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Hepatokines (liver secreted proteins with possible distant action) are emerging potential players in insulin resistance in type 2 diabetic patients. Here, we explored the effect of a high-fat diet on the expression of fetuin-A, one of those candidate liver proteins, and its relationship with liver macrophage activation. Mice were fed a normal diet or a high-fat diet for 3 days, known to initiate steatosis and liver insulin resistance. A preventive liver macrophage depletion was obtained by intravenous injection of clodronate-loaded liposomes. The mRNA and protein expression of fetuin-A was evaluated by qPCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence on different insulin-sensitive tissues (liver, adipose tissue, and muscle). Short-term high-fat diet-induced steatosis, liver macrophage activation, and hepatic insulin resistance together with a significantly increased expression of liver AHSG (α2-HS glycoprotein/fetuin-A) mRNA and serum fetuin-A concentration. On immunofluorescence, fetuin-A was mostly expressed in centrilobular hepatocytes. This increase in fetuin-A under high-fat diet was not evidenced in other peripheral insulin-sensitive tissues (skeletal muscle and adipose tissue). The mRNA expression of α2-HS glycoprotein was 800 times higher within the liver compared with the adipose tissue or the muscle. Liver macrophage depletion that significantly ameliorated insulin sensitivity was associated with a significant decrease in α2-HS glycoprotein mRNA expression. In conclusion, this study demonstrated liver fetuin-A overexpression at the initiation of high-fat diet feeding, concurrent with hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance. Targeting liver macrophages in this setting reduced liver α2-HS glycoprotein expression suggesting that fetuin-A acts as an hepatokine with proinsulin resistance effects.

Inflammation after acute CNS injury plays a dual role. The interplay between immune cells and inflammatory mediators is critical to the outcome of injured neurons. Microglia/macrophages are the first sensors and regulators of the immune response. We previously found that the enhancement of macrophages on neuron survival does not persist in thymectomized rats. How T lymphocytes and macrophages interact and benefit neuron survival is not fully elucidated. To this point, we introduce and characterize a cell-retina co-culture model that mimics the recruitment of peripheral lymphocytes at the injury site. Three-day post-optic nerve transection (ONT) in Fischer 344 rats, transected retinas were co-cultured with either peripheral lymph node-derived lymphocytes (injury-activated) or from intact rats as the control. The injury-activated lymphocytes preserved retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and caused extensive retina microglial/macrophage infiltration. CD4+CD25+ T cells were upregulated in the injury-activated lymphocytes and increased RGC survival, suggesting that CD4+CD25+ T cells suppressed the cytotoxicity of control lymphocytes. When microglia/macrophages were depleted by clodronate, neuron loss was more extensive, the cytotoxicity of control lymphocytes on RGCs was alleviated, and the neuroprotective effect of injury-activated lymphocytes remain unchanged Cytokine detection showed an increase in IL-6 and TNF-α levels that were reduced with microglia/macrophage depletion. Our results suggest that microglial/macrophage infiltration into axotomized retinas promotes RGC survival by secreting cytokines to induce CD4+CD25+ T cells and suppress T cell-mediated RGC toxicity. These findings reveal a specific role for microglia/macrophage and CD4+CD25+ T cells in inflammation after CNS injury, thereby adding to the mechanistic basis for the development of microglial/macrophage modulation therapy for traumatic CNS injury.

The nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) regulates target gene expression upon ligand binding. Apart from its effects on metabolism, PPARγ activity can inhibit the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by several immune cells, including dendritic cells and macrophages. In chronic inflammatory disease models, PPARγ activation delays the onset and ameliorates disease severity. Here, we investigated the effect of PPARγ activation by the agonist Pioglitazone on the function of hepatic immune cells and its effect in a murine model of immune-mediated hepatitis. Cytokine production by both liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (IL-6) and in T cells ex vivo (IFNγ) was decreased in cells from Pioglitazone-treated mice. However, PPARγ activation did not decrease pro-inflammatory tumor necrosis factor alpha TNFα production by Kupffer cells after Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation ex vivo. Most interestingly, although PPARγ activation was shown to ameliorate chronic inflammatory diseases, it did not improve hepatic injury in a model of immune-mediated hepatitis. In contrast, Pioglitazone-induced PPARγ activation exacerbated D-galactosamine (GalN)/lipopolysaccharide (LPS) hepatitis associated with an increased production of TNFα by Kupffer cells and increased sensitivity of hepatocytes towards TNFα after in vivo Pioglitazone administration. These results unravel liver-specific effects of Pioglitazone that fail to attenuate liver inflammation but rather exacerbate liver injury in an experimental hepatitis model.

Eosinophils are effectors in immunity to tissue helminths but also induce allergic immunopathology. Mechanisms of eosinophilia in non-mucosal tissues during infection remain unresolved. Here we identify a pivotal function of tissue macrophages (Mϕ) in eosinophil anti-helminth immunity using a BALB/c mouse intra-peritoneal Brugia malayi filarial infection model. Eosinophilia, via C-C motif chemokine receptor (CCR)3, was necessary for immunity as CCR3 and eosinophil impairments rendered mice susceptible to chronic filarial infection. Post-infection, peritoneal Mϕ populations proliferated and became alternatively-activated (AAMϕ). Filarial AAMϕ development required adaptive immunity and interleukin-4 receptor-alpha. Depletion of Mϕ prior to infection suppressed eosinophilia and facilitated worm survival. Add back of filarial AAMϕ in Mϕ-depleted mice recapitulated a vigorous eosinophilia. Transfer of filarial AAMϕ into Severe-Combined Immune Deficient mice mediated immunological resistance in an eosinophil-dependent manner. Exogenous IL-4 delivery recapitulated tissue AAMϕ expansions, sustained eosinophilia and mediated immunological resistance in Mϕ-intact SCID mice. Co-culturing Brugia with filarial AAMϕ and/or filarial-recruited eosinophils confirmed eosinophils as the larvicidal cell type. Our data demonstrates that IL-4/IL-4Rα activated AAMϕ orchestrate eosinophil immunity to filarial tissue helminth infection.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common form of interstitial lung disease characterized by the persistence of activated myofibroblasts resulting in excessive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins and profound tissue remodeling. In the present study, the expression of tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) was key to the resolution of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Both in vivo and in vitro studies demonstrated that Gr-1+TRAIL+ bone marrow-derived myeloid cells blocked the activation of lung myofibroblasts. Although soluble TRAIL was increased in plasma from IPF patients, the presence of TRAIL+ myeloid cells was markedly reduced in IPF lung biopsies, and primary lung fibroblasts from this patient group expressed little of the TRAIL receptor-2 (DR5) when compared with appropriate normal samples. IL-13 was a potent inhibitor of DR5 expression in normal fibroblasts. Together, these results identified TRAIL+ myeloid cells as a critical mechanism in the resolution of pulmonary fibrosis, and strategies directed at promoting its function might have therapeutic potential in IPF.

The goal of the innate immune system is to reduce pathogen spread prior to the initiation of an effective adaptive immune response. Following an infection at a peripheral site, virus typically drains through the lymph to the lymph node prior to entering the blood stream and being systemically disseminated. Therefore, there are three distinct spatial checkpoints at which intervention to prevent systemic spread of virus can occur, namely: 1) the site of infection, 2) the draining lymph node via filtration of lymph or 3) the systemic level via organs that filter the blood. We have previously shown that systemic depletion of phagocytic cells allows viral spread after dermal infection with Vaccinia virus (VACV), which infects naturally through the skin. Here we use multiple depletion methodologies to define both the spatial checkpoint and the identity of the cells that prevent systemic spread of VACV. Subcapsular sinus macrophages of the draining lymph node have been implicated as critical effectors in clearance of lymph borne viruses following peripheral infection. We find that monocyte populations recruited to the site of VACV infection play a critical role in control of local pathogenesis and tissue damage, but do not prevent dissemination of virus. Following infection with virulent VACV, the subcapsular sinus macrophages within the draining lymph node become infected, but are not exclusively required to prevent systemic spread. Rather, small doses of VACV enter the bloodstream and the function of systemic macrophages, but not dendritic cells, is required to prevent further spread. The results illustrate that a systemic innate response to a peripheral virus infection may be required to prevent widespread infection and pathology following infection with virulent viruses, such as poxviruses.

