T cell expression of IL-18R and DR3 is essential for non-cognate stimulation of Th1 cells and optimal clearance of intracellular bacteria

Th1 cells can be activated by TCR-independent stimuli, but the importance of this pathway in vivo and the precise mechanisms involved require further investigation. Here, we used a simple model of non-cognate Th1 cell stimulation in Salmonella-infected mice to examine these issues. CD4 Th1 cell expression of both IL-18R and DR3 was required for optimal IFN-γ induction in response to non-cognate stimulation, while IL-15R expression was dispensable. Interestingly, effector Th1 cells generated by immunization rather than live infection had lower non-cognate activity despite comparable IL-18R and DR3 expression. Mice lacking T cell intrinsic expression of MyD88, an important adapter molecule in non-cognate T cell stimulation, exhibited higher bacterial burdens upon infection with Salmonella, Chlamydia or Brucella, suggesting that non-cognate Th1 stimulation is a critical element of efficient bacterial clearance. Thus, IL-18R and DR3 are critical players in non-cognate stimulation of Th1 cells and this response plays an important role in protection against intracellular bacteria.

Antibiotic treatment causes a reduction in antigen-specific T cell memory and increased susceptibility to secondary infection

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi causes recurrent and relapsing infection in antibiotic-treated individuals, suggesting that rapid bacterial clearance hinders the development of adaptive immunity. We have developed an antibiotic-treatment model in mice to examine this issue. This model demonstrates poor secondary protection after antibiotic treatment and allows the use of antigen-specific reagents to examine this issue in detail. Infection with Salmonella Typhimurium (BRD509-2W1S) caused expansion of Salmonella-specific CD4 T cells that were detected in peripheral blood, lymphoid tissues, and various non-lymphoid tissues. In contrast, antibiotic-treated mice had lower CD4 clonal expansion that persisted for months after infection. This reduced clonal frequency of Salmonella-specific CD4 T cells correlated with diminished protective immunity to secondary infection. In order to examine the protective contribution of circulating and non-circulating CD4 T cells, parabiosis experiments were performed whereby mice previously infected with BRD509-2W1S were paired with naïve mice for 30 days. Previously infected mice were more capable of controlling secondary infection compared to naïve parabionts or naïve control mice, however naïve parabionts were partially protected, indicating the requirement of both tissue resident and circulating cellular populations. Current experiments are underway to restore full protection during antibiotic intervention. Greater understanding of how antibiotics hinder CD4 memory development may allow for therapeutics to boost protective immunity to secondary or relapsing Salmonella infections. (Funding: NIH 5P01AI056172-09)

U-Omp19 from Brucella abortus Is a Useful Adjuvant for Vaccine Formulations against Salmonella Infection in Mice

Most pathogens infect through mucosal surfaces, and parenteral immunization typically fails to induce effective immune responses at these sites. Development of oral-administered vaccines capable of inducing mucosal as well as systemic immunity while bypassing the issues of antigen degradation and immune tolerance could be crucial for the control of enteropathogens. This study demonstrates that U-Omp19, a bacterial protease inhibitor with immunostimulatory features, coadministered with Salmonella antigens by the oral route, enhances mucosal and systemic immune responses in mice. U-Omp19 was able to increase antigen-specific production of IFN-γ and IL-17 and mucosal (IgA) antibody response. Finally, oral vaccination with U-Omp19 plus Salmonella antigens conferred protection against virulent challenge with Salmonella Typhimurium, with a significant reduction in bacterial loads. These findings prove the efficacy of this novel adjuvant in the Salmonella infection model and support the potential of U-Omp19 as a suitable adjuvant in oral vaccine formulations against mucosal pathogens requiring T helper (Th)1-Th17 protective immune responses.

A Protective Vaccine against Chlamydia Genital Infection Using Vault Nanoparticles without an Added Adjuvant

Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection is the most common sexually transmitted bacterial disease, causing a significant burden to females due to reproductive dysfunction. Intensive screening and antibiotic treatment are unable to completely prevent female reproductive dysfunction, thus, efforts have become focused on developing a vaccine. A major impediment is identifying a safe and effective adjuvant which induces cluster of differentiation 4 (CD4) cells with attributes capable of halting genital infection and inflammation. Previously, we described a natural nanocapsule called the vault which was engineered to contain major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and was an effective vaccine which significantly reduced early infection and favored development of a cellular immune response in a mouse model. In the current study, we used another chlamydial antigen, a polymorphic membrane protein G-1 (PmpG) peptide, to track antigen-specific cells and evaluate, in depth, the vault vaccine for its protective capacity in the absence of an added adjuvant. We found PmpG-vault immunized mice significantly reduced the genital bacterial burden and histopathologic parameters of inflammation following a C. muridarum challenge. Immunization boosted antigen-specific CD4 cells with a multiple cytokine secretion pattern and reduced the number of inflammatory cells in the genital tract making the vault vaccine platform safe and effective for chlamydial genital infection. We conclude that vaccination with a Chlamydia-vault vaccine boosts antigen-specific immunities that are effective at eradicating infection and preventing reproductive tract inflammation.

