Exosome Liberation by Human Neutrophils under L-Amino Acid Oxidase of Calloselasma rhodostoma Venom Action.

L-Amino acid oxidase (LAAO) is an enzyme found in snake venom that has multifaceted effects, including the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) during oxidative reactions, leading to various biological and pharmacological outcomes such as apoptosis, cytotoxicity, modulation of platelet aggregation, hemorrhage, and neutrophil activation. Human neutrophils respond to LAAO by enhancing chemotaxis, and phagocytosis, and releasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and pro-inflammatory mediators. Exosomes cellular nanovesicles play vital roles in intercellular communication, including immune responses. This study investigates the impact of Calloselasma rhodostoma snake venom-derived LAAO (Cr-LAAO) on human neutrophil exosome release, including activation patterns, exosome formation, and content. Neutrophils isolated from healthy donors were stimulated with Cr-LAAO (100 µg/mL) for 3 h, followed by exosome isolation and analysis. Results show that Cr-LAAO induces the release of exosomes with distinct protein content compared to the negative control. Proteomic analysis reveals proteins related to the regulation of immune responses and blood coagulation. This study uncovers Cr-LAAO's ability to activate human neutrophils, leading to exosome release and facilitating intercellular communication, offering insights into potential therapeutic approaches for inflammatory and immunological disorders.

Critical role for Sec22b-dependent antigen cross-presentation in antitumor immunity.

CD8+ T cells mediate antigen-specific immune responses that can induce rejection of solid tumors. In this process, dendritic cells (DCs) are thought to take up tumor antigens, which are processed into peptides and loaded onto MHC-I molecules, a process called "cross-presentation." Neither the actual contribution of cross-presentation to antitumor immune responses nor the intracellular pathways involved in vivo are clearly established because of the lack of experimental tools to manipulate this process. To develop such tools, we generated mice bearing a conditional DC-specific mutation in the sec22b gene, a critical regulator of endoplasmic reticulum-phagosome traffic required for cross-presentation. DCs from these mice show impaired cross-presentation ex vivo and defective cross-priming of CD8+ T cell responses in vivo. These mice are also defective for antitumor immune responses and are resistant to treatment with anti-PD-1. We conclude that Sec22b-dependent cross-presentation in DCs is required to initiate CD8+ T cell responses to dead cells and to induce effective antitumor immune responses during anti-PD-1 treatment in mice.

Measurement of Export to the Cytosol in Dendritic Cells Using a Cytofluorimetry-Based Assay.

The presentation of exogenous antigens on MHC class I molecules, known as cross-presentation, is a key function of dendritic cells (DCs). Cross-presentation via the cytosolic pathway involves antigen export from endocytic compartments to the cytosol. We have recently developed a cytofluorimetry-based assay to examine the kinetics and the efficiency of antigen export to the cytosol in DC populations. In this assay, DCs are loaded with a FRET-sensitive cytosolic substrate of ß-lactamase, CCF4. Following uptake of ß-lactamase by the DCs, the enzyme undergoes export to the cytosol leading to cleavage of the FRET dye. This cleavage and switch of fluorescence are analyzed by flow cytometry, allowing a quantitative measurement of this event.

IFT20 controls LAT recruitment to the immune synapse and T-cell activation in vivo.

Biogenesis of the immune synapse at the interface between antigen-presenting cells and T cells assembles and organizes a large number of membrane proteins required for effective signaling through the T-cell receptor. We showed previously that the intraflagellar transport protein 20 (IFT20), a component of the intraflagellar transport system, controls polarized traffic during immune synapse assembly. To investigate the role of IFT20 in primary CD4(+) T cells in vitro and in vivo, we generated mice bearing a conditional defect of IFT20 expression in T cells. We show that in the absence of IFT20, although cell spreading and the polarization of the centrosome were unaffected, T-cell receptor (TCR)-mediated signaling and recruitment of the signaling adaptor LAT (linker for activation of T cells) at the immune synapse were reduced. As a consequence, CD4(+) T-cell activation and proliferation were also defective. In vivo, conditional IFT20-deficient mice failed to mount effective antigen-specific T-cell responses, and their T cells failed to induce colitis after adoptive transfer to Rag(-/-) mice. IFT20 is therefore required for the delivery of the intracellular pool of LAT to the immune synapse in naive primary T lymphocytes and for effective T-cell responses in vivo.

Sumoylation coordinates the repression of inflammatory and anti-viral gene-expression programs during innate sensing.

