Live Staphylococcus aureus and bacterial soluble factors induce different transcriptional responses in human airway cells.

To characterize the response of respiratory epithelium to infection by Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), human airway cells were incubated for 1 to 24 h with a supernatant of a S. aureus culture (bacterial supernatant), then profiled with a pangenomic DNA microarray. Because an upregulation of many genes was noticed around 3 h, three independent approaches were then used to characterize the host response to a 3-h contact either with bacterial supernatant or with live bacteria: 1) a DNA microarray containing 4,200 sequence-verified probes, 2) a semiquantitative RT-PCR with a set of 537 pairs of validated primers, or 3) ELISA assay of IL-8, IL-6, TNFalpha, and PGE(2). Among others, Fos, Jun, and EGR-1 were upregulated by the bacterial supernatant and by live bacteria. Increased expression of bhlhb2 and Mig-6, promoter regions which harbor HIF responding elements, was explained by an increased expression of the HIF-1alpha protein. Activation of the inducible form of cyclooxygenase, COX-2, and of the interleukins IL-1, IL-6, and IL-8, as well as of the NF-kappaB pathway, was observed preferentially in cells in contact with bacterial supernatant. Early infection was characterized by an upregulation of anti-apoptotic genes and a downregulation of pro-apoptotic genes. This correlated with a necrotic, rather than apoptotic cell death. Overall, this first global description of an airway epithelial infection by S. aureus demonstrates a larger global response to bacterial supernatant (in term of altered genes and variation factors) than to exponentially growing live bacteria.

Stimulation of beta 2-adrenergic receptor increases cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator expression in human airway epithelial cells through a cAMP/protein kinase A-independent pathway.

PSD-95/Dlg-A/ZO-1 (PDZ) domains play an essential role in determining cell polarity. The Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulatory factor (NHERF), also known as EBP50, contains two PDZ domains that mediate the assembly of transmembrane and cytosolic proteins into functional signal transduction complexes. Moreover, it has been shown that cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (beta(2)AR) bind equally well to the PDZ1 domain of EBP50. We hypothesized that beta(2)AR activation may regulate CFTR protein expression. To verify this, we evaluated the effects of a pharmacologically relevant concentration of salmeterol (2.10(-7) m), a long acting beta(2)AR agonist, on CFTR expression in primary human airway epithelial cells (HAEC). beta(2)AR stimulation induced a time-dependent increase in apical CFTR protein expression, with a maximal response reached after treatment for 24 h. This effect was post-transcriptional, dependent upon the beta(2)AR agonist binding to beta(2)AR and independent of the known beta(2)AR agonist-mediated cAMP/PKA pathway. We demonstrated by immunohistochemistry that CFTR, beta(2)AR, and EBP50 localize to the apical membrane of HAEC. Analyses of anti-EBP50 protein immunoprecipitate showed that salmeterol induced an increase in the amount of CFTR that binds to EBP50. These data suggest that beta(2)AR activation regulates the association of CFTR with EBP50 in polarized HAEC.

Dynamic interaction between airway epithelial cells and Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of pulmonary infection, particularly in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. However, few aspects of the interplay between S. aureus and host airway epithelial cells have been investigated thus far. We investigated by videomicroscopy the time- and bacterial concentration-dependent (10(4), 10(6), and 10(8) CFU/ml) effect of S. aureus on adherence, internalization, and the associated damage of the airway epithelial cells. The balance between the secretion by S. aureus of the alpha-toxin virulence factor and by the airway cells of the antibacterial secretory leukoproteinase inhibitor (SLPI) was also analyzed. After 1 h of interaction, whatever the initial bacterial concentration, a low percentage of S. aureus (<8%) adhered to airway cells, and no airway epithelial cell damage was observed. In contrast, after 24 h of incubation, more bacteria adhered to airway epithelial cells, internalized bacteria were observed, and a bacterial concentration-dependent effect on airway cell damage was observed. At 24 h, most airway cells incubated with bacteria at 10(8) CFU/ml exhibited a necrotic phenotype. The necrosis was preceded by a transient apoptotic process. In parallel, we observed a time- and bacterial concentration-dependent decrease in SLPI and increase in alpha-toxin expression. These results suggest that airway cells can defend against S. aureus in the early stages of infection. However, in later phases, there is a marked imbalance between the bactericidal capacity of host cells and bacterial virulence. These findings reinforce the potential importance of S. aureus in the pathogenicity of airway infections, including those observed early in CF patients.