C-type lectin SIGN-R1 has a role in experimental colitis and responsiveness to lipopolysaccharide.

Pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) function to maintain the balance between controlled responses to pathogens and uncontrolled innate immune activation leading to inflammation. In the context of commensal bacteria and the etiology of inflammatory bowel disease, although a role for the TLRs is known, there is a less defined function for C-type lectin receptors (CLRs). We demonstrate that mice deficient ((-/-)) in the CLR specific intracellular adhesion molecule-3 grabbing nonintegrin homolog-related 1 (SIGN-R1) (CD209b) have reduced susceptibility to experimental colitis, with a reduction in the disease severity, colon damage, and levels of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-6. To determine whether SIGN-R1(-/-) mice had a systemic defect in innate activation, we examined the responsiveness of macrophages from SIGN-R1(-/-) mice to TLR ligands. SIGN-R1(-/-) peritoneal macrophages, but not bone marrow-derived macrophages, have a specific defect in IL-1beta and IL-18 production, but not other cytokines, in response to the TLR4 ligand LPS. In vivo SIGN-R1(-/-) mice had significantly reduced susceptibility to LPS-induced shock. To address the synergistic relationship between SIGN-R1 and TLR4 in the context of experimental colitis, SIGN-R1/TLR4(-/-) mice were generated. SIGN-R1/TLR4(-/-) mice displayed reduced susceptibility to experimental colitis relative to severity of disease observed in wild-type or TLR4(-/-) mice. The in vivo use of a blocking mAb confirmed a functional role for SIGN-R1 in LPS-induced shock and experimental colitis. These data indicate a role for SIGN-R1 in the regulation of inflammation in a model of experimental colitis and illustrate that SIGN-R1 is a critical innate factor in response to LPS.

Schistosoma mansoni secretes a chemokine binding protein with antiinflammatory activity.

The coevolution of humans and infectious agents has exerted selective pressure on the immune system to control potentially lethal infections. Correspondingly, pathogens have evolved with various strategies to modulate and circumvent the host's innate and adaptive immune response. Schistosoma species are helminth parasites with genes that have been selected to modulate the host to tolerate chronic worm infections, often for decades, without overt morbidity. The modulation of immunity by schistosomes has been shown to prevent a range of immune-mediated diseases, including allergies and autoimmunity. Individual immune-modulating schistosome molecules have, therefore, therapeutic potential as selective manipulators of the immune system to prevent unrelated diseases. Here we show that S. mansoni eggs secrete a protein into host tissues that binds certain chemokines and inhibits their interaction with host chemokine receptors and their biological activity. The purified recombinant S. mansoni chemokine binding protein (smCKBP) suppressed inflammation in several disease models. smCKBP is unrelated to host proteins and is the first described chemokine binding protein encoded by a pathogenic human parasite and may have potential as an antiinflammatory agent.

The C-type lectin SIGNR1 binds Schistosoma mansoni antigens in vitro, but SIGNR1-deficient mice have normal responses during schistosome infection.

The de novo immune response to infectious organisms arises from the innate recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by the host's pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). As the generation of type 2 cytokine responses by the human trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni is glycan mediated, there is a particular potential role for a C-type lectin receptor (CLR) to mediate the innate recognition of schistosome PAMPs. One such CLR, dendritic cell-specific intracellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing nonintegrin (DC-SIGN; CD209), has been shown to recognize glycans expressed by S. mansoni eggs. We show that SIGNR1 (SIGN-related 1; CD209b), a murine homologue of DC-SIGN that is expressed on macrophages, also binds both schistosome-soluble egg antigens and worm antigens in vitro. The generation of schistosome egg-induced pulmonary egg granulomas was not altered in SIGNR1-deficient mice. Following S. mansoni infection, the SIGNR1-deficient mice had an unaltered phenotype with an intact immunological response and no difference in pathology. In this study we demonstrate that although SIGNR1 recognizes S. mansoni antigens in vitro, this CLR is redundant during infection. This study highlights the finding that although there was binding of SIGNR1 to immunogenic factors produced in the S. mansoni life cycle, this recognition does not translate to a functional in vivo role for the PRR during infection.