Abstract Infections with human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) occur globally in all age groups and can have devastating consequences in young infants. We demonstrate that a vaccine based on the extracellular domain (SHe) of the small hydrophobic (SH) protein of HRSV, reduced viral replication in challenged laboratory mice and in cotton rats. We show that this suppression of viral replication can be transferred by serum and depends on a functional IgG receptor compartment with a major contribution of FcγRI and FcγRIII. Using a conditional cell depletion method, we provide evidence that alveolar macrophages are involved in the protection by SHe‐specific antibodies. HRSV‐infected cells abundantly express SH on the cell surface and are likely the prime target of the humoral immune response elicited by SHe‐based vaccination. Finally, natural infection of humans and experimental infection of mice or cotton rats does not induce a strong immune response against HRSV SHe. Using SHe as a vaccine antigen induces immune protection against HRSV by a mechanism that differs from the natural immune response and from other HRSV vaccination strategies explored to date. Hence, HRSV vaccine candidates that aim at inducing protective neutralizing antibodies or T‐cell responses could be complemented with a SHe‐based antigen to further improve immune protection.

Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) represents a risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and is characterized by quantitative and qualitative changes in hepatic lipids. Since elongation of fatty acids from C16 to C18 has recently been reported to promote both hepatic lipid accumulation and inflammation we aimed to investigate whether a frequently used mouse NASH model reflects this clinically relevant feature and whether C16 to C18 elongation can be observed in HCC development. Feeding mice a methionine and choline deficient diet to model NASH not only increased total hepatic fatty acids and cholesterol, but also distinctly elevated the C18/C16 ratio, which was not changed in a model of simple steatosis (ob/ob mice). Depletion of Kupffer cells abrogated both quantitative and qualitative methionine-and-choline deficient (MCD)-induced alterations in hepatic lipids. Interestingly, mimicking inflammatory events in early hepatocarcinogenesis by diethylnitrosamine-induced carcinogenesis (48 h) increased hepatic lipids and the C18/C16 ratio. Analyses of human liver samples from patients with NASH or NASH-related HCC showed an elevated expression of the elongase ELOVL6, which is responsible for the elongation of C16 fatty acids. Taken together, our findings suggest a detrimental role of an altered fatty acid pattern in the progression of NASH-related liver disease.

Abstract Atrophic age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) is associated with the subretinal accumulation of mononuclear phagocytes (MPs). Their role in promoting or inhibiting retinal degeneration is unknown. We here show that atrophic AMD is associated with increased intraocular CCL2 levels and subretinal CCR2+ inflammatory monocyte infiltration in patients. Using age‐ and light‐induced subretinal inflammation and photoreceptor degeneration in Cx3cr1 knockout mice, we show that subretinal Cx3cr1 deficient MPs overexpress CCL2 and that both the genetic deletion of CCL2 or CCR2 and the pharmacological inhibition of CCR2 prevent inflammatory monocyte recruitment, MP accumulation and photoreceptor degeneration in vivo. Our study shows that contrary to CCR2 and CCL2, CX3CR1 is constitutively expressed in the retina where it represses the expression of CCL2 and the recruitment of neurotoxic inflammatory CCR2+ monocytes. CCL2/CCR2 inhibition might represent a powerful tool for controlling inflammation and neurodegeneration in AMD.

Abstract Currently all approved anti‐cancer therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are of the IgG isotype, which rely on Fcgamma receptors (FcγRs) to recruit cellular effector functions. In vitro studies showed that targeting of FcαRI (CD89) by bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) or recombinant IgA resulted in more effective elimination of tumour cells by myeloid effector cells than targeting of FcγR. Here we studied the in vivo anti‐tumour activity of IgA EGFR antibodies generated using the variable sequences of the chimeric EGFR antibody cetuximab. Using FcαRI transgenic mice, we demonstrated significant in vivo anti‐tumour activity of IgA2 EGFR against A431 cells in peritoneal and lung xenograft models, as well as against B16F10‐EGFR cells in a lung metastasis model in immunocompetent mice. IgA2 EGFR was more effective than cetuximab in a short‐term syngeneic peritoneal model using EGFR‐transfected Ba/F3 target cells. The in vivo cytotoxic activity of IgA2 EGFR was mediated by macrophages and was significantly decreased in the absence of FcαRI. These results support the potential of targeting FcαRI for effective antibody therapy of cancer.

Understanding how embryonic stem cells and their derivatives interact with the adult host immune system is critical to developing their therapeutic potential. Murine embryonic stem cell-derived hematopoietic progenitors (ESHPs) were generated via coculture with the bone marrow stromal cell line, OP9, and then transplanted into NOD.SCID.Common Gamma Chain (NSG) knockout mice, which lack B, T, and natural killer cells. Compared to control mice transplanted with adult lineage-negative bone marrow (Lin− BM) progenitors, ESHP-transplanted mice attained a low but significant level of donor hematopoietic chimerism. Based on our previous studies, we hypothesized that macrophages might contribute to the low engraftment of ESHPs in vivo. Enlarged spleens were observed in ESHP-transplanted mice and found to contain higher numbers of host F4/80+ macrophages compared to BM-transplanted controls. In vivo depletion of host macrophages using clodronate-loaded liposomes improved the ESHP-derived hematopoietic chimerism in the spleen but not in the BM. F4/80+ macrophages demonstrated a striking propensity to phagocytose ESHP targets in vitro. Taken together, these results suggest that macrophages are a barrier to both syngeneic and allogeneic ESHP engraftment in vivo.

Viruses can escape cytotoxic T cell (CTL) immunity by avoiding presentation of viral components via endogenous MHC class I antigen presentation in infected cells. Cross-priming of viral antigens circumvents such immune escape by allowing noninfected dendritic cells to activate virus-specific CTLs, but they remain ineffective against infected cells in which immune escape is functional. Here, we show that cross-presentation of antigen released from adenovirus-infected hepatocytes by liver sinusoidal endothelial cells stimulated cross-primed effector CTLs to release tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which killed virus-infected hepatocytes through caspase activation. TNF receptor signaling specifically eliminated infected hepatocytes that showed impaired anti-apoptotic defense. Thus, CTL immune surveillance against infection relies on two similarly important but distinct effector functions that are both MHC restricted, requiring either direct antigen recognition on target cells and canonical CTL effector function or cross-presentation and a noncanonical effector function mediated by TNF.

Infection leads to heightened activation of natural killer (NK) cells, a process that likely involves direct cell-to-cell contact, but how this occurs in vivo is poorly understood. We have used two-photon laser-scanning microscopy in conjunction with Toxoplasma gondii mouse infection models to address this question. We found that after infection, NK cells accumulated in the subcapsular region of the lymph node, where they formed low-motility contacts with collagen fibers and CD169+ macrophages. We provide evidence that interactions with collagen regulate NK cell migration, whereas CD169+ macrophages increase the activation state of NK cells. Interestingly, a subset of CD169+ macrophages that coexpress the inflammatory monocyte marker Ly6C had the most potent ability to activate NK cells. Our data reveal pathways through which NK cell migration and function are regulated after infection and identify an important accessory cell population for activation of NK cell responses in lymph nodes.

