Equine enteroid-derived monolayers recapitulate key features of parasitic intestinal nematode infection

Stem cell-derived organoid cultures have emerged as attractive experimental models for infection biology research regarding various types of gastro-intestinal pathogens and host species. However, the large size of infectious nematode larvae and the closed structure of 3-dimensional organoids often hinder studies of the natural route of infection. To enable easy administration to the apical surface of the epithelium, organoids from the equine small intestine, i.e. enteroids, were used in the present study to establish epithelial monolayer cultures. These monolayers were functionally tested by stimulation with IL-4 and IL-13, and/or exposure to infectious stage larvae of the equine nematodes Parascaris univalens, cyathostominae and/or Strongylus vulgaris. Effects were recorded using transcriptional analysis combined with histochemistry, immunofluorescence-, live-cell- and scanning electron microscopy. These analyses revealed heterogeneous monolayers containing both immature and differentiated cells including tuft cells and mucus-producing goblet cells. Stimulation with IL-4/IL-13 increased tuft- and goblet cell differentiation as demonstrated by the expression of DCLK1 and MUC2. In these cytokine-primed monolayers, the expression of MUC2 was further promoted by co-culture with P. univalens. Moreover, live-cell imaging revealed morphological alterations of the epithelial cells following exposure to larvae even in the absence of cytokine stimulation. Thus, the present work describes the design, characterization and usability of an experimental model representing the equine nematode-infected small intestinal epithelium. The presence of tuft cells and goblet cells whose mucus production is affected by Th2 cytokines and/or the presence of larvae opens up for mechanistic studies of the physical interactions between nematodes and the equine intestinal mucosa

Molecular and biological aspects of porcine rubulavirus (LPMV) lytic and persistent infections

This thesis summarises and discusses results of studies on the porcine rubulavirus (LPMV). LPMV is the causative agent of blue eye disease of pigs. The specific goals of these studies have been to establish the relatedness of LPMV to other members of the family paramyxoviridae and to describe different aspects of persistent infections in both cell cultures and pigs.Study I is an analysis of the phosphoprotein (P) gene, which is an essential component of the viral polymerase. LPMV was found to have the P gene organised in a way similar to other members of the rubulavirus genus including the human pathogen mumps virus. Rubulaviruses commonly have an open reading frame which does not encode the P protein but instead encodes a protein designated V. The P protein is expressed by an mRNA in which two additional nontemplated G nucleotides are inserted by the viral polymerase (editing). The editing event occurs at a frequency of-50% for LPMV.Studies H and m describes the establishment and molecular characterisation of a persistent infection in porcine kidney cells in vitro. The cells showed reduced amounts of the L protein and to a certain extent the P protein, which was reflected in low mRNA levels and a shift in the editing frequency, respectively. Several subgenomic RNAs were also identified. Any of these changes could theoretically have the capacity to modulate an infection, and could ultimately lead to a persistent state.Study IV addresses the possibility ofwhether porcine rubulavirus could remain in acute infected pigs after full recovery from the disease. Virus could only be detected in organ samples from pigs which had recovered from acute LPMV infection by RT-PCR. This was especially evident after pigs were immunosuppressed, enabling detection of LPMV RNA in the lung. Furthermore, evidence that LPMV was still transcriptionally active was also obtained. The persistence ofLPMV in tissues could be of clinical importance, and the risk of reactivation and shedding of virus in situations of immunosuppression could have profound effects on the epidemiology of the disease

The adjuvant G3 promotes a Th1 polarizing innate immune response in equine PBMC

Abstract The immunomodulatory effect of a new particulate adjuvant, G3, alone or in combination with agonists to TLR2/1 or TLR5 was evaluated in cultures of equine PBMC. Exposure to the G3 adjuvant up-regulated genes encoding IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-12p40 and IL-23p19 in the majority of the horses tested, indicating that the G3 adjuvant induced a pro-inflammatory and Th1 dominated profile. In accordance, genes encoding IL-13, IL-4, IL-10 and TGF-β remained unaffected and genes encoding IFN-α, IL-17A and TNF-α were only occasionally and weakly induced. The two TLR agonists Pam3CSK4 (TLR2/1) and FliC (TLR5) induced cytokine profiles characterized by a clear induction of IL-10 as well as up-regulation of the genes encoding IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8. The presence of G3 modified this response, in particular by reducing the FliC and Pam3CSK4 induced production of IL-10. Furthermore, G3 acted in synergy with Pam3CSK4 in enhancing the production of IFN-γ whereas G3 combined with FliC increased the gene expression of IL-8. Thus, the G3 adjuvant seems to have the capacity to promote a Th1 polarizing innate immune response in eqPBMC, both by favouring IFN-γ production and by reducing production of IL-10 induced by co-delivered molecules. These features make G3 an interesting candidate to further evaluate for its potential as an adjuvant in equine vaccines

Cytokine responses to various larval stages of equine strongyles and modulatory effects of the adjuvant G3 in vitro

Aims To generate different larval stages ofStrongylus vulgarisand to study cytokine responses in cultures of eqPBMC exposed to defined larval stages ofS. vulgarisand cyathostomins with the aim to understand the early immune reaction to these parasites. Methods and results EqPBMC were exposed toS. vulgarislarvae (L3, exsheated L3 and L4) and cyathostomin L3 and analysed for cytokine gene expression. Procedures for decontamination, culturing and attenuation of larvae were established. Transcription of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13 was induced by bothS. vulgarisand cyathostomin L3. Moulting ofS. vulgarisfrom L3 to L4 stage was accompanied by a shift to high expression of IL-5 and IL-9 (exsheated L3 and L4) and IFN-gamma (L4 only). In parallel, the adjuvant G3 modified the cytokine profile induced by both parasites by reducing the expression of IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10 while concomitantly enhancing the expression of IFN-gamma. Conclusion The L4 stage ofS. vulgarisgenerated a cytokine profile different from that induced by the earlier L3 stage ofS. vulgarisand cyathostomins. This diversity depending on the life cycle stage will have implications for the choice of antigen and adjuvant in future vaccine design

