IRE1α-Driven Inflammation Promotes Clearance of Citrobacter rodentium Infection.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is intimately linked with inflammation in response to pathogenic infections. ER stress occurs when cells experience a buildup of misfolded or unfolded protein during times of perturbation, such as infections, which facilitates the unfolded protein response (UPR). The UPR involves multiple host pathways in an attempt to reestablish homeostasis, which oftentimes leads to inflammation and cell death if unresolved. The UPR is activated to help resolve some bacterial infections, and the IRE1α pathway is especially critical in mediating inflammation. To understand the role of the IRE1α pathway of the UPR during enteric bacterial infection, we employed Citrobacter rodentium to study host-pathogen interactions in intestinal epithelial cells and the murine gastrointestinal (GI) tract. C. rodentium is an enteric mouse pathogen that is similar to the human pathogens enteropathogenic and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EPEC and EHEC, respectively), for which we have limited small-animal models. Here, we demonstrate that both C. rodentium and EPEC induced the UPR in intestinal epithelial cells. UPR induction during C. rodentium infection correlated with the onset of inflammation in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs). Our previous work implicated IRE1α and NOD1/2 in ER stress-induced inflammation, which we observed were also required for proinflammatory gene induction during C. rodentium infection. C. rodentium induced IRE1α-dependent inflammation in mice, and inhibiting IRE1α led to a dysregulated inflammatory response and delayed clearance of C. rodentium. This study demonstrates that ER stress aids inflammation and clearance of C. rodentium through a mechanism involving the IRE1α-NOD1/2 axis.

Epstein-Barr Virus Type 2 Infects T Cells and Induces B Cell Lymphomagenesis in Humanized Mice.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been classified into two strains, EBV type 1 (EBV-1) and EBV type 2 (EBV-2) based on genetic variances and differences in transforming capacity. EBV-1 readily transforms B cells in culture while EBV-2 is poorly transforming. The differing abilities to immortalize B cells in vitro suggest that in vivo these viruses likely use alternative approaches to establish latency. Indeed, we recently reported that EBV-2 has a unique cell tropism for T cells, infecting T cells in culture and in healthy Kenyan infants, strongly suggesting that EBV-2 infection of T cells is a natural part of the EBV-2 life cycle. However, limitations of human studies hamper further investigation into how EBV-2 utilizes T cells. Therefore, BALB/c Rag2null IL2rγnull SIRPα humanized mice were utilized to develop an EBV-2 in vivo model. Infection of humanized mice with EBV-2 led to infection of both T and B cells, unlike infection with EBV-1, in which only B cells were infected. Gene expression analysis demonstrated that EBV-2 established a latency III infection with evidence of ongoing viral reactivation in both B and T cells. Importantly, EBV-2-infected mice developed tumors resembling diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). These lymphomas had morphological features comparable to those of EBV-1-induced DLBCLs, developed at similar rates with equivalent frequencies, and expressed a latency III gene profile. Thus, despite the impaired ability of EBV-2 to immortalize B cells in vitro, EBV-2 efficiently induces lymphomagenesis in humanized mice. Further research utilizing this model will enhance our understanding of EBV-2 biology, the consequence of EBV infection of T cells, and the capacity of EBV-2 to drive lymphomagenesis.IMPORTANCE EBV is a well-established B cell-tropic virus. However, we have recently shown that the EBV type 2 (EBV-2) strain also infects primary T cells in culture and in healthy Kenyan children. This finding suggests that EBV-2, unlike the well-studied EBV-1 strain, utilizes the T cell compartment to persist. As EBV is human specific, studies to understand the role of T cells in EBV-2 persistence require an in vivo model. Thus, we developed an EBV-2 humanized mouse model, utilizing immunodeficient mice engrafted with human cord blood CD34+ stem cells. Characterization of the EBV-2-infected humanized mice established that both T cells and B cells are infected by EBV-2 and that the majority of infected mice develop a B cell lymphoma resembling diffuse large B cell lymphoma. This new in vivo model can be utilized for studies to enhance our understanding of how EBV-2 infection of T cells contributes to persistence and lymphomagenesis.

Nitrate-mediated luminal expansion of Salmonella Typhimurium is dependent on the ER stress protein CHOP.

Salmonella Typhimurium is an enteric pathogen that employs a variety of mechanisms to exploit inflammation resulting in expansion in the intestinal tract, but host factors that contribute to or counteract the luminal expansion are not well-defined. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induces inflammation and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases. However, little is known about the contribution of ER stress-induced inflammation during Salmonella pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that the ER stress markers Hspa5 and Xbp1 are induced in the colon of S. Typhimurium infected mice, but the pro-apoptotic transcription factor Ddit3, that encodes for the protein CHOP, is significantly downregulated. S. Typhimurium-infected mice deficient for CHOP displayed a significant decrease in inflammation, colonization, dissemination, and pathology compared to littermate control mice. Preceding the differences in S. Typhimurium colonization, a significant decrease in Nos2 gene and iNOS protein expression was observed. Deletion of Chop decreased the bioavailability of nitrate in the colon leading to reduced fitness advantage of wild type S. Typhimurium over a napA narZ narG mutant strain (deficient in nitrate respiration). CD11b+ myeloid cells, but not intestinal epithelial cells, produced iNOS resulting in nitrate bioavailability for S. Typhimurium to expand in the intestinal tract in a CHOP-dependent manner. Altogether our work demonstrates that the host protein CHOP facilitates iNOS expression in CD11b+ cells thereby contributing to luminal expansion of S. Typhimurium via nitrate respiration.