Hanif Javanmard Khameneh

C5a Regulates IL-1β Production and Leukocyte Recruitment in a Murine Model of Monosodium Urate Crystal-Induced Peritonitis

Gouty arthritis results from the generation of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals within joints. These MSU crystals elicit acute inflammation characterized by massive infiltration of neutrophils and monocytes that are mobilized by the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1β. MSU crystals also activate the complement system, which regulates the inflammatory response; however, it is unclear whether or how MSU-mediated complement activation is linked to IL-1β release in vivo, and the various roles that might be played by individual components of the complement cascade. Here we show that exposure to MSU crystals in vivo triggers the complement cascade, leading to the generation of the biologically active complement proteins C3a and C5a. C5a, but not C3a, potentiated IL-1β and IL-1α release from LPS–primed MSU-exposed peritoneal macrophages and human monocytic cells in vitro; while in vivo MSU–induced C5a mediated murine neutrophil recruitment as well as IL-1β production at the site of inflammation. These effects were significantly ameliorated by treatment of mice with a C5a receptor antagonist. Mechanistic studies revealed that C5a most likely increased NLRP3 inflammasome activation via production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and not through increased transcription of inflammasome components. Therefore we conclude that C5a generated upon MSU-induced complement activation increases neutrophil recruitment in vivo by promoting IL-1 production via the generation of ROS, which activate the NLRP3 inflammasome. Identification of the C5a receptor as a key determinant of IL-1-mediated recruitment of inflammatory cells provides a novel potential target for therapeutic intervention to mitigate gouty arthritis.

The Syk–NFAT–IL-2 Pathway in Dendritic Cells Is Required for Optimal Sterile Immunity Elicited by Alum Adjuvants

Despite a long history and extensive usage of insoluble aluminum salts (alum) as vaccine adjuvants, the molecular mechanisms underpinning Ag-specific immunity upon vaccination remain unclear. Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial initiators of immune responses, but little is known about the molecular pathways used by DCs to sense alum and, in turn, activate T and B cells. In this article, we show that alum adjuvanticity requires IL-2 specifically released by DCs, even when T cell secretion of IL-2 is intact. We demonstrate that alum, as well as other sterile particulates, such as uric acid crystals, induces DCs to produce IL-2 following initiation of actin-mediated phagocytosis that leads to Src and Syk kinase activation, Ca2+ mobilization, and calcineurin-dependent activation of NFAT, the master transcription factor regulating IL-2 expression. Using chimeric mice, we show that DC-derived IL-2 is required for maximal Ag-specific proliferation of CD4+ T cells and optimal humoral responses following alum-adjuvanted immunization. These data identify DC-derived IL-2 as a key mediator of alum adjuvanticity in vivo and the Src–Syk pathway as a potential leverage point in the rational design of novel adjuvants.

Novel perspectives on non-canonical inflammasome activation

Inflammasomes are cytosolic multi-protein complexes that regulate the secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines, IL-1β and IL-18, and induce pyroptosis, an inflammatory form of cell death. The NLRP3 inflammasome is the most well-characterized member of this family and functions by sensing intracellular pathogen- and damage-associated molecular patterns and activating caspase-1, which processes the biologically inactive IL-1β and IL-18 precursors into active cytokines. Recent studies have identified an alternative mechanism of inflammasome activation, termed the non-canonical inflammasome, which is triggered by cytosolic sensing of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) derived from bacteria that have escaped phagolysosomes. This pathway is independent of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), the well-known extracellular receptor for LPS, but instead depends on the inflammatory protease, caspase-11. Although our understanding of caspase-11 activation is still in its infancy, it appears to be an essential mediator of septic shock and attenuates intestinal inflammation. In this review, we bring together the latest data on the roles of caspase-11 and the mechanisms underlying caspase-11-mediated activation of the non-canonical inflammasome, and consider the implications of this pathway on TLR4-independent immune responses to LPS.

