Inflammatory cytokines protect retinal pigment epithelial cells from oxidative stress-induced death

PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of inflammatory factors and oxidative stress on cell survival of the human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell line, ARPE-19. METHODS: Confluent RPE cells were treated with peripheral blood mononuclear cells-conditioned medium (PCM), H(2)O(2), NaIO(3), interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, or combinations of these. Cell viability was determined by viability assays and by light microscopy. Effector molecules of cell death were investigated by immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Microarrays were performed to screen for differential expression of anti-oxidative enzymes, and protein expression was validated by immunoblotting. RESULTS: Viability of RPE cells was reduced by exposure to inflammatory agents (PCM, IFNγ+/-TNFα) or to oxidative agents (H(2)O(2) or NaIO(3)). Unexpectedly, cells treated with either H(2)O(2) or NaIO(3) were partially protected from cell death by the addition of PCM. This protection was conferred, at least in part, by IFNγ and TNFα. Cell death induced by H(2)O(2) or NaIO(3) was preceded by mitochondrial dysfunction and by p62 upregulation, both of which were attenuated by PCM and/or by IFNγ+TNFα. RPE cells co-cultured with activated T cells, or treated with cytokines showed increased expression of anti-oxidative genes, with upregulation of superoxide dismutase 2 protein following PCM treatment. CONCLUSION: Oxidative stress-induced cell death was reduced by concomitant inflammatory stress. This is likely due to the cytokine-mediated induction of the anti-oxidative stress response, upregulating protective anti-oxidant pathway(s). These findings suggest caution for the clinical use of anti-inflammatory agents in the management of immune-associated eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration

Genomics of an emerging clone of Salmonella serovar Typhimurium ST313 from Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Introduction: Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ST313 is an invasive and phylogenetically distinct lineage present in sub-Saharan Africa. We report the presence of S. Typhimurium ST313 from patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Methodology: Eighteen S. Typhimurium ST313 isolates were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility testing, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Additionally, six of the isolates were characterized by whole genome sequence typing (WGST). The presence of a putative virulence determinant was examined in 177 Salmonella isolates belonging to 57 different serovars. Results: All S. Typhimurium ST313 isolates harbored resistant genes encoded by blaTEM1b, catA1, strA/B, sul1, and dfrA1. Additionally, aac(6')1aa gene was detected. Phylogenetic analyses revealed close genetic relationships among Congolese and Nigerian isolates from both blood and stool. Comparative genomic analyses identified a putative virulence fragment (ST313-TD) unique to S. Typhimurium ST313 and S. Dublin. Conclusion: We showed in a limited number of isolates that S. Typhimurium ST313 is a prevalent sequence-type causing gastrointestinal diseases and septicemia in patients from Nigeria and DRC. We found three distinct phylogenetic clusters based on the origin of isolation suggesting some spatial evolution. Comparative genomics showed an interesting putative virulence fragment (ST313-TD) unique to S. Typhimurium ST313 and invasive S. Dublin. © 2013 Leekitcharoenphon et al.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe