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1.
Sci Immunol ; 9(97): eadn0178, 2024 Jul 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38996010

ABSTRACT

Virus-induced cell death is a key contributor to COVID-19 pathology. Cell death induced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is well studied in myeloid cells but less in its primary host cell type, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2)-expressing human airway epithelia (HAE). SARS-CoV-2 induces apoptosis, necroptosis, and pyroptosis in HAE organotypic cultures. Single-cell and limiting-dilution analysis revealed that necroptosis is the primary cell death event in infected cells, whereas uninfected bystanders undergo apoptosis, and pyroptosis occurs later during infection. Mechanistically, necroptosis is induced by viral Z-RNA binding to Z-DNA-binding protein 1 (ZBP1) in HAE and lung tissues from patients with COVID-19. The Delta (B.1.617.2) variant, which causes more severe disease than Omicron (B1.1.529) in humans, is associated with orders of magnitude-greater Z-RNA/ZBP1 interactions, necroptosis, and disease severity in animal models. Thus, Delta induces robust ZBP1-mediated necroptosis and more disease severity.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Necroptosis , Pyroptosis , RNA-Binding Proteins , Respiratory Mucosa , SARS-CoV-2 , Humans , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/pathology , Necroptosis/immunology , Animals , Respiratory Mucosa/virology , Respiratory Mucosa/immunology , Respiratory Mucosa/pathology , RNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism , RNA-Binding Proteins/genetics , Mice , Cell Death/immunology , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/metabolism , Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2/genetics , Apoptosis/immunology
2.
J Infect Dis ; 228(Suppl 7): S635-S647, 2023 11 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37652048

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Existing models of Ebola virus infection have not fully characterized the pathophysiology of shock in connection with daily virologic, clinical, and immunologic parameters. We implemented a nonhuman primate critical care model to investigate these associations. METHODS: Two rhesus macaques received a target dose of 1000 plaque-forming units of Ebola virus intramuscularly with supportive care initiated on day 3. High-dimensional spectral cytometry was used to phenotype neutrophils and peripheral blood mononuclear cells daily. RESULTS: We observed progressive vasodilatory shock with preserved cardiac function following viremia onset on day 5. Multiorgan dysfunction began on day 6 coincident with the nadir of circulating neutrophils. Consumptive coagulopathy and anemia occurred on days 7 to 8 along with irreversible shock, followed by death. The monocyte repertoire began shifting on day 4 with a decline in classical and expansion of double-negative monocytes. A selective loss of CXCR3-positive B and T cells, expansion of naive B cells, and activation of natural killer cells followed viremia onset. CONCLUSIONS: Our model allows for high-fidelity characterization of the pathophysiology of acute Ebola virus infection with host innate and adaptive immune responses, which may advance host-targeted therapy design and evaluation for use after the onset of multiorgan failure.


Subject(s)
Ebolavirus , Hemorrhagic Fever, Ebola , Animals , Humans , Macaca mulatta , Leukocytes, Mononuclear , Viremia , Critical Care
3.
iScience ; 26(8): 107323, 2023 Aug 18.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37529105

ABSTRACT

Lymphocyte depletion is a distinctive feature of Ebola virus (EBOV) disease. The ectodomain of EBOV glycoprotein (GP) is cleaved off the surface of infected cells into circulation as shed GP. To test the hypothesis that shed GP induces lymphocyte death, we cultured primary human B, NK, or T cells with shed GP in vitro. We found that shed GP dependably decreased B, NK, and T cell viability across donors. B and NK cells exhibited higher susceptibility than T cells. Continuous monitoring revealed shed GP began to kill B and NK cells by 4 h and T cells by 5 h. We also demonstrated that shed GP-induced lymphocyte death can be both caspase dependent and caspase independent. Our data are evidence that the cytotoxic effect of shed GP on lymphocytes may contribute to EBOV disease and highlight the need for further research to clarify mechanisms of shed GP-induced death.

