Project description:In this report, we performed bulk RNA sequencing of AMs from AMs (alone), AM: BAL neutrophils (BAL), and AM: PR8 neutrophils (PR8) (1:1 ratio).
Project description:Necrosis is commonly found in various solid tumors and predicts worse outcome. Chronic ischemia can initiate tumor necrosis, but how the damaged tissue further expands is unclear. Previous studies found that neutrophils associate with necrosis and could contribute to necrosis development in glioblastoma (GBM) by transferring myeloperoxidase (MPO)-containing granules into tumor cells and inducing tumor cell ferroptosis. How the neutrophilic granule transfer occurs is unknown. Here, through an unbiased small molecule screen, we found that statins can inhibit neutrophil-induced tumor cell death by blocking the neutrophilic content transfer into tumor cells. Surprisingly, we found that neutrophils are engulfed by tumor cells before they are fragmented and release the MPO-containing contents in tumor cells. This process involves LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP) and can be blocked by inhibiting the Vps34-UVRAG-containing PI3K complex. Inhibition of MPO or depletion of Vps34 in an orthotopic xenograft GBM mouse model reduced necrosis formation and allowed tumor-bearing mice to survive longer. Therefore, this study revealed that the neutrophilic granule transfer involves LAP-mediated neutrophil internalization, which then triggers tumor ferroptotic cell death in glioblastoma. Blocking this process may improve prognosis of GBM.
Project description:Bacterial lung infections are associated with strong infiltration of CD11b+ myeloid cells, which limit life-threatening disease, but also severely damage lung tissue. In a murine lung infection model with Streptococcus pneumoniae, we found intrinsic upregulation of CD11b on resident alveolar macrophages. Such CD11b expression was associated with transcriptomic and proteomic adaptations by alveolar macrophages, leading to the identification of specific molecules and pathways that depended on CD11b. In the absence of CD11b, the antimicrobial defense of alveolar macrophages was strongly reduced, and the production of neutrophil-recruiting chemokines was more pronounced. Moreover, CD11b expression limited the infection and prevented excessive alveolar damage. In conclusion, our study provides detailed molecular insights into the alveolar macrophage-specific immune response to Streptococcus pneumoniae lung infection and reveals profound CD11b-dependent alterations that are critical for effective antimicrobial immunity, neutrophil recruitment, and prevention of alveolar damage.
Project description:Alveolar macrophage (AM) proliferation and self-renewal play an important role in the lung tissue microenvironment. However, the impact of immune cells, especially the neutrophils, on AM homeostasis or function is not well characterized. In this study, we induced in vivo migration of neutrophils into bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and lung using CXCL1, and then co-cultured these with AMs in vitro. Neutrophils in the BAL (BAL-neutrophils), rather than neutrophils of bone marrow (BM-neutrophils), were found to inhibit AM proliferation. Analysis of publicly available data showed high heterogeneity of lung neutrophils with distinct molecular signatures of BM- and blood-neutrophils. Unexpectedly, BAL-neutrophils from influenza virus PR8-infected mice (PR8-neutrophils) did not inhibit the proliferation of AMs. Bulk RNA sequencing further revealed that co-culture of AMs with PR8-neutrophils induced IFN-α and -γ responses and inflammatory response, and AMs co-cultured with BAL-neutrophils showed higher expression of metabolism- and ROS-associated genes; in addition, BAL-neutrophils from PR8-infected mice modulated AM polarization and phagocytosis. BAL-neutrophil-mediated suppression of AM proliferation was abrogated by a combination of inhibitors of different neutrophil death pathways. Collectively, our findings suggest that multiple cell death pathways of neutrophils regulate the proliferation of AMs. Targeting neutrophil death may represent a potential therapeutic strategy for improving AM homeostasis during respiratory diseases.
Project description:Although innate immunity is critical for antifungal host defense against the human opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, potentially damaging inflammation must be controlled. Adiponectin (APN) is an anti-inflammatory adipokine, and we observed 100% mortality and increased fungal burden and inflammation in neutropenic mice with invasive aspergillosis (IA) that lack APN or the APN receptors AdipoR1 or AdipoR2. Alveolar macrophages (AMs), early immune sentinels that detect and respond to lung infection, express both receptors, and APN-/- AMs exhibited an inflammatory/M1 phenotype that was associated with decreased fungal killing and decreased activation of LC3-associated phagocytosis (LAP). Furthermore, AM treatment with the AdipoR agonist AdipoRon partially rescued deficient killing in APN-/- AMs that was dependent on both receptors. Our study identifies a novel role for APN in LC3-mediated killing of A.fumigatus.
Project description:Inhalation of the amibient air polution ozone causes lung inflammation and can suppress host defense mechanisms, including impairing macrophage phagocytosis. Ozone reacts with cholesterol in the lung to form oxysterols, like secosterol A and secosterol B, which can form covalent adducts on cellular proteins. How oxysterol-protein adduction modifies the function of lung macrophages is unknown. Herein, we used a preoteomic screen to identify lung macrophage proteins that fomr adducts with ozone-derived oxysterols. Analysis show that the phagocytic receptor CD206 and CD64 formed adducts with secosterol A. Adduction of these receptors with ozone-derived oxysterols impaired ligand binding and corresponded with reduced macrophage phagocytosis. This work suggests a novle mechanism for the suppression of macrophage phagocytosis following ozone exposure through the generation of oxysterols and the formation of oxysterol-protein adducts on phagocytic receptors.