Maya Saleh

Control of intestinal homeostasis, colitis, and colitis-associated colorectal cancer by the inflammatory caspases.

Inflammatory caspases are essential effectors of inflammation and cell death. Here, we investigated their roles in colitis and colorectal cancer and report a bimodal regulation of intestinal homeostasis, inflammation and tumorigenesis by caspases-1 and -12. Casp1(-/-) mice exhibited defects in mucosal tissue repair and succumbed rapidly after dextran sulfate sodium administration. This phenotype was rescued by administration of exogenous interleukin-18 and was partially reproduced in mice deficient in the inflammasome adaptor ASC. Casp12(-/-) mice, in which the inflammasome is derepressed, were resistant to acute colitis and showed signs of enhanced repair. Together with their increased inflammatory response, the enhanced repair response of Casp12(-/-) mice rendered them more susceptible to colorectal cancer induced by azoxymethane (AOM)+DSS. Taken together, our results indicate that the inflammatory caspases are critical in the induction of inflammation in the gut after injury, which is necessary for tissue repair and maintenance of immune tolerance.

Cellular Inhibitors of Apoptosis cIAP1 and cIAP2 Are Required for Innate Immunity Signaling by the Pattern Recognition Receptors NOD1 and NOD2

Cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (cIAPs) block apoptosis, but their physiological functions are still under investigation. Here, we report that cIAP1 and cIAP2 are E3 ubiquitin ligases that are required for receptor-interacting protein 2 (RIP2) ubiquitination and for nucleotide-binding and oligomerization (NOD) signaling. Macrophages derived from Birc2(-/-) or Birc3(-/-) mice, or colonocytes depleted of cIAP1 or cIAP2 by RNAi, were defective in NOD signaling and displayed sharp attenuation of cytokine and chemokine production. This blunted response was observed in vivo when Birc2(-/-) and Birc3(-/-) mice were challenged with NOD agonists. Defects in NOD2 signaling are associated with Crohns disease, and muramyl dipeptide (MDP) activation of NOD2 signaling protects mice from experimental colitis. Here, we show that administration of MDP protected wild-type but not Ripk2(-/-) or Birc3(-/-) mice from colitis, confirming the role of the cIAPs in NOD2 signaling in vivo. This discovery provides therapeutic opportunities in the treatment of NOD-dependent immunologic and inflammatory diseases.

Innate immune mechanisms of colitis and colitis-associated colorectal cancer.

The innate immune system provides first-line defences in response to invading microorganisms and endogenous danger signals by triggering robust inflammatory and antimicrobial responses. However, innate immune sensing of commensal microorganisms in the intestinal tract does not lead to chronic intestinal inflammation in healthy individuals, reflecting the intricacy of the regulatory mechanisms that tame the inflammatory response in the gut. Recent findings suggest that innate immune responses to commensal microorganisms, although once considered to be harmful, are necessary for intestinal homeostasis and immune tolerance. This Review discusses recent findings that identify a crucial role for innate immune effector molecules in protection against colitis and colitis-associated colorectal cancer and the therapeutic implications that ensue.

The Caspase-1 Digestome Identifies the Glycolysis Pathway as a Target during Infection and Septic Shock

Caspase-1 is an essential effector of inflammation, pyroptosis, and septic shock. Few caspase-1 substrates have been identified to date, and these substrates do not account for its wide range of actions. To understand the function of caspase-1, we initiated the systematic identification of its cellular substrates. Using the diagonal gel proteomic approach, we identified 41 proteins that are directly cleaved by caspase-1. Among these were chaperones, cytoskeletal and translation machinery proteins, and proteins involved in immunity. A series of unexpected proteins along the glycolysis pathway were also identified, including aldolase, triose-phosphate isomerase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, α-enolase, and pyruvate kinase. With the exception of the latter, the identified glycolysis enzymes were specifically cleaved in vitro by recombinant caspase-1, but not caspase-3. The enzymatic activity of wild-type glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, but not a non-cleavable mutant, was dampened by caspase-1 processing. In vivo, stimuli that fully activated caspase-1, including Salmonella typhimurium infection and septic shock, caused a pronounced processing of these proteins in the macrophage and diaphragm muscle, respectively. Notably, these stimuli inhibited glycolysis in wild-type cells compared with caspase-1-deficient cells. The systematic characterization of caspase-1 substrates identifies the glycolysis pathway as a caspase-1 target and provides new insights into its function during pyroptosis and septic shock.