Innate sensing of pathogens initiates inflammatory cytokine responses that need to be tightly controlled. We found here that after engagement of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) in myeloid cells, deficient sumoylation caused increased secretion of transcription factor NF-κB-dependent inflammatory cytokines and a massive type I interferon signature. In mice, diminished sumoylation conferred susceptibility to endotoxin shock and resistance to viral infection. Overproduction of several NF-κB-dependent inflammatory cytokines required expression of the type I interferon receptor, which identified type I interferon as a central sumoylation-controlled hub for inflammation. Mechanistically, the small ubiquitin-like modifier SUMO operated from a distal enhancer of the gene encoding interferon-ß (Ifnb1) to silence both basal and stimulus-induced activity of the Ifnb1 promoter. Therefore, sumoylation restrained inflammation by silencing Ifnb1 expression and by strictly suppressing an unanticipated priming by type I interferons of the TLR-induced production of inflammatory cytokines.

Committed Tc17 cells are phenotypically and functionally resistant to the effects of IL-27.

IL-17-secreting CD8(+) T cells (Tc17 cells) have been implicated in immunity to infections, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. Thus far, studies on Tc17 cells have primarily investigated their development from naïve precursors, while the biology of committed Tc17 cells has been less characterized, in particular during the effector phase of immune responses. IL-27 is an important regulator of inflammation through the induction of regulatory Tr1 cells, as well as a suppressor of Th17-cell development. IL-27 suppresses the development of Tc17 cells, but its effects on committed Tc17 cells are unknown. Here we demonstrate that even though IL-27 completely inhibited the development of C57BL/6 mouse Tc17 cells, it had little effect on previously committed Tc17 cells. Although committed Tc17 cells were capable of responding to IL-27, it had no effect on expression of RORγt and RORα, or production of various cytokines. Committed Tc17 cells did not express granzyme B and lacked cytotoxicity in vitro, features that remained unaltered by IL-27 treatment. Nonetheless, they efficiently induced diabetes, irrespective of treatment with IL-27 prior to transfer into RIP-mOVA mice. These findings suggest that use of IL-27 to modulate autoimmune diseases might have limited therapeutic efficacy if autoaggressive Tc17 cells have already developed.

Constitutive induction of intestinal Tc17 cells in the absence of hematopoietic cell-specific MHC class II expression.

The enteric pathogen Citrobacter rodentium induces a mucosal IL-17 response in CD4(+) T helper (Th17) cells that is dependent on the Nod-like receptors Nod1 and Nod2. Here, we sought to determine whether this early Th17 response required antigen presentation by major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) for full induction. At early phases of C. rodentium infection, we observed that the intestinal mucosal Th17 response was fully blunted in irradiated mice reconstituted with MHCII-deficient (MHCII(-/-) →WT) hematopoietic cells. Surprisingly, we also observed a substantial increase in the relative frequency of IL-17(+) CD8(+) CD4(-) TCR-ß(+) cells (Tc17 cells) and FOXP3(+) CD8(+) CD4(-) TCR-ß(+) cells in the lamina propria and intraepithelial lymphocyte compartment of MHCII(-/-) →WT mice compared with that in WT→WT counterparts. Moreover, MHCII(-/-) →WT mice displayed increased susceptibility, increased bacterial translocation to deeper organs, and more severe colonic histopathology after infection with C. rodentium. Finally, a similar phenotype was observed in mice deficient for CIITA, a transcriptional regulator of MHCII expression. Together, these results indicate that MHCII is required to mount early mucosal Th17 responses to an enteric pathogen, and that MHCII regulates the induction of atypical CD8(+) T-cell subsets, such as Tc17 cells and FOXP3(+) CD8(+) cells, in vivo.

Identification of a synthetic muramyl peptide derivative with enhanced Nod2 stimulatory capacity.

Muramyl peptides (MPs) represent the building blocks of bacterial peptidoglycan, a critical component of bacterial cell walls. MPs are well characterized for their immunomodulatory properties, and numerous studies have delineated the role of MPs or synthetic MP analogs in host defense, adjuvanticity and inflammation. More recently, Nod1 and Nod2 have been identified as the host sensors for specific MPs, and, in particular, Nod2 was shown to detect muramyl dipeptide (MDP), a MP found in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial cell walls. Because mutations in Nod2 are associated with the etiology of Crohn's disease, there is a need to identify synthetic MP analogs that could potentiate Nod2-dependent immunity. Here, we analyzed the Nod2-activating property of 36 MP analogs that had been tested previously for their adjuvanticity and anti-infectious activity. Using a luciferase-based screen, we demonstrate that addition of a methyl group to the second amino acid of MDP generates a MDP derivative with enhanced Nod2-activating capacity. We further validated these results in murine macrophages, human dendritic cells and in vivo. These results offer a basis for the rational development of synthetic MPs that could be used in the treatment of inflammatory disorders that have been associated with Nod2 dysfunction, such as Crohn's disease.

Presentation of phagocytosed antigens by MHC class I and II.

Phagocytosis provides innate immune cells with a mechanism to take up and destroy pathogenic bacteria, apoptotic cells and other large particles. In some cases, however, peptide antigens from these particles are preserved for presentation in association with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I or class II molecules in order to stimulate antigen-specific T cells. Processing and presentation of antigens from phagosomes presents a number of distinct challenges relative to antigens internalized by other means; while bacterial antigens were among the first discovered to be presented to T cells, analyses of the cellular mechanisms by which peptides from phagocytosed antigens assemble with MHC molecules and by which these complexes are then expressed at the plasma membrane have lagged behind those of conventional model soluble antigens. In this review, we cover recent advances in our understanding of these processes, including the unique cross-presentation of phagocytosed antigens by MHC class I molecules, and in their control by signaling modalities in phagocytic cells.

Nucleotide oligomerization domain-containing proteins instruct T cell helper type 2 immunity through stromal activation.

Although a number of studies have examined the development of T-helper cell type 2 (Th2) immunity in different settings, the mechanisms underlying the initiation of this arm of adaptive immunity are not well understood. We exploited the fact that immunization with antigen plus either nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing proteins 1 (Nod1) or 2 (Nod2) agonists drives Th2 induction to understand how these pattern-recognition receptors mediate the development of systemic Th2 immune responses. Here, we show in bone-marrow chimeric mice that Nod1 and Nod2 expression within the stromal compartment is necessary for priming of effector CD4(+) Th2 responses and specific IgG1 antibodies. In contrast, sensing of these ligands by dendritic cells was not sufficient to induce Th2 immunity, although these cells contribute to the response. Moreover, we determined that CD11c(+) cells were the critical antigen-presenting cells, whereas basophils and B cells did not affect the capacity of Nod ligands to induce CD4(+) Th2 effector function. Finally, we found that full Th2 induction upon Nod1 and Nod2 activation was dependent on both thymic stromal lymphopoietin production by the stromal cells and the up-regulation of the costimulatory molecule, OX40 ligand, on dendritic cells. This study provides in vivo evidence of how systemic Th2 immunity is induced in the context of Nod stimulation. Such understanding will influence the rational design of therapeutics that could reprogram the immune system during an active Th1-mediated disease, such as Crohn's disease.

NOD1 activators link innate immunity to insulin resistance.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin resistance associates with chronic inflammation, and participatory elements of the immune system are emerging. We hypothesized that bacterial elements acting on distinct intracellular pattern recognition receptors of the innate immune system, such as bacterial peptidoglycan (PGN) acting on nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD) proteins, contribute to insulin resistance. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Metabolic and inflammatory properties were assessed in wild-type (WT) and NOD1/2(-/-) double knockout mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks. Insulin resistance was measured by hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamps in mice injected with mimetics of meso-diaminopimelic acid-containing PGN or the minimal bioactive PGN motif, which activate NOD1 and NOD2, respectively. Systemic and tissue-specific inflammation was assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in NOD ligand-injected mice. Cytokine secretion, glucose uptake, and insulin signaling were assessed in adipocytes and primary hepatocytes exposed to NOD ligands in vitro. RESULTS: NOD1/2(-/-) mice were protected from HFD-induced inflammation, lipid accumulation, and peripheral insulin intolerance. Conversely, direct activation of NOD1 protein caused insulin resistance. NOD1 ligands induced peripheral and hepatic insulin resistance within 6 h in WT, but not NOD1(-/-), mice. NOD2 ligands only modestly reduced peripheral glucose disposal. NOD1 ligand elicited minor changes in circulating proinflammatory mediators, yet caused adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance of muscle AS160 and liver FOXO1. Ex vivo, NOD1 ligand caused proinflammatory cytokine secretion and impaired insulin-stimulated glucose uptake directly in adipocytes. NOD1 ligand also caused inflammation and insulin resistance directly in primary hepatocytes from WT, but not NOD1(-/-), mice. CONCLUSIONS: We identify NOD proteins as innate immune components that are involved in diet-induced inflammation and insulin intolerance. Acute activation of NOD proteins by mimetics of bacterial PGNs causes whole-body insulin resistance, bolstering the concept that innate immune responses to distinctive bacterial cues directly lead to insulin resistance. Hence, NOD1 is a plausible, new link between innate immunity and metabolism.