Development of a 3-transcript host expression assay to differentiate between viral and bacterial infections in pigs

Indiscriminate use of antibiotics to treat infections that are of viral origin contributes to unnecessary use which potentially may induce resistance in commensal bacteria. To counteract this a number of host gene transcriptional studies have been conducted to identify genes that are differently expressed during bacterial and viral infections in humans, and thus could be used as a tool to base decisions on the use of antibiotics. In this paper, we aimed to evaluate the potential of a selection of genes that have been considered biomarkers in humans, to differentially diagnose bacterial from viral infections in the pig. First porcine PBMC were induced with six toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists (FliC, LPS, ODN 2216, Pam3CSK4, poly I:C, R848) to mimic host gene expression induced by bacterial or viral pathogens, or exposed to heat-killed Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae or a split influenza virus. Genes that were differentially expressed between bacterial and viral inducers were further evaluated on clinical material comprising eleven healthy pigs, and six pigs infected with A. pleuropneumoniae. This comprised three virally upregulated genes (IFI44L, MxA, RSAD2) and four bacterially upregulated genes (IL-1 beta, IL-8, FAM89A, S100PBP). All six infected pigs could be differentially diagnosed to healthy pigs using a host gene transcription assay based on the geometric average of the bacterially induced genes IL-8 and S100PBP over that of the virally induced gene MxA

Effects of dietary supplementation of lignocellulose-derived cello-oligosaccharides on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune response, and intestinal microbiota in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

This study evaluated the prebiotic potential of cello-oligosaccharides (COS) produced from birch (Betula pendula), an under-utilised lignocellulosic source from the forestry industry, on growth performance, mucosal immunity, gut microbiota composition, and antioxidant capacity of juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In a 45-day trial, the fish were fed with diets containing 0%, 0.1%, 0.5% and 1.5% COS, while a diet containing fructo-oligosaccharides (0.5% FOS) was used as a positive control. Fish fed with the 0.5% and 1.5% COS diets showed significantly (P 0.05) on growth of rainbow trout. Gene expression analysis of the intestine showed significant elevation (P 0.05) in gene transcripts were observed between the COS/FOS diets with the control diet. These results suggest that dietary cello-oligosaccharides can be a useful feed supplement for rainbow trout, which can modulate intestinal microbial communities, innate immune response and antioxidant capacity of the host

Innate immune responses induced by the saponin adjuvant Matrix-M in specific pathogen free pigs

Abstract Saponin-based adjuvants have been widely used to enhance humoral and cellular immune responses in many species, but their mode of action is not fully understood. A characterization of the porcine transcriptional response to Matrix-M was performed in vitro using lymphocytes, monocytes or monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDCs) and in vivo. The effect of Matrix-M was also evaluated in specific pathogen free (SPF) pigs exposed to conventionally reared pigs. The pro-inflammatory cytokine genes IL1B and CXCL8 were up-regulated in monocytes and lymphocytes after Matrix-M exposure. Matrix-M also induced IL12B, IL17A and IFNG in lymphocytes and IFN-α gene expression in MoDCs. Several genes were indicated as up-regulated by Matrix-M in blood 18 h after injection, of which the genes for IFN-α and TLR2 could be statistically confirmed. Respiratory disease developed in all SPF pigs mixed with conventional pigs within 1–3 days. Two out of four SPF pigs injected with saline prior to contact exposure displayed systemic symptoms that was not recorded for the four pigs administered Matrix-M. Granulocyte counts, serum amyloid A levels and transcription of IL18 and TLR2 coincided with disease progression in the pigs. These results support further evaluation of Matrix-M as a possible enhancer of innate immune responses during critical moments in pig management

Equine enteroid-derived monolayers recapitulate key features of parasitic intestinal nematode infection

Abstract Stem cell-derived organoid cultures have emerged as attractive experimental models for infection biology research regarding various types of gastro-intestinal pathogens and host species. However, the large size of infectious nematode larvae and the closed structure of 3-dimensional organoids often hinder studies of the natural route of infection. To enable easy administration to the apical surface of the epithelium, organoids from the equine small intestine, i.e. enteroids, were used in the present study to establish epithelial monolayer cultures. These monolayers were functionally tested by stimulation with IL-4 and IL-13, and/or exposure to infectious stage larvae of the equine nematodes Parascaris univalens, cyathostominae and/or Strongylus vulgaris. Effects were recorded using transcriptional analysis combined with histochemistry, immunofluorescence-, live-cell- and scanning electron microscopy. These analyses revealed heterogeneous monolayers containing both immature and differentiated cells including tuft cells and mucus-producing goblet cells. Stimulation with IL-4/IL-13 increased tuft- and goblet cell differentiation as demonstrated by the expression of DCLK1 and MUC2. In these cytokine-primed monolayers, the expression of MUC2 was further promoted by co-culture with P. univalens. Moreover, live-cell imaging revealed morphological alterations of the epithelial cells following exposure to larvae even in the absence of cytokine stimulation. Thus, the present work describes the design, characterization and usability of an experimental model representing the equine nematode-infected small intestinal epithelium. The presence of tuft cells and goblet cells whose mucus production is affected by Th2 cytokines and/or the presence of larvae opens up for mechanistic studies of the physical interactions between nematodes and the equine intestinal mucosa