NLRP3 inflammasome pathway has a critical role in the host immunity against clinically relevant Acinetobacter baumannii pulmonary infection

The opportunistic Gram-negative bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii (AB) is a leading cause of life-threatening nosocomial pneumonia. Outbreaks of multidrug resistant (MDR)-AB belonging to international clones (ICs) I and II with limited treatment options are major global health threats. However, the pathogenesis mechanisms of various AB clonal groups are understudied. Although inflammation-associated interleukin-1β (IL-1β) levels and IL-1 receptor antagonist polymorphisms were previously implicated in MDR-AB-related pneumonia in patients, whether inflammasomes has any role in the host defense and/or pathogenesis of clinically relevant A. baumannii infection is unknown. Using a sublethal mouse pneumonia model, we demonstrate that an extensively drug-resistant clinical isolate (ICII) of A. baumannii exhibits reduced/delayed early pulmonary neutrophil recruitment, higher lung persistence, and, most importantly, elicits enhanced IL-1β/IL-18 production and lung damage through NLRP3 inflammasome, in comparison with A. baumannii-type strain. A. baumannii infection-induced IL-1β/IL-18 production is entirely dependent on NLRP3-ASC-caspase-1/caspase-11 pathway. Using Nlrp3−/− mice infection models, we further show that while NLRP3 inflammasome pathway contributes to host defense against A. baumannii clinical isolate, it is dispensable for protection against A. baumannii-type strain. Our study reveals a novel differential role for NLRP3 inflammasome pathway in the immunity against clinically relevant A. baumannii infections, and highlights inflammasome pathway as a potential immunomodulatory target.

NLRC4 gets out of control

The NLRC4 inflammasome mediates the rapid release of proinflammatory cytokines in response to various microbial stimuli, but its role in the pathology of human diseases remains unknown. Two new studies now report gain-of-function mutations in the NLRC4 gene that cosegregate with distinct autoinflammatory syndromes in affected families.

E3 Ubiquitin ligase ZNRF4 negatively regulates NOD2 signalling and induces tolerance to MDP

Optimal regulation of the innate immune receptor nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2) is essential for controlling bacterial infections and inflammatory disorders. Chronic NOD2 stimulation induces non-responsiveness to restimulation, termed NOD2-induced tolerance. Although the levels of the NOD2 adaptor, RIP2, are reported to regulate both acute and chronic NOD2 signalling, how RIP2 levels are modulated is unclear. Here we show that ZNRF4 induces K48-linked ubiquitination of RIP2 and promotes RIP2 degradation. A fraction of RIP2 localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), where it interacts with ZNRF4 under either unstimulated and muramyl dipeptide-stimulated conditions. Znrf4 knockdown monocytes have sustained nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) activation, and Znrf4 knockdown mice have reduced NOD2-induced tolerance and more effective control of Listeria monocytogenes infection. Our results thus demonstrate E3-ubiquitin ligase ZNRF4-mediated RIP2 degradation as a negative regulatory mechanism of NOD2-induced NF-κB, cytokine and anti-bacterial responses in vitro and in vivo, and identify a ZNRF4-RIP2 axis of fine-tuning NOD2 signalling to promote protective host immunity.

NLRP10 enhances CD4+ T-cell-mediated IFNγ response via regulation of dendritic cell-derived IL-12 release

NLRP10 is a nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor that functions as an intracellular pattern recognition receptor for microbial products. Here, we generated a Nlrp10−/− mouse to delineate the role of NLRP10 in the host immune response and found that Nlrp10−/− dendritic cells (DCs) elicited sub-optimal IFNγ production by antigen-specific CD4+ T cells compared to wild-type (WT) DCs. In response to T-cell encounter, CD40 ligation or Toll-like receptor 9 stimulation, Nlrp10−/− DCs produced low levels of IL-12, due to a substantial decrease in NF-κB activation. Defective IL-12 production was also evident in vivo and affected IFNγ production by CD4+ T cells. Upon Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, Nlrp10−/− mice displayed diminished T helper 1-cell responses and increased bacterial growth compared to WT mice. These data indicate that NLRP10-mediated IL-12 production by DCs is critical for IFNγ induction in T cells and contributes to promote the host defense against Mtb.