Tumor-associated macrophages are involved in angiogenesis and tumor progression, but their role and specific site of action in prostate cancer remain unknown. To explore this, Dunning R-3327 AT-1 rat prostate tumor cells were injected into the prostate of syngenic and immunocompetent Copenhagen rats and analyzed at different time points for vascular proliferation and macrophage density. Endothelial proliferation increased with tumor size both in the tumor and importantly also in the extratumoral normal prostate tissue. Macrophages accumulated in the tumor and in the extratumoral normal prostate tissue and were most abundant in the invasive zone. Moreover, only extratumoral macrophages showed strong positive associations with tumor size and extratumoral vascular proliferation. Treatment with clodronate-encapsulated liposomes reduced the monocyte/macrophage infiltration and resulted in a significant inhibition of tumor growth. This was accompanied by a suppressed proliferation in microvessels and in the extratumoral prostate tissue also in arterioles and venules. The AT-1 tumors produced, as examined by RT2 Profiler PCR arrays, numerous factors promoting monocyte recruitment, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling. Several, namely, chemokine (C-C) ligand 2, fibroblast growth factor 2, matrix metalloproteinase 9, interleukin 1β, interferon γ, and transforming growth factor β, were highly upregulated by the tumor in vivo compared with tumor cells in vitro, suggesting macrophages as a plausible source. In conclusion, we here show the importance of extratumoral monocytes/macrophages for prostate tumor growth, angiogenesis, and extratumoral arteriogenesis. Our findings identify tumor-associated macrophages and several chemotactic and angiogenic factors as potential targets for prostate cancer therapy.

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections with frequent recurrence being a major medical challenge. Development of effective therapies has been impeded by the lack of knowledge of events leading to adaptive immunity. Here, we establish conclusive evidence that an adaptive immune response is generated during UTI, yet this response does not establish sterilizing immunity. To investigate the underlying deficiency, we delineated the naïve bladder immune cell compartment, identifying resident macrophages as the most populous immune cell. To evaluate their impact on the establishment of adaptive immune responses following infection, we measured bacterial clearance in mice depleted of either circulating monocytes, which give rise to macrophages, or bladder resident macrophages. Surprisingly, mice depleted of resident macrophages, prior to primary infection, exhibited a nearly 2-log reduction in bacterial burden following secondary challenge compared to untreated animals. This increased bacterial clearance, in the context of a challenge infection, was dependent on lymphocytes. Macrophages were the predominant antigen presenting cell to acquire bacteria post-infection and in their absence, bacterial uptake by dendritic cells was increased almost 2-fold. These data suggest that bacterial uptake by tissue macrophages impedes development of adaptive immune responses during UTI, revealing a novel target for enhancing host responses to bacterial infection of the bladder.

There is significant evidence that brain-infiltrating CD8+ T cells play a central role in the development of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection of C57BL/6 mice. However, the mechanisms through which they mediate their pathogenic activity during malaria infection remain poorly understood. Utilizing intravital two-photon microscopy combined with detailed ex vivo flow cytometric analysis, we show that brain-infiltrating T cells accumulate within the perivascular spaces of brains of mice infected with both ECM-inducing (P. berghei ANKA) and non-inducing (P. berghei NK65) infections. However, perivascular T cells displayed an arrested behavior specifically during P. berghei ANKA infection, despite the brain-accumulating CD8+ T cells exhibiting comparable activation phenotypes during both infections. We observed T cells forming long-term cognate interactions with CX3CR1-bearing antigen presenting cells within the brains during P. berghei ANKA infection, but abrogation of this interaction by targeted depletion of the APC cells failed to prevent ECM development. Pathogenic CD8+ T cells were found to colocalize with rare apoptotic cells expressing CD31, a marker of endothelial cells, within the brain during ECM. However, cellular apoptosis was a rare event and did not result in loss of cerebral vasculature or correspond with the extensive disruption to its integrity observed during ECM. In summary, our data show that the arrest of T cells in the perivascular compartments of the brain is a unique signature of ECM-inducing malaria infection and implies an important role for this event in the development of the ECM-syndrome.

Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA) infection of C57BL/6 mice leads to experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) that is commonly associated with serious T cell mediated damage. In other parasitic infection models, inflammatory monocytes have been shown to regulate Th1 responses but their role in ECM remains poorly defined, whereas neutrophils are reported to contribute to ECM immune pathology. Making use of the recent development of specific monoclonal antibodies (mAb), we depleted in vivo Ly6C(hi) inflammatory monocytes (by anti-CCR2), Ly6G+ neutrophils (by anti-Ly6G) or both cell types (by anti-Gr1) during infection with Ovalbumin-transgenic PbA parasites (PbTg). Notably, the application of anti-Gr1 or anti-CCR2 but not anti-Ly6G antibodies into PbTg-infected mice prevented ECM development. In addition, depletion of Ly6C(hi) inflammatory monocytes but not neutrophils led to decreased IFNγ levels and IFNγ+CD8+ T effector cells in the brain. Importantly, anti-CCR2 mAb injection did not prevent the generation of PbTg-specific T cell responses in the periphery, whereas anti-Gr1 mAb injection strongly diminished T cell frequencies and CTL responses. In conclusion, the specific depletion of Ly6C(hi) inflammatory monocytes attenuated brain inflammation and immune cell recruitment to the CNS, which prevented ECM following Plasmodium infection, pointing out a substantial role of Ly6C+ monocytes in ECM inflammatory processes.

Although macrophages are mediators of CNS demyelination, they are also implicated in remyelination. To examine the role of macrophages in CNS remyelination, adult rats were depleted of monocytes using clodronate liposomes and demyelination induced in the spinal cord white matter using lysolecithin. In situ hybridization for scavenger receptor-B and myelin basic protein (MBP) revealed a transiently impaired macrophage response associated with delayed remyelination in liposome-treated animals. Macrophage reduction corresponded with delayed recruitment of PDGFRα+ oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which preceded changes in myelin phagocytosis, indicating a macrophage effect on OPCs independent of myelin debris clearance. Macrophage-depletion induced changes in the mRNA expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 and transforming growth factor β1, but not platelet-derived growth factor-A and fibroblast growth factor-2. These data suggest that the macrophage response to toxin-induced demyelination influences the growth factor environment, thereby affecting the behavior of OPCs and hence the efficiency of remyelination.

Alveolar macrophages (AM) are critical for defense against bacterial and fungal infections. However, a definitive role of AM in viral infections remains unclear. We here report that AM play a key role in survival to influenza and vaccinia virus infection by maintaining lung function and thereby protecting from asphyxiation. Absence of AM in GM-CSF-deficient (Csf2-/-) mice or selective AM depletion in wild-type mice resulted in impaired gas exchange and fatal hypoxia associated with severe morbidity to influenza virus infection, while viral clearance was affected moderately. Virus-induced morbidity was far more severe in Csf2-/- mice lacking AM, as compared to Batf3-deficient mice lacking CD8α+ and CD103+ DCs. Csf2-/- mice showed intact anti-viral CD8+ T cell responses despite slightly impaired CD103+ DC development. Importantly, selective reconstitution of AM development in Csf2rb-/- mice by neonatal transfer of wild-type AM progenitors prevented severe morbidity and mortality, demonstrating that absence of AM alone is responsible for disease severity in mice lacking GM-CSF or its receptor. In addition, CD11c-Cre/Ppargfl/fl mice with a defect in AM but normal adaptive immunity showed increased morbidity and lung failure to influenza virus. Taken together, our results suggest a superior role of AM compared to CD103+ DCs in protection from acute influenza and vaccinia virus infection-induced morbidity and mortality.

The pathogenesis of bacteraemia after challenge with one million pneumococci of three isogenic variants was investigated. Sequential analyses of blood samples indicated that most episodes of bacteraemia were monoclonal events providing compelling evidence for a single bacterial cell bottleneck at the origin of invasive disease. With respect to host determinants, results identified novel properties of splenic macrophages and a role for neutrophils in early clearance of pneumococci. Concerning microbial factors, whole genome sequencing provided genetic evidence for the clonal origin of the bacteraemia and identified SNPs in distinct sub-units of F0/F1 ATPase in the majority of the ex vivo isolates. When compared to parental organisms of the inoculum, ex-vivo pneumococci with mutant alleles of the F0/F1 ATPase had acquired the capacity to grow at low pH at the cost of the capacity to grow at high pH. Although founded by a single cell, the genotypes of pneumococci in septicaemic mice indicate strong selective pressure for fitness, emphasising the within-host complexity of the pathogenesis of invasive disease.