Infection with a helminth parasite prevents experimental colitis via a macrophage-mediated mechanism.

The propensity of a range of parasitic helminths to stimulate a Th2 or regulatory cell-biased response has been proposed to reduce the severity of experimental inflammatory bowel disease. We examined whether infection with Schistosoma mansoni, a trematode parasite, altered the susceptibility of mice to colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). Mice infected with schistosome worms were refractory to DSS-induced colitis. Egg-laying schistosome infections or injection of eggs did not render mice resistant to colitis induced by DSS. Schistosome worm infections prevent colitis by a novel mechanism dependent on macrophages, and not by simple modulation of Th2 responses, or via induction of regulatory CD4+ or CD25+ cells, IL-10, or TGF-beta. Infected mice had marked infiltration of macrophages (F4/80+CD11b+CD11c(-)) into the colon lamina propria and protection from DSS-induced colitis was shown to be macrophage dependent. Resistance from colitis was not due to alternatively activated macrophages. Transfer of colon lamina propria F4/80+ macrophages isolated from worm-infected mice induced significant protection from colitis in recipient mice treated with DSS. Therefore, we propose a new mechanism whereby a parasitic worm suppresses DSS-induced colitis via a novel colon-infiltrating macrophage population.

Identification of a functioning mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 in thymus.

We present evidence that rat and mouse thymi contain mitochondrial uncoupling protein (UCP 1). Reverse transcriptase-PCR detected RNA transcripts for UCP 1 in whole thymus and in thymocytes. Furthermore, using antibodies to UCP 1 the protein was also detected in mitochondria isolated from whole thymus and thymocytes but not in thymus mitochondria from UCP 1 knock-out mice. Evidence for functional UCP 1 in thymus mitochondria was obtained by a comparative analysis with the kinetics of GDP binding in mitochondria from brown adipose tissue. Both tissues showed equivalent B(max) and K(D) values. In addition, a large component of the nonphosphorylating oxygen consumption by thymus mitochondria was inhibited by GDP and subsequently stimulated by addition of nanomolar concentrations of palmitate. UCP 1 was purified from thymus mitochondria by hydroxyapatite chromatography. The isolated protein was identified by peptide mass mapping and tandem mass spectrometry by using MALDI-TOF and LC-MS/MS, respectively. We conclude that the thymus contains a functioning UCP 1 that has the capacity to regulate metabolic flux and production of reactive oxygen-containing molecules in the thymus.

Schistosoma mansoni worms induce anergy of T cells via selective up-regulation of programmed death ligand 1 on macrophages.

Infectious pathogens can selectively stimulate activation or suppression of T cells to facilitate their survival within humans. In this study we demonstrate that the trematode parasite Schistosoma mansoni has evolved with two distinct mechanisms to suppress T cell activation. During the initial 4- to 12-wk acute stages of a worm infection both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells are anergized. In contrast, infection with male and female worms induced T cell anergy at 4 wk, which was replaced after egg laying by T cell suppression via a known NO-dependent mechanism, that was detected for up to 40 wk after infection. Worm-induced anergy was mediated by splenic F4/80(+) macrophages (Mphi) via an IL-4-, IL-13-, IL-10-, TGF-beta-, and NO-independent, but cell contact-dependent, mechanism. F4/80(+) Mphi isolated from worm-infected mice were shown to induce anergy of naive T cells in vitro. Furthermore, naive Mphi exposed to live worms in vitro also induced anergy in naive T cells. Flow cytometry on in vivo and in vitro worm-modulated Mphi revealed that of the family of B7 costimulatory molecules, only programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) was selectively up-regulated. The addition of inhibitory mAb against PD-L1, but not PD-L2, to worm-modulated Mphi completely blocked the ability of these cells to anergize T cells. These data highlight a novel mechanism through which S. mansoni worms have usurped the natural function of PD-L1 to reduce T cell activation during early acute stages of infection before the subsequent emergence of egg-induced T cell suppression in the chronic stages of infection.