Identification of an innate T helper type 17 response to intestinal bacterial pathogens.

Interleukin 17 (IL-17) is a central cytokine implicated in inflammation and antimicrobial defense. After infection, both innate and adaptive IL-17 responses have been reported, but the type of cells involved in innate IL-17 induction, as well as their contribution to in vivo responses, are poorly understood. Here we found that Citrobacter and Salmonella infection triggered early IL-17 production, which was crucial for host defense and was mediated by CD4(+) T helper cells. Enteric innate T helper type 17 (iT(H)17) responses occurred principally in the cecum, were dependent on the Nod-like receptors Nod1 and Nod2, required IL-6 induction and were associated with a decrease in mucosal CD103(+) dendritic cells. Moreover, imprinting by the intestinal microbiota was fully required for the generation of iT(H)17 responses. Together, these results identify the Nod-iT(H)17 axis as a central element in controlling enteric pathogens, which may implicate Nod-driven iT(H)17 responses in the development of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Essential role of Rip2 in the modulation of innate and adaptive immunity triggered by Nod1 and Nod2 ligands.

Muramyl peptides are the building blocks of bacterial peptidoglycan, and their biological functions in mammals have been extensively studied. In particular, muramyl peptides trigger inflammation, contribute to host defense against microbial infections, and modulate the adaptive immune response to antigens. These bacterial molecules are detected by nucleotide oligomerization domain 1 (Nod1) and Nod2, and recent evidence suggests that muramyl dipeptide also activates NLRP3 and NLRP1 inflammasomes. Here, we investigated the role of Rip2, the adaptor for Nod1- and Nod2-dependent signaling, in multiple aspects of the host response to muramyl peptides in vivo, such as inflammatory cytokine secretion, activation and recruitment of macrophages and neutrophils to the site of injection, systemic activation of myeloid, T and B cells in the spleen, adjuvanticity and capacity to polarize the adaptive response to ovalbumin. Our results demonstrate that Rip2 was crucial for all the biological functions studied. We also identified CD11c(int) CD11b(+) inflammatory dendritic cells as a major myeloid cell population responding to Nod stimulation in vivo. Together, our results highlight the importance of Rip2 for Nod-dependent induction of innate and adaptive immunity.

What is new with Nods?

Over the last few years, much research has focused on determining the function of members of the cytosolic Nod-like receptor (NLR) family in terms of their triggers and the signaling pathways that they control. Members of this family include the NLRP proteins, which play a role in sensing both microbial and danger signals and triggering the caspase-1 dependent inflammasome, and the Nod subfamily characterized by proteins with a caspase-activating and recruitment domain (CARD) or a so-called 'X' domain. Nod1, Nod2, NLRX1 and NLRC5 are all members of this subfamily and in this review, we will focus on recent work that has shown the importance of these molecules in both pathogen sensing and regulation of innate and adaptive immunity.

Innate signals from Nod2 block respiratory tolerance and program T(H)2-driven allergic inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Airway tolerance is critical for protecting the lung from inflammatory disease driven by allergens. However, factors that disrupt tolerance processes and then lead to susceptibility to developing allergic asthma remain elusive. OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether recognition of bacterial microbial-associated molecular patterns in the lung may result in susceptibility to developing allergic reactions, and to understand the molecular mechanisms by which such triggers block natural tolerance. METHODS: Ligands of intracellular microbial-associated molecular pattern recognition receptors-the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (Nod)-like receptors, Nod1 and Nod2-were given intranasally with antigen, and their ability to modulate airway tolerance was analyzed. RESULTS: Intranasal Nod2 ligand rapidly induced lung expression of the innate cytokines thymic stromal lymphopoietin and IL-25, and thymic stromal lymphopoietin promoted expression of OX40 ligand, a T-cell-costimulatory ligand, on lung CD11c(+)CD11b(+) cells and B220(+) cells. Together these 3 molecules blocked the generation of antigen-specific CD4(+)forkhead box protein 3(+) adaptive regulatory T cells and concomitantly drove IL-4-producing CD4 T cells. By altering the regulatory T/T(H)2-cell balance, tolerance was blocked, and sensing of Nod2 ligand resulted in subsequent susceptibility to developing eosinophil-dominated airway inflammation. CONCLUSION: We show that a Nod-like receptor is a novel, previously unrecognized, pathway that adversely links innate and adaptive immunity and leads to allergic disease and asthmatic lung inflammation.

Nod1 and Nod2 regulation of inflammation in the Salmonella colitis model.

