Lucia Conti

Dual Role of the HIV-1 Vpr Protein in the Modulation of the Apoptotic Response of T Cells

We investigated the effect of vpr, physiologically expressed during the course of an acute HIV-1 infection, on the response of infected cells to apoptotic stimuli as well as on the HIV-induced apoptosis. At 48 h after infection, Jurkat cells exhibited a lower susceptibility to undergo apoptosis with respect to uninfected cells. This effect was not observed following infection with either a vpr-mutated virus or a wild-type strain in the presence of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides targeted at vpr mRNA. Single-cell analysis, aimed at simultaneously identifying apoptotic and infected cells, revealed that resistance to apoptosis correlated with productive infection. Notably, vpr-dependent protection from induced apoptosis was also observed in HIV-1-infected PBMC. In contrast, at later stages of infection, a marked increase in the number of cells spontaneously undergoing apoptosis was detected in infected cultures. This virus-induced apoptosis involved vpr expression and predominantly occurred in productively infected cells. These results indicate that HIV-1 vpr can exert opposite roles in the regulation of apoptosis, which may depend on the level of its intracellular expression at different stages of HIV-1 infection. The dual function of vpr represents a novel mechanism in the complex strategy evolved by HIV to influence the turnover of T lymphocytes leading to either viral persistence or virus release and spreading.

Type I Interferons as Regulators of Human Antigen Presenting Cell Functions

Type I interferons (IFNs) are pleiotropic cytokines, initially described for their antiviral activity. These cytokines exhibit a long record of clinical use in patients with some types of cancer, viral infections and chronic inflammatory diseases. It is now well established that IFN action mostly relies on their ability to modulate host innate and adaptive immune responses. Work in recent years has begun to elucidate the mechanisms by which type I IFNs modify the immune response, and this is now recognized to be due to effects on multiple cell types, including monocytes, dendritic cells (DCs), NK cells, T and B lymphocytes. An ensemble of results from both animal models and in vitro studies emphasized the key role of type I IFNs in the development and function of DCs, suggesting the existence of a natural alliance between these cytokines and DCs in linking innate to adaptive immunity. The identification of IFN signatures in DCs and their dysregulation under pathological conditions will therefore be pivotal to decipher the complexity of this DC-IFN interaction and to better exploit the therapeutic potential of these cells.

Linking estrogen receptor β expression with inflammatory bowel disease activity.

Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) whose pathogenesis is only poorly understood. Estrogens have a complex role in inflammation and growing evidence suggests that these hormones may impact IBD pathogenesis. Here, we demonstrated a significant reduction (p < 0.05) of estrogen receptor (ER)β expression in peripheral blood T lymphocytes from CD/UC patients with active disease (n = 27) as compared to those in remission (n = 21) and healthy controls (n = 29). Accordingly, in a subgroup of CD/UC patients undergoing to anti-TNF-α therapy and responsive to treatment, ERβ expression was higher (p < 0.01) than that observed in not responsive patients and comparable to that of control subjects. Notably, ERβ expression was markedly decreased in colonic mucosa of CD/UC patients with active disease, reflecting the alterations observed in peripheral blood T cells. ERβ expression inversely correlated with interleukin (IL)-6 serum levels and exogenous exposure of both T lymphocytes and intestinal epithelial cells to this cytokine resulted in ERβ downregulation. These results demonstrate that the ER profile is altered in active IBD patients at both mucosal and systemic levels, at least in part due to IL-6 dysregulation, and highlight the potential exploitation of T cell-associated ERβ as a biomarker of endoscopic disease activity.

