ABSTRACT: Vaccination reduces morbidity and mortality from pneumonia but its effect on the tissue-level response to infection is still poorly understood. We evaluated pneumonia disease progression, acute phase response and lung gene expression profiles in mice inoculated intranasally with virulent gram-positive Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype (ST) 3, with and without prior immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharide ST 3 (PPS3), or co-immunization with PPS3 and with a low dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Pneumonia severity was assessed in the acute phase, 5, 12, 24 and 48 h post-inoculation (p.i.) and the resolution phase of 7 days p.i. Primary PPS3 specific antibody production was upregulated and IgM binding to pneumococci increased in PPS3-immunized mice. Immunizations with PPS3 or PPS3 + LPS decreased bacterial recovery the lung and blood at 24 and 48 h and increased survival. Microarray analysis of whole lung RNA revealed significant changes in the acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) between noninfected and infected mice, which were attenuated by immunization. SAA transcripts were higher in the liver and lungs of infected controls, and SAA protein was elevated in serum, but decreased in PPS3-immunized mice. Thus, during a virulent pneumonia infection, prior immunization with PPS3 in an IgM-dependent manner as well as co-immunization with PPS3 + LPS attenuated pneumonia severity and promoted resolution of infection, concomitant with significant regulation of cytokine gene expression in the lungs, and acute phase proteins in the lungs, liver and serum.
Project description:Vaccination reduces morbidity and mortality from pneumonia but its effect on the tissue-level response to infection is still poorly understood. We evaluated pneumonia disease progression, acute phase response and lung gene expression profiles in mice inoculated intranasally with virulent gram-positive Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype (ST) 3, with and without prior immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharide ST 3 (PPS3), or co-immunization with PPS3 and with a low dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Pneumonia severity was assessed in the acute phase, 5, 12, 24 and 48 h post-inoculation (p.i.) and the resolution phase of 7 days p.i. Primary PPS3 specific antibody production was upregulated and IgM binding to pneumococci increased in PPS3-immunized mice. Immunizations with PPS3 or PPS3 + LPS decreased bacterial recovery the lung and blood at 24 and 48 h and increased survival. Microarray analysis of whole lung RNA revealed significant changes in the acute phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA) between noninfected and infected mice, which were attenuated by immunization. SAA transcripts were higher in the liver and lungs of infected controls, and SAA protein was elevated in serum, but decreased in PPS3-immunized mice. Thus, during a virulent pneumonia infection, prior immunization with PPS3 in an IgM-dependent manner as well as co-immunization with PPS3 + LPS attenuated pneumonia severity and promoted resolution of infection, concomitant with significant regulation of cytokine gene expression in the lungs, and acute phase proteins in the lungs, liver and serum. Each lung RNA sample represented an individual mouse, creating biological repeats for each treatment. In-vivo treatments were as follows: non-infected lung (vehicle-immunized) control (n=5), infected lung (vehicle-immunized) control at 48 hr post-inoculation (n=5), PPS3 and LPS co-immunized lung at 48 hr post-inoculation (n=4) and PPS3 and LPS co-immunized lung at 7 days post-inoculation (n=4).
Project description::Systemic duress, like that elicited by sepsis, burns or trauma, predispose patients to nosocomial pneumonia, demanding better understanding of host pathways influencing this deleterious connection. These pre-existing circumstances are capable of triggering the hepatic acute phase response (APR), which we previously demonstrated is essential for limiting susceptibility to secondary lung infections. To identify potential mechanisms underlying protection afforded by the lung-liver axis, our studies aimed to evaluate liver-dependent lung reprogramming when a systemic inflammatory challenge precedes pneumonia. WT mice and APR-deficient littermates lacking hepatocyte STAT3 (hepSTAT3-/-), a transcription factor necessary for full APR initiation, were challenged intraperitoneally with LPS to induce endotoxemia. After 18h, pneumonia was induced by intratracheal E. coli instillation. Endotoxemia elicited significant transcriptional alterations in the lungs of WT and hepSTAT3-/- mice, with nearly 2,000 differentially expressed genes between genotypes. The gene signatures revealed exaggerated immune activity in the lungs of hepSTAT3-/- mice, which were compromised in their capacity to launch additional cytokine responses to secondary infection. Proteomics revealed substantial liver-dependent modifications in the airspaces of pneumonic mice, implicating a network of dispatched liver-derived mediators influencing lung homeostasis. These results indicate that following systemic inflammation, liver acute phase changes dramatically remodel the lungs, resulting in a modified landscape for any stimuli encountered thereafter. Based on the established vulnerability of hepSTAT3-/- mice to secondary lung infections, we believe that intact liver function is critical for maintaining the immunological responsiveness of the lungs. Further studies are needed to confirm whether and how such lung changes directly influence pneumonia susceptibility.
