Identification of protective immune responses and the immunomodulatory capacity of <em>Litomosoides sigmodontis</em>

Using the mouse model Litomosoides sigmodontis, research focusing on the protective immune responses within the host as well as the immunomodulatory capabilities of filarial infections is possible. The immunomodulatory capacities of filariae not only allow the worms to persist for a long time within the host, but also mediate a beneficial effect for the host itself, for example by protecting against autoimmune diseases. In this thesis, a role for the intracellular pattern recognition receptor NOD2 during infection with Litomosoides sigmodontis is demonstrated. NOD2 deficient mice had an increased worm burden at the site of infection compared to wild type (WT) controls during the early phase of infection. While the immune response within the thoracic cavity, the site of adult worm residence, was not impaired, subcutaneous injection of L3 larvae did not lead to an increased worm burden in NOD2-/- mice. This thesis reveals that the NOD2-dependent mechanism occurs within the skin. We found an impaired neutrophil recruitment to the skin against invading L3 larvae as the decisive mechanism leading to the increased worm burden in NOD2-/- mice. A new role for the NOD2 receptor during the skin stage of L. sigmodontis infection is shown. The essential role for neutrophils during protective immune responses within the skin was further confirmed using IL-6-/- mice, in which the increased worm burden during early time points of infection was also found to be caused by an impaired neutrophil recruitment to the skin. Another focus of this thesis was the immunomodulatory abilities of helminth infections on autoimmune diseases. Intraperitoneal injections of a crude worm extract in combination with intra-nasal proinsulin administration prevented the onset of type 1 diabetes in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. While each component by itself was not successful when given at a progressed state of disease, our combination therapy protected mice until the age of ten weeks; a time point in NOD mice at which insulitis of the pancreatic islet cells already occurs Our study demonstrates that the inclusion of an antigen-specific treatment to the already known protective effect of helminth antigens improves the protection against type 1 diabetes onset

IL-17A both initiates, via IFNγ suppression, and limits the pulmonary type 2 immune response to nematode infection

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

IL-17A both initiates, via IFNγ suppression, and limits the pulmonary type-2 immune response to nematode infection

Nippostrongylus brasiliensis is a well-defined model of type-2 immunity but the early lung-migrating phase is dominated by innate IL-17A production. In this study, we confirm previous observations that Il17a-KO mice infected with N. brasiliensis exhibit an impaired type-2 immune response. Transcriptional profiling of the lung on day 2 of N. brasiliensis infection revealed an increased Ifng signature in Il17a-KO mice confirmed by enhanced IFNγ protein production in lung lymphocyte populations. Depletion of early IFNγ rescued type-2 immune responses in the Il17a-KO mice demonstrating that IL-17A-mediated suppression of IFNγ promotes type-2 immunity. Notably, later in infection, once the type-2 response was established, IL-17A limited the magnitude of the type-2 response. IL-17A regulation of type-2 immunity was lung-specific and infection with Trichuris muris revealed that IL-17A promotes a type-2 immune response in the lung even when infection is restricted to the intestine. Together our data reveal IL-17A as a major regulator of pulmonary type-2 immunity such that IL-17A supports early development of a protective type-2 response by suppression of IFNγ but subsequently limits excessive type-2 responses. A failure of this feedback loop may contribute to conditions such as severe asthma, characterised by combined elevation of IL-17 and type-2 cytokines

IL-13 deficiency exacerbates lung damage and impairs epithelial-derived type 2 molecules during nematode infection

Acknowledgements This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (203128/Z/16/Z, 110126/Z/ 15/Z, and 106898/A/15/Z) and the Medical Research Council UK (MR/ K01207X/2). TE Sutherland was supported by Medical Research Founda- tion UK joint funding with Asthma UK (MRFAUK-2015-302). We thank Andrew McKenzie (Cambridge) for providing the Il13 tm3.1Anjm mice. We further thank the Flow Cytometry, Bioimaging, Genomic Technologies, BioMS, and Bio- logical Services core facilities at the University of Manchester.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

IL-17A both initiates, via IFNγ suppression, and limits the pulmonary type-2 immune response to nematode infection

From Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-04-17, rev-recd 2020-05-21, accepted 2020-06-09, registration 2020-06-19, pub-electronic 2020-07-07, online 2020-07-07, pub-print 2020-11Publication status: PublishedAbstract: Nippostrongylus brasiliensis is a well-defined model of type-2 immunity but the early lung-migrating phase is dominated by innate IL-17A production. In this study, we confirm previous observations that Il17a-KO mice infected with N. brasiliensis exhibit an impaired type-2 immune response. Transcriptional profiling of the lung on day 2 of N. brasiliensis infection revealed an increased Ifng signature in Il17a-KO mice confirmed by enhanced IFNγ protein production in lung lymphocyte populations. Depletion of early IFNγ rescued type-2 immune responses in the Il17a-KO mice demonstrating that IL-17A-mediated suppression of IFNγ promotes type-2 immunity. Notably, later in infection, once the type-2 response was established, IL-17A limited the magnitude of the type-2 response. IL-17A regulation of type-2 immunity was lung-specific and infection with Trichuris muris revealed that IL-17A promotes a type-2 immune response in the lung even when infection is restricted to the intestine. Together our data reveal IL-17A as a major regulator of pulmonary type-2 immunity such that IL-17A supports early development of a protective type-2 response by suppression of IFNγ but subsequently limits excessive type-2 responses. A failure of this feedback loop may contribute to conditions such as severe asthma, characterised by combined elevation of IL-17 and type-2 cytokines

Neutrophils:Friend or foe in Filariasis?

