Alessandra Mattos Saliba

Lipid body mobilization in the ExoU-induced release of inflammatory mediators by airway epithelial cells.

This report addressed the question whether ExoU stimulation of airway epithelial cells may contribute to the inflammatory response detected in the course of Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory infections. Infection with PA103 P. aeruginosa elicited a potent release of IL-6 and IL-8, as well as of arachidonic acid (AA) and PGE(2) that was reduced by the bacterial treatment with MAFP, a cPLA(2) inhibitor. Airway cells from the BEAS-2B line and in primary culture were shown to be enriched in lipid bodies (LBs), that are cytoplasmic domains implicated in AA transformation into eicosanoids. However, cells infected with PA103 and with a mutant deficient in exoU but complemented with a functional gene exhibited reduced contents of LBs, and this reduction was inhibited by MAFP. FACS analysis showed that the decrease in the LB content correlated with the presence of intracellular PGE(2). Also, in PA103-infected cells, PGE(2) was immunolocalized in LBs, suggesting that the reduction in the cell content of the organelles was due to consumption of their glycerolipids, resulting in local synthesis of the prostanoid. In conclusion, we showed the ExoU ability to induce airway epithelial cells to overproduce PGE(2) and we speculate that LB may represent intracellular loci involved in ExoU-induced eicosanoid synthesis.

ExoU-induced vascular hyperpermeability and platelet activation in the course of experimental Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumosepsis.

To address the question whether ExoU, a Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytotoxin with phospholipase A2 activity, can induce hemostatic abnormalities during the course of pneumosepsis, mice were instilled i.t. with the ExoU-producing PA103 P. aeruginosa or with a mutant obtained by deletion of the exoU gene. Control animals were instilled with sterile vehicle. To assess the role of ExoU in animal survival, mice were evaluated for 72 h. In all the other experiments, animals were studied at 24 h after infection. PA103-infected mice showed significantly higher mortality rate, lower blood leukocyte concentration, and higher platelet concentration and hematocrit than animals infected with the bacterial mutant, as well as evidences of increased vascular permeability and plasma leakage, which were confirmed by our finding of higher protein concentration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids and by the Evans blue dye assay. Platelets from PA103-infected mice demonstrated features of activation, assessed by the flow cytometric detection of higher percentage of P-selectin expression and of platelet-derived microparticles as well as by the enzyme immunoassay detection of increased thromboxane A2 concentration in animal plasma. Histopathology of lung and kidney sections from PA103-infected mice exhibited evidences of thrombus formation that were not detected in sections of animals from the other groups. Our results demonstrate the ability of ExoU to induce vascular hyperpermeability, platelet activation, and thrombus formation during P. aeruginosa pneumosepsis, and we speculate that this ability may contribute to the reported poor outcome of patients with severe infection by ExoU-producing P. aeruginosa.

ExoU activates NF-κB and increases IL-8/KC secretion during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.

ExoU, a Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytotoxin injected into host cytosol by type III secretion system, exhibits a potent proinflammatory activity that leads to a marked recruitment of neutrophils to infected tissues. To evaluate the mechanisms that account for neutrophil infiltration, we investigated the effect of ExoU on IL-8 secretion and NF-κB activation. We demonstrate that ExoU increases IL-8 mRNA and protein levels in P. aeruginosa-infected epithelial and endothelial cell lines. Also, ExoU induces the nuclear translocation of p65/p50 NF-κB transactivator heterodimer as well as NF-κB-dependent transcriptional activity. ChIP assays clearly revealed that ExoU promotes p65 binding to NF-κB site in IL-8 promoter and the treatment of cultures with the NF-κB inhibitor Bay 11-7082 led to a significant reduction in IL-8 mRNA levels and protein secretion induced by ExoU. These results were corroborated in a murine model of pneumonia that revealed a significant reduction in KC secretion and neutrophil infiltration in bronchoalveolar lavage when mice were treated with Bay 11-7082 before infection with an ExoU-producing strain. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that ExoU activates NF-κB, stimulating IL-8 expression and secretion during P. aeruginosa infection, and unveils a new mechanism triggered by this important virulence factor to interfere in host signaling pathways.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin ExoU induces a PAF-dependent impairment of alveolar fibrin turnover secondary to enhanced activation of coagulation and increased expression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in the course of mice pneumosepsis