4.
Front Med (Lausanne) ; 10: 1187420, 2023.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37484839

ABSTRACT

Importance: Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A) is a poorly understood complication of SARS-CoV-2 infection with significant morbidity and mortality. Objective: Identify clinical, immunological, and histopathologic features of MIS-A to improve understanding of the pathophysiology and approach to treatment. Design: Three cases of MIS-A following SARS-CoV-2 infection were clinically identified between October 2021 - March 2022 using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention diagnostic criteria. Clinical, laboratory, imaging, and tissue data were assessed. Findings: All three patients developed acute onset cardiogenic shock and demonstrated elevated inflammatory biomarkers at the time of hospital admission that resolved over time. One case co-occurred with new onset Type 1 diabetes and sepsis. Retrospective analysis of myocardial tissue from one case identified SARS-CoV-2 RNA. All three patients fully recovered with standard of care interventions plus immunomodulatory therapy that included intravenous immunoglobulin, corticosteroids, and in two cases, anakinra. Conclusion: MIS-A is a severe post-acute sequela of COVID-19 characterized by systemic elevation of inflammatory biomarkers. In this series of three cases, we find that although clinical courses and co-existent diseases vary, even severe presentations have potential for full recovery with prompt recognition and treatment. In addition to cardiogenic shock, glucose intolerance, unmasking of autoimmune disease, and sepsis can be features of MIS-A, and SARS-CoV-2 myocarditis can lead to a similar clinical syndrome.

5.
Pathogens ; 12(7)2023 Jul 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37513779

ABSTRACT

Bacterial and fungal co-infections are reported complications of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in critically ill patients but may go unrecognized premortem due to diagnostic limitations. We compared the premortem with the postmortem detection of pulmonary co-infections in 55 fatal COVID-19 cases from March 2020 to March 2021. The concordance in the premortem versus the postmortem diagnoses and the pathogen identification were evaluated. Premortem pulmonary co-infections were extracted from medical charts while applying standard diagnostic definitions. Postmortem co-infection was defined by compatible lung histopathology with or without the detection of an organism in tissue by bacterial or fungal staining, or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with broad-range bacterial and fungal primers. Pulmonary co-infection was detected premortem in significantly fewer cases (15/55, 27%) than were detected postmortem (36/55, 65%; p < 0.0001). Among cases in which co-infection was detected postmortem by histopathology, an organism was identified in 27/36 (75%) of cases. Pseudomonas, Enterobacterales, and Staphylococcus aureus were the most frequently identified bacteria both premortem and postmortem. Invasive pulmonary fungal infection was detected in five cases postmortem, but in no cases premortem. According to the univariate analyses, the patients with undiagnosed pulmonary co-infection had significantly shorter hospital (p = 0.0012) and intensive care unit (p = 0.0006) stays and significantly fewer extra-pulmonary infections (p = 0.0021). Bacterial and fungal pulmonary co-infection are under-recognized complications in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

6.
Am J Pathol ; 193(11): 1809-1816, 2023 11.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36963628

ABSTRACT

Ophthalmic manifestations and tissue tropism of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been reported in association with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), but the pathology and cellular localization of SARS-CoV-2 are not well characterized. The objective of this study was to evaluate macroscopic and microscopic changes and investigate cellular localization of SARS-CoV-2 across ocular tissues at autopsy. Ocular tissues were obtained from 25 patients with COVID-19 at autopsy. SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid gene RNA was previously quantified by droplet digital PCR from one eye. Herein, contralateral eyes from 21 patients were fixed in formalin and subject to histopathologic examination. Sections of the droplet digital PCR-positive eyes from four other patients were evaluated by in situ hybridization to determine the cellular localization of SARS-CoV-2 spike gene RNA. Histopathologic abnormalities, including cytoid bodies, vascular changes, and retinal edema, with minimal or no inflammation in ocular tissues were observed in all 21 cases evaluated. In situ hybridization localized SARS-CoV-2 RNA to neuronal cells of the retinal inner and outer layers, ganglion cells, corneal epithelia, scleral fibroblasts, and oligodendrocytes of the optic nerve. In conclusion, a range of common histopathologic alterations were identified within ocular tissue, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA was localized to multiple cell types. Further studies will be required to determine whether the alterations observed were caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection, the host immune response, and/or preexisting comorbidities.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Humans , SARS-CoV-2 , Autopsy , RNA, Viral/analysis , Inflammation
7.
Am J Transplant ; 23(1): 101-107, 2023 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36695611

