Immune system molecules are expressed by neurons, yet their functions are often unknown. We have identified IL-13 and its receptor IL-13Ra1 as neuronal, synaptic proteins in mouse, rat, and human ...brains, whose engagement upregulates the phosphorylation of NMDAR and AMPAR subunits and, in turn, increases synaptic activity and CREB-mediated transcription. We demonstrate that increased IL-13 is a hallmark of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in male mice as well as in two distinct cohorts of human patients. We also provide evidence that IL-13 upregulation protects neurons from excitotoxic death. We show IL-13 upregulation occurring in several cohorts of human brain samples and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Thus, IL-13 is a physiological modulator of synaptic physiology of neuronal origin, with implications for the establishment of synaptic plasticity and the survival of neurons under injury conditions. Furthermore, we suggest that the neuroprotection afforded through the upregulation of IL-13 represents an entry point for interventions in the pathophysiology of TBI.
Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection and ovalbumin-induced allergic lung pathology are highly interleukin (IL)-4/IL-13 dependent, but the contributions of IL-4/IL-13 from adaptive (T helper Th2 ...cells) and innate (eosinophil, basophils, and mast cells) immune cells remain unknown. Although required for immunoglobulin (Ig)E induction, IL-4/IL-13 from Th2 cells was not required for worm expulsion, tissue inflammation, or airway hyperreactivity. In contrast, innate hematopoietic cell-derived IL-4/IL-13 was dispensable for Th2 cell differentiation in lymph nodes but required for effector cell recruitment and tissue responses. Eosinophils were not required for primary immune responses. Thus, components of type 2 immunity mediated by IL-4/IL-13 are partitioned between T cell-dependent IgE and an innate non-eosinophil tissue component, suggesting new strategies for interventions in allergic immunity.
IgE-mediated activation of mast cells and basophils contributes to protective immunity against helminths but also causes allergic responses. The development and persistence of IgE responses are ...poorly understood, which is in part due to the low number of IgE-producing cells. Here, we used next generation sequencing to uncover a striking overlap between the IgE and IgG1 repertoires in helminth-infected or OVA/alum-immunized wild-type BALB/c mice. The memory IgE response after secondary infection induced a strong increase of IgE+ plasma cells in spleen and lymph nodes. In contrast, germinal center B cells did not increase during secondary infection. Unexpectedly, the memory IgE response was lost in mice where the extracellular part of IgG1 had been replaced with IgE sequences. Adoptive transfer studies revealed that IgG1+ B cells were required and sufficient to constitute the memory IgE response in recipient mice. T cell-derived IL-4/IL-13 was required for the memory IgE response but not for expansion of B cells from memory mice. Together, our results reveal a close relationship between the IgE and IgG1 repertoires in vivo and demonstrate that the memory IgE response is mainly conserved at the level of memory IgG1+ B cells. Therefore, targeting the generation and survival of allergen-specific IgG1+ B cells could lead to development of new therapeutic strategies to treat chronic allergic disorders.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Infections with helminth parasites are controlled by a concerted action of innate and adaptive effector cells in the frame of a type 2 immune response. Basophils are innate effector cells that may ...also contribute to the initiation and amplification of adaptive immune responses. Here, we use constitutively basophil-deficient Mcpt8-Cre mice to analyze the impact of basophils during initiation and execution of the protective type 2 responses to both, a primary infection and a challenge infection of immune mice with the helminth parasite Strongyloides ratti. Basophil numbers expanded during parasite infection in blood and mesenteric lymph nodes. Basophil deficiency significantly elevated intestinal parasite numbers and fecal release of eggs and larvae during a primary infection. However, basophils were neither required for the initiation of a S. ratti-specific cellular and humoral type 2 immune response nor for the efficient protection against a challenge infection. Production of Th2 cytokines, IgG1 and IgE as well as mast cell activation were not reduced in basophil-deficient Mcpt8-Cre mice compared to basophil-competent Mcpt8-WT littermates. In addition, a challenge infection of immune basophil-deficient and WT mice resulted in a comparable reduction of tissue migrating larvae, parasites in the intestine and fecal release of eggs and L1 compared to mice infected for the first time. We have shown previously that S. ratti infection induced expansion of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells that interfered with efficient parasite expulsion. Here we show that depletion of regulatory T cells reduced intestinal parasite burden also in absence of basophils. Thus basophils were not targeted specifically by S. ratti-mediated immune evasive mechanisms. Our collective data rather suggests that basophils are non-redundant innate effector cells during murine Strongyloides infections that contribute to the early control of intestinal parasite burden.