Satoshi Ikegame

Both RIG-I and MDA5 RNA Helicases Contribute to the Induction of Alpha/Beta Interferon in Measles Virus-Infected Human Cells

ABSTRACT Measles virus (MV), a member of the family Paramyxoviridae, is a nonsegmented negative-strand RNA virus. The RNA helicases retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) and melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) are differentially involved in the detection of cytoplasmic viral RNAs and induction of alpha/beta interferon (IFN-α/β). RIG-I is generally believed to play a major role in the recognition of paramyxoviruses, whereas many viruses of this family produce V proteins that can inhibit MDA5. To determine the individual roles of MDA5 and RIG-I in IFN induction after MV infection, small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of MDA5 or RIG-I was performed in the human epithelial cell line H358, which is susceptible to wild-type MV isolates. The production of IFN-β mRNA in response to MV infection was greatly reduced in RIG-I knockdown clones compared to that in H358 cells, confirming the importance of RIG-I in the detection of MV. The IFN-β mRNA levels were also moderately reduced in MDA5 knockdown clones, even though these clones retained fully functional RIG-I. A V protein-deficient recombinant MV (MVΔV) induced higher amounts of IFN-β mRNA at the early stage of infection in H358 cells compared to the parental virus. The reductions in the IFN-β mRNA levels in RIG-I knockdown clones were less pronounced after infection with MVΔV than after infection with the parental virus. Taken together, the present results indicate that RIG-I and MDA5 both contribute to the recognition of MV and that the V protein promotes MV growth at least partly by inhibiting the MDA5-mediated IFN responses.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition abolishes the susceptibility of polarized epithelial cell lines to measles virus

Measles virus (MV), an enveloped negative-strand RNA virus, remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. MV predominantly infects immune cells by using signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM; also called CD150) as a receptor, but it also infects polarized epithelial cells, forming tight junctions in a SLAM-independent manner. Although the ability of MV to infect polarized epithelial cells is thought to be important for its transmission, the epithelial cell receptor for MV has not been identified. A transcriptional repressor, Snail, induces epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), in which epithelial cells lose epithelial cell phenotypes, such as adherens and tight junctions. In this study, EMT was induced by expressing Snail in a lung adenocarcinoma cell line, II-18, which is highly susceptible to wild-type MV. Snail-expressing II-18 cells lost adherens and tight junctions. Microarray analysis confirmed the induction of EMT in II-18 cells and suggested a novel function of Snail in protein degradation and distribution. Importantly, wild-type MV no longer entered EMT-induced II-18 cells, suggesting that the epithelial cell receptor is down-regulated by the induction of EMT. Other polarized cell lines, NCI-H358 and HT-29, also lost susceptibility to wild-type MV when EMT was induced. However, the complete formation of tight junctions rather reduced MV entry into HT-29 cells. Taken together, these data suggest that the unidentified epithelial cell receptor for MV is involved in the formation of epithelial intercellular junctions.

Mutant Fusion Proteins with Enhanced Fusion Activity Promote Measles Virus Spread in Human Neuronal Cells and Brains of Suckling Hamsters

ABSTRACT Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a fatal degenerative disease caused by persistent measles virus (MV) infection in the central nervous system (CNS). From the genetic study of MV isolates obtained from SSPE patients, it is thought that defects of the matrix (M) protein play a crucial role in MV pathogenicity in the CNS. In this study, we report several notable mutations in the extracellular domain of the MV fusion (F) protein, including those found in multiple SSPE strains. The F proteins with these mutations induced syncytium formation in cells lacking SLAM and nectin 4 (receptors used by wild-type MV), including human neuronal cell lines, when expressed together with the attachment protein hemagglutinin. Moreover, recombinant viruses with these mutations exhibited neurovirulence in suckling hamsters, unlike the parental wild-type MV, and the mortality correlated with their fusion activity. In contrast, the recombinant MV lacking the M protein did not induce syncytia in cells lacking SLAM and nectin 4, although it formed larger syncytia in cells with either of the receptors. Since human neuronal cells are mainly SLAM and nectin 4 negative, fusion-enhancing mutations in the extracellular domain of the F protein may greatly contribute to MV spread via cell-to-cell fusion in the CNS, regardless of defects of the M protein.