Adhesion Molecules Associated with Female Genital Tract Infection

Efforts to develop vaccines that can elicit mucosal immune responses in the female genital tract against sexually transmitted infections have been hampered by an inability to measure immune responses in these tissues. The differential expression of adhesion molecules is known to confer site-dependent homing of circulating effector T cells to mucosal tissues. Specific homing molecules have been defined that can be measured in blood as surrogate markers of local immunity (e.g. α4β7 for gut). Here we analyzed the expression pattern of adhesion molecules by circulating effector T cells following mucosal infection of the female genital tract in mice and during a symptomatic episode of vaginosis in women. While CCR2, CCR5, CXCR6 and CD11c were preferentially expressed in a mouse model of Chlamydia infection, only CCR5 and CD11c were clearly expressed by effector T cells during bacterial vaginosis in women. Other homing molecules previously suggested as required for homing to the genital mucosa such as α4β1 and α4β7 were also differentially expressed in these patients. However, CD11c expression, an integrin chain rarely analyzed in the context of T cell immunity, was the most consistently elevated in all activated effector CD8⁺ T cell subsets analyzed. This molecule was also induced after systemic infection in mice, suggesting that CD11c is not exclusive of genital tract infection. Still, its increase in response to genital tract disorders may represent a novel surrogate marker of mucosal immunity in women, and warrants further exploration for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Contaminated water delivery as a simple and effective method of experimental Salmonella infection

AIM

In most infectious disease models, it is assumed that gavage needle infection is the most reliable means of pathogen delivery to the GI tract. However, this methodology can cause esophageal tearing and induces stress in experimental animals, both of which have the potential to impact early infection and the subsequent immune response.

MATERIALS & METHODS

C57BL/6 mice were orally infected with virulent Salmonella Typhimurium SL1344 either by intragastric gavage preceded by sodium bicarbonate, or by contamination of drinking water.

RESULTS

We demonstrate that water contamination delivery of Salmonella is equivalent to gavage inoculation in providing a consistent model of infection. Furthermore, exposure of mice to contaminated drinking water for as little as 4 h allowed maximal mucosal and systemic infection, suggesting an abbreviated window exists for natural intestinal entry.

CONCLUSION

Together, these data question the need for gavage delivery for infection with oral pathogens.

Transient Loss of Protection Afforded by a Live Attenuated Non-typhoidal Salmonella Vaccine in Mice Co-infected with Malaria

In immunocompetent individuals, non-typhoidal Salmonella serovars (NTS) are associated with gastroenteritis, however, there is currently an epidemic of NTS bloodstream infections in sub-Saharan Africa. Plasmodium falciparum malaria is an important risk factor for invasive NTS bloodstream in African children. Here we investigated whether a live, attenuated Salmonella vaccine could be protective in mice, in the setting of concurrent malaria. Surprisingly, mice acutely infected with the nonlethal malaria parasite Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL exhibited a profound loss of protective immunity to NTS, but vaccine-mediated protection was restored after resolution of malaria. Absence of protective immunity during acute malaria correlated with maintenance of antibodies to NTS, but a marked reduction in effector capability of Salmonella-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells. Further, increased expression of the inhibitory molecule PD1 was identified on memory CD4 T cells induced by vaccination. Blockade of IL-10 restored protection against S. Typhimurium, without restoring CD4 T cell effector function. Simultaneous blockade of CTLA-4, LAG3, and PDL1 restored IFN-γ production by vaccine-induced memory CD4 T cells but was not sufficient to restore protection. Together, these data demonstrate that malaria parasite infection induces a temporary loss of an established adaptive immune response via multiple mechanisms, and suggest that in the setting of acute malaria, protection against NTS mediated by live vaccines may be interrupted.

In children, malaria is a predisposing factor for invasive bacterial infections with non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars, a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Since development of vaccines against NTS has been proposed as a strategy to protect African children against disseminated NTS infection, we interrogated the effect of malaria on vaccine-induced memory responses to NTS. Our results from a mouse infection model show that infection with malaria parasites temporarily suspends protective immunity conferred by a live, attenuated vaccine and suppresses adaptive immune responses to NTS that are mediated by T cells. These results suggest that in the setting of acute malaria, live attenuated NTS vaccines may lose their effectiveness.

