Persistent Coxiella burnetii Infection in Mice Overexpressing IL-10: An Efficient Model for Chronic Q Fever Pathogenesis

Interleukin (IL)-10 increases host susceptibility to microorganisms and is involved in intracellular persistence of bacterial pathogens. IL-10 is associated with chronic Q fever, an infectious disease due to the intracellular bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Nevertheless, accurate animal models of chronic C. burnetii infection are lacking. Transgenic mice constitutively expressing IL-10 in macrophages were infected with C. burnetti by intraperitoneal and intratracheal routes and infection was analyzed through real-time PCR and antibody production. Transgenic mice exhibited sustained tissue infection and strong antibody response in contrast to wild-type mice; thus, bacterial persistence was IL-10-dependent as in chronic Q fever. The number of granulomas was low in spleen and liver of transgenic mice infected through the intraperitoneal route, as in patients with chronic Q fever. Macrophages from transgenic mice were unable to kill C. burnetii. C. burnetii–stimulated macrophages were characterized by non-microbicidal transcriptional program consisting of increased expression of arginase-1, mannose receptor, and Ym1/2, in contrast to wild-type macrophages in which expression of inducible NO synthase and inflammatory cytokines was increased. In vivo results emphasized macrophage data. In spleen and liver of transgenic mice infected with C. burnetii by the intraperitoneal route, the expression of arginase-1 was increased while microbicidal pathway consisting of IL-12p40, IL-23p19, and inducible NO synthase was depressed. The overexpression of IL-10 in macrophages prevents anti-infectious competence of host, including the ability to mount granulomatous response and microbicidal pathway in tissues. To our knowledge, this is the first efficient model for chronic Q fever pathogenesis

Coxiella burnetii employs the Dot/Icm type IV secretion system to modulate host NF-KB/RelA activation

Coxiella burnetii is the causative agent of Q fever and an obligate intracellular pathogen in nature that survives and grows in a parasitophorous vacuole (PV) within eukaryotic host cells. C. burnetii promotes intracellular survival by subverting apoptotic and pro-inflammatory signaling pathways that are typically regulated by nuclear transcription factor-κB (NF-κB). We and others have demonstrated that C. burnetii NMII proteins inhibit expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and induce expression of anti-apoptotic genes during infection. Here, we demonstrate that C. burnetii promotes intracellular survival by modulating NF-κB subunit p65 (RelA) phosphorylation, and thus activation, in a Type Four B Secretion System (T4BSS)-dependent manner. Immunoblot analysis of RelA phosphorylated at serine-536 demonstrated that C. burnetii increases NF-κB activation via the canonical pathway. However, RelA phosphorylation levels were even higher in infected cells where bacterial protein or mRNA synthesis was inhibited. Importantly, we demonstrate that inhibition of RelA phosphorylation impairs PV formation and C. burnetii growth. We found that a T4BSS-defective mutant (CbΔdotA) elicited phosphorylated RelA levels similar to those of wild type C. burnetii infection treated with Chloramphenicol. Moreover, cells infected with CbΔdotA or wild type C. burnetii treated with Chloramphenicol showed similar levels of GFP-RelA nuclear localization, and significantly increased localization compared to wild type C. burnetii infection. These data indicate that without de novo protein synthesis and a functional T4BSS, C. burnetii is unable to modulate NF-κB activation, which is crucial for optimal intracellular growth.Peer reviewedMicrobiology and Molecular Genetic

Défaut de migration transendothéliale des leucocytes au cours de la fièvre Q chronique

Coxiella burnetii, une bactérie strictement intracellulaire qui infecte exclusivement les cellules myéloïdes, est l agent responsable de la fièvre Q. La fièvre Q chronique se traduit essentiellement par une endocardite chez les patients atteints d une valvulopathie et/ou immunodéprimés. Elle est caractérisée par un déficit de la réponse à médiation cellulaire et les granulomes sont remplacés par des infiltrats non organisés de lymphocytes et de macrophages. Nous avons émis l hypothèse que le défaut de formation des granulomes résulte d une altération de la migration transendothéliale des monocytes et des cellules T spécifiques. Nous avons montré que la migration transendothéliale des leucocytes de patients atteints d endocardite est altérée. L IL-10, une cytokine immunorégulatrice est responsable de ce déficit puisque l IL-10 exogène inhibe la migration des leucocytes de sujets contrôles et que la neutralisation de l IL-10 produite en excès par les leucocytes des patients atteints d une fièvre Q chronique restaure une migration normale. Pour confirmer ce rôle critique de l IL-10 dans la pathogénèse des infections à C. burnetii, nous avons utilisé des souris transgéniques dont les macrophages surexpriment de façon constitutive l IL-10. Ces souris survivent à l infection mais sont infectées de façon chronique par C. burnetii. L infection est associée à un défaut d élimination des bactéries et à un défaut de formation des granulomes hépatiques et spléniques. Enfin, la fièvre Q chronique se caractérise par une dérégulation du réseau de chémokines qui pourraient être, elles aussi, impliquées dans le défaut de formation des granulomes.C burnetii, an obligate intracellular bacterium that inhabits myeloide cells, is the causative agent of Q fever. Q fever may become chronic in patients with valvular damage and immunocompromised patients, and it principally manifests as endocarditis. Chronic Q fever is characterized by defective cell-mediated immune response and the lack of granulomas, which are replaced by an unorganised infiltrates of lymphocytes and macrophages. We emitted the hypothesis that the defect in granuloma formation results from an alteration of monocytes and lymphocytes transendothelial migration. We have shown that leukocyte transendothelial migration in endocarditis patients is defective. We demonstrated that IL-10, an immunoregulator cytokine is responsible for the impaired leukocyte migration. First, patient leukocytes overproduced IL-10. Second, neutralizing IL-10 corrected defective transendothelial migration of the patient leukocytes. Third, adding IL-10 to control leucocytes prevented their transendothelial migrationAIX-MARSEILLE2-BU Méd/Odontol. (130552103) / SudocPARIS-BIUP (751062107) / SudocSudocFranceF