Parasitic enteric nematodes induce a type 2 immune response characterized by increased production of Th2 cytokines, IL-4 and IL-13, and recruitment of alternatively activated macrophages (M2) to the site of infection. Nematode infection is associated with changes in epithelial permeability and inhibition of sodium-linked glucose absorption, but the role of M2 in these effects is unknown. Clodronate-containing liposomes were administered prior to and during nematode infection to deplete macrophages and prevent the development of M2 in response to infection with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis. The inhibition of epithelial glucose absorption that is associated with nematode infection involved a macrophage-dependent reduction in SGLT1 activity, with no change in receptor expression, and a macrophage-independent down-regulation of GLUT2 expression. The reduced transport of glucose into the enterocyte is compensated partially by an up-regulation of the constitutive GLUT1 transporter consistent with stress-induced activation of HIF-1α. Thus, nematode infection results in a "lean" epithelial phenotype that features decreased SGLT1 activity, decreased expression of GLUT2 and an emergent dependence on GLUT1 for glucose uptake into the enterocyte. Macrophages do not play a role in enteric nematode infection-induced changes in epithelial barrier function. There is a greater contribution, however, of paracellular absorption of glucose to supply the energy demands of host resistance. These data provide further evidence of the ability of macrophages to alter glucose metabolism of neighboring cells.

Allospecific T memory cell responses in transplant recipients arise from environmental exposure to previous transplantation or cross-reactive heterologous immunity. Unfortunately, these memory responses pose a significant barrier to the survival of transplanted tissue. We have previously reported that concurrent inhibition of CD154 and LFA-1 suppresses primary CD8-dependent rejection responses that are not controlled by conventional immunosuppressive strategies. We hypothesized that CD154- and LFA-1-mediated inhibition, by targeting activation as well as effector functions, may also be efficacious for the control of alloreactive CD8 + T-cell responses in sensitized hosts. We found that treatment with anti-LFA-1 mAb alone enhanced transplant survival and reduced CD8-mediated cytotoxicity in sensitized CD4 KO recipients. However, treatment with anti-CD154 mAb alone did not have an effect. Notably, when both CD4- and CD8-dependent rejection pathways are operative (wild-type sensitized recipients), LFA-1 significantly inhibited CD8-mediated in vivo allocytotoxicity but did not correspond with enhanced hepatocyte survival. We hypothesized that this was due to alloantibody-mediated rejection. When anti-LFA-1 mAb treatment was combined with macrophage depletion, which we have previously reported impairs alloantibody-mediated parenchymal cell damage, in vivo cytotoxic effector function was significantly decreased and was accompanied by significant enhancement of hepatocyte survival in sensitized wild-type recipients. Therefore, LFA-1 is a potent therapeutic target for reduction of CD8-mediated cytotoxicity in sensitized transplant recipients and can be combined with other treatments that target non-CD8-mediated recall alloimmunity.

The IL-27R, WSX-1, is required to limit IFN-γ production by effector CD4⁺ T cells in a number of different inflammatory conditions but the molecular basis of WSX-1-mediated regulation of Th1 responses in vivo during infection has not been investigated in detail. In this study we demonstrate that WSX-1 signalling suppresses the development of pathogenic, terminally differentiated (KLRG-1⁺) Th1 cells during malaria infection and establishes a restrictive threshold to constrain the emergent Th1 response. Importantly, we show that WSX-1 regulates cell-intrinsic responsiveness to IL-12 and IL-2, but the fate of the effector CD4⁺ T cell pool during malaria infection is controlled primarily through IL-12 dependent signals. Finally, we show that WSX-1 regulates Th1 cell terminal differentiation during malaria infection through IL-10 and Foxp3 independent mechanisms; the kinetics and magnitude of the Th1 response, and the degree of Th1 cell terminal differentiation, were comparable in WT, IL-10R1⁻/⁻ and IL-10⁻/⁻ mice and the numbers and phenotype of Foxp3⁺ cells were largely unaltered in WSX-1⁻/⁻ mice during infection. As expected, depletion of Foxp3⁺ cells did not enhance Th1 cell polarisation or terminal differentiation during malaria infection. Our results significantly expand our understanding of how IL-27 regulates Th1 responses in vivo during inflammatory conditions and establishes WSX-1 as a critical and non-redundant regulator of the emergent Th1 effector response during malaria infection.

Allergic inflammation and severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) are important in allergen induced diseases. Bacterial products such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) are ubiquitous and can facilitate allergen induced Th2 immune responses. Phosphatase SHP-1 is critical in regulating immunological homeostasis and in allergen induced Th2 immune responses in the lung. However, the mechanisms underlying the initiation of allergic inflammation and allergen induced anaphylaxis are still not completely elucidated and it is unclear whether SHP-1 plays any role in LPS-induced airway inflammation and in allergen-induced anaphylaxis. In this study we tested the hypothesis that phosphatase SHP-1 plays an important role in allergic inflammation and anaphylaxis and determined whether its effects are through regulation of mast cell functions. SHP-1 deficient (mev/+ and mev/mev) and mast cell deficient (Kit(W-sh)) mice were examined in their responses to LPS airway stimulation and to ovalbumin (OVA) allergen induced systemic anaphylaxis. Compared to wild type mice, mev/+ mice had significantly enhanced LPS induced airway inflammation and OVA induced anaphylactic responses, including hypothermia and clinical symptoms. These changes were mast cell dependent as Kit(W-sh) mice had reduced responses whereas adoptive transfer of mast cells restored the responses. However, T and B cells were not involved and macrophages did not play a significant role in LPS induced airway inflammation. Interestingly, basophil differentiation from SHP-1 deficient bone marrow cells was significantly reduced. These findings provided evidence that through regulation of mast cell functions SHP-1 plays a critical role as a negative regulator in allergic inflammation and in allergen induced anaphylaxis. In addition, SHP-1 seems to be required for normal basophil development.

Nutritional immunity--the withholding of nutrients by the host--has long been recognised as an important factor that shapes bacterial-host interactions. However, the dynamics of nutrient availability within local host niches during fungal infection are poorly defined. We have combined laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP MS), MALDI imaging and immunohistochemistry with microtranscriptomics to examine iron homeostasis in the host and pathogen in the murine model of systemic candidiasis. Dramatic changes in the renal iron landscape occur during disease progression. The infection perturbs global iron homeostasis in the host leading to iron accumulation in the renal medulla. Paradoxically, this is accompanied by nutritional immunity in the renal cortex as iron exclusion zones emerge locally around fungal lesions. These exclusion zones correlate with immune infiltrates and haem oxygenase 1-expressing host cells. This local nutritional immunity decreases iron availability, leading to a switch in iron acquisition mechanisms within mature fungal lesions, as revealed by laser capture microdissection and qRT-PCR analyses. Therefore, a complex interplay of systemic and local events influences iron homeostasis and pathogen-host dynamics during disease progression.

Both Kupffer cells and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells suppress neutrophil-dependent liver injury in a mouse model of biliary obstruction. We hypothesize that these roles are interdependent and require iNKT cell-Kupffer cell cross-activation. Female, wild-type and iNKT cell-deficient C57Bl/6 mice were injected with magnetic beads 3 days prior to bile duct ligation (BDL) in order to facilitate subsequent Kupffer cell isolation. On day three post-BDL, the animals were euthanized and the livers dissected. Necrosis was scored; Kupffer cells were isolated and cell surface marker expression (flow cytometry), mRNA expression (qtPCR), nitric oxide (NO (.) ) production (Griess reaction), and protein secretion (cytometric bead-array or ELISAs) were determined. To address the potential role of NO (.) in suppressing neutrophil accumulation, a group of WT mice received 1400W, a specific inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor, prior to BDL. To clarify the mechanisms underlying Kupffer cell-iNKT cell cross-activation, WT animals were administered anti-IFN-γ or anti-lymphocyte function-associated antigen (LFA)-1 antibody prior to BDL. Compared to their WT counterparts, Kupffer cells obtained from BDL iNKT cell-deficient mice expressed lower iNOS mRNA levels, produced less NO (.) , and secreted more neutrophil chemoattractants. Both iNOS inhibition and IFN-γ neutralization increased neutrophil accumulation in the livers of BDL WT mice. Anti-LFA-1 pre-treatment reduced iNKT cell accumulation in these same animals. These data indicate that the LFA-1-dependent cross-activation of iNKT cells and Kupffer cells inhibits neutrophil accumulation and cholestatic liver injury.