Protective host immune responses to Salmonella infection

Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi are the causative agents of human typhoid fever. Current typhoid vaccines are ineffective and are not widely used in endemic areas. Greater understanding of host-pathogen interactions during Salmonella infection should facilitate the development of improved vaccines to combat typhoid and nontyphoidal Salmonellosis. This review will focus on our current understanding of Salmonella pathogenesis and the major host immune components that participate in immunity to Salmonella infection. In addition, recent findings regarding host immune mechanisms in response to Salmonella infection will be also discussed, providing a new perspective on the utility of improved tools to study the immune response to Salmonella infections.

Salmonella Infection Drives Promiscuous B Cell Activation Followed by Extrafollicular Affinity Maturation

The B cell response to Salmonella typhimurium (STm) occurs massively at extrafollicular sites, without notable germinal centers (GCs). Little is known in terms of its specificity. To expand the knowledge of antigen targets, we screened plasmablast (PB)-derived monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for Salmonella specificity, using ELISA, flow cytometry, and antigen microarray. Only a small fraction (0.5%-2%) of the response appeared to be Salmonella-specific. Yet, infection of mice with limited B cell receptor (BCR) repertoires impaired the response, suggesting that BCR specificity was important. We showed, using laser microdissection, that somatic hypermutation (SHM) occurred efficiently at extrafollicular sites leading to affinity maturation that in turn led to detectable STm Ag-binding. These results suggest a revised vision of how clonal selection and affinity maturation operate in response to Salmonella. Clonal selection initially is promiscuous, activating cells with virtually undetectable affinity, yet SHM and selection occur during the extrafollicular response yielding higher affinity, detectable antibodies.

A re-evaluation of the role of B cells in protective immunity to Chlamydia infection

Chlamydia trachomatis is the etiological agent of the most commonly reported bacterial sexual transmitted infection (STI) in North America and Europe. The control of Chlamydia infection is hindered by the asymptomatic nature of initial infection but the consequence of untreated infection seriously threatens the reproductive health of young women. Unfortunately, there is no licensed vaccine for Chlamydia vaccine, in part due to our incomplete understanding of the immune response to Chlamydia urogenital infection. It has been well established that T cell-mediated immunity plays a dominant role in protective immunity against Chlamydia and thus the importance of B cells is somewhat underappreciated. Here, we summarize recent progress on understanding the role of B cells during Chlamydia genital tract infections and discuss how B cells and humoral immunity make an effective contribution to host defense against important intracellular pathogens, including Chlamydia.

Immunity to intestinal pathogens: lessons learned from Salmonella

Salmonella are a common source of food- or water-borne infection and cause a wide range of clinical disease in human and animal hosts. Salmonella are relatively easy to culture and manipulate in a laboratory setting, and the infection of laboratory animals induces robust innate and adaptive immune responses. Thus, immunologists have frequently turned to Salmonella infection models to expand understanding of host immunity to intestinal pathogens. In this review, I summarize current knowledge of innate and adaptive immunity to Salmonella and highlight features of this response that have emerged from recent studies. These include the heterogeneity of the antigen-specific T-cell response to intestinal infection, the prominence of microbial mechanisms to impede T- and B-cell responses, and the contribution of non-cognate pathways for elicitation of T-cell effector functions. Together, these different issues challenge an overly simplistic view of host-pathogen interaction during mucosal infection, but also allow deeper insight into the real-world dynamic of protective immunity to intestinal pathogens.

Salmonella as a model for non-cognate Th1 cell stimulation

Salmonella has been a model pathogen for examining CD4 T cell activation and effector functions for many years due to the strength of the Th1 cell response observed during Salmonella infections, the relative ease of use of Salmonella, the availability of Salmonella-specific T cell reagents, and the well-characterized nature of the model system, the pathogen, and the immune response elicited. Herein, we discuss the use of Salmonella as a model pathogen to explore the complex interaction of T cells with their inflammatory environment. In particular, we address the issue of bystander activation of naïve T cells and non-cognate stimulation of activated and memory T cells. Further, we compare and contrast our current knowledge of these non-cognate responses in CD8 versus CD4 T cells. Finally, we make a case for Salmonella as a particularly appropriate model pathogen in the study of non-cognate CD4 T cell responses based on the strength of the Th1 response during infection, the requirement for CD4 T cells in bacterial clearance, and the well-characterized inflammatory response to conserved molecular patterns induced by Salmonella infection.

