic mouse reactive to a novel endogenous antigen that is conserved in multiple distant species of Candida, including the clinically highly relevant C. albicans and C. glabrata. Using TCR transgenic T cells in combination with an experimental model of oropharyngeal candidiasis (OPC) we investigated antigen presentation and Th17 priming by different subsets of dendritic cells (DCs) present in the infected oral mucosa. Candida-derived endogenous antigen accesses the draining lymph nodes and is directly presented by migratory DCs. Tissue-resident Flt3L-dependent DCs and CCR2-dependent monocyte-derived DCs collaborate in antigen presentation and T cell priming during OPC. In contrast, Langerhans cells, which are also present in the oral mucosa and have been shown to prime Th17 cells in the skin, are not required for induction of the Candida-specific T cell response upon oral challenge. This highlights the functional compartmentalization of specific DC subsets in different tissues. These data provide important new insights to our understanding of tissue-specific antifungal immunity.
Subject(s)
Candidiasis, Oral/immunology , Dendritic Cells/immunology , Lymphocyte Activation/immunology , Th17 Cells/immunology , Animals , Antigen Presentation/immunology , Antigens, Fungal/immunology , Disease Models, Animal , Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte/immunology , Flow Cytometry , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Transgenic , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/geneticsABSTRACT
Topological, chemical and immunological barriers are thought to limit infection by enteropathogenic bacteria. However, in many cases these barriers and their consequences for the infection process remain incompletely understood. Here, we employed a mouse model for Salmonella colitis and a mixed inoculum approach to identify barriers limiting the gut luminal pathogen population. Mice were infected via the oral route with wild type S. Typhimurium (S. Tm) and/or mixtures of phenotypically identical but differentially tagged S. Tm strains ("WITS", wild-type isogenic tagged strains), which can be individually tracked by quantitative real-time PCR. WITS dilution experiments identified a substantial loss in tag/genetic diversity within the gut luminal S. Tm population by days 2-4 post infection. The diversity-loss was not attributable to overgrowth by S. Tm mutants, but required inflammation, Gr-1+ cells (mainly neutrophilic granulocytes) and most likely NADPH-oxidase-mediated defense, but not iNOS. Mathematical modelling indicated that inflammation inflicts a bottleneck transiently restricting the gut luminal S. Tm population to approximately 6000 cells and plating experiments verified a transient, inflammation- and Gr-1+ cell-dependent dip in the gut luminal S. Tm population at day 2 post infection. We conclude that granulocytes, an important clinical hallmark of S. Tm-induced inflammation, impose a drastic bottleneck upon the pathogen population. This extends the current view of inflammation-fuelled gut-luminal Salmonella growth by establishing the host response in the intestinal lumen as a double-edged sword, fostering and diminishing colonization in a dynamic equilibrium. Our work identifies a potent immune defense against gut infection and reveals a potential Achilles' heel of the infection process which might be targeted for therapy.
Subject(s)
Colitis/microbiology , Colitis/pathology , Gastrointestinal Tract/microbiology , Gastrointestinal Tract/pathology , Granulocytes/pathology , Salmonella Infections, Animal/pathology , Salmonella typhimurium/growth & development , Animals , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Bacterial Proteins/metabolism , Cecum/metabolism , Cecum/microbiology , Cecum/pathology , Colitis/drug therapy , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Gastrointestinal Tract/metabolism , Male , Membrane Proteins/genetics , Membrane Proteins/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Microbiota/physiology , Models, Theoretical , Mutation , Salmonella Infections, Animal/drug therapy , Salmonella Infections, Animal/microbiology , Salmonella typhimurium/genetics , Salmonella typhimurium/metabolism , Streptomycin/therapeutic useABSTRACT
IL-17-mediated immunity has emerged as a crucial host defense mechanism against fungal infections. Although Th cells are generally thought to act as the major source of IL-17 in response to Candida albicans, we show that fungal control is mediated by IL-17-secreting innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) and not by Th17 cells. By using a mouse model of oropharyngeal candidiasis we found that IL-17A and IL-17F, which are both crucial for pathogen clearance, are produced promptly upon infection in an IL-23-dependent manner, and that ILCs in the oral mucosa are the main source for these cytokines. Ab-mediated depletion of ILCs in RAG1-deficient mice or ILC deficiency in retinoic acid-related orphan receptor c(-/-) mice resulted in a complete failure to control the infection. Taken together, our data uncover the cellular basis for the IL-23/IL-17 axis, which acts right at the onset of infection when it is most needed for fungal control and host protection.