AIMS: Enhancement of collateral development in coronary or peripheral artery disease is a therapeutic target, but it has proven difficult to achieve. Macrophages are key players in collateral remodeling, yet the effect of different macrophage subsets on arteriogenesis has not been investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS: Murine macrophages were cultured from bone marrow and polarized into M1 (IFNγ), M2a (IL-4) or M2c (IL-10) subsets. C57BL/6 mice underwent femoral artery ligation followed by intramuscular injection of macrophage subsets. Using eGFP expressing macrophages, cells could be detected at least 6 days after ligation and were located in the perivascular space of collateral vessels. After 14 days, perfusion ratio was increased in animals treated with M1 as well as M2a and M2c macrophages compared to control. Depletion of circulating monocytes by clodronate liposome injections did not hamper reperfusion recovery, however, treatment with exogenous polarized macrophages improved perfusion ratio after 14 days again. We used IL10R(fl/fl)/LysMCre(+) mice to study the effect of inhibition of endogenous polarization towards specifically M2c macrophages on arteriogenesis. Deletion of the IL10-receptor (IL10R) in the myeloid lineage did not affect reperfusion recovery, yet the pro-arteriogenic effect of exogenously injected M2c macrophages was still present. CONCLUSIONS: Local injection of polarized macrophages promotes reperfusion recovery after femoral artery ligation and is not influenced by depletion of circulatory monocytes. Preventing endogenous M2c polarization did not affect reperfusion recovery suggesting that M2c's are not required for collateralization, but are sufficient to induce collateral formation upon exogenous administration. This is the first study using local injection of macrophage subsets showing the pro-arteriogenic effect of polarized macrophages.

Acinetobacter baumannii is an emerging bacterial pathogen that causes nosocomial pneumonia and other infections. Although it is recognized as an increasing threat to immunocompromised patients, the mechanism of host defense against A. baumannii infection remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the potential role of macrophages in host defense against A. baumannii infection using in vitro macrophage culture and the mouse model of intranasal (i.n.) infection. Large numbers of A. baumannii were taken up by alveolar macrophages in vivo as early as 4 h after i.n. inoculation. By 24 h, the infection induced significant recruitment and activation (enhanced expression of CD80, CD86 and MHC-II) of macrophages into bronchoalveolar spaces. In vitro cell culture studies showed that A. baumannii were phagocytosed by J774A.1 (J774) macrophage-like cells within 10 minutes of co-incubation, and this uptake was microfilament- and microtubule-dependent. Moreover, the viability of phagocytosed bacteria dropped significantly between 24 and 48 h after co-incubation. Infection of J774 cells by A. baumannii resulted in the production of large amounts of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and moderate amounts of nitric oxide (NO). Prior treatment of J774 cells with NO inhibitors significantly suppressed their bactericidal efficacy (P

Genetic mapping studies may provide association between sequence variants and disease susceptibility that can, with further experimental and computational analysis, lead to discovery of causal mechanisms and effective intervention. We have previously demonstrated that polymorphisms in immunity-related GTPases (IRG) confer a significant difference in susceptibility to Chlamydia psittaci infection in BXD recombinant mice. Here we combine genetic mapping and network modeling to identify causal pathways underlying this association. We infected a large panel of BXD strains with C. psittaci and assessed host genotype, IRG protein polymorphisms, pathogen load, expression of 32 cytokines, inflammatory cell populations, and weight change. Proinflammatory cytokines correlated with each other and were controlled by a novel genetic locus on chromosome 1, but did not affect disease status, as quantified by weight change 6 days after infection In contrast, weight change correlated strongly with levels of inflammatory cell populations and pathogen load that were controlled by an IRG encoding genetic locus (Ctrq3) on chromosome 11. These data provided content to generate a predictive model of infection using a Bayesian framework incorporating genotypes, immune system parameters, and weight change as a measure of disease severity. Two predictions derived from the model were tested and confirmed in a second round of experiments. First, strains with the susceptible IRG haplotype lost weight as a function of pathogen load whereas strains with the resistant haplotype were almost completely unaffected over a very wide range of pathogen load. Second, we predicted that macrophage activation by Ctrq3 would be central in conferring pathogen tolerance. We demonstrated that macrophage depletion in strains with the resistant haplotype led to neutrophil influx and greater weight loss despite a lower pathogen burden. Our results show that genetic mapping and network modeling can be combined to identify causal pathways underlying chlamydial disease susceptibility.

The inhibition of death-receptor apoptosis is a conserved viral function. The murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) gene M36 is a sequence and functional homologue of the human cytomegalovirus gene UL36, and it encodes an inhibitor of apoptosis that binds to caspase-8, blocks downstream signaling and thus contributes to viral fitness in macrophages and in vivo. Here we show a direct link between the inability of mutants lacking the M36 gene (ΔM36) to inhibit apoptosis, poor viral growth in macrophage cell cultures and viral in vivo fitness and virulence. ΔM36 grew poorly in RAG1 knockout mice and in RAG/IL-2-receptor common gamma chain double knockout mice (RAGγC(-/-)), but the depletion of macrophages in either mouse strain rescued the growth of ΔM36 to almost wild-type levels. This was consistent with the observation that activated macrophages were sufficient to impair ΔM36 growth in vitro. Namely, spiking fibroblast cell cultures with activated macrophages had a suppressive effect on ΔM36 growth, which could be reverted by z-VAD-fmk, a chemical apoptosis inhibitor. TNFα from activated macrophages synergized with IFNγ in target cells to inhibit ΔM36 growth. Hence, our data show that poor ΔM36 growth in macrophages does not reflect a defect in tropism, but rather a defect in the suppression of antiviral mediators secreted by macrophages. To the best of our knowledge, this shows for the first time an immune evasion mechanism that protects MCMV selectively from the antiviral activity of macrophages, and thus critically contributes to viral pathogenicity in the immunocompromised host devoid of the adaptive immune system.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Macrophages are known to play an important role in hepatocyte mediated liver regeneration by secreting inflammatory mediators. However, there is little information available on the role of resident macrophages in oval cell mediated liver regeneration. In the present study we aimed to investigate the role of macrophages in oval cell expansion induced by 2-acetylaminofluorene/partial hepatectomy (2-AAF/PH) in rats. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We depleted macrophages in the liver of 2-AAF/PH treated rats by injecting liposome encapsulated clodronate 48 hours before PH. Regeneration of remnant liver mass, as well as proliferation and differentiation of oval cells were measured. We found that macrophage-depleted rats suffered higher mortality and liver transaminase levels. We also showed that depletion of macrophages yielded a significant decrease of EPCAM and PCK positive oval cells in immunohistochemical stained liver sections 9 days after PH. Meanwhile, oval cell differentiation was also attenuated as a result of macrophage depletion, as large foci of small basophilic hepatocytes were observed by day 9 following hepatectomy in control rats whereas they were almost absent in macrophage depleted rats. Accordingly, real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis showed lower expression of albumin mRNA in macrophage depleted livers. Then we assessed whether macrophage depletion may affect hepatic production of stimulating cytokines for liver regeneration. We showed that macrophage-depletion significantly inhibited hepatic expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6, along with a lack of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 phosphorylation during the early period following hepatectomy. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that macrophages play an important role in oval cell mediated liver regeneration in the 2-AAF/PH model.

