Fernanda S. Oliveira

Critical Role of ASC Inflammasomes and Bacterial Type IV Secretion System in Caspase-1 Activation and Host Innate Resistance to Brucella abortus Infection

Pathogens are detected by innate immune receptors that, upon activation, orchestrate an appropriate immune response. Recent studies revealed the intracellular signaling cascades involved in the TLR-initiated immune response to Brucella abortus infection. However, no report has elucidated the role of inflammasome receptors in Brucella recognition. Therefore, we decided to investigate the function of NLRC4, NLRP3, and AIM2 in sensing Brucella. In this study, we showed that NLRC4 is not required to induce caspase-1 activation and further secretion of IL-1β by B. abortus in macrophages. In contrast, we determined that AIM2, which senses Brucella DNA, and NLRP3 are partially required for caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion. Additionally, mitochondrial reactive oxygen species induced by Brucella were implicated in IL-1β production. Furthermore, AIM2, NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1 knockout mice were more susceptible to B. abortus infection than were wild-type animals, suggesting that multiple ASC-dependent inflammasomes contribute to host protection against infection. This protective effect is due to the inflammatory response caused by IL-1β and IL-18 rather than pyroptosis, because we observed augmented bacterial burden in IL-1R and IL-18 knockout mice. Finally, we determined that bacterial type IV secretion system VirB and live, but not heat-killed, Brucella are required for full inflammasome activation in macrophages during infection. Taken together, our results indicate that Brucella is sensed by ASC inflammasomes that collectively orchestrate a robust caspase-1 activation and proinflammatory response.

An Oral Vaccine Based on U-Omp19 Induces Protection against B. abortus Mucosal Challenge by Inducing an Adaptive IL-17 Immune Response in Mice

As Brucella infections occur mainly through mucosal surfaces, the development of mucosal administered vaccines could be radical for the control of brucellosis. In this work we evaluated the potential of Brucella abortus 19 kDa outer membrane protein (U-Omp19) as an edible subunit vaccine against brucellosis. We investigated the protective immune response elicited against oral B. abortus infection after vaccination of mice with leaves from transgenic plants expressing U-Omp19; or with plant-made or E. coli-made purified U-Omp19. All tested U-Omp19 formulations induced protection against Brucella when orally administered without the need of adjuvants. U-Omp19 also induced protection against a systemic challenge when parenterally administered. This built-in adjuvant ability of U-Omp19 was independent of TLR4 and could be explained at least in part by its capability to activate dendritic cells in vivo. While unadjuvanted U-Omp19 intraperitoneally administered induced a specific Th1 response, following U-Omp19 oral delivery a mixed specific Th1-Th17 response was induced. Depletion of CD4+ T cells in mice orally vaccinated with U-Omp19 resulted in a loss of the elicited protection, indicating that this cell type mediates immune protection. The role of IL-17 against Brucella infection has never been explored. In this study, we determined that if IL-17A was neutralized in vivo during the challenge period, the mucosal U-Omp19 vaccine did not confer mucosal protection. On the contrary, IL-17A neutralization during the infection did not influence at all the subsistence and growth of this bacterium in PBS-immunized mice. All together, our results indicate that an oral unadjuvanted vaccine based on U-Omp19 induces protection against a mucosal challenge with Brucella abortus by inducing an adaptive IL-17 immune response. They also indicate different and important new aspects i) IL-17 does not contribute to reduce the bacterial burden in non vaccinated mice and ii) IL-17 plays a central role in vaccine mediated anti-Brucella mucosal immunity.

The role of innate immune receptors in the control of Brucella abortus infection: Toll-like receptors and beyond

Research into intracellular sensing of microbial products is an up and coming field in innate immunity. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) recognize Brucella spp. and bacterial components and initiate mononuclear phagocyte responses that influence both innate and adaptive immunity. Recent studies have revealed the intracellular signaling cascades involved in the TLR-initiated immune response to Brucella infection. TLR2, TLR4 and TLR9 have been implicated in host interactions with Brucella; however, TLR9 has the most prominent role. Further, the relationship between specific Brucella molecules and various signal transduction pathways needs to be better understood. MyD88-dependent and TRIF-independent signaling pathways are involved in Brucella activation of innate immune cells through TLRs. We have recently reported the critical role of MyD88 molecule in dendritic cell maturation and interleukin-12 production during B. abortus infection. This article discusses recent studies on TLR signaling and also highlights the contribution of NOD and type I IFN receptors during Brucella infection. The better understanding of the role by such innate immune receptors in bacterial infection is critical in host-pathogen interactions.

MyD88 and STING signaling pathways are required for IRF3-mediated IFN-β induction in response to Brucella abortus infection.