BackgroundExoU, a Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytotoxin with phospholipase A2 activity, was shown to induce vascular hyperpermeability and thrombus formation in a murine model of pneumosepsis. In this study, we investigated the toxin ability to induce alterations in pulmonary fibrinolysis and the contribution of the platelet activating factor (PAF) in the ExoU-induced overexpression of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1).MethodsMice were intratracheally instilled with the ExoU producing PA103 P. aeruginosa or its mutant with deletion of the exoU gene. After 24 h, animal bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) were analyzed and lung sections were submitted to fibrin and PAI-1 immunohistochemical localization. Supernatants from A549 airway epithelial cells and THP-1 macrophage cultures infected with both bacterial strains were also analyzed at 24 h post-infection.ResultsIn PA103-infected mice, but not in control animals or in mice infected with the bacterial mutant, extensive fibrin deposition was detected in lung parenchyma and microvasculature whereas mice BALF exhibited elevated tissue factor-dependent procoagulant activity and PAI-1 concentration. ExoU-triggered PAI-1 overexpression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. In in vitro assays, PA103-infected A549 cells exhibited overexpression of PAI-1 mRNA. Increased concentration of PAI-1 protein was detected in both A549 and THP-1 culture supernatants. Mice treatment with a PAF antagonist prior to PA103 infection reduced significantly PAI-1 concentrations in mice BALF. Similarly, A549 cell treatment with an antibody against PAF receptor significantly reduced PAI-1 mRNA expression and PAI-1 concentrations in cell supernatants, respectively.ConclusionExoU was shown to induce disturbed fibrin turnover, secondary to enhanced procoagulant and antifibrinolytic activity during P. aeruginosa pneumosepsis, by a PAF-dependent mechanism. Besides its possible pathophysiological relevance, in vitro detection of exoU gene in bacterial clinical isolates warrants investigation as a predictor of outcome of patients with P. aeruginosa pneumonia/sepsis and as a marker to guide treatment strategies.

The human parasite Leishmania amazonensis downregulates iNOS expression via NF-κB p50/p50 homodimer: role of the PI3K/Akt pathway

Leishmania amazonensis activates the NF-κB transcriptional repressor homodimer (p50/p50) and promotes nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) downregulation. We investigated the role of PI3K/Akt in p50/p50 NF-κB activation and the effect on iNOS expression in L. amazonensis infection. The increased occupancy of p50/p50 on the iNOS promoter of infected macrophages was observed and we demonstrated that both p50/p50 NF-κB induction and iNOS downregulation in infected macrophages depended on PI3K/Akt activation. Importantly, the intracellular growth of the parasite was also impaired during PI3K/Akt signalling inhibition and in macrophages knocked-down for Akt 1 expression. It was also observed that the increased nuclear levels of p50/p50 in L. amazonensis-infected macrophages were associated with reduced phosphorylation of 907 Ser p105, the precursor of p50. Corroborating these data, we demonstrated the increased levels of phospho-9 Ser GSK3β in infected macrophages, which is associated with GSK3β inhibition and, consequently, its inability to phosphorylate p105. Remarkably, we found that the levels of pPTEN 370 Ser, a negative regulator of PI3K, increased due to L. amazonensis infection. Our data support the notion that PI3K/Akt activity is sustained during the parasite infection, leading to NF-κB 105 phosphorylation and further processing to originate p50/p50 homodimers and the consequent downregulation of iNOS expression.

Central role of PAFR signalling in ExoU-induced NF-κB activation.

ExoU is an important virulence factor in acute Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. Here, we unveiled the mechanisms of ExoU‐driven NF‐κB activation by using human airway cells and mice infected with P. aeruginosa strains. Several approaches showed that PAFR was crucially implicated in the activation of the canonical NF‐κB pathway. Confocal microscopy of lungs from infected mice revealed that PAFR‐dependent NF‐κB activation occurred mainly in respiratory epithelial cells, and reduced p65 nuclear translocation was detected in mice PAFR−/− or treated with the PAFR antagonist WEB 2086. Several evidences showed that ExoU‐induced NF‐κB activation regulated PAFR expression. First, ExoU increased p65 occupation of PAFR promoter, as assessed by ChIP. Second, luciferase assays in cultures transfected with different plasmid constructs revealed that ExoU promoted p65 binding to the three κB sites in PAFR promoter. Third, treatment of cell cultures with the NF‐κB inhibitor Bay 11–7082, or transfection with IκBα negative‐dominant, significantly decreased PAFR mRNA. Finally, reduction in PAFR expression was observed in mice treated with Bay 11–7082 or WEB 2086 prior to infection. Together, our data demonstrate that ExoU activates NF‐κB by PAFR signalling, which in turns enhances PAFR expression, highlighting an important mechanism of amplification of response to this P. aeruginosa toxin.

HIV-1 Tat protein enhances the intracellular growth of Leishmania amazonensis via the ds-RNA induced protein PKR.

HIV-1 co-infection with human parasitic diseases is a growing public health problem worldwide. Leishmania parasites infect and replicate inside macrophages, thereby subverting host signaling pathways, including the response mediated by PKR. The HIV-1 Tat protein interacts with PKR and plays a pivotal role in HIV-1 replication. This study shows that Tat increases both the expression and activation of PKR in Leishmania-infected macrophages. Importantly, the positive effect of Tat addition on parasite growth was dependent on PKR signaling, as demonstrated in PKR-deficient macrophages or macrophages treated with the PKR inhibitor. The effect of HIV-1 Tat on parasite growth was prevented when the supernatant of HIV-1-infected macrophages was treated with neutralizing anti-HIV-1 Tat prior to Leishmania infection. The addition of HIV-1 Tat to Leishmania-infected macrophages led to inhibition of iNOS expression, modulation of NF-kB activation and enhancement of IL-10 expression. Accordingly, the expression of a Tat construct containing mutations in the basic region (49–57aa), which is responsible for the interaction with PKR, favored neither parasite growth nor IL-10 expression in infected macrophages. In summary, we show that Tat enhances Leishmania growth through PKR signaling.