Signal regulatory protein α (SIRPα) is a critical immune inhibitory receptor on macrophages, and its interaction with CD47 prevents autologous phagocytosis. We have previously shown that pig CD47 does not interact with human SIRPα, and that human CD47 expression inhibits phagocytosis of porcine cells by human macrophages in vitro. In this study, we have investigated the potential of human CD47 expression to promote porcine cell survival in vivo. Human CD47-expressing and control porcine B-lymphoma cells were transplanted into T- and B-cell-deficient nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice that express SIRPα capable of interacting with human CD47. Only the human CD47-expressing porcine lymphoma cells survived and were able to form tumors in NOD/SCID mice; however, both the control and human CD47-expressing porcine cells survived in macrophage-depleted NOD/SCID mice. These results indicate that transgenic expression of human CD47 may provide an effective approach to inhibiting macrophage-mediated xenograft rejection in clinical xenotransplantation.

BACKGROUND: Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) causes disease in livestock and humans. It can be transmitted by mosquitoes, inhalation or physical contact with the body fluids of infected animals. Severe clinical cases are characterized by acute hepatitis with hemorrhage, meningoencephalitis and/or retinitis. The dynamics of RVFV infection and the cell types infected in vivo are poorly understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: RVFV strains expressing humanized Renilla luciferase (hRLuc) or green fluorescent protein (GFP) were generated and inoculated to susceptible Ifnar1-deficient mice. We investigated the tissue tropism in these mice and the nature of the target cells in vivo using whole-organ imaging and flow cytometry. After intraperitoneal inoculation, hRLuc signal was observed primarily in the thymus, spleen and liver. Macrophages infiltrating various tissues, in particular the adipose tissue surrounding the pancreas also expressed the virus. The liver rapidly turned into the major luminescent organ and the mice succumbed to severe hepatitis. The brain remained weakly luminescent throughout infection. FACS analysis in RVFV-GFP-infected mice showed that the macrophages, dendritic cells and granulocytes were main target cells for RVFV. The crucial role of cells of the monocyte/macrophage/dendritic lineage during RVFV infection was confirmed by the slower viral dissemination, decrease in RVFV titers in blood, and prolonged survival of macrophage- and dendritic cell-depleted mice following treatment with clodronate liposomes. Upon dermal and nasal inoculations, the viral dissemination was primarily observed in the lymph node draining the injected ear and in the lungs respectively, with a significant increase in survival time. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings reveal the high levels of phagocytic cells harboring RVFV during viral infection in Ifnar1-deficient mice. They demonstrate that bioluminescent and fluorescent viruses can shed new light into the pathogenesis of RVFV infection.

The goal of the innate immune system is containment of a pathogen at the site of infection prior to the initiation of an effective adaptive immune response. However, effector mechanisms must be kept in check to combat the pathogen while simultaneously limiting undesirable destruction of tissue resulting from these actions. Here we demonstrate that innate immune effector cells contain a peripheral poxvirus infection, preventing systemic spread of the virus. These innate immune effector cells are comprised primarily of CD11b⁺Ly6C⁺Ly6G⁻ monocytes that accumulate initially at the site of infection, and are then supplemented and eventually replaced by CD11b⁺Ly6C⁺Ly6G⁺ cells. The phenotype of the CD11b⁺Ly6C⁺Ly6G⁺ cells resembles neutrophils, but the infiltration of neutrophils typically occurs prior to, rather than following, accumulation of monocytes. Indeed, it appears that the CD11b⁺Ly6C⁺Ly6G⁺ cells that infiltrated the site of VACV infection in the ear are phenotypically distinct from the classical description of both neutrophils and monocyte/macrophages. We found that CD11b⁺Ly6C⁺Ly6G⁺ cells produce Type I interferons and large quantities of reactive oxygen species. We also observed that depletion of Ly6G⁺ cells results in a dramatic increase in tissue damage at the site of infection. Tissue damage is also increased in the absence of reactive oxygen species, although reactive oxygen species are typically thought to be damaging to tissue rather than protective. These data indicate the existence of a specialized population of CD11b⁺Ly6C⁺Ly6G⁺ cells that infiltrates a site of virus infection late and protects the infected tissue from immune-mediated damage via production of reactive oxygen species. Regulation of the action of this population of cells may provide an intervention to prevent innate immune-mediated tissue destruction.

Kupffer cells (KCs) are widely considered important contributors to liver injury during viral hepatitis due to their pro-inflammatory activity. Herein we utilized hepatitis B virus (HBV)-replication competent transgenic mice and wild-type mice infected with a hepatotropic adenovirus to demonstrate that KCs do not directly induce hepatocellular injury nor do they affect the pathogenic potential of virus-specific CD8 T cells. Instead, KCs limit the severity of liver immunopathology. Mechanistically, our results are most compatible with the hypothesis that KCs contain liver immunopathology by removing apoptotic hepatocytes in a manner largely dependent on scavenger receptors. Apoptotic hepatocytes not readily removed by KCs become secondarily necrotic and release high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1) protein, promoting organ infiltration by inflammatory cells, particularly neutrophils. Overall, these results indicate that KCs resolve rather than worsen liver immunopathology.

Infection of the mammalian host by schistosome larvae occurs via the skin, although nothing is known about the development of immune responses to multiple exposures of schistosome larvae, and/or their excretory/secretory (E/S) products. Here, we show that multiple (4x) exposures, prior to the onset of egg laying by adult worms, modulate the skin immune response and induce CD4(+) cell hypo-responsiveness in the draining lymph node, and even modulate the formation of hepatic egg-induced granulomas. Compared to mice exposed to a single infection (1x), dermal cells from multiply infected mice (4x), were less able to support lymph node cell proliferation. Analysis of dermal cells showed that the most abundant in 4x mice were eosinophils (F4/80(+)MHC-II(-)), but they did not impact the ability of antigen presenting cells (APC) to support lymphocyte proliferation to parasite antigen in vitro. However, two other cell populations from the dermal site of infection appear to have a critical role. The first comprises arginase-1(+), Ym-1(+) alternatively activated macrophage-like cells, and the second are functionally compromised MHC-II(hi) cells. Through the administration of exogenous IL-12 to multiply infected mice, we show that these suppressive myeloid cell phenotypes form as a consequence of events in the skin, most notably an enrichment of IL-4 and IL-13, likely resulting from an influx of RELMα-expressing eosinophils. We further illustrate that the development of these suppressive dermal cells is dependent upon IL-4Rα signalling. The development of immune hypo-responsiveness to schistosome larvae and their effect on the subsequent response to the immunopathogenic egg is important in appreciating how immune responses to helminth infections are modulated by repeated exposure to the infective early stages of development.

Current influenza vaccines based on the hemagglutinin protein are strain specific and do not provide good protection against drifted viruses or emergence of new pandemic strains. An influenza vaccine that can confer cross-protection against antigenically different influenza A strains is highly desirable for improving public health.To develop a cross protective vaccine, we generated influenza virus-like particles containing the highly conserved M2 protein in a membrane-anchored form (M2 VLPs), and investigated their immunogenicity and breadth of cross protection. Immunization of mice with M2 VLPs induced anti-M2 antibodies binding to virions of various strains, M2 specific T cell responses, and conferred long-lasting cross protection against heterologous and heterosubtypic influenza viruses. M2 immune sera were found to play an important role in providing cross protection against heterosubtypic virus and an antigenically distinct 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus, and depletion of dendritic and macrophage cells abolished this cross protection, providing new insight into cross-protective immune mechanisms.These results suggest that presenting M2 on VLPs in a membrane-anchored form is a promising approach for developing broadly cross protective influenza vaccines.