Type I interferons (IFNs) are cytokines that orchestrate diverse immune responses to viral and bacterial infections. Although typically considered to be most important molecules in response to viruses, type I IFNs are also induced by most, if not all, bacterial pathogens. In this study, we addressed the role of type I IFN signaling during Brucella abortus infection, a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes abortion in domestic animals and undulant fever in humans. Herein, we have shown that B. abortus induced IFN-β in macrophages and splenocytes. Further, IFN-β induction by Brucella was mediated by IRF3 signaling pathway and activates IFN-stimulated genes via STAT1 phosphorylation. In addition, IFN-β expression induced by Brucella is independent of TLRs and TRIF signaling but MyD88-dependent, a pathway not yet described for Gram-negative bacteria. Furthermore, we have identified Brucella DNA as the major bacterial component to induce IFN-β and our study revealed that this molecule operates through a mechanism dependent on RNA polymerase III to be sensed probably by an unknown receptor via the adaptor molecule STING. Finally, we have demonstrated that IFN-αβR KO mice are more resistant to infection suggesting that type I IFN signaling is detrimental to host control of Brucella. This resistance phenotype is accompanied by increased IFN-γ and NO production by IFN-αβR KO spleen cells and reduced apoptosis.

The Protein Moiety of Brucella abortus Outer Membrane Protein 16 Is a New Bacterial Pathogen-Associated Molecular Pattern That Activates Dendritic Cells In Vivo, Induces a Th1 Immune Response, and Is a Promising Self-Adjuvanting Vaccine against Systemic and Oral Acquired Brucellosis

Knowing the inherent stimulatory properties of the lipid moiety of bacterial lipoproteins, we first hypothesized that Brucella abortus outer membrane protein (Omp)16 lipoprotein would be able to elicit a protective immune response without the need of external adjuvants. In this study, we demonstrate that Omp16 administered by the i.p. route confers significant protection against B. abortus infection and that the protective response evoked is independent of the protein lipidation. To date, Omp16 is the first Brucella protein that without the requirement of external adjuvants is able to induce similar protection levels to the control live vaccine S19. Moreover, the protein portion of Omp16 (unlipidated Omp16 [U-Omp16]) elicits a protective response when administered by the oral route. Either systemic or oral immunization with U-Omp16 elicits a Th1-specific response. These abilities of U-Omp16 indicate that it is endowed with self-adjuvanting properties. The adjuvanticity of U-Omp16 could be explained, at least in part, by its capacity to activate dendritic cells in vivo. U-Omp16 is also able to stimulate dendritic cells and macrophages in vitro. The latter property and its ability to induce a protective Th1 immune response against B. abortus infection have been found to be TLR4 dependent. The facts that U-Omp16 is an oral protective Ag and possesses a mucosal self-adjuvanting property led us to develop a plant-made vaccine expressing U-Omp16. Our results indicate that plant-expressed recombinant U-Omp16 is able to confer protective immunity, when given orally, indicating that a plant-based oral vaccine expressing U-Omp16 could be a valuable approach to controlling this disease.

Host Susceptibility to Brucella abortus Infection Is More Pronounced in IFN-γ knockout than IL-12/β2-Microglobulin Double-Deficient Mice

Brucella abortus is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes abortion in domestic animals and undulant fever in humans. IFN-γ, IL-12, and CD8+ T lymphocytes are important components of host immune responses against B. abortus. Herein, IFN-γ and IL-12/β2-microglobulin (β2-m) knockout mice were used to determine whether CD8+ T cells and IL-12-dependent IFN-γ deficiency would be more critical to control B. abortus infection compared to the lack of endogenous IFN-γ. At 1 week after infection, IFN-γ KO and IL-12/β2-m KO mice showed increased numbers of bacterial load in spleens; however, at 3 weeks postinfection (p.i.), only IFN-γ KO succumbed to Brucella. All IFN-γ KO had died at 16 days p.i. whereas death within the IL-12/β2-m KO group was delayed and occurred at 32 days until 47 days postinfection. Susceptibility of IL-12/β2-m KO animals to Brucella was associated to undetectable levels of IFN-γ in mouse splenocytes and inability of these cells to lyse Brucella-infected macrophages. However, the lack of endogenous IFN-γ was found to be more important to control brucellosis than CD8+ T cells and IL-12-dependent IFN-γ deficiencies.

