A Common Genetic Variant in TLR1 Enhances Human Neutrophil Priming and Impacts Length of Intensive Care Stay in Pediatric Sepsis.

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) achieve an intermediate or primed state of activation following stimulation with certain agonists. Primed PMN have enhanced responsiveness to subsequent stimuli, which can be beneficial in eliminating microbes but may cause host tissue damage in certain disease contexts, including sepsis. As PMN priming by TLR4 agonists is well described, we hypothesized that ligation of TLR2/1 or TLR2/6 would prime PMN. Surprisingly, PMN from only a subset of donors were primed in response to the TLR2/1 agonist, Pam3CSK4, although PMN from all donors were primed by the TLR2/6 agonist, FSL-1. Priming responses included generation of intracellular and extracellular reactive oxygen species, MAPK phosphorylation, integrin activation, secondary granule exocytosis, and cytokine secretion. Genotyping studies revealed that PMN responsiveness to Pam3CSK4 was enhanced by a common single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in TLR1 (rs5743618). Notably, PMN from donors with the SNP had higher surface levels of TLR1 and were demonstrated to have enhanced association of TLR1 with the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone gp96. We analyzed TLR1 genotypes in a pediatric sepsis database and found that patients with sepsis or septic shock who had a positive blood culture and were homozygous for the SNP associated with neutrophil priming had prolonged pediatric intensive care unit length of stay. We conclude that this TLR1 SNP leads to excessive PMN priming in response to cell stimulation. Based on our finding that septic children with this SNP had longer pediatric intensive care unit stays, we speculate that this SNP results in hyperinflammation in diseases such as sepsis.

Inflammasome-independent IL-1ß mediates autoinflammatory disease in Pstpip2-deficient mice.

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is a human autoinflammatory disorder that primarily affects bone. Missense mutation (L98P) of proline-serine-threonine phosphatase-interacting protein 2 (Pstpip2) in mice leads to a disease that is phenotypically similar to CRMO called chronic multifocal osteomyelitis (cmo). Here we show that deficiency of IL-1RI in cmo mice resulted in a significant reduction in the time to onset of disease as well as the degree of bone pathology. Additionally, the proinflammatory cytokine IL-1ß, but not IL-1α, played a critical role in the pathology observed in cmo mice. In contrast, disease in cmo mice was found to be independent of the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat-containing family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome as well as caspase-1. Neutrophils, but not bone marrow-derived macrophages, from cmo mice secreted increased IL-1ß in response to ATP, silica, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared with neutrophils from WT mice. This aberrant neutrophil response was sensitive to inhibition by serine protease inhibitors. These results demonstrate an inflammasome-independent role for IL-1ß in disease progression of cmo and implicate neutrophils and neutrophil serine proteases in disease pathogenesis. These data provide a rationale for directly targeting IL-1RI or IL-1ß as a therapeutic strategy in CRMO.

The F-BAR protein PSTPIP1 controls extracellular matrix degradation and filopodia formation in macrophages.

PSTPIP1 is a cytoskeletal adaptor and F-BAR protein that has been implicated in autoinflammatory disease, most notably in the PAPA syndrome: pyogenic sterile arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum, and acne. However, the mechanism by which PSTPIP1 regulates the actin cytoskeleton and contributes to disease pathogenesis remains elusive. Here, we show that endogenous PSTPIP1 negatively regulates macrophage podosome organization and matrix degradation. We identify a novel PSTPIP1-R405C mutation in a patient presenting with aggressive pyoderma gangrenosum. Identification of this mutation reveals that PSTPIP1 regulates the balance of podosomes and filopodia in macrophages. The PSTPIP1-R405C mutation is in the SRC homology 3 (SH3) domain and impairs Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) binding, but it does not affect interaction with protein-tyrosine phosphatase (PTP)-PEST. Accordingly, WASP inhibition reverses the elevated F-actin content, filopodia formation, and matrix degradation induced by PSTPIP1-R405C. Our results uncover a novel role for PSTPIP1 and WASP in orchestrating different types of actin-based protrusions. Our findings implicate the cytoskeletal regulatory functions of PSTPIP1 in the pathogenesis of pyoderma gangrenosum and suggest that the cytoskeleton is a rational target for therapeutic intervention in autoinflammatory disease.