ABSTRACT

Although the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission through lung transplantation from acutely infected donors is high, the risks of virus transmission and long-term lung allograft outcomes are not as well described when using pulmonary organs from COVID-19-recovered donors. We describe successful lung transplantation for a COVID-19-related lung injury using lungs from a COVID-19-recovered donor who was retrospectively found to have detectable genomic SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the lung tissue by multiple highly sensitive assays. However, SARS-CoV-2 subgenomic RNA (sgRNA), a marker of viral replication, was not detectable in the donor respiratory tissues. One year after lung transplantation, the recipient has a good functional status, walking 1 mile several times per week without the need for supplemental oxygen and without any evidence of donor-derived SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Our findings highlight the limitations of current clinical laboratory diagnostic assays in detecting the persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the lung tissue. The persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in the donor tissue did not appear to represent active viral replication via sgRNA testing and, most importantly, did not negatively impact the allograft outcome in the first year after lung transplantation. sgRNA is easily performed and may be a useful assay for assessing viral infectivity in organs from donors with a recent infection.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Lung Transplantation , Humans , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , Subgenomic RNA , RNA, Viral/genetics , Retrospective Studies , Allografts
8.
Nature ; 612(7941): 758-763, 2022 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36517603

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is known to cause multi-organ dysfunction1-3 during acute infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), with some patients experiencing prolonged symptoms, termed post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (refs. 4,5). However, the burden of infection outside the respiratory tract and time to viral clearance are not well characterized, particularly in the brain3,6-14. Here we carried out complete autopsies on 44 patients who died with COVID-19, with extensive sampling of the central nervous system in 11 of these patients, to map and quantify the distribution, replication and cell-type specificity of SARS-CoV-2 across the human body, including the brain, from acute infection to more than seven months following symptom onset. We show that SARS-CoV-2 is widely distributed, predominantly among patients who died with severe COVID-19, and that virus replication is present in multiple respiratory and non-respiratory tissues, including the brain, early in infection. Further, we detected persistent SARS-CoV-2 RNA in multiple anatomic sites, including throughout the brain, as late as 230 days following symptom onset in one case. Despite extensive distribution of SARS-CoV-2 RNA throughout the body, we observed little evidence of inflammation or direct viral cytopathology outside the respiratory tract. Our data indicate that in some patients SARS-CoV-2 can cause systemic infection and persist in the body for months.


Subject(s)
Autopsy , Brain , COVID-19 , Organ Specificity , SARS-CoV-2 , Humans , Brain/virology , COVID-19/virology , RNA, Viral/analysis , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , SARS-CoV-2/isolation & purification , SARS-CoV-2/pathogenicity , SARS-CoV-2/physiology , Virus Replication , Time Factors , Respiratory System/pathology , Respiratory System/virology
9.
medRxiv ; 2022 Nov 13.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36415460

