Project description:To determine differences in GC Tfh cells isolated from the tonsils of children who have undergone tonsillectomy for either recurrent Group A Streptococcus (GAS) tonsillitis (RT) or non-RT (sleep apnea). Grants: Thrasher Research Fund for an Early Career Award 12969 - Jennifer Dan UM1 AI100663 - Shane Crotty Clinical Research Fellowship Grant UK Charity No. 1089464 - David Layfield, Ramsey Cuttress, Christian Ottensmeier
Project description:Peripheral infections can result in neurocognitive changes in many contexts, including after recurrent Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections in children. To explore the underlying mechanisms, here we used an intranasal inoculation model to analyze nearly 200,000 cells from the mouse olfactory bulb (OB) by multiplexed error-robust fluorescent in situ hybridization (MERFISH). Upon repeated GAS inoculations, endothelial cells (ECs) responded by downregulating blood-brain barrier and extracellular matrix genes. Microglia upregulated response to interferon and antigen presentation genes and downregulated homeostatic microglia genes. We determined that microglia with higher expression of Streptococcus-responsive genes were localized to the outer glomerular layer of the OB, possibly due to their proximity to infiltrating CD4 T cells. Expression of homeostatic genes was correspondingly high in the inner granular layer of the OB.
Project description:Immune responses to group A streptococcus in humans can lead to the development of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Immune pathways that are activated by group A streptococcus are potential targets for inhibiting autoimmune responses to group A streptococcus. This experiment tests the impact of the drug hydroxychloroquine on immune responses to group A streptococcus in peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Project description:Peripheral infections can result in neuropsychiatric changes in many contexts, including after recurrent Group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections in children. To explore the underlying mechanisms, here we used an intranasal inoculation model to analyze more than 100,000 cells from the mouse olfactory bulb (OB) and nasal lymphoid tissue by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq). Upon repeated GAS inoculations, endothelial cells responded by downregulating blood-brain barrier (BBB)-specific genes, and microglia upregulated interferon-response, chemokine and antigen-presentation genes. To determine whether specific Th17 cytokines play distinct roles in producing this phenotype, we administered a neutralizing antibody against interleukin 17A (IL-17A), which decreased microglial expression of interferon-response and chemokine genes, but unexpectedly exacerbated levels of antigen presentation markers. Another Th17 cytokine, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) rescued a different subset of microglial transcripts.
Project description:This study evaluate how catabolite control protein A (CcpA) inactivation affected gene transcript levels in the group A Streptococcus serotype M1 strain MGAS5005 during growth in standard laboratory medium. Keywords: transcriptome analysis
Project description:Wild-type (JRS4) and irr mutant (JRS550) Group A Streptococcus (GAS) strains growing in either early or late exponential phase Keywords = Human Keywords = Neutrophils Keywords = Bacterial Keywords = Gene Regulation Keywords = Inflammation Keywords: other
Project description:We sought to determine how CovRS mutations varying CovR phosphorylation levels affect the gene expression profile of group A streptococcus
Project description:We report the characterization of the major regulator of virulence gene expression (CovR) in Group B Streptococcus. The ChIP-seq experiments define the binding of CovR on the chromosome of the BM110 strain, a representative of the hypervirulent GBS lineage responsible of neonatal meningitis. Regulatory evolution of CovR signaling was investigated by comparing ChIP-seq done in parallel in a second GBS clinical isolate (NEM316) not belonging to the hypervirulent lineage.