Project description:Chronic innate immune activation in the central nervous system (CNS) significantly contributes to neurodegeneration in progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Using multiple EAE models, we explored the potential of the innate immune sensor NLRX1 to protect neurons in the anterior visual pathway from inflammatory neurodegeneration. To do this, we assessed retinal ganglion cell (RGC) density and optic nerve axonal degeneration, gliosis, and T-cell infiltration in Nlrx1-/- and wild-type (WT) EAE mice. Our results indicate that Nlrx1-/- mice exhibit significantly increased RGC loss and axonal injury compared to WT mice in both active immunization EAE and spontaneous opticospinal encephalomyelitis models. Adoptive transfer experiments, in which wild type T cells were transferred into lymphocyte-deficient Rag-/- mice to minimize the effects of Nlrx1 knockout on peripheral lymphocyte priming, revealed more severe microgliosis and astrogliosis in the optic nerve of Nlrx1-/-Rag-/- mice compared to Rag-/- mice, suggesting a regulatory role of NLRX1 in innate immune compartments. Transcriptome analysis in primary astrocytes demonstrated that NLRX1 negatively regulates TLR-mediated NF-κB activation. The novel pharmacologic NLRX1 activator LABP-66 decreased LPS-mediated gene expression of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in mixed glial cultures. Moreover, treating EAE mice with oral LABP-66 after the onset of paralysis resulted in less anterior visual pathway neurodegeneration compared to vehicle. These data suggest that a pharmacologic NLRX1 activators attenuates glial immune activation and has the potential to limit inflammatory neurodegeneration in diseases, such as MS, where chronic CNS-compartmentalized inflammation may drive neurodegenerative pathology. This study highlights that NLRX1 could serve as a promising target for neuroprotection in progressive MS and other neurodegenerative diseases where chronic compartmentalized innate immune activation and neuroinflammation play a role.
Project description:NLRX1 is an immune signaling protein that has shown to be both tumor suppressing or tumor promoting, depending on the type of cancer. We demonstrate that NLRX1 has tumor suppressive abilities in vitro in Pan02 cells. We used this microarray to evaluate genes and pathways NLRX1 regulates in these cells to cause the observed in vitro phenotypes. Abstract from associated publication: Pancreatic cancer is a deadly malignancy with limited treatment options. NLRX1 is a unique, understudied member of the Nod-like Receptor (NLR) family of pattern recognition receptors that regulates a variety of biological processes that are highly relevant to pancreatic cancer. The role of NLRX1 in cancer remains highly enigmatic, with some studies defining its roles as a tumor promoter, while others characterize its contributions to tumor suppression. These seemingly contradicting roles appear to be due, at least in part, to cell type and temporal mechanisms. Here, we define roles for NLRX1 in regulating critical hallmarks of pancreatic cancer using both gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies in murine Pan02 cells. Our data reveals that NLRX1 increases susceptibility to cell death, while also suppressing proliferation, migration, and reactive oxygen species production. We also show that NLRX1 protects against upregulated mitochondrial activity and limits energy production in the Pan02 cells. Transcriptomics analysis revealed that the protective phenotypes associated with NLRX1 are correlated with attenuation of NF-kB, MAPK, AKT, and inflammasome signaling. Together, these data demonstrate that NLRX1 diminishes cancer-associated biological functions in pancreatic cancer cells and establishes a role for this unique NLR in tumor suppression.
Project description:The immune signaling protein NLRX1 can be either tumor promoting or tumor suppressing in different models of cancer. We demonstrate that in a mammary tumor model of triple-negative breast cancer, NLRX1 impacts tumor volume and lung metastasis. We used this microarray to understand what genes and pathways are impacted by NLRX1 in murine triple-negative mammary tumors to produce the in vivo phenotypes we observed. Abstract from associated publication: Prior studies have defined multiple, but inconsistent, roles for NLRX1 in regulating cancer-associated biological functions. Here, we explore the role of NLRX1 in the highly-metastatic murine 4T1 mammary tumor model. Using Nlrx1-/- mice engrafted with 4T1 tumors, we demonstrate that NLRX1 functions as a tumor suppressor when expressed in healthy host cells. Specifically, NLRX1 attenuates tumor growth and metastasis through suppressing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, tumor-associated eosinophil recruitment, and the lung metastatic niche. Conversely, we demonstrate that NLRX1 functions as a tumor promoter when expressed in 4T1 tumor cells using gain- and loss-of-function studies. Mechanistically, NLRX1 augments 4T1 aggressiveness through regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition, cell death, proliferation, migration, ROS levels, and mitochondrial respiration. Together, we provide critical insight into NLRX1 function in breast cancer and establish cellular context as the director of the dichotomous role of NLRX1 in mammary tumor metastasis.