ExoU modulates soluble and membrane-bound ICAM-1 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected endothelial cells

ExoU, a Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytotoxin injected via the type III secretion system into host cells, possesses eicosanoid-mediated proinflammatory properties due to its phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) activity. This report addressed the question whether ExoU may modulate the expression of adhesion molecules in host cells, therefore contributing to the recruitment of leukocyte into infected tissues. ExoU was shown to down-regulate membrane-bound ICAM-1 (mICAM-1) and up-regulate the release of soluble ICAM-1 (sICAM-1) from P. aeruginosa-infected endothelial cells. The modulation of ICAM-1 depended on the direct effect of the ExoU PLA(2) activity and involved the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway. No differences in mICAM-1 and sICAM-1 mRNA levels were observed when cultures were infected with the ExoU-producing PA103 strain or the mutant PA103DeltaexoU, suggesting that ExoU may proteolytically cleave mICAM-1, producing sICAM-1 in a COX-dependent pathway.

Potential mechanisms underlying the acute lung dysfunction and bacterial extrapulmonary dissemination during Burkholderia cenocepacia respiratory infection

BackgroundBurkholderia cenocepacia, an opportunistic pathogen that causes lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, is associated with rapid and usually fatal lung deterioration due to necrotizing pneumonia and sepsis, a condition known as cepacia syndrome. The key bacterial determinants associated with this poor clinical outcome in CF patients are not clear. In this study, the cytotoxicity and procoagulant activity of B. cenocepacia from the ET-12 lineage, that has been linked to the cepacia syndrome, and four clinical isolates recovered from CF patients with mild clinical courses were analysed in both in vitro and in vivo assays.MethodsB. cenocepacia-infected BEAS-2B epithelial respiratory cells were used to investigate the bacterial cytotoxicity assessed by the flow cytometric detection of cell staining with propidium iodide. Bacteria-induced procoagulant activity in cell cultures was assessed by a colorimetric assay and by the flow cytometric detection of tissue factor (TF)-bearing microparticles in cell culture supernatants. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) from intratracheally infected mice were assessed for bacterial proinflammatory and procoagulant activities as well as for bacterial cytotoxicity, by the detection of released lactate dehydrogenase.ResultsET-12 was significantly more cytotoxic to cell cultures but clinical isolates Cl-2, Cl-3 and Cl-4 exhibited also a cytotoxic profile. ET-12 and CI-2 were similarly able to generate a TF-dependent procoagulant environment in cell culture supernatant and to enhance the release of TF-bearing microparticles from infected cells. In the in vivo assay, all bacterial isolates disseminated from the mice lungs, but Cl-2 and Cl-4 exhibited the highest rates of recovery from mice livers. Interestingly, Cl-2 and Cl-4, together with ET-12, exhibited the highest cytotoxicity. All bacteria were similarly capable of generating a procoagulant and inflammatory environment in animal lungs.ConclusionB. cenocepacia were shown to exhibit cytotoxic and procoagulant activities potentially implicated in bacterial dissemination into the circulation and acute pulmonary decline detected in susceptible CF patients. Improved understanding of the mechanisms accounting for B. cenocepacia-induced clinical decline has the potential to indicate novel therapeutic strategies to be included in the care B. cenocepacia-infected patients.

Leishmania amazonensis downregulates macrophage iNOS expression via Histone Deacetylase 1 (HDAC1): a novel parasite evasion mechanism

The induced expression of nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) controls the intracellular growth of Leishmania in infected macrophages. Histones deacetylases (HDACs) negatively regulate gene expression through the formation of complexes containing transcription factors such as NF‐κB p50/50. Herein, we demonstrated the occupancy of p50/p50_HDAC1 to iNOS promoter associated with reduced levels of H3K9Ac. Remarkably, we found increased levels of HDAC1 in L. amazonensis‐infected macrophages. HDAC1 upregulation was not found in L. major‐infected macrophages. The parasite intracellular load was reduced in HDAC1 knocked‐down macrophages, which presented increased nitric oxide levels. HDAC1 silencing led to the occupancy of CBP/p300 to iNOS promoter and the rise of H3K9Ac modification. Importantly, the immunostaining of skin samples from hiporeactive cutaneous leishmaniasis patients infected with L. amazonensis, revealed high levels of HDAC1. In brief, L. amazonensis induces HDAC1 in infected macrophages, which contribute to parasite survival and is associated to hiporeactive stage found in L. amazonensis infected patients.