ABSTRACT

Understanding early innate immune responses to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is crucial to developing targeted therapies to mitigate disease severity. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV)-2 infection elicits interferon expression leading to transcription of IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs) to control viral replication and spread. SARS-CoV-2 infection also elicits NF-κB signaling which regulates inflammatory cytokine expression contributing to viral control and likely disease severity. Few studies have simultaneously characterized these two components of innate immunity to COVID-19. We designed a study to characterize the expression of interferon alpha-2 (IFNA2) and interferon beta-1 (IFNB1), both type-1 interferons (IFN-1), interferon-gamma (IFNG), a type-2 interferon (IFN-2), ISGs, and NF-κB response genes in the upper respiratory tract (URT) of patients with mild (outpatient) versus severe (hospitalized) COVID-19. Further, we characterized the weekly dynamics of these responses in the upper and lower respiratory tracts (LRTs) and blood of severe patients to evaluate for compartmental differences. We observed significantly increased ISG and NF-κB responses in the URT of mild compared with severe patients early during illness. This pattern was associated with increased IFNA2 and IFNG expression in the URT of mild patients, a trend toward increased IFNB1-expression and significantly increased STING/IRF3/cGAS expression in the URT of severe patients. Our by-week across-compartment analysis in severe patients revealed significantly higher ISG responses in the blood compared with the URT and LRT of these patients during the first week of illness, despite significantly lower expression of IFNA2, IFNB1, and IFNG in blood. NF-κB responses, however, were significantly elevated in the LRT compared with the URT and blood of severe patients during peak illness (week 2). Our data support that severe COVID-19 is associated with impaired interferon signaling in the URT during early illness and robust pro-inflammatory responses in the LRT during peak illness.

10.
EBioMedicine ; 77: 103940, 2022 Mar.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35301181

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Limited knowledge exists in post-partum women regarding durability of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-induced antibody responses and their neutralising ability against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC). METHODS: We elucidated longitudinal mRNA vaccination-induced antibody profiles of 13 post-partum and 13 non-post-partum women (control). FINDINGS: The antibody neutralisation titres against SARS-CoV-2 WA-1 strain were comparable between post-partum and non-post-partum women and these levels were sustained up to four months post-second vaccination in both groups. However, neutralisation titers declined against several VOCs, including Beta and Delta. Higher antibody binding was observed against SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) mutants with key VOC amino acids when tested with post-second vaccination plasma from post-partum women compared with controls. Importantly, post-vaccination plasma antibody affinity against VOCs RBDs was significantly higher in post-partum women compared with controls. INTERPRETATION: This study demonstrates that there is a differential vaccination-induced immune responses in post-partum women compared with non-post-partum women, which could help inform future vaccination strategies for these groups. FUNDING: The antibody characterisation work described in this manuscript was supported by FDA's Medical Countermeasures Initiative (MCMi) grant #OCET 2021-1565 to S.K and intramural FDA-CBER COVID-19 supplemental funds.


Subject(s)
COVID-19 Vaccines , COVID-19 , Antibodies, Viral , Antibody Affinity , COVID-19/prevention & control , Female , Humans , Immunoglobulin G , Postpartum Period , SARS-CoV-2/genetics , Vaccines, Synthetic , mRNA Vaccines
11.
Nat Immunol ; 23(1): 62-74, 2022 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34764490

ABSTRACT

The molecular mechanisms governing orderly shutdown and retraction of CD4+ type 1 helper T (TH1) cell responses remain poorly understood. Here we show that complement triggers contraction of TH1 responses by inducing intrinsic expression of the vitamin D (VitD) receptor and the VitD-activating enzyme CYP27B1, permitting T cells to both activate and respond to VitD. VitD then initiated the transition from pro-inflammatory interferon-γ+ TH1 cells to suppressive interleukin-10+ cells. This process was primed by dynamic changes in the epigenetic landscape of CD4+ T cells, generating super-enhancers and recruiting several transcription factors, notably c-JUN, STAT3 and BACH2, which together with VitD receptor shaped the transcriptional response to VitD. Accordingly, VitD did not induce interleukin-10 expression in cells with dysfunctional BACH2 or STAT3. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid CD4+ T cells of patients with COVID-19 were TH1-skewed and showed de-repression of genes downregulated by VitD, from either lack of substrate (VitD deficiency) and/or abnormal regulation of this system.


