Chimeric protein and nano-construct for tissue-retained enzyme to locally suppress inflammation

There is considerable need for new retention strategies of immunomodulatory biologics for localized suppression of inflammation. We developed a chimeric protein as a well as a self-assembled nano-construct incorporating novel approaches for both retention and suppression to induce potent, confined metabolic programming. Immunosuppressive indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase (IDO), which depletes tryptophan through the kynurenine pathway, was fused to Galectin 3 (Gal3), which binds extracellular glycans and provides tissue anchoring. Using a luciferase-Gal3 fusion reporter, tissue retention was prolonged to ~6 d whereas native luciferase is not retained and undetectable by 24 h. IDO-Gal3 injected subcutaneously controlled local LPS-challenged tissue inflammation. Furthermore, subgingival injection suppressed periodontal disease (PD) in a polymicrobial challenged mouse model. Multiplex analysis of gingival tissue revealed decreased inflammatory (IL-1β, IL-12p70, KC, IP10, MCP1, MIP2) and increased anti-inflammatory (IL-10, TGFβ3) proteins, indicating a shift toward homeostasis. Animals treated with IDO-Gal3 also showed significant decrease in bone loss commonly associated with PD, as determined by µCT analysis

The proteome of extracellular vesicles released by clastic cells differs based on their substrate

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from osteoclasts are important regulators in intercellular communication. Here, we investigated the proteome of EVs from clastic cells plated on plastic (clasts), bone (osteoclasts) and dentin (odontoclasts) by two-dimensional high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry seeking differences attributable to distinct mineralized matrices. A total of 1,952 proteins were identified. Of the 500 most abundant proteins in EVs, osteoclast and odontoclast EVs were 83.3% identical, while clasts shared 70.7% of the proteins with osteoclasts and 74.2% of proteins with odontoclasts. For each protein, the differences between the total ion count values were mapped to an expression ratio histogram (Z-score) in order to detect proteins differentially expressed. Stabilin-1 and macrophage mannose receptor-1 were significantly-enriched in EVs from odontoclasts compared with osteoclasts (Z = 2.45, Z = 3.34) and clasts (Z = 13.86, Z = 1.81) and were abundant in odontoclast EVs. Numerous less abundant proteins were differentially-enriched. Subunits of known protein complexes were abundant in clastic EVs, and were present at levels consistent with them being in assembled protein complexes. These included the proteasome, COP1, COP9, the T complex and a novel sub-complex of vacuolar H+ -ATPase (V-ATPase), which included the (pro) renin receptor. The (pro) renin receptor was immunoprecipitated using an anti-E-subunit antibody from detergent-solubilized EVs, supporting the idea that the V-ATPase subunits present were in the same protein complex. We conclude that the protein composition of EVs released by clastic cells changes based on the substrate. Clastic EVs are enriched in various protein complexes including a previously undescribed VATPase sub-complex

Correlation of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Detection with Clinical/Immunoinflammatory Profile of Localized Aggressive Periodontitis Using a 16S rRNA Microarray Method: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective The objective of this study was to determine whether the detection of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) correlates with the clinical and immunoinflammatory profile of Localized Aggressive Periodontitis (LAP), as determined by by 16S rRNA gene-based microarray. Subjects and Methods Subgingival plaque samples from the deepest diseased site of 30 LAP patients [PD ≥ 5 mm, BoP and bone loss] were analyzed by 16S rRNA gene-based microarrays. Gingival crevicular fluid (GCF) samples were analyzed for 14 cyto/chemokines. Peripheral blood was obtained and stimulated in vitro with P.gingivalis and E.coli to evaluate inflammatory response profiles. Plasma lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels were also measured. Results Aa was detected in 56% of LAP patients and was shown to be an indicator for different bacterial community structures (p\u3c0.01). Elevated levels of pro-inflammatory cyto/chemokines were detected in LPS-stimulated blood samples in both Aa-detected and Aa-non-detected groups (p\u3e0.05). Clinical parameters and serum LPS levels were similar between groups. However, Aa-non-detected GCF contained higher concentration of IL-8 than Aa-detected sites (p\u3c0.05). TNFα and IL1β were elevated upon E.coli LPS stimulation of peripheral blood cells derived from patients with Aa-detected sites. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that the detection of Aa in LAP affected sites, did not correlate with clinical severity of the disease at the time of sampling in this cross-sectional study, although it did associate with lower local levels of IL-8, a different subgingival bacterial profile and elevated LPS-induced levels of TNFα and IL1β

The degree of microbiome complexity influences the epithelial response to infection