The pattern recognition molecules Nod1 and Nod2 play important roles in intestinal homeostasis; however, how these proteins impact on the development of inflammation during bacterial colitis has not been examined. In the streptomycin-treated mouse model of Salmonella colitis, we found that mice deficient for both Nod1 and Nod2 had attenuated inflammatory pathology, reduced levels of inflammatory cytokines, and increased colonization of the mucosal tissue. Nod1 and Nod2 from both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic sources contributed to the pathology, and all phenotypes were recapitulated in mice deficient for the signaling adaptor protein Rip2. However, the influence of Rip2 was strictly dependent on infection conditions that favored expression of the Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI-2) type III secretion system (TTSS), as Rip2 was dispensable for inflammation when mice were infected with bacteria grown under conditions that promoted expression of the SPI-1 TTSS. Thus, Nod1 and Nod2 can modulate inflammation and mediate efficient clearance of bacteria from the mucosal tissue during Salmonella colitis, but their role is dependent on the expression of the SPI-2 TTSS.

NLRC5 limits the activation of inflammatory pathways.

Nod-like receptors (NLRs) are intracellular sentinel proteins that are implicated in the detection of microbes and danger signals, thereby controlling several key innate immune pathways. The human genome encodes 22 NLR proteins, the function of many of which remains unknown. In this study, we present the identification and characterization of NLRC5, a NLR protein whose expression is found predominantly in cells of the myeloid and lymphoid lineages. NLRC5 expression was strongly induced by IFN-gamma and more modestly by LPS and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid. Overexpression of NLRC5 in HEK293T cells resulted in a global dampening of NF-kappaB-, AP-1-, and type I IFN-dependent signaling, most likely through transcriptional repression. Accordingly, NLRC5 was found to shuttle between the cytosol and the nucleus in a CrmA-dependent manner. Knocking down NLRC5 expression in RAW264.7 murine macrophages resulted in a potent upregulation of the proinflammatory responses to IFN-gamma and LPS, including increased secretion of TNF, IL-6, and IL-1beta, as well as cell surface expression of CD40. Strikingly, NLRC5 expression was also found to be critical for LPS-induced IL-10 production in RAW264.7 macrophages. Collectively, our results identify NLRC5 as a negative modulator of inflammatory pathways.

Th17 cells are the dominant T cell subtype primed by Shigella flexneri mediating protective immunity.

The T cell response to Shigella, the causative agent of bacillary dysentery, remains poorly understood. Using a murine model of infection, we report that Shigella flexneri primes predominately IL-17A- and IL-22-producing Th17 cells. Shigella-specific Th1 cells are only significantly induced on secondary infection, whereas specific Th2 and CD8(+) T cells are undetectable. Apart from Th17 cells that are primed in a MHC class II- and IL-6-dependent, but IL12/23p40-independent manner, we identified gammadelta T cells as an additional but minor source of IL-17A. Priming of IL-17A(+) gammadelta T cells is dependent on IL12/23p40, but independent of MHC-class II and IL-6. Th17 cells have emerged as important players in inflammatory, autoimmune, and infectious diseases. Among the yet unresolved questions is their role in long-term immunity to pathogens. In this study, we show that the elicited S. flexneri-specific Th17 pool gives rise to an enhanced recall response up to 12 mo after priming, suggesting the presence of a long-term memory state. The clearance of primary infection is impaired in the absence of T cells, but independently of IL-17A. However, after reinfection, IL-17A produced by S. flexneri-specific Th17 cells becomes important to ultimately restrict bacterial growth. These findings bring new insights into the adaptive immune response to Shigella infection and highlight the importance of pathogen-specific Th17 cell immunity for secondary immune protection.

Nod1 and Nod2 direct autophagy by recruiting ATG16L1 to the plasma membrane at the site of bacterial entry.

Autophagy is emerging as a crucial defense mechanism against bacteria, but the host intracellular sensors responsible for inducing autophagy in response to bacterial infection remain unknown. Here we demonstrated that the intracellular sensors Nod1 and Nod2 are critical for the autophagic response to invasive bacteria. By a mechanism independent of the adaptor RIP2 and transcription factor NF-kappaB, Nod1 and Nod2 recruited the autophagy protein ATG16L1 to the plasma membrane at the bacterial entry site. In cells homozygous for the Crohn's disease-associated NOD2 frameshift mutation, mutant Nod2 failed to recruit ATG16L1 to the plasma membrane and wrapping of invading bacteria by autophagosomes was impaired. Our results link bacterial sensing by Nod proteins to the induction of autophagy and provide a functional link between Nod2 and ATG16L1, which are encoded by two of the most important genes associated with Crohn's disease.