The ubiquitous fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is associated with chronic diseases such as invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in immunosuppressed patients and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) in patients with cystic fibrosis or severe asthma. Because of constant exposure to this fungus, it is critical for the host to exercise an immediate and decisive immune response to clear fungal spores to ward off disease. In this study, we observed that rapidly after infection by A. fumigatus, alveolar macrophages predominantly express Arginase 1 (Arg1), a key marker of alternatively activated macrophages (AAMs). The macrophages were also found to express Ym1 and CD206 that are also expressed by AAMs but not NOS2, which is expressed by classically activated macrophages. The expression of Arg1 was reduced in the absence of the known signaling axis, IL-4Rα/STAT6, for AAM development. While both Dectin-1 and TLR expressed on the cell surface have been shown to sense A. fumigatus, fungus-induced Arg1 expression in CD11c(+) alveolar macrophages was not dependent on either Dectin-1 or the adaptor MyD88 that mediates intracellular signaling by most TLRs. Alveolar macrophages from WT mice efficiently phagocytosed fungal conidia, but those from mice deficient in Dectin-1 showed impaired fungal uptake. Depletion of macrophages with clodronate-filled liposomes increased fungal burden in infected mice. Collectively, our studies suggest that alveolar macrophages, which predominantly acquire an AAM phenotype following A. fumigatus infection, have a protective role in defense against this fungus.

Angiogenesis after pulmonary ischemia is initiated by reactive O(2) species and is dependent on CXC chemokine growth factors, and its magnitude is correlated with the number of lavaged macrophages. After complete obstruction of the left pulmonary artery in mice, the left lung is isolated from the peripheral circulation until 5-7 days later, when a new systemic vasculature invades the lung parenchyma. Consequently, this model offers a unique opportunity to study the differentiation and/or proliferation of monocyte-derived cells within the lung. In this study, we questioned whether macrophage subpopulations were differentially expressed and which subset contributed to growth factor release. We characterized the change in number of all macrophages (MHCII(int), CD11C+), alveolar macrophages (MHCII(int), CD11C+, CD11B-) and mature lung macrophages (MHCII(int), CD11C+, CD11B+) in left lungs from mice immediately (0 h) or 24 h after left pulmonary artery ligation (LPAL). In left lung homogenates, only lung macrophages increased 24 h after LPAL (vs. 0 h; p

BACKGROUND: Obesity-related adipose inflammation has been thought to be a causal factor for the development of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Infiltrated macrophages in adipose tissue of obese animals and humans are an important source for inflammatory cytokines. Clodronate liposomes can ablate macrophages by inducing apoptosis. In this study, we aim to determine whether peritoneal injection of clodronate liposomes has any beneficial effect on systemic glucose homeostasis/insulin sensitivity and whether macrophage content in visceral adipose tissue will be reduced in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Clodronate liposomes were used to deplete macrophages in lean and DIO mice. Macrophage content in visceral adipose tissue, metabolic parameters, glucose and insulin tolerance, adipose and liver histology, adipokine and cytokine production were examined. Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp study was also performed to assess systemic insulin sensitivity. Peritoneal injection of clodronate liposomes significantly reduced blood glucose and insulin levels in DIO mice. Systemic glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity were mildly improved in both lean and DIO mice treated with clodronate liposomes by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection. Hepatosteatosis was dramatically alleviated and suppression of hepatic glucose output was markedly increased in DIO mice treated with clodronate liposomes. Macrophage content in visceral adipose tissue of DIO mice was effectively decreased without affecting subcutaneous adipose tissue. Interestingly, levels of insulin sensitizing hormone adiponectin, including the high molecular weight form, were significantly elevated in circulation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Intraperitoneal injection of clodronate liposomes reduces visceral adipose tissue macrophages, improves systemic glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in DIO mice, which can be partially attributable to increased adiponectin levels.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp), a common cause of pneumonia, is associated with asthma; however, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. We investigated the cellular immune response to Mp in mice. Intranasal inoculation with Mp elicited infiltration of the lungs with neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages. Systemic depletion of macrophages, but not neutrophils, resulted in impaired clearance of Mp from the lungs. Accumulation and activation of macrophages were decreased in the lungs of MyD88(-/-) mice and clearance of Mp was impaired, indicating that MyD88 is a key signaling protein in the anti-Mp response. MyD88-dependent signaling was also required for the Mp-induced activation of NFκB, which was essential for macrophages to eliminate the microbe in vitro. Thus, MyD88-NFκB signaling in macrophages is essential for clearance of Mp from the lungs.

Human adenoviruses from multiple species bind to coagulation factor X (FX), yet the importance of this interaction in adenovirus dissemination is unknown. Upon contact with blood, vectors based on adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5) binds to FX via the hexon protein with nanomolar affinity, leading to selective uptake of the complex into the liver and spleen. The Ad5:FX complex putatively targets heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). The aim of this study was to elucidate the specific requirements for Ad5:FX-mediated cellular uptake in this high-affinity pathway, specifically the HSPG receptor requirements as well as the role of penton base-mediated integrin engagement in subsequent internalisation. Removal of HS sidechains by enzymatic digestion or competition with highly-sulfated heparins/heparan sulfates significantly decreased FX-mediated Ad5 cell binding in vitro and ex vivo. Removal of N-linked and, in particular, O-linked sulfate groups significantly attenuated the inhibitory capabilities of heparin, while the chemical inhibition of endogenous HSPG sulfation dose-dependently reduced FX-mediated Ad5 cellular uptake. Unlike native heparin, modified heparins lacking O- or N-linked sulfate groups were unable to inhibit Ad5 accumulation in the liver 1h after intravascular administration of adenovirus. Similar results were observed in vitro using Ad5 vectors possessing mutations ablating CAR- and/or α(v) integrin binding, demonstrating that attachment of the Ad5:FX complex to the cell surface involves HSPG sulfation. Interestingly, Ad5 vectors ablated for α(v) integrin binding showed markedly delayed cell entry, highlighting the need for an efficient post-attachment internalisation signal for optimal Ad5 uptake and transport following surface binding mediated through FX. This study therefore integrates the established model of α(v) integrin-dependent adenoviral infection with the high-affinity FX-mediated pathway. This has important implications for mechanisms that define organ targeting following contact of human adenoviruses with blood.

CD4(+)CD25(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs) suppress adaptive T cell-mediated immune responses to self- and foreign-antigens. Tregs may also suppress early innate immune responses to vaccine antigens and might decrease vaccine efficacy. NK and NKT cells are the first responders after plasmid DNA vaccination and are found at the site of inoculation. Earlier reports demonstrated that NKT cells could improve plasmid DNA efficacy, a phenomenon not found for NK cells. In fact, it has been shown that under certain disease conditions, NK cells are suppressed by Tregs via their release of IL-10 and/or TGFbeta. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that NK cell function is suppressed by Tregs in the setting of plasmid DNA vaccination.In this study we show that Tregs directly inhibit NK cell function during plasmid DNA vaccination by suppressing the potentially 10-fold, NK cell-mediated, augmentation of plasmid DNA antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells. We found that this phenomenon is dependent on the secretion of cytokine TGFbeta by Tregs, and independent of IL-10.Our data indicate a crucial function for Tregs in blocking plasmid DNA vaccine-elicited immune responses, revealing potentially novel strategies for improving the efficiency of plasmid DNA vaccines including chemical- or antibody-induced localized blockage of Treg-mediated suppression of NK cells at the site of plasmid DNA vaccine inoculation.