TNF receptor 1 and 2 contribute in different ways to resistance to Legionella pneumophila-induced mortality in mice

Legionella pneumophila is one of the most important pathogens which cause community-acquired pneumonia. Although TNF-alpha is considered to play an important role in response to bacteria, the role of the TNF-alpha receptor on L. pneumophila infection remains to be elucidated. To investigate this, we infected TNF receptor deficient mice with L. pneumophila. L. pneumophila was inoculated intranasally into TNF receptor (TNFR)-1-knock-out mice or TNFR2-knock-out mice. The mortality rate, histology of the lung, bacterial growth in the lung, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids were investigated. The bacterial growth of L. pneumophila in the macrophages was also studied. Almost all the mice survived after an intranasal inoculation of 1x10(6)CFU/head of L. pneumophila, but more than 90% mice were killed after inoculation of 1x10(8)CFU/head of L. pneumophila. In the case of TNFR1-knock-out mice and TNFR2-knock-out mice, a high mortality rate was observed after inoculation of 1x10(7)CFU/head of L. pneumophila in comparison to wild-type mice. The lung histology from both the TNFR1-knock-out mice documented severe lung injury at day 3 after inoculation. The clearance of L. pneumophila in the lung of the TNFR1-knock-out mice was slower than those from both the TNFR2-knock-out mice and the wild-type mice. Moreover, L. pneumophila growth in the peritoneal macrophages from the TNFR1-knock-out mice was observed. Interestingly, a lack of neutrophils accumulation in the BAL fluids and a dysregulation of cytokines (IFN-gamma, interleukin-12, and TNF-alpha) were observed in the TNFR1-knock-out mice. On the contrary, large accumulation of neutrophils in BAL fluids was observed in TNFR2-knock-out mice. These data suggested that a TNFR1 deficiency led to a compromise of the innate immunity against L. pneumophila, while a TNFR2 deficiency induced an excessive inflammatory response and resulted in death. The present study confirmed that TNFR1 and TNFR2 play a crucial, but different role in the control of L. pneumophila-induced mortality.

Impaired host defence against Mycobacterium avium in mice with chronic granulomatous disease

Patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD), an inherited disorder of phagocytic cells, often contract recurrent life‐threatening bacterial and fungal infections. CGD is considered to arise from a functional defect of the O2‐generating nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase in phagocytes. To determine whether or not NADPH oxidase is crucial to the host defence against Mycobacterium avium, we investigated the response against M. avium using CGD model mice (gp91‐phox‐) of C57BL/6 strain. A tracheal injection of 1 × 107 colony‐forming units (CFU)/head of M. avium strain FN into the CGD mice resulted in a pulmonary infection, while also increasing the mortality rate. In contrast, normal C57BL/6 mice injected with same dose of the organisms did not develop severe pulmonary infection and were able to survive through 2 months of observation. The macrophages obtained from the CGD mice were observed to have a higher burden of the bacterial growth than macrophages from normal C57BL/6 mice. These results suggest that the defect of the NADPH oxidase function impairs the host defence against M. avium infection.

Measles Virus-Induced Immunosuppression in SLAM Knock-In Mice

ABSTRACT Measles virus (MV) causes transient severe immunosuppression in patients, which may lead to secondary viral and bacterial infections, largely accounting for measles-related morbidity and mortality. MV is known to infect immune cells by using the human signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM; also called CD150) as a cellular receptor, but the mechanism by which MV causes immunosuppression is not well understood. We show that MV infection of SLAM knock-in mice, in which the V domain of mouse SLAM was replaced by the V domain of human SLAM, crossed with alpha/beta-interferon receptor knockout mice, reproduced many immunological alterations observed in human patients. These included lymphopenia, inhibition of T-cell proliferation and antibody production, increased production of the Th2 cytokine interleukin-4 (IL-4) and the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10, and suppression of contact hypersensitivity. Gross redistribution of lymphocytes among lymphoid tissues was not apparent in infected mice, nor was an increase of regulatory T cells. The numbers of lymphocytes in lymph nodes remained almost unchanged after MV infection, despite enhanced apoptosis, suggesting that lymph nodes were replenished with lymphocytes from the peripheral blood, which may have contributed to the observed lymphopenia in the spleen. Blocking of IL-10 by use of an anti-IL-10 receptor antibody ameliorated suppression of contact hypersensitivity in infected mice. These results indicate that SLAM knock-in mice lacking the expression of the alpha/beta-interferon receptor serve as a useful small animal model with which to elucidate MV-induced immunosuppression.