Project description:In Balb/c mice, the presence of effector CD8 T cells in lungs after intra-nasal (IN) immunization with replication deficient recombinant Adenovirus expressing the 85A antigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) (Ad85A) correlates with protection against aerosol MTb infection. In order to identify differentially expressed transcripts which contribute to protection by IN immunized lung CD8 T cells, total RNA from CD8 T cells isolated from target tissue (lungs) and lymphoid organ (spleen ) after a protective (IN) and non-protective (intradermal, ID) immunization regime will be analyzed in a whole-genome microarray study. Total RNA from CD8 T cells isolated from lungs or spleens of Balb/c mice 3 weeks post-immunization with Ad85A through the IN (protective) or ID (non-protective) route will be compared.
Project description:Blood contains hundreds of proteins, reflecting ongoing cellular processes and immune reactions. Angiostrongylus vasorum infection is associated with a perturbed blood protein profile in dogs. However, the literature currently available lacks the necessary depth of analysis in order to resolve the observed pathologies in A. vasorum infections, including bleeding disorders. Using sera from 8 experimentally-infected dogs (i) before infection with A. vasorum, (ii) 34 days post-infection (p.i.; immature infection), and (iii) 75 days p.i. (mature patent infection), serum proteins were measured using liquid chromatography, tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). For 2 dogs, serum was analyzed at days 104 and 230 p.i. additionally. A data-independent acquisition workflow was employed in order to generate quantitative data. Following computational analysis, we identified 139 up- and down-regulated proteins following infection (log2 ratio cutoff ≥ 1.0; q-value ≤ 0.05). Differences in serum profiles were most pronounced at day 75 p.i. compared to before infection. Among up-regulated proteins, chitinase 3, several saposin-like proteins, and heat shock proteins were found greatly increased (log2 fold-changes ≥ 5). Levels of pulmonary surfactant protein B were elevated on day 34 p.i. already, in the prepatent phase. Pathway enrichment revealed that complement (especially the lectin pathway) and coagulation cascades as significantly affected upon analysis of down-regulated proteins. Among them were mannan-binding lectin serine peptidases, ficolin, and coagulation factors. These results reflect the ongoing immune response and stress imposed to the lungs by the parasite. In addition, they bring new elements towards understanding the coagulopathies observed in some A. vasorum-infected dogs.
Project description:Systemic duress such as that elicited by sepsis, burns or trauma predispose patients to nosocomial pneumonia, demanding a better understanding of host pathways influencing this connection. These systemic challenges are also capable of triggering the hepatic acute phase response (APR), an event that we have previously demonstrated as essential for limiting susceptibility to secondary lung infections. In an effort to identify potential mechanisms underlying protection afforded by the lung-liver axis, our current studies aimed to comprehensively evaluate liver-dependent lung reprogramming following a systemic inflammatory challenge with endotoxemia followed by pneumonia. To do so, WT mice and APR-deficient littermates lacking hepatocyte STAT3 (hepSTAT3-/-), a transcription factor necessary for full APR initiation, were challenged intraperitoneally with LPS to induce endotoxemia. After 18h, pneumonia was induced by an intratracheal E. coli instillation. Lung transcriptional profiling, airspace proteomics, and additional validation measures were assessed after endotoxemia with or without a subsequent challenge with pneumonia in order to achieve an unbiased assessment of lung immune activity in the presence and absence of an intact liver response. In WT mice, endotoxemia elicited robust transcriptional changes in the lungs, with nearly 2,000 differentially expressed genes when comparing WT and hepSTAT3-/- mice. The resulting gene signatures revealed highly exaggerated immune activity in the lungs of hepSTAT3-/- mice, which were compromised in their capacity to launch additional cytokine responses to secondary infection. Proteomics also revealed substantial liver-dependent modifications in the airspaces of pneumonic mice, implicating a network of dispatched liver-derived mediators influencing lung homeostasis. These results indicate that following a systemic inflammatory event, liver acute phase changes dramatically remodel the lungs, resulting in a modified landscape for any stimuli encountered thereafter. Based on the known vulnerability of hepSTAT3-/- mice to secondary lung infections, we believe that intact liver function is critical for maintaining the immunological responsiveness of the lungs. However, further studies are needed to confirm whether and how such lung changes directly influence pneumonia susceptibility.
Project description:Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) is a major pathogen affecting equines worldwide and causes respiratory disease, abortion, and in some cases, neurological disease. EHV-1 strain KyA is attenuated in the mouse and equine, whereas wild-type strain RacL11 induces severe inflammatory infiltration of the lung, causing infected mice to succumb at 4 to 6 days post-infection. Our previous results showed that EHV-1 KyA immunization protected CBA mice from pathogenic RacL11 challenge at 2 and 4 weeks post-immunization, and that the infection with the attenuated KyA elicits protective humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. To investigate the protective mechanisms of EHV-1 KyA by innate immune responses, CBA mice immunized with live KyA were challenged with RacL11 at various times post-vaccination. KyA immunization effectively protected CBA mice from RacL11 challenge at 1 to 7 days post-immunization. Immunized mice lost less than 10% of their preinfection body weight and rapidly regained body weight. Lung virus titers in EHV-1 KyA-immunized CBA mice were 1,000-fold lower at 2 days post-RacL11 challenge than lungs of non-immunized mice, which was indicative of accelerated virus clearance. Affymetrix microarray analysis revealed that IFN-γ and 16 antiviral interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) were upregulated 3.1- to 48.2-fold at 8 h post-challenge in the lungs of RacL11-challenged mice that had been immunized with KyA. Murine IFN-γinhibited EHV-1 infection of murine alveolar macrophage MH-S cells and effectively protected mice against lethal EHV-1 challenge, suggesting that IFN-γ expression may be important in mediating protection elicited by KyA immunization. These results suggest that EHV-1 KyA can be used as a live attenuated EHV-1 vaccine as well as a prophylactic agent in horses.