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The human microflora is known to be extremely complex, yet most pathogenesis research is conducted in mono-species models of infection. Consequently, it remains unclear whether the level of complexity of a host's indigenous flora can affect the virulence potential of pathogenic species. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether the colonization by commensal species affects a host cell's response to pathogenic species beyond the direct physical saturation of surface receptors, the sequestration of nutrients, the modulation of the physico-chemical environment in the oral cavity, or the production of bacteriocins. Using oral epithelial cells as a model, we hypothesized that the virulence of pathogenic species may vary depending on the complexity of the flora that interacts with host cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This is the first report that determines the global epithelial transcriptional response to co-culture with defined complex microbiota. In our model, human immortalized gingival keratinocytes (HIGK) were infected with mono- and mixed cultures of commensal and pathogenic species. The global transcriptional response of infected cells was validated and confirmed phenotypically. In our model, commensal species were able to modulate the expression of host genes with a broad diversity of physiological functions and antagonize the effect of pathogenic species at the cellular level. Unexpectedly, the inhibitory effect of commensal species was <it>not </it>correlated with its ability to inhibit adhesion or invasion by pathogenic species.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Studying the global transcriptome of epithelial cells to single and complex microbial challenges offers clues towards a better understanding of how bacteria-bacteria interactions and bacteria-host interactions impact the overall host response. This work provides evidence that the degree of complexity of a mixed microbiota <it>does </it>influence the transcriptional response to infection of host epithelial cells, and challenges the current dogma regarding the <it>potential </it>versus the <it>actual </it>pathogenicity of bacterial species. These findings support the concept that members of the commensal oral flora have evolved cellular mechanisms that directly modulate the host cell's response to pathogenic species and dampen their relative pathogenicity.</p

Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola Mixed Microbial Infection in a Rat Model of Periodontal Disease

Porphyromonas gingivalis and Treponema denticola are periodontal pathogens that express virulence factors associated with the pathogenesis of periodontitis. In this paper we tested the hypothesis that P. gingivalis and T. denticola are synergistic in terms of virulence; using a model of mixed microbial infection in rats. Groups of rats were orally infected with either P. gingivalis or T. denticola or mixed microbial infections for 7 and 12 weeks. P. gingivalis genomic DNA was detected more frequently by PCR than T. denticola. Both bacteria induced significantly high IgG, IgG2b, IgG1, IgG2a antibody levels indicating a stimulation of Th1 and Th2 immune response. Radiographic and morphometric measurements demonstrated that rats infected with the mixed infection exhibited significantly more alveolar bone loss than shaminfected control rats. Histology revealed apical migration of junctional epithelium, rete ridge elongation, and crestal alveolar bone resorption; resembling periodontal disease lesion. These results showed that P. gingivalis and T. denticola exhibit no synergistic virulence in a rat model of periodontal disease

Induction of Group IVC Phospholipase A2 in Allergic Asthma: Transcriptional Regulation by TNF-α in Bronchoepithelial Cells

Airway inflammation in allergen-induced asthma is associated with eicosanoid release. These bioactive lipids exhibit anti- and pro-inflammatory activities with relevance to pulmonary pathophysiology. We hypothesized that sensitization/challenge using an extract from the ubiquitous fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus (Af), in a mouse model of allergic asthma would result in altered phospholipase gene expression, thus modulating the downstream eicosanoid pathway. We observed the most significant induction in the group IVC phospholipase A2 (cPLA2γ or PLA2G4C). Our results infer that Af extract can induce cPLA2γ levels directly in eosinophils while induction in lung epithelial cells is most likely a consequence of TNF-α secretion by Af-activated macrophages. The mechanism of TNF-α-dependent induction of cPLA2γ gene expression was elucidated through a combination of promoter deletions, ChIP and overexpression studies in human bronchoepithelial cells, leading to the identification of functionally relevant CRE, NF-κB and E-box promoter elements. ChIP analysis demonstrated that RNA polymerase II, c-Jun/ATF-2, p65/p65 and USF1/USF2 complexes are recruited to the cPLA2γ enhancer/promoter in response to TNF-α with overexpression and dominant negative studies implying a strong level of cooperation and interplay between these factors. Overall, our data link cytokine-mediated alterations in cPLA2γ gene expression with allergic asthma and outline a complex regulatory mechanism

Characterization of the Basal and mTOR-Dependent Acute Pulmonary and Systemic Immune Response in a Murine Model of Combined Burn and Inhalation Injury

Severe burn injury leads to a cascade of local and systemic immune responses that trigger an extreme state of immune dysfunction, leaving the patient highly susceptible to acute and chronic infection. When combined with inhalation injury, burn patients have higher mortality and a greater chance of developing secondary respiratory complications including infection. No animal model of combined burn and inhalation injury (B+I) exists that accurately mirrors the human clinical picture, nor are there any effective immunotherapies or predictive models of the risk of immune dysfunction. Our earlier work showed that the mechanistic/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is activated early after burn injury, and its chemical blockade at injury reduced subsequent chronic bacterial susceptibility. It is unclear if mTOR plays a role in the exacerbated immune dysfunction seen after B+I injury. We aimed to: (1) characterize a novel murine model of B+I injury, and (2) investigate the role of mTOR in the immune response after B+I injury. Pulmonary and systemic immune responses to B+I were characterized in the absence or presence of mTOR inhibition at the time of injury. Data describe a murine model of B+I with inhalation-specific immune phenotypes and implicate mTOR in the acute immune dysfunction observed

