Microbe capture by splenic macrophages triggers sepsis via T cell-death-dependent neutrophil lifespan shortening.

The mechanisms linking systemic infection to hyperinflammation and immune dysfunction in sepsis are poorly understood. Extracellular histones promote sepsis pathology, but their source and mechanism of action remain unclear. Here, we show that by controlling fungi and bacteria captured by splenic macrophages, neutrophil-derived myeloperoxidase attenuates sepsis by suppressing histone release. In systemic candidiasis, microbial capture via the phagocytic receptor SIGNR1 neutralizes myeloperoxidase by facilitating marginal zone infiltration and T cell death-dependent histone release. Histones and hyphae induce cytokines in adjacent CD169 macrophages including G-CSF that selectively depletes mature Ly6Ghigh neutrophils by shortening their lifespan in favour of immature Ly6Glow neutrophils with a defective oxidative burst. In sepsis patient plasma, these mediators shorten mature neutrophil lifespan and correlate with neutrophil mortality markers. Consequently, high G-CSF levels and neutrophil lifespan shortening activity are associated with sepsis patient mortality. Hence, by exploiting phagocytic receptors, pathogens degrade innate and adaptive immunity through the detrimental impact of downstream effectors on neutrophil lifespan.

Type I IFN exacerbates disease in tuberculosis-susceptible mice by inducing neutrophil-mediated lung inflammation and NETosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of mortality due to infectious disease, but the factors determining disease progression are unclear. Transcriptional signatures associated with type I IFN signalling and neutrophilic inflammation were shown to correlate with disease severity in mouse models of TB. Here we show that similar transcriptional signatures correlate with increased bacterial loads and exacerbate pathology during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection upon GM-CSF blockade. Loss of GM-CSF signalling or genetic susceptibility to TB (C3HeB/FeJ mice) result in type I IFN-induced neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation that promotes bacterial growth and promotes disease severity. Consistently, NETs are present in necrotic lung lesions of TB patients responding poorly to antibiotic therapy, supporting the role of NETs in a late stage of TB pathogenesis. Our findings reveal an important cytokine-based innate immune effector network with a central role in determining the outcome of M. tuberculosis infection.

IL-23-producing IL-10Rα-deficient gut macrophages elicit an IL-22-driven proinflammatory epithelial cell response.

Cytokines maintain intestinal health, but precise intercellular communication networks remain poorly understood. Macrophages are immune sentinels of the intestinal tissue and are critical for gut homeostasis. Here, we show that in a murine inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) model based on macrophage-restricted interleukin-10 (IL-10) receptor deficiency (Cx3cr1Cre:Il10rafl/fl mice), proinflammatory mutant gut macrophages cause severe spontaneous colitis resembling the condition observed in children carrying IL-10R mutations. We establish macrophage-derived IL-23 as the driving factor of this pathology. Specifically, we report that Cx3cr1Cre:Il10rafl/fl:Il23afl/fl mice harboring macrophages deficient for both IL-10R and IL-23 are protected from colitis. By analyzing the epithelial response to proinflammatory macrophages, we provide evidence that T cells of colitic animals produce IL-22, which induces epithelial chemokine expression and detrimental neutrophil recruitment. Collectively, we define macrophage-specific contributions to the induction and pathogenesis of colitis, as manifested in mice harboring IL-10R deficiencies and human IBDs.

Tumor-associated neutrophils suppress pro-tumoral IL-17+ γδ T cells through induction of oxidative stress.

Interleukin 17 (IL-17)-producing γδ T cells (γδ17 T cells) have been recently found to promote tumor growth and metastasis formation. How such γδ17 T-cell responses may be regulated in the tumor microenvironment remains, however, largely unknown. Here, we report that tumor-associated neutrophils can display an overt antitumor role by strongly suppressing γδ17 T cells. Tumor-associated neutrophils inhibited the proliferation of murine CD27- Vγ6+ γδ17 T cells via induction of oxidative stress, thereby preventing them from constituting the major source of pro-tumoral IL-17 in the tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically, we found that low expression of the antioxidant glutathione in CD27- γδ17 T cells renders them particularly susceptible to neutrophil-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS). Consistently, superoxide deficiency, or the administration of a glutathione precursor, rescued CD27- Vγ6+ γδ17 T-cell proliferation in vivo. Moreover, human Vδ1+ γδ T cells, which contain most γδ17 T cells found in cancer patients, also displayed low glutathione levels and were potently inhibited by ROS. This work thus identifies an unanticipated, immunosuppressive yet antitumoral, neutrophil/ROS/γδ17 T-cell axis in the tumor microenvironment.