Subject(s)
Interferon-gamma/immunology , Interleukin-10/immunology , SARS-CoV-2/immunology , Th1 Cells/immunology , Vitamin D/metabolism , 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 1-alpha-Hydroxylase/metabolism , Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors/metabolism , Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid/cytology , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/pathology , Complement C3a/immunology , Complement C3b/immunology , Humans , JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism , Lymphocyte Activation/immunology , Receptors, Calcitriol/metabolism , Respiratory Distress Syndrome/immunology , Respiratory Distress Syndrome/pathology , Respiratory Distress Syndrome/virology , STAT3 Transcription Factor/metabolism , Signal Transduction/immunology , Transcription, Genetic/genetics
12.
Front Immunol ; 12: 779026, 2021.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34956207

ABSTRACT

A 26-year-old otherwise healthy man died of fulminant myocarditis. Nasopharyngeal specimens collected premortem tested negative for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Histopathological evaluation of the heart showed myocardial necrosis surrounded by cytotoxic T-cells and tissue-repair macrophages. Myocardial T-cell receptor (TCR) sequencing revealed hyper-dominant clones with highly similar sequences to TCRs that are specific for SARS-CoV-2 epitopes. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in the gut, supporting a diagnosis of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A). Molecular targets of MIS-associated inflammation are not known. Our data indicate that SARS-CoV-2 antigens selected high-frequency T-cell clones that mediated fatal myocarditis.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/complications , Myocarditis/pathology , Myocarditis/virology , Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/pathology , T-Lymphocytes/immunology , Adult , COVID-19/immunology , COVID-19/pathology , Humans , Male , Myocarditis/immunology , RNA, Viral/analysis , SARS-CoV-2 , Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/immunology
13.
J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc ; 9(6): 769-771, 2020 Dec 31.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33089311

ABSTRACT

Evidence for in utero transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is growing but not definitive. We present a case of neonatal infection that supports in utero transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and provides insight into the hematogenous spread from mother to fetus.


Subject(s)
COVID-19/transmission , Infant, Newborn, Diseases/virology , Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical , Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/virology , COVID-19/complications , COVID-19 Testing , Female , Fetal Blood/virology , Humans , Infant, Newborn , Infant, Newborn, Diseases/diagnosis , Infant, Newborn, Diseases/etiology , Male , Placenta/virology , Pregnancy , RNA, Viral/blood , RNA, Viral/urine , SARS-CoV-2/genetics
14.
Sci Transl Med ; 12(567)2020 10 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33115950

ABSTRACT

There is limited information about the impact of Zika virus (ZIKV) exposure in utero on the anti-ZIKV immune responses of offspring. We infected six rhesus macaque dams with ZIKV early or late in pregnancy and studied four of their offspring over the course of a year postpartum. Despite evidence of ZIKV exposure in utero, we observed no structural brain abnormalities in the offspring. We detected infant-derived ZIKV-specific immunoglobulin A antibody responses and T cell memory responses during the first year postpartum in the two offspring born to dams infected with ZIKV early in pregnancy. Critically, although the infants had acquired some immunological memory of ZIKV, it was not sufficient to protect them against reinfection with ZIKV at 1 year postpartum. The four offspring reexposed to ZIKV at 1 year postpartum all survived but exhibited acute viremia and viral tropism to lymphoid tissues; three of four reexposed offspring exhibited spinal cord pathology. These data suggest that macaque infants born to dams infected with ZIKV during pregnancy remain susceptible to postnatal infection and consequent neuropathology.


