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The streptococcal exotoxin streptolysin O activates mast cells to produce tumor necrosis factor alpha by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase- and protein kinase C-dependent pathways.

ABSTRACT: Streptolysin O (SLO), a major virulence factor of pyogenic streptococci, binds to cholesterol in the membranes of eukaryotic cells and oligomerizes to form large transmembrane pores. While high toxin doses are rapidly cytocidal, low doses are tolerated because a limited number of lesions can be resealed. Here, we report that at sublethal doses, SLO activates primary murine bone marrow-derived mast cells to degranulate and to rapidly induce or enhance the production of several cytokine mRNAs, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Mast cell-derived TNF-alpha plays an important protective role in murine models of acute inflammation, and the production of this cytokine was analyzed in more detail. Release of biologically active TNF-alpha peaked approximately 4 h after stimulation with SLO. Production of TNF-alpha was blunted upon depletion of protein kinase C by pretreatment of the cells with phorbol-12 myristate-13 acetate. Transient permeabilization of mast cells with SLO also led to the activation of the stress-activated protein kinases p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and inhibition of p38 MAP kinase markedly reduced production of TNF-alpha. In contrast, secretion of preformed granule constituents triggered by membrane permeabilization was not dependent on p38 MAP kinase or on protein kinase C. Thus, transcriptional activation of mast cells following transient permeabilization might contribute to host defense against infections via the beneficial effects of TNF-alpha. However, hyperstimulation of mast cells might also lead to overproduction of TNF-alpha, which would then promote the development of toxic streptococcal syndromes.

SUBMITTER: Stassen M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC219607 | biostudies-other | 2003 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:Radiation biodosimetry based on transcriptomic analysis of peripheral blood is a valuable tool to detect radiation exposure after a radiological/nuclear event and obtain useful biological information that could predict tissue and organismal injury. However, confounding factors, including inflammation, can potentially obscure the predictive power of the method. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38 is normally regulated by the MAP3K-MAP2K pathway in mammalian cells. Members of the p38 MAPK family respond to pro-inflammatory signals and environmental stresses. However, in T cells there is an alternative pathway for p38MAPK activation. This pathway has been shown to play an important role in antigen-receptor-activated T cells and participate in immune and inflammatory responses. Radiation is known to induce a pro-inflammatory response. To examine the role of p38MAPK in response to radiation, we used two mouse models expressing either a p38αMAPK dominant negative (DN) mutation that would be expected to globally suppress p38MAPK signaling or a double knock-in (DKI) mutant, which would be expected to inhibit specifically T cell receptor activation. We exposed wild-type and p38MAPK mutant mice to 7 Gy x-rays and 24 h later we isolated whole blood and performed genome microarray and gene ontology analysis. Comparison between the two mutants (DN, DKI) suggest that the alternative p38MAPK pathway may have wider functions in the response to radiation exposure beyond its well established role as a downstream effector of activated T-cell receptor. Among the differentially enriched pathways, irradiation leads to a significant overrepresentation of pathways associated with morbidity and mortality as well as organismal cell death. In contrast, these pathways were significantly underrepresented in p38MAPKDN and p38MAPKDKI mutant mice, implying that p38MAPK suppression protects mice from the deleterious effects of radiation. Furthermore, radiation exposure resulted in an enrichment of a small number of phagocytosis-related pathways; however, considerably more phagocytosis-related pathways were overrepresented in the p38MAPK mutant mice, implying that p38MAPK signaling, normally, restricts phagocytosis of apoptotic cells after radiation and may, thus, contribute to persistent inflammation. Finally, despite the significant changes in gene expression, we were still able to identify a panel of genes that could accurately distinguish between irradiated and control mice, irrespective of p38MAPK status.

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The streptococcal exotoxin streptolysin O activates mast cells to produce tumor necrosis factor alpha by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase- and protein kinase C-dependent pathways.

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