Cell Signaling Switches HOX-PBX Complexes from Repressors to Activators of Transcription Mediated by Histone Deacetylases and Histone Acetyltransferases

ABSTRACT The Hoxb1 autoregulatory element comprises three HOX-PBX binding sites. Despite the presence of HOXB1 and PBX1, this enhancer fails to activate reporter gene expression in retinoic acid-treated P19 cell monolayers. Activation requires cell aggregation in addition to RA. This suggests that HOX-PBX complexes may repress transcription under some conditions. Consistent with this, multimerized HOX-PBX binding sites repress reporter gene expression in HEK293 cells. We provide a mechanistic basis for repressor function by demonstrating that a corepressor complex, including histone deacetylases (HDACs) 1 and 3, mSIN3B, and N-CoR/SMRT, interacts with PBX1A. We map a site of interaction with HDAC1 to the PBX1 N terminus and show that the PBX partner is required for repression by the HOX-PBX complex. Treatment with the deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A not only relieves repression but also converts the HOX-PBX complex to a net activator of transcription. We show that this activation function is mediated by the recruitment of the coactivator CREB-binding protein by the HOX partner. Interestingly, HOX-PBX complexes are switched from transcriptional repressors to activators in response to protein kinase A signaling or cell aggregation. Together, our results suggest a model whereby the HOX-PBX complex can act as a repressor or activator of transcription via association with corepressors and coactivators. The model implies that cell signaling is a direct determinant of HOX-PBX function in the patterning of the animal embryo.

Cellular inhibitors of apoptosis proteins cIAP1 and cIAP2 are required for efficient caspase-1 activation by the inflammasome.

Pathogen and danger recognition by the inflammasome activates inflammatory caspases that mediate inflammation and cell death. The cellular inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (cIAPs) function in apoptosis and innate immunity, but their role in modulating the inflammasome and the inflammatory caspases is unknown. Here we report that the cIAPs are critical effectors of the inflammasome and are required for efficient caspase-1 activation. cIAP1, cIAP2, and the adaptor protein TRAF2 interacted with caspase-1-containing complexes and mediated the activating nondegradative K63-linked polyubiquitination of caspase-1. Deficiency in cIAP1 (encoded by Birc2) or cIAP2 (Birc3) impaired caspase-1 activation after spontaneous or agonist-induced inflammasome assembly, and Birc2(-/-) or Birc3(-/-) mice or mice administered with an IAP antagonist had a dampened response to inflammasome agonists and were resistant to peritonitis. Our results describe a role for the cIAPs in innate immunity and further demonstrate the evolutionary conservation between cell death and inflammation mechanisms.

Caspase-12 modulates NOD signaling and regulates antimicrobial peptide production and mucosal immunity.

Bacterial sensing by intracellular Nod proteins and other Nod-like receptors (NLRs) activates signaling pathways that mediate inflammation and pathogen clearance. Nod1 and Nod2 associate with the kinase Rip2 to stimulate NF-kappaB signaling. Other cytosolic NLRs assemble caspase-1-activating multiprotein complexes termed inflammasomes. Caspase-12 modulates the caspase-1 inflammasome, but unlike other NLRs, Nod1 and Nod2 have not been linked to caspases, and mechanisms regulating the Nod-Rip2 complex are less clear. We report that caspase-12 dampens mucosal immunity to bacterial infection independent of its effects on caspase-1. Caspase-12 deficiency enhances production of antimicrobial peptides, cytokines, and chemokines to entric pathogens, an effect dependent on bacterial type III secretion and the Nod pathway. Mechanistically, caspase-12 binds to Rip2, displacing Traf6 from the signaling complex, inhibiting its ubiquitin ligase activity, and blunting NF-kappaB activation. Nod activation and resulting antimicrobial peptide production constitute an early innate defense mechanism, and caspase-12 inhibits this mucosal antimicrobial response.