Mutations in extracellular matrix genes NID1 and LAMC1 cause autosomal dominant Dandy-Walker malformation and occipital cephaloceles.

We performed whole-exome sequencing of a family with autosomal dominant Dandy-Walker malformation and occipital cephaloceles and detected a mutation in the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein-encoding gene NID1. In a second family, protein interaction network analysis identified a mutation in LAMC1, which encodes a NID1-binding partner. Structural modeling of the NID1-LAMC1 complex demonstrated that each mutation disrupts the interaction. These findings implicate the ECM in the pathogenesis of Dandy-Walker spectrum disorders.

Exome sequencing reveals RAG1 mutations in a child with autoimmunity and sterile chronic multifocal osteomyelitis evolving into disseminated granulomatous disease.

We describe a boy who developed autoinflammatory (chronic sterile multifocal osteomyelitis) and autoimmune (autoimmune cytopenias; vitiligo) phenotypes who subsequently developed disseminated granulomatous disease. Whole exome sequencing revealed homozygous RAG1 mutations thus expanding the spectrum of combined immunodeficiency with autoimmunity and granuloma that can occur with RAG deficiency.

Efficacy of anti-IL-1 treatment in Majeed syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Majeed syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by the triad of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis, congenital dyserythropoietic anaemia and a neutrophilic dermatosis that is caused by mutations in LPIN2. Long-term outcome is poor. This is the first report detailing the treatment of Majeed syndrome with biological agents and demonstrates clinical improvement with IL-1blockade. METHODS: We describe the clinical presentation, genetic analysis, cytokine profiles and response to biological therapy in two brothers with Majeed syndrome. RESULTS: Both boys were homozygous for a novel 2-base pair deletion in LPIN2 (c.1312_1313delCT; p.Leu438fs+16X), confirming the diagnosis. Their bone disease and anaemia were refractory to treatment with corticosteroids. Both siblings had elevated proinflammatory cytokines in their serum, including tumour necrosis factor α (TNF-α), however a trial of the TNF inhibitor etanercept resulted in no improvement. IL-1 inhibition with either a recombinant IL-1 receptor antagonist (anakinra) or an anti-IL-1ß antibody (canakinumab) resulted in dramatic clinical and laboratory improvement. CONCLUSIONS: The differential response to treatment with TNF-α or IL-1 blocking agents sheds light into disease pathogenesis; it supports the hypothesis that Majeed syndrome is an IL-1ß dependent autoinflammatory disorder, and further underscores the importance of IL-1 in sterile bone inflammation.

An autoinflammatory disease with deficiency of the interleukin-1-receptor antagonist.

BACKGROUND: Autoinflammatory diseases manifest inflammation without evidence of infection, high-titer autoantibodies, or autoreactive T cells. We report a disorder caused by mutations of IL1RN, which encodes the interleukin-1-receptor antagonist, with prominent involvement of skin and bone. METHODS: We studied nine children from six families who had neonatal onset of sterile multifocal osteomyelitis, periostitis, and pustulosis. Response to empirical treatment with the recombinant interleukin-1-receptor antagonist anakinra in the first patient prompted us to test for the presence of mutations and changes in proteins and their function in interleukin-1-pathway genes including IL1RN. RESULTS: We identified homozygous mutations of IL1RN in nine affected children, from one family from Newfoundland, Canada, three families from The Netherlands, and one consanguineous family from Lebanon. A nonconsanguineous patient from Puerto Rico was homozygous for a genomic deletion that includes IL1RN and five other interleukin-1-family members. At least three of the mutations are founder mutations; heterozygous carriers were asymptomatic, with no cytokine abnormalities in vitro. The IL1RN mutations resulted in a truncated protein that is not secreted, thereby rendering cells hyperresponsive to interleukin-1beta stimulation. Patients treated with anakinra responded rapidly. CONCLUSIONS: We propose the term deficiency of the interleukin-1-receptor antagonist, or DIRA, to denote this autosomal recessive autoinflammatory disease caused by mutations affecting IL1RN. The absence of interleukin-1-receptor antagonist allows unopposed action of interleukin-1, resulting in life-threatening systemic inflammation with skin and bone involvement. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00059748.)