Project description:In Balb/c mice, the presence of effector CD8 T cells in lungs after intra-nasal (IN) immunization with replication deficient recombinant Adenovirus expressing the 85A antigen from Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTb) (Ad85A) correlates with protection against aerosol MTb infection. In order to identify differentially expressed transcripts which contribute to protection by IN immunized lung CD8 T cells, total RNA from CD8 T cells isolated from target tissue (lungs) and lymphoid organ (spleen ) after a protective (IN) and non-protective (intradermal, ID) immunization regime will be analyzed in a whole-genome microarray study.
Project description:Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease in the heart and is mainly caused by viral infections. Viral myocarditis has been proposed to be divided into three phases; the acute viral phase, the subacute immune phase, and the chronic cardiac remodeling phase. Although individualized therapy should be applied depending on the phase, no clinical or experimental studies have found biomarkers that distinguish between the three phases of myocarditis. Theiler’s murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) belongs to the genus Cardiovirus, and can cause myocarditis in susceptible mouse strains. Using this novel model for viral myocarditis induced with TMEV, we conducted multivariate analysis including echocardiography, serum troponin and viral RNA titration, and microarray for identifying the biomarker candidates that discriminate the three phases. Using C3H mice infected with TMEV on 4, 7, and 60 days post infection (p.i.), we conducted bioinformatics analyses, including principal component analysis (PCA) of microarray data, since our traditional cardiac and serum assays, including two-way comparison of microarray data, did not lead to the identification of a single biomarker. PCA separated heart samples clearly between the groups of 4, 7, and 60 days p.i. Representative genes contributing to the separation were as follows: 4 and 7 days p.i., innate immunity-related genes, such as Irf7, and Cxcl9; 7 and 60 days p.i., acquired immunity-related genes, such as Cd3g and H2-Aa; and cardiac remodeling-related genes, such as Mmp12 and Gpnmb. Here, sets of molecules, but not a single molecule, identified by the unsupervised PCA, were found to be useful as the phase-specific biomarkers.
Project description:Murine macrophages were isolated from the lungs of mice given a pulmonary challenge with C. neoformans strain H99. Mice were either given a protective (H99γ) or a mock (HKCn) immunization prior to C. neoformans H99 challenge, and macrophages were isolated from the lungs of mice 24 hours, 3 days, or 7 days post-challenge using anti-CD11b microbeads according to the Miltenyi cell sorting system. We used SA Biosciences Toll-like Receptor PCR assay panel to quantitate gene expression of signal transduction factors in total RNA isolated from macrophages derived from immunized mice compared to non-immunized.
Project description:Acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is an inflammatory process of the lungs characterized by increased permeability of the alveolar-capillary membrane with subsequent interstitial/alveolar edema and diffuse alveolar damage. ALI/ARDS can be the results of either direct or indirect lung injury, with pneumonia being the most common direct pulmonary insult and sepsis the most common extra-pulmonary cause. In this study, we employed the murine lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced direct and indirect lung injury model to explore the pathogenic mechanisms of pulmonary and extra-pulmonary ARDS, using an unbiased, discovery and quantitative proteomic approach. A total of 1,017 proteins were both identified and quantified in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from control, intratracheal LPS (I.T. LPS, 0.1 mg/kg) and intraperitoneal LPS (I.P. LPS, 5 mg/kg) treated mice. The two LPS groups shared 13 up-regulated and 22 down-regulated proteins compared to the control group. Among them, molecules related to bronchial and type II alveolar epithelial cell functions including cell adhesion molecule 1 and surfactant protein B were reduced, whereas lactotransferrin and resistin like alpha involved in lung innate immunity were upregulated in both LPS groups. Proteomic profiling also identified significant differences in BALF proteins between I.T. and I.P. LPS groups. Ingenuity pathway analysis revealed that acute-phase response signaling was activated by both I.T. and I.P. LPS, however, the magnitude of activation is much greater in I.T. LPS group compared to I.P. LPS group. Intriguingly, two canonical signaling pathways, liver X receptor/retinoid X receptor activation and the production of nitric oxide and reactive oxygen species in macrophages, were activated by I.T. LPS but suppressed by I.P. LPS. In addition, CXCL15 (also known as lungkine) was also up-regulated by I.T LPS but down-regulated by I.P. LPS. In conclusion, our quantitative discovery-based proteomic approach identified commonalities as well as significant differences in BALF protein expression profiles in LPS-induced direct and indirect lung injury, and importantly, LPS-induced indirect lung injury results in suppression of select components of lung innate immunity, which could contribute to the so-called “immunoparalysis” in sepsis patients.