Calcineurin-mediated IL-2 production by CD11c high MHCII + myeloid cells is crucial for intestinal immune homeostasis

The intestinal immune system can respond to invading pathogens yet maintain immune tolerance to self-antigens and microbiota. Myeloid cells are central to these processes, but the signaling pathways that underlie tolerance versus inflammation are unclear. Here we show that mice lacking Calcineurin B in CD11chighMHCII+ cells (Cnb1CD11c mice) spontaneously develop intestinal inflammation and are susceptible to induced colitis. In these mice, colitis is associated with expansion of T helper type 1 (Th1) and Th17 cell populations and a decrease in the number of FoxP3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells, and the pathology is linked to the inability of intestinal Cnb1-deficient CD11chighMHCII+ cells to express IL-2. Deleting IL-2 in CD11chighMHCII+ cells induces spontaneous colitis resembling human inflammatory bowel disease. Our findings identify that the calcineurin–NFAT–IL-2 pathway in myeloid cells is a critical regulator of intestinal homeostasis by influencing the balance of inflammatory and regulatory responses in the mouse intestine.Treg cells can maintain intestinal homeostasis and limit intestinal bowel disease. Here the authors use a mouse model of spontaneous colitis to show that calcineurin-NFAT-induced IL-2 production by dendritic cells regulates the balance between Treg and effector T cells in the gut lamina propria.

Calcineurin B in CD4+ T Cells Prevents Autoimmune Colitis by Negatively Regulating the JAK/STAT Pathway

Calcineurin (Cn) is a protein phosphatase that regulates the activation of the nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) family of transcription factors, which are key regulators of T-cell development and function. Here, we generated a conditional Cnb1 mouse model in which Cnb1 was specifically deleted in CD4+ T cells (Cnb1CD4 mice) to delineate the role of the Cn–NFAT pathway in immune homeostasis of the intestine. The Cnb1CD4 mice developed severe, spontaneous colitis characterized at the molecular level by an increased T helper-1-cell response but an unaltered regulatory T-cell compartment. Antibiotic treatment ameliorated the intestinal inflammation observed in Cnb1CD4 mice, suggesting that the microbiota contributes to the onset of colitis. CD4+ T cells isolated from Cnb1CD4 mice produced high levels of IFNγ due to increased activation of the JAK2/STAT4 pathway induced by IL-12. Our data highlight that Cn signaling in CD4+ T cells is critical for intestinal immune homeostasis in part by inhibiting IL-12 responsiveness of CD4+ T cells.

Nod2 is required for the early innate immune clearance of Acinetobacter baumannii from the lungs

Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is a significant cause of severe nosocomial pneumonia in immunocompromised individuals world-wide. With limited treatment options available, a better understanding of host immnity to A. baumannii infection is critical to devise alternative control strategies. Our previous study has identified that intracellular Nod1/Nod2 signaling pathway is required for the immune control of A. baumannii in airway epithelial cells in vitro. In the current study, using Nod2−/− mice and an in vivo sublethal model of pulmonary infection, we show that Nod2 contributes to the early lung defense against A. baumannii infection through reactive oxygen species (ROS)/reactive nitrogen species (RNS) production as Nod2−/− mice showed significantly reduced production of ROS/RNS in the lungs following A. baumannii infection. Consistent with the higher bacterial load, A. baumannii-induced neutrophil recruitment, cytokine/chemokine response and lung pathology was also exacerbated in Nod2−/− mice at early time points post-infection. Finally, we show that administration of Nod2 ligand muramyl dipeptide (MDP) prior to infection protected the wild- type mice from A. baumannii pulmonary challenge. Collectively, Nod2 is an important player in the early lung immunity against A. baumannii and modulating Nod2 pathway could be considered as a viable therapeutic strategy to control A. baumannii pulmonary infection.