Elimination of Granulocytic Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Lupus-Prone Mice Linked to Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent Extracellular Trap Formation.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence supports a crucial role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the regulation of autoimmune diseases. However, their role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains unknown. This study sought to address the role of MDSCs in the pathogenesis of SLE. METHODS: MDSCs from (NZB × NZW)F1 lupus-prone mice were assessed for phenotype by flow cytometry, and the function of MDSCs was analyzed by in vitro T cell proliferation assay and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Extracellular trap (ET) formation was evaluated by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by Ly-6G+ cells was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. RESULTS: Expansion of MDSCs was impaired and the function of MDSCs was defective in the lymphoid organs of (NZB × NZW)F1 lupus-prone mice with established disease, in which involvement of predominantly the granulocytic MDSC (G-MDSC) cell subset was observed. More specifically, the results showed that increased elimination of G-MDSCs, driven by the inflammatory milieu of lupus, could be attributed to ET formation, and that cytokines, such as interferon-α (IFNα), IFNγ, and interleukin-6, play a role in this process. Induction of ET release by G-MDSCs was mediated by the production of ROS, since inhibition of ROS generation significantly reduced ET release. CONCLUSION: Collectively, the results of this study reveal that elimination of a crucial regulatory immune cell subset is a feature of the SLE microenvironment. These findings provide new insights into the pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease.

Inflammation. Neutrophil extracellular traps license macrophages for cytokine production in atherosclerosis.

Secretion of the cytokine interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) by macrophages, a major driver of pathogenesis in atherosclerosis, requires two steps: Priming signals promote transcription of immature IL-1ß, and then endogenous "danger" signals activate innate immune signaling complexes called inflammasomes to process IL-1ß for secretion. Although cholesterol crystals are known to act as danger signals in atherosclerosis, what primes IL-1ß transcription remains elusive. Using a murine model of atherosclerosis, we found that cholesterol crystals acted both as priming and danger signals for IL-1ß production. Cholesterol crystals triggered neutrophils to release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs primed macrophages for cytokine release, activating T helper 17 (TH17) cells that amplify immune cell recruitment in atherosclerotic plaques. Therefore, danger signals may drive sterile inflammation, such as that seen in atherosclerosis, through their interactions with neutrophils.

Tpl2 kinase regulates FcγR signaling and immune thrombocytopenia in mice.

The MAPK3 Tpl2 controls innate and adaptive immunity by regulating TLR, TNF-α, and GPCR signaling in a variety of cell types. Its ablation gives rise to an anti-inflammatory phenotype characterized by resistance to LPS-induced endotoxin shock, DSS-induced colitis, and TNF-α-induced IBD. Here, we address the role of Tpl2 in autoimmunity. Our data show that the ablation and the pharmacological inhibition of Tpl2 protect mice from antiplatelet antibody-induced thrombocytopenia, a model of ITP. Thrombocytopenia in this model and in ITP is caused by phagocytosis of platelets opsonized with antiplatelet antibodies and depends on FcγR activation in splenic and hepatic myeloid cells. Further studies explained how Tpl2 inhibition protects from antibody-induced thrombocytopenia, by showing that Tpl2 is activated by FcγR signals in macrophages and that its activation by these signals is required for ERK activation, cytoplasmic Ca(2+) influx, the induction of cytokine and coreceptor gene expression, and phagocytosis.

The negative costimulatory molecule PD-1 modulates the balance between immunity and tolerance via miR-21.

Disruption of the programmed death-1 (PD-1) pathway leads to breakdown of peripheral tolerance and initiation of autoimmunity. The molecular pathways that mediate this effect remain largely unknown. We report here that PD-1 knockout (PD-1(-/-) ) mice develop more severe and sustained Ag-induced arthritis (AIA) than WT animals, which is associated with increased T-cell proliferation and elevated levels of IFN-γ and IL-17 secretion. MicroRNA analysis of Ag-specific CD4(+) T cells revealed a significant upregulation of microRNA 21 (miR-21) in PD-1(-/-) T cells compared with WT controls. In addition, PD-1 inhibition, via siRNA, upregulated miR-21 expression and enhanced STAT5 binding in the miR-21 promoter area. Computational analysis confirmed that miR-21 targets directly the expression of programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) and overexpression of miR-21 in cells harboring the 3'UTR of PDCD4 resulted in reduced transcription and PDCD4 protein expression. Importantly, in vitro delivery of antisense-miR-21 suppressed the Ag-specific proliferation and cytokine secretion by PD-1(-/-) T cells, whereas adoptive transfer of Ag-specific T cells, overexpressing miR-21, induced severe AIA. Collectively, our data demonstrate that breakdown of tolerance in PD-1(-/-) mice activates a signaling cascade mediated by STAT5, miR-21, and PDCD4 and establish their role in maintaining the balance between immune activation and tolerance.