Retrospective analysis of nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia: Analysis of adverse prognostic factors and validity of the selection criteria

BACKGROUND Nursing and healthcare-associated pneumonia (NHCAP) is a relatively new condition that was recently defined by the Japanese Respiratory Society. Previous reports and guidelines have not thoroughly investigated the adverse prognostic factors and validity of the selection criteria for NHCAP. The purpose of this research was to clarify the adverse prognostic factors of NHCAP and investigate the validity of the selection criteria with respect to patient deaths. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 418 patients with pneumonia who were admitted to our hospital between January 2009 and December 2011. RESULTS We analyzed 215 (51.4%) cases of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and 203 (48.6%) cases of NHCAP. NHCAP patients were generally older and had poorer performance status (PS), more complications, and higher levels of mortality than CAP patients. In both groups, the most common causative pathogen was Streptococcus pneumoniae. A multivariate analysis of NHCAP revealed that age ≥ 80 years, oxygen saturation (SpO2) ≤ 90%, and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection to be independent factors associated with mortality. Of the NHCAP selection criteria, a PS ≥ 3 and a hospitalization history within the past 90 days were adverse prognostic factors in the broad community-acquired pneumonia category (CAP+NHCAP), according to a multivariate analysis. Univariate analysis revealed that admission to an extended care facility or nursing home was associated with death. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrated that age ≥ 80 years, SpO2 ≤ 90%, and MRSA infection were adverse prognostic factors for NHCAP patients. Furthermore, we confirmed the validity of the NHCAP selection criteria.

Attenuation of pulmonary hypertension, but not emphysematous change, by breeding emphysema model mice at sea level

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha is a key pro-inflammatory cytokine, thought to be important in the pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema. TNF-alpha overexpression in the lung leads to the phenotypic features of pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary hypertension, and right ventricular hypertrophy in mice bred in Denver, 5240 feet/1600 m of altitude. This study hypothesized that the altitude could affect the development of pulmonary emphysema as well as pulmonary hypertension. To investigate the effect of the altitude, TNF-alpha transgenic mice were bred at sea level, Fukuoka, Japan. The pulmonary physiology and histology demonstrated similar development of pulmonary emphysema, compared to the mice bred in Denver. With respect to pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy was attenuated. Interestingly, mortality rate was significant lower in the mice bred at sea level. In contrast with the results in Denver, a significant decrease of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors expression was not found. From these data, we consider that the altitude affects development of pulmonary hypertension through the expression of VEGF and its receptors. In contrast, the effect of altitude was not clear regarding the development of pulmonary emphysema.

Critical role of tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 in the pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema in mice

COPD is a major cause of chronic morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Although tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) has a critical role in the development of COPD, the role of different TNF receptors (TNFRs) in pulmonary emphysema has not been resolved. We aimed to clarify the role of TNFRs in the development of pulmonary emphysema. TNF-α transgenic mice, a murine model of COPD in which the mice spontaneously develop emphysema with a large increase in lung volume and pulmonary hypertension, were crossed with either TNFR1-deficient mice or TNFR2-deficient mice. After 6 months, the gross appearance of the lung, lung histology, and pulmonary and cardiac physiology were determined. In addition, the relationship between apoptosis and emphysema was investigated. Pulmonary emphysema-like changes disappeared with deletion of TNFR1. However, slight improvements were attained with deletion of TNFR2. Apoptotic cells in the interstitium of the lung were observed in TNF-α transgenic mice. The apoptotic signals through TNFR1 appear critical for the pathogenesis of pulmonary emphysema. In contrast, the inflammatory process has a less important role for the development of emphysema.

Clinical Evaluation of COBAS TaqMan PCR for the Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. avium Complex.

A retrospective observational study was performed to determine the sensitivity and limitation of PCR test for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. avium complex. We obtained clinical specimens collected from the respiratory tract, cultured M. tuberculosis or M. avium complex, and performed PCR analysis. A total of 299 samples (M. tuberculosis, 177; M. avium, 35; M. intracellulare, 87) were analyzed by COBAS TaqMan PCR from April 2007 to March 2011. The PCR positivity rates were 50–55%, 70–100%, 88–98%, and 100% in smear-negative, smear 1+, 2+, and 3+ groups, respectively. The PCR positivity of tuberculosis in smear 1+ was 80.6%, which was statistically significantly (P < 0.001) lower than that of smear 2+ (97.3%). From January 2005 to March 2007, we collected an additional 138 samples (M. tuberculosis, 74; M. avium, 21; M. intracellulare, 43), which were analyzed by COBAS Amplicor PCR. The PCR positivity rates obtained using COBAS TaqMan PCR and COBAS Amplicor PCR were not significantly different. The sensitivity of PCR test for mycobacteria is not sufficient in case of smear 1+. Careful consideration must be given to the interpretation of negative PCR test results in smear 1+, because smear-positive tuberculosis is the criterion for isolation.