TLR9-Dependent and Independent Pathways Drive Activation of the Immune System by Propionibacterium Acnes

Propionibacterium acnes is usually a relatively harmless commensal. However, under certain, poorly understood conditions it is implicated in the etiology of specific inflammatory diseases. In mice, P. acnes exhibits strong immunomodulatory activity leading to splenomegaly, intrahepatic granuloma formation, hypersensitivity to TLR ligands and endogenous cytokines, and enhanced resistance to infection. All these activities reach a maximum one week after P. acnes priming and require IFN-γ and TLR9. We report here the existence of a markedly delayed (1–2 weeks), but phenotypically similar TLR9-independent immunomodulatory response to P. acnes. This alternative immunomodulation is also IFN-γ dependent and requires functional MyD88. From our experiments, a role for MyD88 in the IFN-γ-mediated P. acnes effects seems unlikely and the participation of the known MyD88-dependent receptors, including TLR5, Unc93B-dependent TLRs, IL-1R and IL-18R in the development of the alternative response has been excluded. However, the crucial role of MyD88 can partly be attributed to TLR2 and TLR4 involvement. Either of these two TLRs, activated by bacteria and/or endogenously generated ligands, can fulfill the required function. Our findings hint at an innate immune sensitizing mechanism, which is potentially operative in both infectious and sterile inflammatory disorders

The Extracellular Matrix and Blood Vessel Formation: Not Just a Scaffold

The extracellular matrix plays a number of important roles, among them providing structural support and information to cellular structures such as blood vessels imbedded within it. As more complex organisms have evolved, the matrix ability to direct signalling towards the vasculature and remodel in response to signalling from the vasculature has assumed progressively greater importance. This review will focus on the molecules of the extracellular matrix, specifically relating to vessel formation and their ability to signal to the surrounding cells to initiate or terminate processes involved in blood vessel formation

CD1 S-containing glycoconjugates in the central nervous system

CD15-containing glycoconjugates have a common trisaccharide residue, 3-fucosyl-N-acetyllactosamine, which can be recognized by a panel of monoclonal antibodies. Immunohistochemical studies revealed a widespread distribution of CD15 in several epithelial non-neural tissues as well as in the CNS. In the mature mammalian brain CD15-containing glycolipids and glycoproteins are constantly present in astrocytes, whereas oligodendrocytes and particular subpopulations of neurons are variably immunostained. CD15 immunoreactive astrocytes are spatially distributed in some brain regions, which points to specialized functions of astroglial subpopulations. The expression of CD15 follows a timely ordered pattern during the development of glial cells and neurons of certain brain areas, such as the human and rat cerebellum and the mouse visual system. During morphogenesis, CD15 may exert either growth-promoting or growthrepulsive activities to guide cell migration. In CNS lesions altered expression patterns of CD15 may occur. For example, in human gliomas the staining intensity for CD15 inversely correlates with the grade of malignancy. In degenerative brain diseases reactive astrocytes may reveal an increased labelling intensity on their cell surface as well as an abnormal cytosolic accumulation of the epitope. The functional significance of CD15 in the CNS is not exactly known yet. The carbohydrate could be involved in cellular adhesion andtor as receptor molecule in signal transduction pathways, as has recently been demonstrated for leukocyte-platelet or leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions

Infection of murine T lymphocytes with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus: effect of age of mice on susceptibility

Infectious T lymphocytes were determined in thymuses and spleens of mice acutely infected with LCM virus. Such cells appeared in newborn animals, but their numbers declined when the age at infection increased and none were found in adult mice. Either susceptibility to LCM virus is associated with some degree of immaturity or the probability of murine T lymphocytes to encounter the virus as an infectious entity rather than an immunogen is higher in very young than immunologically mature mice

Heterogeneity in a mouse model of histiocytosis: transformation of Langerin(+) dendritic cells, macrophages, and precursors

Neoplastic diseases of macrophages (M-phi) and dendritic cells (DC), collectively called histiocytoses, are relatively rare. The etiology of most forms of histiocytosis is poorly understood, and the development of animal models is crucial for further research in this field. Previously, an animal model for malignant histiocytosis (MH), involving transformed histiocytic cells, has been generated by infecting mice with malignant histiocytosis sarcoma virus (MHSV). However, increased insight into the heterogeneity of M-phi and DC, and the associated reappraisal of human proliferative diseases involving these cells inspired us to re-evaluate the mouse model. We analyzed spleen, bone marrow, and lymph nodes of susceptible mice at various time points after infection. From day 11 onwards, a heterogeneous population of cells, consisting of CD8 alpha(+) Langerin(+) DC, ER-MP58(+) CD11b(+) myeloid precursor cells, CD169(+) metallophilic M-phi, and CD71(hi) erythroblasts, was affected by viral transformation. In different mice, these subsets expanded at different rates in different organs, causing a variable disease profile in terminal stages. Cell lines, which were generated from MHSV-transformed tumors, showed a DC-like morphology and phenotype, and appeared to be arrested in different stages of maturation. Upon injection into healthy mice, different preferential homing patterns were observed for the various cell lines, and the cells acquired distinct phenotypes depending on the organ of homing. This indicates that these transformed cells adapt to their microenvironment by switching between precursor, DC/Langerhans cell, and M-phi phenotypes. Our results demonstrate that the MHSV model represents a heterogeneous neoplastic disease with characteristics of M-phi/DC sarcomas. J. Leukoc. Biol. 87: 949-958; 2010