Infection with the filarial nematodes that cause diseases such as lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis represent major public health challenges. With millions of people at risk of infection, new strategies for treatment or prevention are urgently needed. More complete understanding of the host immune system's ability to control and eliminate the infection is an important step towards fighting these debilitating infectious diseases. Neutrophils are innate immune cells that are rapidly recruited to inflamed or infected tissues and while considered primarily anti-microbial, there is increasing recognition of their role in helminth infections. Filarial nematodes present a unique situation, as many species harbour the bacterial endosymbiont, Wolbachia. The unexpected involvement of neutrophils during filarial infections has been revealed both in human diseases and animal studies, with strong evidence for recruitment by Wolbachia. This present review will introduce the different human filarial diseases and discuss neutrophil involvement in both protective immune responses, but also in the exacerbation of pathology. Additionally, we will highlight the contributions of the murine model of filariasis, Litomosoides sigmodontis. While several studies have revealed the importance of neutrophils in these parasite infections, we will also draw attention to many questions that remain to be answered.</p

Biology of the Human Filariases

Filarial nematodes are parasitic worms transmitted by blood-feeding insects. Mainly found in tropical and subtropical areas of the developing world, diseases such as lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis represent major public health issues. With millions of people infected and billions at risk of infection, these diseases can stun economic growth and impair the life quality, hence the WHO classified both lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis as Neglected Tropical Diseases. The lesser known filarial disease loiasis is not only affecting millions of people, but represents a huge obstacle during mass drug administration programmes targeting other filarial diseases. Even less is known about mansonellosis, potentially the most widespread of the human filariases, but underestimated due to the lack of clinical symptoms. Large scale intervention as well as mass drug administration programmes are undertaken with the long term goal of eliminating the filarial diseases lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis. However, there is still neither a vaccination nor short term macrofilaricidal treatments available. The following chapter will encompass the different filarial diseases, the biology of the parasite and their vector, the epidemiology as well as pathology of the filariases, highlighting the impact of these diseases is still immense and further research in understanding and combating these diseases is needed

Development of patent Litomosoides sigmodontis infections in semi-susceptible C57BL/6 mice in the absence of adaptive immune responses

Abstract Background One of the most advantageous research aspects of the murine model of filariasis, Litomosoides sigmodontis, is the availability of mouse strains with varying susceptibility to the nematode infection. In C57BL/6 mice, L. sigmodontis worms are largely eliminated in this strain by day 40 post-infection and never produce their offspring, microfilariae (Mf). This provides a unique opportunity to decipher potential immune pathways that are required by filariae to achieve a successful infection. In this study we tracked worm development and patency, the production of microfilariae and thus the transmission life-stage, in Rag2IL-2Rγ−/− mice which are deficient in T, B and NK cell populations. Findings Although worm burden was comparable between wildtype (WT) and Rag2IL-2Rγ−/− mice on d30, by day 72 post-infection, parasites in Rag2IL-2Rγ−/− mice were still in abundance, freely motile and all mice presented high quantities of Mf both at the site of infection, the thoracic cavity (TC), and in peripheral blood. Levels of cytokine (IL-4, IL-6, TNFα) and chemokine (MIP-2, RANTES, Eotaxin) parameters were generally low in the TC of infected Rag2IL-2Rγ−/−mice at both time-points. The frequency of neutrophils however was higher in Rag2IL-2Rγ−/−mice whereas eosinophils and macrophage populations, including alternatively activated macrophages, were elevated in WT controls. Conclusion Our data highlight that adaptive immune responses prevent the development of patent L. sigmodontis infections in semi-susceptible C57BL/6 mice and suggest that induction of such responses may offer a strategy to prevent transmission of human filariasis

ST2 Deficiency Does Not Impair Type 2 Immune Responses during Chronic Filarial Infection but Leads to an Increased Microfilaremia Due to an Impaired Splenic Microfilarial Clearance

Background Interactions of the Th2 cytokine IL-33 with its receptor ST2 lead to amplified Type 2 immune responses. As Type 2 immune responses are known to mediate protection against helminth infections we hypothesized that the lack of ST2 would lead to an increased susceptibility to filarial infections. Methodology/Principal Finding ST2 deficient and immunocompetent BALB/c mice were infected with the filarial nematode Litomosoides sigmodontis. At different time points after infection mice were analyzed for worm burden and their immune responses were examined within the thoracic cavity, the site of infection, and systemically using spleen cells and plasma. Absence of ST2 led to significantly increased levels of peripheral blood microfilariae, the filarial progeny, whereas L. sigmodontis adult worm burden was not affected. Development of local and systemic Type 2 immune responses were not impaired in ST2 deficient mice after the onset of microfilaremia, but L. sigmodontis infected ST2-ko mice had significantly reduced total numbers of cells within the thoracic cavity and spleen compared to infected immunocompetent controls. Pronounced microfilaremia in ST2-ko mice did not result from an increased microfilariae release by adult female worms, but an impaired splenic clearance of microfilariae. Conclusions/Significance Our findings suggest that the absence of ST2 does not impair the establishment of adult L. sigmodontis worms, but is important for the splenic clearance of microfilariae from peripheral blood. Thus, ST2 interactions may be important for therapies that intend to block the transmission of filarial disease