Correction: Recessive coding and regulatory mutations in FBLIM1 underlie the pathogenesis of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO).

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0169687.].

Recessive coding and regulatory mutations in FBLIM1 underlie the pathogenesis of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO).

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is a rare, pediatric, autoinflammatory disease characterized by bone pain due to sterile osteomyelitis, and is often accompanied by psoriasis or inflammatory bowel disease. There are two syndromic forms of CRMO, Majeed syndrome and DIRA, for which the genetic cause is known. However, for the majority of cases of CRMO, the genetic basis is unknown. Via whole-exome sequencing, we detected a homozygous mutation in the filamin-binding domain of FBLIM1 in an affected child with consanguineous parents. Microarray analysis of bone marrow macrophages from the CRMO murine model (cmo) determined that the Fblim1 ortholog is the most differentially expressed gene, downregulated over 20-fold in the cmo mouse. We sequenced FBLIM1 in 96 CRMO subjects and found a second proband with a novel frameshift mutation in exon 6 and a rare regulatory variant. In SaOS2 cells, overexpressing the regulatory mutation showed the flanking region acts as an enhancer, and the mutation ablates enhancer activity. Our data implicate FBLIM1 in the pathogenesis of sterile bone inflammation and our findings suggest CRMO is a disorder of chronic inflammation and imbalanced bone remodeling.

A missense mutation in pstpip2 is associated with the murine autoinflammatory disorder chronic multifocal osteomyelitis.

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) is an autoinflammatory disorder that primarily affects bone but is often accompanied by inflammation of the skin and/or gastrointestinal tract. The etiology is unknown but evidence suggests a genetic component to disease susceptibility. Although most cases of CRMO are sporadic, there is an autosomal recessive syndromic form of the disease, called Majeed syndrome, which is due to homozygous mutations in LPIN2. In addition, there is a phenotypically similar mouse, called cmo (chronic multifocal osteomyelitis) in which the disease is inherited as an autosomal recessive disorder. The cmo locus has been mapped to murine chromosome 18. In this report, we describe phenotypic abnormalities in the cmo mouse that include bone, cartilage and skin inflammation. Utilizing a backcross breeding strategy, we refined the cmo locus to a 1.3 Mb region on murine chromosome 18. Within the refined region was the gene pstpip2, which shares significant sequence homology to the PSTPIP1. Mutations in PSTPIP1 have been shown to cause the autoinflammatory disorder PAPA syndrome (pyogenic arthritis, pyoderma gangrenosum and acne). Mutation analysis, utilizing direct sequencing, revealed a single base pair change c.293T --> C in the pstpip2 gene resulting in a highly conserved leucine at amino acid 98 being replaced by a proline (L98P). No other mutations were found in the coding sequence of the remaining genes in the refined interval, although a 50 kb gap remains unexplored. These data suggest that mutations in pstpip2 may be the genetic explanation for the autoinflammatory phenotype seen in the cmo mouse.

Dehydroepiandrosterone inhibits intracellular calcium release in beta-cells by a plasma membrane-dependent mechanism.