Project description:NLRX1 is a mitochondrial-associated NOD-like receptor that modulates antiviral immunity, cellular stress, autophagy, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The role of NLRX1 in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remains largely unknown. This study aimed to characterize NLRX1-mediated mechanisms of protection from IBD. We investigated the ability of NLRX1 to modulate global colonic gene expression, gut pathology, inflammation and immunity by using loss-of-function approaches in dextran sodiu sulfate (DSS) and CD4+CD45RBhigh transfer colitis models. Colons, spleens, and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) were excised for characterizing immune cell subsets, histological analyses, cytokine, RNA sequencing analyses, and autophagy expression, NF-κB activity, and ROS production. The loss of NLRX1 increased severity of disease and colonic histopathology in both models of IBD. Colons of NLRX1-/- mice had significantly increased epithelial ulceration and leukocyte infiltration mostly in the form of neutrophils, lymphocytes, and macrophages in the DSS model, while recipients of NLRX1-/- CD4+ T cells had increased leukocytic infiltration, proliferation, fibrosis, and crypt abscessation in both colon and ileum. The loss of NLRX1 increased numbers of effector T helper (Th1), Th17, and regulatory T cells (Treg) cells in the colonic mucosa and spleen, increased colonic NF-κB activity, upregulation of IL-17, IFNγ and TNF-α production, and increased ROS production. Global transcriptomic analyses demonstrates that NLRX1 regulates immunity and lipid metabolism pathways. NLRX1 ameliorates intestinal pathology during IBD by acting as an internal thermostat that modulates the balance of effector versus regulatory CD4+ T cell responses, and suppressing colonic NF-κB activity, inflammatory cytokine expression, lipid metabolism gene expression, ROS production and autophagy.
Project description:Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of the respiratory system that may cause invasive infection or an allergic response. Monocytoid dendritic cells (moDCs) are a known recruited cell population during fungal colonization and are believed to be a critical player in balancing innate versus adaptive immune responses. We conducted an RNA-Seq time course analysis of moDCs challenged against A. fumigatus, to gain an appreciation of gene expression changes. We concurrently utilized Nlrx1 deficient moDCs as we have recently shown the importance of Nlrx1 during invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and shown the absence of Nlrx1 results in a robust shift towards a detrimental Th2 response. Our findings suggest a decision tree by moDCs in response to A. fumigatus viable conidia that is absent in Nlrx1-/- moDCs.
Project description:Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common multifactorial disease in a heterogeneous population of women. Due to this heterogeneity, the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of POP are still unclear. We sought to identify dysregulated pathways by comparing gene expression profiles of prolapsed and non- prolapsed anterior vaginal wall tissue within the same patient. Biopsies were collected from 12 premenopausal women undergoing prolapse surgery (cystocele POP-Q stage ≥ 2). A full thickness anterior vaginal wall sample was taken from the POP site during anterior colporrhaphy. An additional sample was taken from the non-prolapsed apex of the anterior vaginal cuff. Micro-array analysis was performed using whole genome GE 4x44K microarrays. Beside a significance analysis of micro-array (SAM), also a visual cluster analysis was performed. 12 women with POP: 12 biopsies anterior vaginal wall (POP site) versus 12 biopies precervical anterior vaginal wall ( non POP site)
Project description:Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen of the respiratory system that may cause invasive infection or an allergic response. Bronchial airway epithelial cells compromise the most abundant cell type of the pulmonary-air interface. Our recent findings suggest loss of Nlrx1 by BEAS-2B airway epithelial cells result in a hyper inflammatory response as well as decreased conidial processing. We challenged wildtype Nlrx1 deficient BEAS-2B cells with viable A. fumigatus AF293 conidia to identify early response differentially expressed genes and pathways between the two cell populations.
Project description:Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common multifactorial disease in a heterogeneous population of women. Due to this heterogeneity, the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to the pathogenesis of POP are still unclear. We sought to identify dysregulated pathways by comparing gene expression profiles of prolapsed and non- prolapsed anterior vaginal wall tissue within the same patient. Biopsies were collected from 12 premenopausal women undergoing prolapse surgery (cystocele POP-Q stage ≥ 2). A full thickness anterior vaginal wall sample was taken from the POP site during anterior colporrhaphy. An additional sample was taken from the non-prolapsed apex of the anterior vaginal cuff. Micro-array analysis was performed using whole genome GE 4x44K microarrays. Beside a significance analysis of micro-array (SAM), also a visual cluster analysis was performed.
Project description:Visual deprivation, either in the form of dark rearing (DR) or monocular deprivation (MD) are established paradigms for studying cortical plasticity. We have used miRNA microarray to uncover miRNAs whose expression is altered in primary visual cortex following DR and/or MD. C57BL6 mice were reared in normal light and dark conditions (control) till P28, in complete darkness since birth (DR) till P28, or were grown in normal light/dark conditions from birth till P24 and then subjected to lid suturing of one eye till P28. Mice were euthanized at P28 and their primary visual cortex areas were excised and subjected to RNA isolation. In the case of MD mice only the contralateral to lid suture primary visual cortex was extracted. 100ng of total RNA (tested and quantified using the Agilent Bioanalyzer 2100) were labeled using the Agilent miRNA labeling system and hybridized to Agilent murine miRNA arrays. Microarrays were hybridized overnight at 64 ºC, scanned using an Agilent scanner and extracted with Agilent feature extractor 10.1.
Project description:Visual deprivation, either in the form of dark rearing (DR) or monocular deprivation (MD) are established paradigms for studying cortical plasticity. We have used miRNA microarray to uncover miRNAs whose expression is altered in primary visual cortex following DR and/or MD.