Visceral fat adipocytes from obese and colorectal cancer subjects exhibit distinct secretory and ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acid profiles and deliver immunosuppressive signals to innate immunity cells

Obesity is a low-grade chronic inflammatory state representing an important risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC). Adipocytes strongly contribute to inflammation by producing inflammatory mediators. In this study we investigated the role of human visceral fat adipocytes in regulating the functions of innate immunity cells. Adipocyte-conditioned media (ACM) from obese (n = 14) and CRC (lean, n = 14; obese, n = 13) subjects released higher levels of pro-inflammatory/immunoregulatory factors as compared to ACM from healthy lean subjects (n = 13). Dendritic cells (DC), differentiated in the presence of ACM from obese and CRC subjects, expressed elevated levels of the inhibitory molecules PD-L1 and PD-L2, and showed a reduced IL-12/IL-10 ratio in response to both TLR ligand- and γδ T lymphocyte-induced maturation. Furthermore, CRC patient-derived ACM inhibited DC-mediated γδ T cell activation. The immunosuppressive signals delivered by ACM from obese and CRC individuals were associated with a pro-inflammatory secretory and ω6 polyunsaturated fatty acid profile of adipocytes. Interestingly, STAT3 activation in adipocytes correlated with dihomo-γlinolenic acid content and was further induced by arachidonic acid, which conversely down-modulated PPARγ. These results provide novel evidence for a cross-talk between human adipocytes and innate immunity cells whose alteration in obesity and CRC may lead to immune dysfunctions, thus setting the basis for cancer development.

Cyclic AMP-mediated inhibition of vesicular stomatitis virus and herpes simplex virus replication in mouse macrophage-like cells

In this study, we have analysed the effects of cAMP inducers on the multiplication of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) in mouse macrophage-like cells. The addition of dibutyryl cAMP (dB-cAMP) or cholera toxin to resting peritoneal macrophages aged in vitro or P388D1 cells resulted in a 10- to 100-fold reduction of VSV yield compared to control cultures. In contrast, no cAMP-dependent inhibition was found in VSV-infected L929 cells. In macrophage-like cells, the dB-cAMP-induced antiviral state was not inhibited by antibodies to interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta and did not correlate with any increase in the intracellular levels of 2-5 oligo(A) synthetase. Dibutyryl cAMP did not inhibit virus yields in mouse macrophages infected with encephalomyocarditis virus. In P388D1 cells, the addition of dB-cAMP resulted in an approximately 10-fold inhibition of HSV-1 replication with respect to control cultures, as evaluated both by TCID50 and plaque assays on Vero cells. Dibutyryl cAMP did not affect VSV binding or entry into mouse macrophages and the cAMP-mediated anti-VSV state was significantly reduced by inhibitors of protein kinase C (i.e. staurosporine and H7). These data suggest that macrophages may acquire resistance to infection by VSV and HSV-1 after treatment with cAMP inducers. This cAMP-mediated antiviral activity does not depend on the modulation of the endogenous IFN system, suggesting that macrophages exhibit multiple resistance mechanisms (i.e. IFN-dependent and IFN-independent) to maintain their intrinsic antiviral activity.

Bovine Lactoferrin-Induced CCL1 Expression Involves Distinct Receptors in Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells and Their Monocyte Precursors

Lactoferrin (LF) exhibits a wide range of immunomodulatory activities including modulation of cytokine and chemokine secretion. In this study, we demonstrate that bovine LF (bLF) up-modulates, in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, CCL1 secretion in monocytes (Mo) at the early stage of differentiation toward dendritic cells (DCs), and in fully differentiated immature Mo-derived DCs (MoDCs). In both cell types, up-modulation of CCL1 secretion is an early event following bLF-mediated enhanced accumulation of CCL1 transcripts. Notably, bLF-mediated up-regulation of CCL1 involves the engagement of distinct surface receptors in MoDCs and their Mo precursors. We show that bLF-mediated engagement of CD36 contributes to CCL1 induction in differentiating Mo. Conversely, toll-like receptor (TLR)2 blocking markedly reduces bLF-induced CCL1 production in MoDCs. These findings add further evidence for cell-specific differential responses elicited by bLF through the engagement of distinct TLRs and surface receptors. Furthermore, the different responses observed at early and late stages of Mo differentiation towards DCs may be relevant in mediating bLF effects in specific body districts, where these cell types may be differently represented in physiopathological conditions.