Involvement of extracellular vesicles in the progression, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of whole-body ionizing radiation-induced immune dysfunction

Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) develops after exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation and features immune suppression and organ failure. Currently, there are no diagnostics to identify the occurrence or severity of exposure and there are limited treatments and preventative strategies to mitigate ARS. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are mediators of intercellular communication that contribute to immune dysfunction across many diseases. We investigated if EV cargo can identify whole body irradiation (WBIR) exposure and if EVs promote ARS immune dysfunction. We hypothesized that beneficial EVs derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-EVs) would blunt ARS immune dysfunction and might serve as prophylactic radioprotectants. Mice received WBIR (2 or 9 Gy) with assessment of EVs at 3 and 7 days after exposure. LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis of WBIR-EVs found dose-related changes as well as candidate proteins that were increased with both doses and timepoints (34 total) such as Thromboxane-A Synthase and lymphocyte cytosolic protein 2. Suprabasin and Sarcalumenin were increased only after 9 Gy suggesting these proteins may indicate high dose/lethal exposure. Analysis of EV miRNAs identified miR-376 and miR-136, which were increased up to 200- and 60-fold respectively by both doses of WBIR and select miRNAs such as miR-1839 and miR-664 were increased only with 9 Gy. WBIR-EVs (9 Gy) were biologically active and blunted immune responses to LPS in RAW264.7 macrophages, inhibiting canonical signaling pathways associated with wound healing and phagosome formation. When given 3 days after exposure, MSC-EVs slightly modified immune gene expression changes in the spleens of mice in response to WBIR and in a combined radiation plus burn injury exposure (RCI). MSC-EVs normalized the expression of certain key immune genes such as NFκBia and Cxcr4 (WBIR), Map4k1, Ccr9 and Cxcl12 (RCI) and lowered plasma TNFα cytokine levels after RCI. When given prophylactically (24 and 3 hours before exposure), MSC-EVs prolonged survival to the 9 Gy lethal exposure. Thus, EVs are important participants in ARS. EV cargo might be used to diagnose WBIR exposure, and MSC-EVs might serve as radioprotectants to blunt the impact of toxic radiation exposure

A prospective study of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection among individuals involved in academic research under limited operations during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Early in the pandemic, transmission risk from asymptomatic infection was unclear, making it imperative to monitor infection in workplace settings. Further, data on SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence within university populations has been limited. Methods We performed a longitudinal study of University research employees on campus July-December 2020. We conducted questionnaires on COVID-19 risk factors, RT-PCR testing, and SARS-CoV-2 serology using an in-house spike RBD assay, laboratory-based Spike NTD assay, and standard nucleocapsid platform assay. We estimated prevalence and cumulative incidence of seroconversion with 95% confidence intervals using the inverse of the Kaplan-Meier estimator. Results 910 individuals were included in this analysis. At baseline, 6.2% (95% CI 4.29–8.19) were seropositive using the spike RBD assay; four (0.4%) were seropositive using the nucleocapsid assay, and 44 (4.8%) using the Spike NTD assay. Cumulative incidence was 3.61% (95% CI: 2.04–5.16). Six asymptomatic individuals had positive RT-PCR results. Conclusions Prevalence and incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infections were low; however, differences in target antigens of serological tests provided different estimates. Future research on appropriate methods of serological testing in unvaccinated and vaccinated populations is needed. Frequent RT-PCR testing of asymptomatic individuals is required to detect acute infections, and repeated serosurveys are beneficial for monitoring subclinical infection

Linkage of infection to adverse systemic complications: Periodontal disease, toll-like receptors, and other pattern recognition systems

© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a group of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that provide innate immune sensing of conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) to engage early immune recognition of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Furthermore, TLRs provide a conduit for initiation of non-infectious inflammation following the sensing of danger-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) generated as a consequence of cellular injury. Due to their essential role as DAMP and PAMP sensors, TLR signaling also contributes importantly to several systemic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and others. The overlapping participation of TLRs in the control of infection, and pathogenesis of systemic diseases, has served as a starting point for research delving into the poorly defined area of infection leading to increased risk of various systemic diseases. Although conflicting studies exist, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and obesity/metabolic dysfunction have been associated with differing degrees of strength to infectious diseases. Here we will discuss elements of these connections focusing on the contributions of TLR signaling as a consequence of bacterial exposure in the context of the oral infections leading to periodontal disease, and associations with metabolic diseases including atherosclerosis and type 2 diabetes