Subject(s)
Pregnancy Complications, Infectious , Zika Virus Infection , Zika Virus , Animals , Female , Humans , Macaca mulatta , Postpartum Period , Pregnancy , Reinfection
15.
Mucosal Immunol ; 12(5): 1174-1186, 2019 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31308480

ABSTRACT

There continues to be a major need for more effective inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therapies. IL-13Rα2 is a decoy receptor that binds the cytokine IL-13 with high affinity and diminishes its STAT6-mediated effector functions. Previously, we found that IL-13Rα2 was necessary for IBD in mice deficient in the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Here, we tested for the first time a therapeutic antibody specifically targeting IL-13Rα2. We also used the antibody and Il13ra2-/- mice to dissect the role of IL-13Rα2 in IBD pathogenesis and recovery. Il13ra2-/- mice were modestly protected from induction of dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis. Following a 7-day recovery period, Il13ra2-/- mice or wild-type mice administered the IL-13Rα2-neutralizing antibody had significantly improved colon health compared to control mice. Neutralizing IL-13Rα2 to increase IL-13 bioavailability promoted resolution of IBD even if neutralization occurred only during recovery. To link our observations in mice to a large human cohort, we conducted a phenome-wide association study of a more active variant of IL-13 (R130Q) that has reduced affinity for IL-13Rα2. Human subjects carrying R130Q reported a lower risk for Crohn's disease. Our findings endorse moving anti-IL-13Rα2 into preclinical drug development with the goal of accelerating recovery and maintaining remission in Crohn's disease patients.


Subject(s)
Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology , Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/metabolism , Interleukin-13 Receptor alpha2 Subunit/antagonists & inhibitors , Interleukin-13 Receptor alpha2 Subunit/metabolism , Animals , Crohn Disease/etiology , Crohn Disease/metabolism , Crohn Disease/pathology , Dextran Sulfate/adverse effects , Disease Models, Animal , Disease Susceptibility , Eosinophils/immunology , Eosinophils/metabolism , Gain of Function Mutation , Genetic Variation , Humans , Immunity , Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/drug therapy , Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/etiology , Inflammatory Bowel Diseases/pathology , Interleukin-13 Receptor alpha2 Subunit/genetics , Mice , Odds Ratio
16.
J Pathol ; 248(1): 16-29, 2019 05.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30536905

ABSTRACT

Fibroproliferative diseases affect a significant proportion of the world's population. Despite this, core mechanisms driving organ fibrosis of diverse etiologies remain ill defined. Recent studies suggest that integrin-alpha V serves as a master driver of fibrosis in multiple organs. Although diverse mechanisms contribute to the progression of fibrosis, TGF-ß and IL-13 have emerged as central mediators of fibrosis during type 1/type 17, and type 2 polarized inflammatory responses, respectively. To investigate if integrin-alpha V interactions or signaling is critical to the development of type 2 fibrosis, we analyzed fibroblast-specific integrin-alpha V knockout mice in three type 2-driven inflammatory disease models. While we confirmed a role for integrin-alpha V in type 17-associated fibrosis, integrin-alpha V was not critical to the development of type 2-driven fibrosis. Additionally, our studies support a novel mechanism through which fibroblasts, via integrin-alpha V expression, are capable of regulating immune polarization. We show that when integrin-alpha V is deleted on fibroblasts, initiation of type 17 inflammation is inhibited leading to a deregulation of type 2 inflammation. This mechanism is most evident in a model of severe asthma, which is characterized by a mixed type 2/type 17 inflammatory response. Together, these findings suggest dual targeting of integrin-alpha V and type 2 pathways may be needed to ameliorate fibrosis and prevent rebound of opposing pro-fibrotic and inflammatory mechanisms. Copyright © 2018 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.


