Endogenous TNF alpha orchestrates the trafficking of neutrophils into and within lymphatic vessels during acute inflammation

This work was supported by funds from Arthritis Research UK (19913 to M.-B.V.) and the Wellcome Trust (098291/Z/12/Z to S.N.). S. A. was supported by a QMUL Principal’s Award PhD Studentship

Host-Detrimental Role of Esx-1-Mediated Inflammasome Activation in Mycobacterial Infection

The Esx-1 (type VII) secretion system is a major virulence determinant of pathogenic mycobacteria, including Mycobacterium marinum. However, the molecular events and host-pathogen interactions underlying Esx-1-mediated virulence in vivo remain unclear. Here we address this problem in a non-lethal mouse model of M. marinum infection that allows detailed quantitative analysis of disease progression. M. marinum established local infection in mouse tails, with Esx-1-dependent formation of caseating granulomas similar to those formed in human tuberculosis, and bone deterioration reminiscent of skeletal tuberculosis. Analysis of tails infected with wild type or Esx-1-deficient bacteria showed that Esx-1 enhanced generation of proinflammatory cytokines, including the secreted form of IL-1β, suggesting that Esx-1 promotes inflammasome activation in vivo. In vitro experiments indicated that Esx-1-dependent inflammasome activation required the host NLRP3 and ASC proteins. Infection of wild type and ASC-deficient mice demonstrated that Esx-1-dependent inflammasome activation exacerbated disease without restricting bacterial growth, indicating a host-detrimental role of this inflammatory pathway in mycobacterial infection. These findings define an immunoregulatory role for Esx-1 in a specific host-pathogen interaction in vivo, and indicate that the Esx-1 secretion system promotes disease and inflammation through its ability to activate the inflammasome

Activation of an NLRP3 Inflammasome Restricts Mycobacterium kansasii Infection

Mycobacterium kansasii has emerged as an important nontuberculous mycobacterium pathogen, whose incidence and prevalence have been increasing in the last decade. M. kansasii can cause pulmonary tuberculosis clinically and radiographically indistinguishable from that caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Unlike the widely-studied M. tuberculosis, little is known about the innate immune response against M. kansasii infection. Although inflammasome activation plays an important role in host defense against bacterial infection, its role against atypical mycobacteria remains poorly understood. In this report, the role of inflammasome activity in THP-1 macrophages against M. kansasii infection was studied. Results indicated that viable, but not heat-killed, M. kansasii induced caspase-1-dependent IL-1β secretion in macrophages. The underlying mechanism was found to be through activation of an inflammasome containing the NLR (Nod-like receptor) family member NLRP3 and the adaptor protein ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD). Further, potassium efflux, lysosomal acidification, ROS production and cathepsin B release played a role in M. kansasii-induced inflammasome activation. Finally, the secreted IL-1β derived from caspase-1 activation was shown to restrict intracellular M. kansasii. These findings demonstrate a biological role for the NLRP3 inflammasome in host defense against M. kansasii

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Exploits a Molecular Off Switch of the Immune System for Intracellular Survival

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) survives and multiplies inside human macrophages by subversion of immune mechanisms. Although these immune evasion strategies are well characterised functionally, the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here we show that during infection of human whole blood with M. tuberculosis, host gene transcriptional suppression, rather than activation, is the predominant response. Spatial, temporal and functional characterisation of repressed genes revealed their involvement in pathogen sensing and phagocytosis, degradation within the phagolysosome and antigen processing and presentation. To identify mechanisms underlying suppression of multiple immune genes we undertook epigenetic analyses. We identified significantly differentially expressed microRNAs with known targets in suppressed genes. In addition, after searching regions upstream of the start of transcription of suppressed genes for common sequence motifs, we discovered novel enriched composite sequence patterns, which corresponded to Alu repeat elements, transposable elements known to have wide ranging influences on gene expression. Our findings suggest that to survive within infected cells, mycobacteria exploit a complex immune “molecular off switch” controlled by both microRNAs and Alu regulatory elements

Mass Spectrometric Strategies to Improve the Identification of Pt(II)-Modification Sites on Peptides and Proteins

To further explore the binding chemistry of cisplatin (cis-Pt(NH3)2Cl2) to peptides and also establish mass spectrometry (MS) strategies to quickly assign the platinum-binding sites, a series of peptides with potential cisplatin binding sites (Met(S), His(N), Cys(S), disulfide, carboxyl groups of Asp and Glu, and amine groups of Arg and Lys, were reacted with cisplatin, then analyzed by electron capture dissociation (ECD) in a Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (FT-ICR MS). Radical-mediated side-chain losses from the charge-reduced Pt-binding species (such as CH3S(•) or CH3SH from Met, SH(•) from Cys, CO2 from Glu or Asp, and NH2(•) from amine groups) were found to be characteristic indicators for rapid and unambiguous localization of the Pt-binding sites to certain amino acid residues. The method was then successfully applied to interpret the top-down ECD spectrum of an inter-chain Pt-crosslinked insulin dimer, insulin + Pt(NH3)2 + insulin (>10 kDa). In addition, ion mobility MS shows that Pt binds to multiple sites in Substance P, generating multiple conformers, which can be partially localized by collisionally activated dissociation (CAD). Platinum(II) (Pt(II)) was found to coordinate to amine groups of Arg and Lys, but not to disulfide bonds under the conditions used. The coordination of Pt to Arg or Lys appears to arise from the migration of Pt(II) from Met(S) as shown by monitoring the reaction products at different pH values by ECD. No direct binding of cisplatin to amine groups was observed at pH 3 ~ 10 unless Met residues were present in the sequence, but noncovalent interactions between cisplatin hydrolysis and amination [Pt(NH3)4](2+) products and these peptides were found regardless of pH