Salmonella Flagellin Activates NAIP/NLRC4 and Canonical NLRP3 Inflammasomes in Human Macrophages.

Infection of human macrophages with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) leads to inflammasome activation. Inflammasomes are multiprotein complexes facilitating caspase-1 activation and subsequent gasdermin D-mediated cell death and IL-1ß and IL-18 cytokine release. The NAIP/NLRC4 inflammasome is activated by multiple bacterial protein ligands, including flagellin from the flagellum and the needle protein PrgI from the S. Typhimurium type III secretion system. In this study, we show that transfected ultrapure flagellin from S Typhimurium induced cell death and cytokine secretion in THP-1 cells and primary human monocyte-derived macrophages. In THP-1 cells, NAIP/NLRC4 and NLRP3 played redundant roles in inflammasome activation during infection with S. Typhimurium. Knockout of NAIP or NLRC4 in THP-1 cells revealed that flagellin, but not PrgI, now activated the NLRP3 inflammasome through a reactive oxygen species- and/or cathepsin-dependent mechanism that was independent of caspase-4/5 activity. In conclusion, our data suggest that NLRP3 can be activated by flagellin to act as a "safety net" to maintain inflammasome activation under conditions of suboptimal NAIP/NLRC4 activation, as observed in THP-1 cells, possibly explaining the redundant role of NLRP3 and NAIP/NLRC4 during S. Typhimurium infection.

Detection of a microbial metabolite by STING regulates inflammasome activation in response to Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

The innate immune system is a critical component of host defence against microbial pathogens, but effective responses require an ability to distinguish between infectious and non-infectious insult to prevent inappropriate inflammation. Using the important obligate intracellular human pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis; an organism that causes significant immunopathology, we sought to determine critical host and pathogen factors that contribute to the induction of inflammasome activation. We assayed inflammasome activation by immunoblotting and ELISA to detect IL-1ß processing and LDH release to determine pyroptosis. Using primary murine bone marrow derived macrophages or human monocyte derived dendritic cells, infected with live or attenuated Chlamydia trachomatis we report that the live organism activates both canonical and non-canonical inflammasomes, but only canonical inflammasomes controlled IL-1ß processing which preceded pyroptosis. NADPH oxidase deficient macrophages were permissive to Chlamydia trachomatis replication and displayed elevated type-1 interferon and inflammasome activation. Conversely, attenuated, non-replicating Chlamydia trachomatis, primed but did not activate inflammasomes and stimulated reduced type-1 interferon responses. This suggested bacterial replication or metabolism as important factors that determine interferon responses and inflammasome activation. We identified STING but not cGAS as a central mediator of interferon regulated inflammasome activation. Interestingly, exogenous delivery of a Chlamydia trachomatis metabolite and STING ligand-cyclic di-AMP, recovered inflammasome activation to attenuated bacteria in a STING dependent manner thus indicating that a bacterial metabolite is a key factor initiating inflammasome activation through STING, independent of cGAS. These data suggest a potential mechanism of how the innate immune system can distinguish between infectious and non-infectious insult and instigate appropriate immune responses that could be therapeutically targeted.

Regulation of GTP-binding protein (Gαs) expression in human myometrial cells: a role for tumor necrosis factor in modulating Gαs promoter acetylation by transcriptional complexes.

The onset of parturition is associated with a number of proinflammatory mediators that are themselves regulated by the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) family of transcription factors. In this context, we previously reported that the RelA NF-κB subunit represses transcription and mRNA expression of the proquiescent Gαs gene in human myometrial cells following stimulation with the proinflammatory cytokine TNF. In the present study, we initially defined the functional consequence of this on myometrial contractility. Here we show that, contrary to our initial expectations, TNF did not induce myometrial contractility but did inhibit the relaxation produced by the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A, an effect that in turn was abolished by the NF-κB inhibitor N(4)-[2-(4-phenoxyphenyl)ethyl]-4,6-quinazolinediamine. This result suggested a role for TNF in regulating Gαs expression via activating NF-κB and modifying histone acetylation associated with the promoter region of the gene. In this context, we show that the -837 to -618 region of the endogenous Gαs promoter is occupied by cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB), Egr-1, and Sp1 transcription factors and that CREB-binding protein (CBP) transcriptional complexes form within this region where they induce histone acetylation, resulting in increased Gαs expression. TNF, acting via NF-κB, did not change the levels of CREB, Sp1, or Egr-1 binding to the Gαs promoter, but it induced a significant reduction in the level of CBP. This was associated with increased levels of histone deacetylase-1 and surprisingly an increase in H4K8 acetylation. The latter is discussed herein.

Distinct cell death programs in monocytes regulate innate responses following challenge with common causes of invasive bacterial disease.

Peripheral blood monocytes represent the rapid response component of mononuclear phagocyte host defense, generating vigorous but finite antibacterial responses. We investigated the fate of highly purified primary human monocytes following phagocytosis of different bacteria. Exposure to high bacterial loads resulted in rapid loss of cell viability and decreased functional competence. Cell death typically involved classical apoptosis. Exposure to high numbers of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae induced nonapoptotic death with loss of cell membrane integrity, marked disruption of phagolysosomes, and caspase-1 activation, while a subset of cells also released caspase-1-regulated extracellular traps. Classical apoptosis increased if extracellular bacterial replication was reduced and decreased if intracellular ATP levels were reduced during these infections. Both classical apoptosis and the alternative forms of cell death allowed monocytes, whose functional competence was exhausted, to downregulate reactive oxygen species and proinflammatory cytokine responses. In contrast, sustained stimulation of glycolytic metabolism and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, with associated hypoxia inducible factor-1alpha upregulation, maintained intracellular ATP levels and prolonged monocyte functional longevity, as assessed by maintenance of phagocytosis, reactive oxygen species production, and proinflammatory cytokine generation. Monocyte innate responses to bacteria are short-lived and are limited by an intrinsic program of apoptosis, a response that is subverted by overwhelming infection with E. coli and K. pneumoniae or bacterial stimulation of cell metabolism. In this regard, the fate of monocytes following bacterial challenge more closely resembles neutrophils than macrophages.