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The type 2 immune response is associated with helminth infections and allergic inflammation where antibody production of the IgG1 and IgE isotypes can elicit protective or proinflammatory functions. ...Studies over the past few years revealed important new insights regarding the regulatory mechanisms orchestrating the humoral type 2 immune response. This includes investigations on B‐cell extrinsic signals, such IL‐4 and IL‐21, derived from different T‐helper cell subsets or discovery of new follicular helper T cells with regulatory or IgE‐promoting activities. In addition, studies on B‐cell intrinsic factors required for germinal center formation and class switch recombination, including the transcription factors STAT3, STAT6, and BCL‐6, led to a better understanding of these processes in type 2 immune responses. Here, we review the current understanding of mechanisms controlling humoral type 2 immunity in vivo including the generation of IgE‐producing plasma cells and the memory IgE response.
Shaping the germinal center and IgE response in vivo. Humoral type 2 immunity develops in response to allergens and helminth infections. Allergic responses are mainly based on sequentially switched high‐affinity IgE‐producing PC which develop from germinal center‐derived and memory IgG1 + B cells. The IgE response is regulated in part by T helper cell subsets, cytokines, transcription factors, and the cytoplasmic tail of the IgE B cell receptor.
Th2 cells provide effector functions in type 2 immune responses to helminths and allergens. Despite knowledge about molecular mechanisms of Th2 cell differentiation, there is little information on ...Th2 cell heterogeneity and clonal distribution between organs. To address this, we performed combined single-cell transcriptome and T-cell receptor (TCR) clonotype analysis on murine Th2 cells in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) and lung after infection with
Nippostrongylus brasiliensis
(Nb) as a human hookworm infection model. We find organ-specific expression profiles, but also populations with conserved migration or effector/resident memory signatures that unexpectedly cluster with potentially regulatory
Il10
pos
Foxp3
neg
cells. A substantial MLN subpopulation with an interferon response signature suggests a role for interferon signaling in Th2 differentiation or diversification. Further RNA-inferred developmental directions indicate proliferation as a hub for differentiation decisions. Although the TCR repertoire is highly heterogeneous, we identified expanded clones and CDR3 motifs. Clonal relatedness between distant organs confirmed effective exchange of Th2 effector cells, although locally expanded clones dominated the response. We further cloned an Nb-specific TCR from an expanded clone in the lung effector cluster and describe surface markers that distinguish transcriptionally defined clusters. These results provide insights in Th2 cell subset diversity and clonal relatedness in distant organs.
Granulocytes provide a fast innate response to pathogens and allergens. In allergy and anti‐helminth immunity, epithelial cells of damaged barriers release alarmins like IL‐25, IL‐33, and thymic ...stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) but also chemokines like CXCL1 or CCL11 to promote cell recruitment and inflammation. In addition, mast cells positioned at barrier tissue sites also quickly release mediators upon specifically sensing antigens through IgE bound to FcεR1 on their surface. Released mediators induce the recruitment of different granulocytes in a timely ordered manner. First, neutrophils extravasate from the blood vasculature to the side of alarmin release and promote a potent inflammatory response. Alarmins and activated mast cells further promote activation of ILC2s and recruitment of basophils and eosinophils, which inhibit neutrophil recruitment and enhance tissue type 2 immunity. In addition to their potent pro‐inflammatory effector functions, granulocytes can also contribute to termination and resolution of inflammation. Here, we summarize the development and tissue recruitment of granulocyte subsets, and describe general effector functions and aspects of their increasingly appreciated role in limiting tissue damage. We further discuss targeting approaches for therapeutic interventions in allergic disorders.