Both dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and DHEA sulfate (DHEAS) affect glucose stimulated insulin secretion, though their cellular mechanisms of action are not well characterized. We tested the hypothesis that human physiological concentrations of DHEA alter insulin secretion by an action initiated at the plasma membrane of beta-cells. DHEA alone had no effect on intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in a rat beta-cell line (INS-1). However, it caused an immediate and dose-dependent inhibition of carbachol-induced Ca(2+) release from intracellular stores, with a 25% inhibition at zero. One nanometer DHEA. DHEA also inhibited the Ca(2+) mobilizing effect of bombesin (29% decrease), but did not inhibit the influx of extracellular Ca(2+) evoked by glyburide (100 microM) or glucose (15 mM). The steroids (androstenedione, 17-alpha-hydroxypregnenolone, and DHEAS) had no inhibitory effect on carbachol-induced intracellular Ca(2+) release. The action of DHEA depended on a signal initiated at the plasma membrane, since membrane impermeant DHEA-BSA complexes also inhibited the carbachol effect on [Ca(2+)](i) (39% decrease). The inhibition of carbachol-induced Ca(2+) release by DHEA was blocked by pertussis toxin (PTX). DHEA also inhibited the carbachol induction of phosphoinositide generation, with a maximal inhibition at 0.1 nM DHEA. Furthermore, DHEA inhibited insulin secretion induced by carbachol in INS-1 cells by 25%, and in human pancreatic islets by 53%. Taken together, this is the first report showing that human physiological concentrations of DHEA decrease agonist-induced Ca(2+) release by a rapid, non-genomic mechanism in INS-1 cells. Furthermore, these data provide evidence consistent with the existence of a specific plasma membrane DHEA receptor, mediating this signal transduction pathway by pertussis toxin-sensitive G-proteins.

Neutrophil dysfunction in a family with a SAPHO syndrome-like phenotype.

SAPHO syndrome (synovitis, acne, pustulosis, hyperostosis, osteitis) is an inflammatory disorder of the bone, skin, and joints. We describe a family with multiple affected members who segregate a SAPHO syndrome-like phenotype, and we report the results of neutrophil studies and candidate gene analysis. We obtained written informed consent and a family history and reviewed medical records. We collected DNA and sequenced candidate genes, and we performed functional studies on neutrophils isolated from the proband and her mother. The pedigree segregated chronic osteomyelitis and cutaneous inflammation in a pattern that suggested an autosomal-dominant disorder. No coding sequence mutations were detected in PSTPIP1, PSTPIP2, LPIN2, SH3BP2, or NCF4. Analysis of neutrophil function in the proband, including nitroblue tetrazolium tests, myeloperoxidase assays, neutrophil chemotaxis, and neutrophil chemotaxis assays, revealed no identifiable abnormalities. However, an abnormality in the luminol, but not the isoluminol, respiratory burst assays following stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) was detected in neutrophils isolated from the affected proband. Internal oxidant production was also reduced in the proband and her mother when neutrophils were treated with fMLP with or without platelet-activating factor, PMA alone, or tumor necrosis factor alpha alone. This family segregates a disorder characterized by chronic inflammation of the skin and bone. Functional differences in neutrophils exist between affected individuals and controls. The biologic significance of this defect remains unknown. Identification of the gene defect will help identify an immunologic pathway that, when dysregulated, causes inflammation of the skin and bone.

Effect of treatment of diabetic rats with dehydroepiandrosterone on vascular and neural function.

Nutritional supplementation with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) may be a candidate for treating diabetes-induced vascular and neural dysfunction. DHEA is a naturally occurring adrenal androgen that has antioxidant properties and is reportedly reduced in diabetes. Using a prevention protocol, we found that dietary supplementation of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats with 0.1, 0.25, or 0.5% DHEA caused a concentration-dependent prevention in the development of motor nerve conduction velocity and endoneurial blood flow impairment, which are decreased in diabetes. At 0.25%, DHEA significantly prevented the diabetes-induced increase in serum thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and sciatic nerve conjugated diene levels. This treatment also reduced the production of superoxide by epineurial arterioles of the sciatic nerve. DHEA treatment (0.25%) significantly improved vascular relaxation mediated by acetylcholine in epineurial vessels of diabetic rats. Sciatic nerve Na+-K+-ATPase activity and myoinositol content was also improved by DHEA treatment, whereas sorbitol and fructose content remained elevated. These studies suggest that DHEA, by preventing oxidative stress and perhaps improving sciatic nerve Na+-K+-ATPase activity, may improve vascular and neural dysfunction in diabetes.