Subject(s)
Fibroblasts/metabolism , Inflammation/metabolism , Integrin alpha5/physiology , Animals , Asthma/metabolism , Asthma/prevention & control , Disease Models, Animal , Female , Fibrosis , Gene Deletion , Inflammation/pathology , Integrin alpha5/genetics , Interleukin-13/antagonists & inhibitors , Interleukin-13/immunology , Liver Cirrhosis/immunology , Liver Cirrhosis/pathology , Liver Cirrhosis/prevention & control , Male , Mice, Knockout , Pulmonary Fibrosis/immunology , Pulmonary Fibrosis/pathology , Pulmonary Fibrosis/prevention & control
17.
Sci Transl Med ; 9(396)2017 06 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28659437

ABSTRACT

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is now the most common progressive liver disease in developed countries and is the second leading indication for liver transplantation due to the extensive fibrosis it causes. NAFLD progression is thought to be tied to chronic low-level type 1 inflammation originating in the adipose tissue during obesity; however, the specific immunological mechanisms regulating the progression of NAFLD-associated fibrosis in the liver are unclear. To investigate the immunopathogenesis of NAFLD more completely, we investigated adipose dysfunction, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and fibrosis in mice that develop polarized type 1 or type 2 immune responses. Unexpectedly, obese interleukin-10 (IL-10)/IL-4-deficient mice (type 1-polarized) were highly resistant to NASH. This protection was associated with an increased hepatic interferon-γ (IFN-γ) signature. Conversely, IFN-γ-deficient mice progressed rapidly to NASH with evidence of fibrosis dependent on transforming growth factor-ß (TGF-ß) and IL-13 signaling. Unlike increasing type 1 inflammation and the marked loss of eosinophils seen in expanding adipose tissue, progression of NASH was associated with increasing eosinophilic type 2 liver inflammation in mice and human patient biopsies. Finally, simultaneous inhibition of TGF-ß and IL-13 signaling attenuated the fibrotic machinery more completely than TGF-ß alone in NAFLD-associated fibrosis. Thus, although type 2 immunity maintains healthy metabolic signaling in adipose tissues, it exacerbates the progression of NAFLD collaboratively with TGF-ß in the liver.


Subject(s)
Disease Progression , Immunity , Metabolic Diseases/immunology , Metabolic Diseases/prevention & control , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/immunology , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/prevention & control , Transforming Growth Factor beta/metabolism , Adipose Tissue/pathology , Animals , Diet, High-Fat , Eosinophils/pathology , Humans , Inflammation/pathology , Interferon-gamma/deficiency , Interferon-gamma/metabolism , Liver Cirrhosis/pathology , Male , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease/pathology , Obesity/pathology
18.
Annu Rev Physiol ; 79: 593-617, 2017 02 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27959618

ABSTRACT

Macrophages regulate tissue regeneration following injury. They can worsen tissue injury by producing reactive oxygen species and other toxic mediators that disrupt cell metabolism, induce apoptosis, and exacerbate ischemic injury. However, they also produce a variety of growth factors, such as IGF-1, VEGF-α, TGF-ß, and Wnt proteins that regulate epithelial and endothelial cell proliferation, myofibroblast activation, stem and tissue progenitor cell differentiation, and angiogenesis. Proresolving macrophages in turn restore tissue homeostasis by functioning as anti-inflammatory cells, and macrophage-derived matrix metalloproteinases regulate fibrin and collagen turnover. However, dysregulated macrophage function impairs wound healing and contributes to the development of fibrosis. Consequently, the mechanisms that regulate these different macrophage activation states have become active areas of research. In this review, we discuss the common and unique mechanisms by which macrophages instruct tissue repair in the liver, nervous system, heart, lung, skeletal muscle, and intestine and illustrate how macrophages might be exploited therapeutically.