Immunization with irradiated sporozoites is currently the most effective vaccination strategy against liver stages of malaria parasites, yet the mechanisms underpinning the success of this approach are unknown. Here we show that the complete development of protective CD8+ T cell responses requires prolonged antigen presentation. Using TCR transgenic cells specific for the malaria circumsporozoite protein, a leading vaccine candidate, we found that sporozoite antigen persists for over 8 weeks after immunization--a remarkable finding since irradiated sporozoites are incapable of replication and do not differentiate beyond early liver stages. Persisting antigen was detected in lymphoid organs and depends on the presence of CD11c+ cells. Prolonged antigen presentation enhanced the magnitude of the CD8+ T cell response in a number of ways. Firstly, reducing the time primed CD8+ T cells were exposed to antigen in vivo severely reduced the final size of the developing memory population. Secondly, fully developed memory cells expanded in previously immunized mice but not when transferred to naïve animals. Finally, persisting antigen was able to prime naïve cells, including recent thymic emigrants, to become functional effector cells capable of eliminating parasites in the liver. Together these data show that the optimal development of protective CD8+ T cell immunity against malaria liver stages is dependent upon the prolonged presentation of sporozoite-derived antigen.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome caused substantial morbidity and mortality during the 2002-2003 epidemic. Many of the features of the human disease are duplicated in BALB/c mice infected with a mouse-adapted version of the virus (MA15), which develop respiratory disease with high morbidity and mortality. Here, we show that severe disease is correlated with slow kinetics of virus clearance and delayed activation and transit of respiratory dendritic cells (rDC) to the draining lymph nodes (DLN) with a consequent deficient virus-specific T cell response. All of these defects are corrected when mice are treated with liposomes containing clodronate, which deplete alveolar macrophages (AM). Inhibitory AMs are believed to prevent the development of immune responses to environmental antigens and allergic responses by interacting with lung dendritic cells and T cells. The inhibitory effects of AM can also be nullified if mice or AMs are pretreated with poly I:C, which directly activate AMs and rDCs through toll-like receptors 3 (TLR3). Further, adoptive transfer of activated but not resting bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDC) protect mice from lethal MA15 infection. These results may be relevant for SARS in humans, which is also characterized by prolonged virus persistence and delayed development of a SARS-CoV-specific immune response in individuals with severe disease.

Replicating viruses have broad applications in biomedicine, notably in cancer virotherapy and in the design of attenuated vaccines; however, uncontrolled virus replication in vulnerable tissues can give pathology and often restricts the use of potent strains. Increased knowledge of tissue-selective microRNA expression now affords the possibility of engineering replicating viruses that are attenuated at the RNA level in sites of potential pathology, but retain wild-type replication activity at sites not expressing the relevant microRNA. To assess the usefulness of this approach for the DNA virus adenovirus, we have engineered a hepatocyte-safe wild-type adenovirus 5 (Ad5), which normally mediates significant toxicity and is potentially lethal in mice. To do this, we have included binding sites for hepatocyte-selective microRNA mir-122 within the 3' UTR of the E1A transcription cassette. Imaging versions of these viruses, produced by fusing E1A with luciferase, showed that inclusion of mir-122 binding sites caused up to 80-fold decreased hepatic expression of E1A following intravenous delivery to mice. Animals administered a ten-times lethal dose of wild-type Ad5 (5x10(10) viral particles/mouse) showed substantial hepatic genome replication and extensive liver pathology, while inclusion of 4 microRNA binding sites decreased replication 50-fold and virtually abrogated liver toxicity. This modified wild-type virus retained full activity within cancer cells and provided a potent, liver-safe oncolytic virus. In addition to providing many potent new viruses for cancer virotherapy, microRNA control of virus replication should provide a new strategy for designing safe attenuated vaccines applied across a broad range of viral diseases.

Louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF) borreliosis is caused by Borrelia recurrentis, and it is a deadly although treatable disease that is endemic in the Horn of Africa but has epidemic potential. Research on LBRF has been severely hampered because successful infection with B. recurrentis has been achieved only in primates (i.e., not in other laboratory or domestic animals). Here, we present the first non-primate animal model of LBRF, using SCID (-B, -T cells) and SCID BEIGE (-B, -T, -NK cells) immunocompromised mice. These animals were infected with B. recurrentis A11 or A17, or with B. duttonii 1120K3 as controls. B. recurrentis caused a relatively mild but persistent infection in SCID and SCID BEIGE mice, but did not proliferate in NUDE (-T) and BALB/c (wild-type) mice. B. duttonii was infectious but not lethal in all animals. These findings demonstrate that the immune response can limit relapsing fever even in the absence of humoral defense mechanisms. To study the significance of phagocytic cells in this context, we induced systemic depletion of such cells in the experimental mice by injecting them with clodronate liposomes, which resulted in uncontrolled B. duttonii growth and a one-hundred-fold increase in B. recurrentis titers in blood. This observation highlights the role of macrophages and other phagocytes in controlling relapsing fever infection. B. recurrentis evolved from B. duttonii to become a primate-specific pathogen that has lost the ability to infect immunocompetent rodents, probably through genetic degeneration. Here, we describe a novel animal model of B. recurrentis based on B- and T-cell-deficient mice, which we believe will be very valuable in future research on LBRF. Our study also reveals the importance of B-cells and phagocytes in controlling relapsing fever infection.

Candida albicans fungemia in cancer patients is thought to develop from initial gastrointestinal (GI) colonization with subsequent translocation into the bloodstream after administration of chemotherapy. It is unclear what components of the innate immune system are necessary for preventing C. albicans dissemination from the GI tract, but we have hypothesized that both neutropenia and GI mucosal damage are critical for allowing widespread invasive C. albicans disease. We investigated these parameters in a mouse model of C. albicans GI colonization that led to systemic spread after administration of immunosuppression and mucosal damage. After depleting resident GI intestinal flora with antibiotic treatment and achieving stable GI colonization levels of C. albicans, it was determined that systemic chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide led to 100% mortality, whereas selective neutrophil depletion, macrophage depletion, lymphopenia or GI mucosal disruption alone resulted in no mortality. Selective neutrophil depletion combined with GI mucosal disruption led to disseminated fungal infection and 100% mortality ensued. GI translocation and dissemination by C. albicans was also dependent on the organism's ability to transform from the yeast to the hyphal form. This mouse model of GI colonization and fungemia is useful for studying factors of innate host immunity needed to prevent invasive C. albicans disease as well as identifying virulence factors that are necessary for fungal GI colonization and dissemination. The model may also prove valuable for evaluating therapies to control C. albicans infections.

BackgroundMacrophages, key regulators of healing/regeneration processes, strongly infiltrate ischemic tissues from patients suffering from critical limb ischemia (CLI). However pro-inflammatory markers correlate with disease progression and risk of amputation, suggesting that modulating macrophage activation state might be beneficial. We previously reported that thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is highly expressed in ischemic tissues during CLI in humans. TSP-1 is a matricellular protein that displays well-known angiostatic properties in cancer, and regulates inflammation in vivo and macrophages properties in vitro. We therefore sought to investigate its function in a mouse model of CLI.Methods and findingsUsing a genetic model of tsp-1(-/-) mice subjected to femoral artery excision, we report that tsp-1(-/-) mice were clinically and histologically protected from necrosis compared to controls. Tissue protection was associated with increased postischemic angiogenesis and muscle regeneration. We next showed that macrophages present in ischemic tissues exhibited distinct phenotypes in tsp-1(-/-) and wt mice. A strong reduction of necrotic myofibers phagocytosis was observed in tsp-1(-/-) mice. We next demonstrated that phagocytosis of muscle cell debris is a potent pro-inflammatory signal for macrophages in vitro. Consistently with these findings, macrophages that infiltrated ischemic tissues exhibited a reduced postischemic pro-inflammatory activation state in tsp-1(-/-) mice, characterized by a reduced Ly-6C expression and a less pro-inflammatory cytokine expression profile. Finally, we showed that monocyte depletion reversed clinical and histological protection from necrosis observed in tsp-1(-/-) mice, thereby demonstrating that macrophages mediated tissue protection in these mice.ConclusionThis study defines targeting postischemic macrophage activation state as a new potential therapeutic approach to protect tissues from necrosis and promote tissue repair during CLI. Furthermore, our data suggest that phagocytosis plays a crucial role in promoting a deleterious intra-tissular pro-inflammatory macrophage activation state during critical injuries. Finally, our results describe TSP-1 as a new relevant physiological target during critical leg ischemia.