IL-1α cleavage by inflammatory caspases of the noncanonical inflammasome controls the senescence-associated secretory phenotype.

Interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1α) is a powerful cytokine that modulates immunity, and requires canonical cleavage by calpain for full activity. Mature IL-1α is produced after inflammasome activation and during cell senescence, but the protease cleaving IL-1α in these contexts is unknown. We show IL-1α is activated by caspase-5 or caspase-11 cleavage at a conserved site. Caspase-5 drives cleaved IL-1α release after human macrophage inflammasome activation, while IL-1α secretion from murine macrophages only requires caspase-11, with IL-1ß release needing caspase-11 and caspase-1. Importantly, senescent human cells require caspase-5 for the IL-1α-dependent senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in vitro, while senescent mouse hepatocytes need caspase-11 for the SASP-driven immune surveillance of senescent cells in vivo. Together, we identify IL-1α as a novel substrate of noncanonical inflammatory caspases and finally provide a mechanism for how IL-1α is activated during senescence. Thus, targeting caspase-5 may reduce inflammation and limit the deleterious effects of accumulated senescent cells during disease and Aging.

Dendritic Cell-Derived TSLP Negatively Regulates HIF-1α and IL-1ß During Dectin-1 Signaling.

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is a functionally pleotropic cytokine important in immune regulation, and TSLP dysregulation is associated with numerous diseases. TSLP is produced by many cell types, but has predominantly been characterized as a secreted factor from epithelial cells which activates dendritic cells (DC) that subsequently prime T helper (TH) 2 immunity. However, DC themselves make significant amounts of TSLP in response to microbial products, but the functional role of DC-derived TSLP remains unclear. We show that TSLPR signaling negatively regulates IL-1ß production during dectin-1 stimulation of human DC. This regulatory mechanism functions by dampening Syk phosphorylation and is mediated via NADPH oxidase-derived ROS, HIF-1α and pro-IL-1ß expression. Considering the profound effect TSLPR signaling has on the metabolic status and the secretome of dectin-1 stimulated DC, these data suggest that autocrine TSLPR signaling could have a fundamental role in modulating immunological effector responses at sites removed from epithelial cell production of TSLP.

New concepts in Chlamydia induced inflammasome responses.

Since the concept of the inflammasome was introduced by Martinon, Burns and Tschopp in 2002, there has been an exponential increase in our understanding of how inflammasomes (caspase activating molecular platforms) regulate innate inflammatory responses to infectious microorganisms. Advances in understanding inflammasome biology have been developed using a range of bacterial pathogens. Recent studies investigating inflammasome responses during Chlamydia infection have provided interesting mechanistic insights in to inflammasome activation during intracellular bacterial infection. This review highlights new concepts regulating inflammasome activation to bacterial infections including: interferon-regulated loss of compartmentalisation, mechanisms of canonical and non-canonical inflammasome activation and their relevance to Chlamydia infections are discussed.

ß-Glucan Size Controls Dectin-1-Mediated Immune Responses in Human Dendritic Cells by Regulating IL-1ß Production.

Dectin-1/CLEC7A is a pattern recognition receptor that recognizes ß-1,3 glucans, and its stimulation initiates signaling events characterized by the production of inflammatory cytokines from human dendritic cells (DCs) required for antifungal immunity. ß-glucans differ greatly in size, structure, and ability to activate effector immune responses from DC; as such, small particulate ß-glucans are thought to be poor activators of innate immunity. We show that ß-glucan particle size is a critical factor contributing to the secretion of cytokines from human DC; large ß-glucan-stimulated DC generate significantly more IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-23 compared to those stimulated with the smaller ß-glucans. In marked contrast, the secretion of TSLP and CCL22 were found to be insensitive to ß-glucan particle size. Furthermore, we show that the capacity to induce phagocytosis, and the relative IL-1ß production determined by ß-glucan size, regulates the composition of the cytokine milieu generated from DC. This suggests that ß-glucan particle size is critically important in orchestrating the nature of the immune response to fungi.

IRE1α mediates PKR activation in response to Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

Protein kinase RNA activated (PKR) is a crucial mediator of anti-viral responses but is reported to be activated by multiple non-viral stimuli. However, mechanisms underlying PKR activation, particularly in response to bacterial infection, remain poorly understood. We have investigated mechanisms of PKR activation in human primary monocyte-derived dendritic cells in response to infection by Chlamydia trachomatis. Infection resulted in potent activation of PKR that was dependent on TLR4 and MyD88 signalling. NADPH oxidase was dispensable for activation of PKR as cells from chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) patients, or mice that lack NADPH oxidase activity, had equivalent or elevated PKR activation. Significantly, stimulation of cells with endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-inducing agents resulted in potent activation of PKR that was blocked by an inhibitor of IRE1α RNAse activity. Crucially, infection resulted in robust IRE1α RNAse activity that was dependent on TLR4 signalling and inhibition of IRE1α RNAse activity prevented PKR activation. Finally, we demonstrate that TLR4/IRE1α mediated PKR activation is required for the enhancement of interferon-ß production following C. trachomatis infection. Thus, we provide evidence of a novel mechanism of PKR activation requiring ER stress signalling that occurs as a consequence of TLR4 stimulation during bacterial infection and contributes to inflammatory responses.