Allergic inflammation is initiated by allergen‐activated mast cells. Recruited eosinophils and basophils produce pro‐inflammatory mediators during the acute phase but also anti‐inflammatory mediators during the resolution phase. Better understanding of these processes can help to improve therapeutic interventions.
Eosinophils are associated with allergic diseases and helminth infections. Development of these cells and recruitment to peripheral tissues are only partially understood. Distinct stages of ...eosinophil development in fetal liver, bone marrow, and blood could be identified using IL‐4 reporter mice and mAb against FIRE, Siglec‐F, and CCR3. Immature eosinophils were present in the fetal liver and could reconstitute the eosinophil compartment in irradiated recipient mice. In adult mice, eosinophil maturation proceeded from CCR3− to CCR3+ cells in the bone marrow and was accompanied with changes in the transcriptional profile. Eosinophils appeared as activated cells in lung, thymus, lymph nodes, and Peyer’s patches but remained in a resting state in bone marrow, blood, and spleen. Mixed bone marrow chimeras revealed that recruitment to lung and peritoneum was dependent on Stat6 expression in noneosinophils. Alternatively activated macrophages contributed substantially to tissue recruitment of eosinophils, providing a novel basis for development of therapeutic approaches to lower tissue eosinophilia.
Hookworms infect more that 400 million people and cause significant socio-economic burden on endemic countries. The lack of efficient vaccines and the emergence of anthelminthic drug resistance are ...of major concern. Free-living hookworm larvae infect their hosts
via
the skin and live as adult worms in the small intestine where they feed on host tissue and blood. Excretory/secretory (E/S) products, released by helminths as they migrate through their host, are thought to play a key role in facilitating infection and successful establishment of parasitism. However, E/S products can also elicit protective immune responses that might be harnessed for vaccine development. By performing Western blots with serum of
Nippostrongylus brasiliensis
(Nb) infected mice as a model for human hookworm infection, we identified a largely overlapping set of IgG1- and IgE-reactive antigens in E/S from infective L3 stage larvae. Mass spectrometry analysis led to the identification of a new protein family with 6 paralogues in the Nb genome which we termed Nb-LSA1 for “
Nippostrongylus brasiliensis
larval secreted protein 1”. The recombinantly expressed 17 kDa family member Nb-LSA1a was recognized by antibodies in the serum of Nb immune mice. Immunization of mice with Nb-LSA1a in alum elicited a strong IgG1 response but no detectable antigen-specific IgE. Most importantly, immunized mice were largely protected against a challenge Nb infection. This effect was dependent on the presence of basophils and occurred before the parasites reached the intestine. Therefore, basophils appear to play a critical role for rapid control of infection with L3 stage larvae in mice immunized with a single secreted larval protein. A better understanding of basophil-mediated protective immunity and identification of potent larval antigens of human hookworms could help to develop promising vaccination strategies.
An estimated quarter of the human world population is infected with gastrointestinal helminths causing major socioeconomic problems in endemic countries. A better understanding of humoral immune ...responses against helminths is urgently needed to develop effective vaccination strategies. Here, we used a fate mapping (FM) approach to mark germinal center (GC) B cells and their developmental fates by induced expression of a fluorescent protein during infection of mice with the helminth
. We could show that FM
cells persist weeks after clearance of the primary infection mainly as CD80
CD73
PD-L2
memory B cells. A secondary infection elicited expansion of helminth-specific memory B cells and plasma cells (PCs). Adoptive transfers and analysis of somatic mutations in immunoglobulin genes further revealed that FM
B cells rapidly convert to PCs rather than participating again in a GC reaction. These results provide new insights in the population dynamics of the humoral immune response against helminths.