Lysophosphatidylcholine exacerbates Leishmania major-dendritic cell infection through interleukin-10 and a burst in arginase1 and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase activities

Leishmania major is an obligate intracellular parasite hosted by phagocytes, including dendritic cells (DCs). Lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) a pro-oxidant by-product of phospholipase A2 activity can modulate the maturation and function of DCs. However, little is known about its role in L. major infection. This study examined the effects of LPC and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in BALB/c mouse-derived DC infection by L. major promastigotes, in vitro. Our results showed early divergent effects of LPS and LPC, which lasted up to 24 h. In contrast to LPS, LPC worsened DC infection by reversing the immune balance IL-10 vs. TNF-α and IL-6, and inducing a sharp down regulation of CD40 and iNOsynthase activity. In addition, LPC potentiated xanthine oxidase stress, the production of kynurenine by indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO), and arginase1 activity in the expense of iNOsynthase. Taken together, our results highlight some biochemical events bypassing the protective Th1 response. They suggest that LPC could facilitate the proliferation of this obligate intracellular parasite by neutralizing oxidative and nitrosative stresses and sustaining both IDO and arginase1 activities.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Coxiella burnetii stimulates production of RANTES and MCP-1 by mononuclear cells: modulation by adhesion to endothelial cells and its implication in Q fever.

International audienceQ fever is an infectious disease caused by Coxiella burnetii, which may become chronic when cytokine network and cell-mediated immune responses are altered. Chemokines, such as Regulated upon Activation, Normal T cell Expressed and Secreted (RANTES, CCL5) and Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 (MCP-1, CCL2), are specialized in the trafficing of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and are associated with T cell polarization that is essential for intracellular survival of C. burnetii. The present study investigated whether or not the infection status (no infection and acute or chronic infection with C. burnetii) of donors, affected the production of the two chemokines by PBMC with or without stimulation with virulent and avirulent C. burnetii. Our findings indicate that in vitro exposure to virulent or avirulent C. burnetii stimulated the production of RANTES and MCP-1 in PBMC obtained from healthy adults. The co-cultivation of endothelial cells and human PBMC resulted in an increased production of MCP-1 and the up-regulation of RANTES, which were contact-dependent. Unstimulated PBMC from patients with acute or chronic Q fever overproduced MCP-1. Interestingly, the addition of C. burnetii resulted in an increased production of RANTES and MCP-1 by PBMC obtained from patients with chronic Q fever, and the co-cultivation of PBMC with endothelial cells amplified increased production of chemokines. Circulating levels of RANTES and MCP-1 were also increased in chronic Q fever. We suggest that the overproduction of RANTES and MCP-1 secondary to the contact of PBMC with endothelium may perpetuate exaggerated inflammatory responses leading to inappropriate PBMC trafficking and to the pathogenesis of Q fever

Vanin-1 controls granuloma formation and macrophage polarization in Coxiella burnetii infection.

Q fever is caused by Coxiella burnetii, a bacterium that survives in MPhi. Vanin-1 is a membrane-anchored pantetheinase that controls tissue inflammation. Consequently, Vanin-1-deficient mice represent a unique mouse model in which stress-induced inflammation is limited by the reaction of resident tissue cells. To investigate the contribution of host tissues in the control of a bacterial infection, we infected Vanin-1-deficient mice with C. burnetii. Mortality and morbidity of mice were not affected. The lack of Vanin-1 had no effect on C. burnetii clearance but decreased the formation of granulomas in spleen and liver. Granuloma formation depends upon MPhi recruitment and activation in these tissues. Whereas the former was slightly impaired in mutant mice, the lack of Vanin-1 significantly affected the activation pattern of BM-derived MPhi stimulated by C. burnetii. While their microbicidal activity against C. burnetii was moderately impaired, they exhibited decreased inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and MCP-1 gene expression, and increased IL-10 and arginase expression. In liver from mutant mice, increased arginase expression and decreased expression of MCP-1 and iNOS were reminiscent of MPhi data. These results suggest a role of Vanin-1 in granuloma formation in response to C. burnetii by skewing MPhi activation toward an M2 program