Functions of NOD-Like Receptors in Human Diseases.

Nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain NOD-like receptors (NLRs) are highly conserved cytosolic pattern recognition receptors that perform critical functions in surveying the intracellular environment for the presence of infection, noxious substances, and metabolic perturbations. Sensing of these danger signals by NLRs leads to their oligomerization into large macromolecular scaffolds and the rapid deployment of effector signaling cascades to restore homeostasis. While some NLRs operate by recruiting and activating inflammatory caspases into inflammasomes, others trigger inflammation via alternative routes including the nuclear factor-κB, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and regulatory factor pathways. The critical role of NLRs in development and physiology is demonstrated by their clear implications in human diseases. Mutations in the genes encoding NLRP3 or NLRP12 lead to hereditary periodic fever syndromes, while mutations in CARD15 that encodes NOD2 are linked to Crohn’s disease or Blau’s syndrome. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified a number of risk alleles encompassing NLR genes in a host of diseases including allergic rhinitis, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, multi-bacillary leprosy, vitiligo, early-onset menopause, and bone density loss in elderly women. Animal models have allowed the characterization of underlying effector mechanisms in a number of cases. In this review, we highlight the functions of NLRs in health and disease and discuss how the characterization of their molecular mechanisms provides new insights into therapeutic strategies for the management of inflammatory pathologies.

Non-apoptotic role of BID in inflammation and innate immunity

Innate immunity is a fundamental defence response that depends on evolutionarily conserved pattern recognition receptors for sensing infections or danger signals. Nucleotide-binding and oligomerization domain (NOD) proteins are cytosolic pattern-recognition receptors of paramount importance in the intestine, and their dysregulation is associated with inflammatory bowel disease. They sense peptidoglycans from commensal microorganisms and pathogens and coordinate signalling events that culminate in the induction of inflammation and anti-microbial responses. However, the signalling mechanisms involved in this process are not fully understood. Here, using genome-wide RNA interference, we identify candidate genes that modulate the NOD1 inflammatory response in intestinal epithelial cells. Our results reveal a significant crosstalk between innate immunity and apoptosis and identify BID, a BCL2 family protein, as a critical component of the inflammatory response. Colonocytes depleted of BID or macrophages from Bid−/− mice are markedly defective in cytokine production in response to NOD activation. Furthermore, Bid−/− mice are unresponsive to local or systemic exposure to NOD agonists or their protective effect in experimental colitis. Mechanistically, BID interacts with NOD1, NOD2 and the IκB kinase (IKK) complex, impacting NF-κB and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling. Our results define a novel role of BID in inflammation and immunity independent of its apoptotic function, furthering the mounting evidence of evolutionary conservation between the mechanisms of apoptosis and immunity.

The Inflammatory Caspases: Key Players in the Host Response to Pathogenic Invasion and Sepsis

Caspases are cysteinyl-aspartate-specific proteinases known for their role in apoptosis (cell death or apoptotic caspases) and proinflammatory cytokine maturation (inflammatory caspases). The inflammatory caspases were among the first to be discovered, but only recently have the mechanisms leading to their activation and inhibition begun to be elucidated. In this review, we examine the biochemistry, substrates, and function of this unique family of inflammatory proteases, highlight the most recent findings regarding their regulatory mechanisms, and discuss what remains to be understood about their roles in health and disease.