The role of innate immune signals in immunity to Brucella abortus

Innate immunity serves as the first line of defense against infectious agents such as intracellular bacteria. The innate immune platform includes Toll-like receptors (TLRs), retinoid acid-inducible gene-I-like receptors and other cytosolic nucleic acid sensors, nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain-like receptors, adaptors, kinases and other signaling molecules that are required to elicit effective responses against different pathogens. Our research group has been using the Gram-negative bacteria Brucella abortus as a model of pathogen. We have demonstrated that B. abortus triggers MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways in macrophages in a MyD88 and IRAK-4-dependent manner. Furthermore, we claimed that so far TLR9 is the most important single TLR during Brucella infection. The identification of host receptors that recognize pathogen-derived nucleic acids has revealed an essential role for nucleic acid sensing in the triggering of immunity to intracellular pathogens. Besides TLRs, herein we describe recent advances in NOD1, NOD2, and type I IFN receptors in innate immune pathways during B. abortus infection.

Toll-Like Receptor 9 Is Required for Full Host Resistance to Mycobacterium avium Infection but Plays No Role in Induction of Th1 Responses

ABSTRACT To investigate the role of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in innate immunity to Mycobacterium avium, TLR9, TLR2, and MyD88 knockout (KO) mice were infected with this bacterium. Bacterial burdens were higher in the spleens, livers, and lungs of infected TLR9 KO mice than in those of C57BL/6 mice, indicating that TLR9 is required for efficient control of M. avium infection. However, TLR9 KO or TLR2 KO spleen cells displayed normal M. avium-induced tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) responses. This finding was confirmed by determining the number of splenic CD4+ T cells producing IFN-γ by flow cytometry. Furthermore, TLR2 and MyD88, but not TLR9, played a major role in interleukin-12 and TNF-α production by M. avium-infected macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs). We also found that major histocompatibility complex class II molecule expression on DCs is regulated by TLR2 and MyD88 signaling but not by TLR9. Finally, lack of TLR9, TLR2, or MyD88 reduced the numbers of macrophages, epithelioid cells, and lymphocytes in M. avium-induced granulomas but only MyD88 deficiency affected the number of liver granulomas. In summary, our data demonstrated that the involvement of TLR9 in the control of M. avium infection is not related to the induction of Th1 responses.

Interleukin-1 Receptor-Associated Kinase 4 Is Essential for Initial Host Control of Brucella abortus Infection

ABSTRACT Brucella abortus is a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes abortion in domestic animals and undulant fever in humans. Recent studies have revealed that Toll-like receptor (TLR)-initiated immune response to Brucella spp. depends on myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) signaling. Therefore, we decided to study the role of the interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 (IRAK-4) in host innate immune response against B. abortus. After Brucella infection, it was shown that the number of CFU in IRAK-4−/− mice was high compared to that in IRAK-4+/− animals only at 1 week postinfection. At 3 and 6 weeks postinfection, IRAK-4−/− mice were able to control the infection similarly to heterozygous animals. Furthermore, the type 1 cytokine profile was evaluated. IRAK-4−/− mice showed lower production of systemic interleukin-12 (IL-12) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ). Additionally, a reduced percentage of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expressing IFN-γ was observed compared to IRAK-4+/−. Further, the production of IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) by macrophages and dendritic cells from IRAK-4−/− mice was abolished at 24 h after stimulation with B. abortus. To investigate the role of IRAK-4 in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NF-κB signaling pathways, macrophages were stimulated with B. abortus, and the signaling components were analyzed by protein phosphorylation. Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) and ERK2 and p38 as well as p65 NF-κB phosphorylation was profoundly impaired in IRAK-4−/− and MyD88−/− macrophages activated by Brucella. In summary, the results shown in this study demonstrated that IRAK-4 is critical to trigger the initial immune response against B. abortus but not at later phases of infection.

Update on the role of innate immune receptors during Brucella abortus infection.

The innate immune system constitutes an efficient defense mechanism against invading microbial pathogens. Recent studies have revealed the intracellular signaling cascades involved in the TLR-initiated immune response to Brucella spp. infection. However, there is a piece of the puzzle missing that is the role of non-TLR receptors in innate immunity. The involvement of TLR receptors in brucellosis has been investigated by different research groups. It was demonstrated that TLR2 clearly does not play any role in controlling Brucella abortus infection in vivo, whereas TLR9 has been shown to be required for clearance of this bacterium in infected mice. The participation of adaptor molecules, such as MyD88 and TRIF has also been discussed. Recently, we and others have reported the critical role of MyD88- and not TRIF-mediated signaling in dendritic cell maturation and in vivo resistance during B. abortus infection. However, the relationship between specific Brucella molecules and non-TLR receptors and signal transduction pathways needs to be better understood. It is now clear that the interaction between TLRs and recently identified cytosolic innate immune sensors is crucial for mounting effective immune responses. Finally, this review discusses the mechanisms used by Brucella to escape detection by the host innate immune system.