Subject(s)
Macrophages/physiology , Regeneration/physiology , Wound Healing/physiology , Animals , Cell Differentiation/physiology , Homeostasis/physiology , Humans
19.
Immunity ; 45(1): 145-58, 2016 07 19.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27421703

ABSTRACT

Fibroproliferative diseases are driven by dysregulated tissue repair responses and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality because they affect nearly every organ system. Type 2 cytokine responses are critically involved in tissue repair; however, the mechanisms that regulate beneficial regeneration versus pathological fibrosis are not well understood. Here, we have shown that the type 2 effector cytokine interleukin-13 simultaneously, yet independently, directed hepatic fibrosis and the compensatory proliferation of hepatocytes and biliary cells in progressive models of liver disease induced by interleukin-13 overexpression or after infection with Schistosoma mansoni. Using transgenic mice with interleukin-13 signaling genetically disrupted in hepatocytes, cholangiocytes, or resident tissue fibroblasts, we have revealed direct and distinct roles for interleukin-13 in fibrosis, steatosis, cholestasis, and ductular reaction. Together, these studies show that these mechanisms are simultaneously controlled but distinctly regulated by interleukin-13 signaling. Thus, it may be possible to promote interleukin-13-dependent hepatobiliary expansion without generating pathological fibrosis. VIDEO ABSTRACT.


Subject(s)
Fatty Liver/immunology , Fibroblasts/immunology , Interleukin-13/metabolism , Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary/immunology , Liver/pathology , Schistosoma mansoni/immunology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/immunology , Animals , Bile Acids and Salts/biosynthesis , Cell Proliferation , Cells, Cultured , Fibrosis , Humans , Interleukin-13/genetics , Interleukin-13/immunology , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Signal Transduction , Th2 Cells/immunology
20.
Sci Transl Med ; 8(337): 337ra65, 2016 05 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27147589

ABSTRACT

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), interleukin-25 (IL-25), and IL-33 are important initiators of type 2-associated mucosal inflammation and immunity. However, their role in the maintenance of progressive type 2 inflammation and fibrosis is much less clear. Using chronic models of helminth infection and allergic lung inflammation, we show that collective disruption of TSLP, IL-25, and IL-33 signaling suppresses chronic and progressive type 2 cytokine-driven inflammation and fibrosis. In a schistosome lung granuloma model or during chronic Schistosoma mansoni infection in the liver, individual ablation of TSLP, IL-25, or IL-33/ST2 had no impact on the development of IL-4/IL-13-dependent inflammation or fibrosis. However, significant reductions in granuloma-associated eosinophils, hepatic fibrosis, and IL-13-producing type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) were observed when signaling of all three mediators was simultaneously disrupted. Combined blockade through monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment also reduced IL-5 and IL-13 expression during primary and secondary granuloma formation in the lungs. In a model of chronic house dust mite-induced allergic lung inflammation, combined mAb treatment did not decrease established inflammation or fibrosis. TSLP/IL-33 double-knockout mice treated with anti-IL-25 mAb during priming, however, displayed decreased inflammation, mucus production, and lung remodeling in the chronic phase. Together, these studies reveal partially redundant roles for TSLP, IL-25, and IL-33 in the maintenance of type 2 pathology and suggest that in some settings, early combined targeting of these mediators is necessary to ameliorate progressive type 2-driven disease.


Subject(s)
Cytokines/metabolism , Fibrosis/immunology , Inflammation/immunology , Inflammation/therapy , Interleukin-17/metabolism , Interleukin-33/metabolism , Lung Neoplasms/immunology , Animals , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Cytokines/antagonists & inhibitors , Cytokines/genetics , Female , Fibrosis/drug therapy , Fibrosis/therapy , Granuloma/drug therapy , Granuloma/immunology , Granuloma/parasitology , Granuloma/therapy , Inflammation/drug therapy , Interleukin-13/antagonists & inhibitors , Interleukin-13/genetics , Interleukin-13/metabolism , Interleukin-17/antagonists & inhibitors , Interleukin-17/genetics , Interleukin-33/antagonists & inhibitors , Interleukin-33/genetics , Interleukin-4/antagonists & inhibitors , Interleukin-4/genetics , Interleukin-4/metabolism , Lung Neoplasms/drug therapy , Lung Neoplasms/parasitology , Lung Neoplasms/therapy , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Schistosoma mansoni/immunology , Schistosoma mansoni/pathogenicity , Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin
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