Deeqa Mahamed

Gamma interferon positively modulates Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-specific RANKL+ CD4+ Th-cell-mediated alveolar bone destruction in vivo.

ABSTRACT Recent studies have shown the biological and clinical significance of signaling pathways of osteogenic cytokines RANKL-RANK/OPG in controlling osteoclastogenesis associated with bone pathologies, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and other osteolytic disorders. In contrast to the inhibitory effect of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) on RANKL-mediated osteoclastogenesis reported recently, alternative new evidence is demonstrated via studies of experimental periodontitis using humanized NOD/SCID and diabetic NOD mice and clinical human T-cell isolates from diseased periodontal tissues, where the presence of increasing IFN-γ is clearly associated with (i) enhanced Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans-specific RANKL-expressing CD4+ Th cell-mediated alveolar bone loss during the progression of periodontal disease and (ii) a concomitant and significantly increased coexpression of IFN-γ in RANKL(+) CD4+ Th cells. Therefore, there are more complex networks in regulating RANKL-RANK/OPG signaling pathways for osteoclastogenesis in vivo than have been suggested to date.

Dendritic Cells at the Osteo‐Immune Interface: Implications for Inflammation‐Induced Bone Loss

Within the past decade, the critical roles of T cells and T cell–mediated immunity in inflammation‐induced osteoclastogenesis and subsequent bone loss have been extensively studied, thereby establishing the new paradigm of osteoimmunology. Therefore, dendritic cells (DCs), the most potent antigen‐presenting cells, responsible for activation of naïve T cells and orchestration of the immune response, became critically situated at the osteo‐immune interface. Today, emerging new evidence suggests that DC may be directly involved in inflammation‐induced osteoclastogenesis and bone loss, by acting as osteoclast (OC) precursors that can further develop into DC‐derived OCs (DDOC) under inflammatory conditions. These findings have tremendous implications, because in addition to DCs important roles in regulating innate and adaptive immunity, a direct contribution by these cells to inflammation‐induced bone loss may provide a promising therapeutic target not only for controlling inflammation but also for modulating bone destruction.

CD73-generated adenosine facilitates Toxoplasma gondii differentiation to long-lived tissue cysts in the central nervous system

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan pathogen that traffics to the central nervous system (CNS) following invasion of its host. In the CNS, T. gondii undergoes transformation from a rapidly dividing tachyzoite to a long-lived, slow-dividing bradyzoite contained within cysts. The role of extracellular adenosine in T. gondii pathogenesis has not been previously investigated. T. gondii uses host purines such as adenosine for its energy needs, as it is unable to make its own. Here, we show that CD73−/− mice, which lack the ability to generate extracellular adenosine, are protected from T. gondii chronic infection, with significantly fewer cysts and reduced susceptibility to reactivation of infection in the CNS independent of host effector function. Parasite dissemination to the brain was unimpaired in CD73−/− hosts, suggesting that the reduced cyst number is due to impaired parasite differentiation in the CNS. Confirming this, T. gondii tachyzoites formed fewer cysts following alkaline pH stress in astrocytes isolated from CD73−/− mice compared with wild type, and in fibroblasts treated with a CD73 inhibitor. Cyst formation was rescued in CD73−/− astrocytes supplemented with adenosine, but not with adenosine receptor agonist 5′-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine. Furthermore, mice lacking adenosine receptors had no defect in cyst formation. Based on these findings, we conclude that CD73 expression promotes Toxoplasma bradyzoite differentiation and cyst formation by a mechanism dependent on the generation of adenosine, but independent of adenosine receptor signaling. Overall, these findings suggest that modulators of extracellular adenosine may be used to develop therapies aimed at defending against human toxoplasmosis.

Extracellular adenosine signaling induces CX3CL1 expression in the brain to promote experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

BackgroundMultiple sclerosis and its animal model experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) are debilitating neuroinflammatory diseases mediated by lymphocyte entry into the central nervous system (CNS). While it is not known what triggers lymphocyte entry into the CNS during neuroinflammation, blockade of lymphocyte migration has been shown to be effective in controlling neuroinflammatory diseases. Since we have previously shown that extracellular adenosine is a key mediator of lymphocyte migration into the CNS during EAE progression, we wanted to determine which factors are regulated by adenosine to modulate EAE development.MethodsWe performed a genetic analysis of wild type and CD73−/− (that are unable to produce extracellular adenosine and are protected from EAE development) to identify factors that are both important for EAE development and controlled by extracellular adenosine signaling.ResultsWe show that extracellular adenosine triggered lymphocyte migration into the CNS by inducing the expression of the specialized chemokine/adhesion molecule CX3CL1 at the choroid plexus. In wild type mice, CX3CL1 is upregulated in the brain on Day 10 post EAE induction, which corresponds with initial CNS lymphocyte infiltration and the acute stage of EAE. Conversely, mice that cannot synthesize extracellular adenosine (CD73−/− mice) do not upregulate CX3CL1 in the brain following EAE induction and are protected from EAE development and its associated lymphocyte infiltration. Additionally, blockade of the A2A adenosine receptor following EAE induction prevents disease development and the induction of brain CX3CL1 expression. The CX3CL1 induced during EAE is found on the choroid plexus, which is the barrier between the blood and cerebral spinal fluid in the brain and is a prime entry point into the CNS for immune cells. Furthermore, CX3CL1 expression can be induced in the brains of mice and in choroid plexus cell line following A2A adenosine receptor agonist administration. Most importantly, we show that CX3CL1 blockade protects against EAE development and inhibits lymphocyte entry into the CNS.ConclusionsWe conclude that extracellular adenosine is an endogenous modulator of neuroinflammation during EAE that induces CX3CL1 at the choroid plexus to trigger lymphocyte entry into the brain.

CD73-Generated Adenosine Is Critical for Immune Regulation during Toxoplasma gondii Infection

ABSTRACT As an obligate intracellular pathogen, the apicomplexan parasite Toxoplasma gondii evades immune system-mediated clearance by undergoing stage differentiation to persist indefinitely in susceptible hosts. Previously, we found that mice deficient in the ectoenzyme CD73, which generates adenosine in the extracellular matrix, were resistant to chronic toxoplasmosis after oral infection with T. gondii. Resistance in CD73 knockout mice was due to a delay in parasite differentiation in the central nervous system (CNS). To further clarify the role of CD73 and extracellular adenosine in T. gondii pathogenesis, we infected wild-type (WT) and CD73−/− mice with T. gondii cysts systemically by the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route. In contrast to oral infection, i.p. infected CD73−/− mice were highly susceptible to immune-mediated pathology, with significantly increased infiltration of neutrophils and T cells into the peritoneal cavity. Administration of the broad-spectrum adenosine receptor agonist 5′-N-ethylcarboxamidoadenosine (NECA) protected CD73−/− mice against T. gondii-induced immunopathology, suggesting that the absence of CD73-generated adenosine led to the increased susceptibility in these mice. Peritoneal exudate cells from infected CD73−/− mice produced higher levels of the inflammatory mediators nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), without enhanced parasite killing or clearance. Bone marrow chimeras established that CD73 expression in both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic compartments contributes to limiting T. gondii-induced immunopathology. In addition, mice deficient in the adenosine receptor A2A were more susceptible to immunopathology during intraperitoneal infection with T. gondii than WT mice. Thus, extracellular adenosine is a key immune regulator that limits collateral tissue damage due to an intracellular pathogen and promotes host survival.