Rapid CD4+ T-cell responses to bacterial flagellin require dendritic cell expression of Syk and CARD9

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) can recognize microbial patterns and utilize adaptor molecules, such as-MyD88 or (TRIF TIR-domain-containing adapter-inducing interferon-β), to initiate downstream signaling that ultimately affects the initiation of adaptive immunity. In addition to this inflammatory role, TLR5 expression on dendritic cells can favor antigen presentation of flagellin peptides and thus increase the sensitivity of flagellin-specific T-cell responses in vitro and in vivo. Here, we examined the role of alternative signaling pathways that might regulate flagellin antigen presentation in addition to MyD88. These studies suggest a requirement for spleen tyrosine kinase, a noncanonical TLR-signaling adaptor molecule, and its downstream molecule CARD9 in regulating the sensitivity of flagellin-specific CD4(+) T-cell responses in vitro and in vivo. Thus, a previously unappreciated signaling pathway plays an important role in regulating the dominance of flagellin-specific T-cell responses.

Direct visualization of endogenous Salmonella-specific B cells reveals a marked delay in clonal expansion and germinal center development

CD4(+) T cells and B cells are both essential for acquired immunity to Salmonella infection. It is well established that Salmonella inhibit host CD4(+) T-cell responses, but a corresponding inhibitory effect on B cells is less well defined. Here, we utilize an Ag tetramer and pull-down enrichment strategy to directly visualize OVA-specific B cells in mice, as they respond to infection with Salmonella-OVA. Surprisingly, OVA-specific B-cell expansion and germinal center formation was not detected until bacteria were cleared from the host. Furthermore, Salmonella infection also actively inhibited both B- and T-cell responses to the same coinjected Ag but this did not require the presence of iNOS. The Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 2 (SPI2) locus has been shown to be responsible for inhibition of Salmonella-specific CD4(+) T-cell responses, and an examination of SPI2-deficient bacteria demonstrated a recovery in B-cell expansion in infected mice. Together, these data suggest that Salmonella can simultaneously inhibit host B- and T-cell responses using SPI2-dependent mechanisms.

The Role of Non-Cognate T Cell Stimulation during Intracellular Bacterial Infection

Intra-macrophage bacterial infections cause significant morbidity and mortality in both the developed and developing world. Protective host immune responses to these infections initially requires the activation and expansion of pathogen-specific CD4 Th1 cells within lymphoid tissues and subsequent relocation of these effector cells to sites of infection. After entering infected tissues, the elicitation of Th1 bactericidal activity can be triggered by cognate or non-cognate signals that are delivered by locally infected antigen-presenting cells and innate cells. However, the contribution of non-cognate stimulation to the resolution of bacterial infection remains poorly understood, especially in the context of a Th1 response. Here, we review the current data on Th1 cell activation and expansion in mouse models of Salmonella and Chlamydia infection and discuss the potential role of non-cognate Th1 cell stimulation in these disease models. Greater understanding of this pathway of T cell activation may lead to the design of therapeutics or vaccines to combat intra-macrophage pathogens.

Toll-like receptor and inflammasome signals converge to amplify the innate bactericidal capacity of T helper 1 cells

T cell effector functions can be elicited by noncognate stimuli, but the mechanism and contribution of this pathway to the resolution of intracellular macrophage infections have not been defined. Here, we show that CD4(+) T helper 1 (Th1) cells could be rapidly stimulated by microbe-associated molecular patterns during active infection with Salmonella or Chlamydia. Further, maximal stimulation of Th1 cells by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) did not require T-cell-intrinsic expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R), or interferon-γ receptor (IFN-γR) but instead required IL-18R, IL-33R, and adaptor protein MyD88. Innate stimulation of Th1 cells also required host expression of TLR4 and inflammasome components that together increased serum concentrations of IL-18. Finally, the elimination of noncognate Th1 cell stimulation hindered the resolution of primary Salmonella infection. Thus, the in vivo bactericidal capacity of Th1 cells is regulated by the response to noncognate stimuli elicited by multiple innate immune receptors.

CD103-CD11b+ dendritic cells regulate the sensitivity of CD4 T-cell responses to bacterial flagellin

Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) has been widely studied in an inflammatory context, but the effect of TLR5 on the adaptive response to bacterial flagellin has received considerably less attention. Here, we demonstrate that TLR5 expression by dendritic cells (DCs) allows a 1,000-fold enhancement of T-cell sensitivity to flagellin, and this enhancement did not require the expression of NLRC4 or Myd88. The effect of TLR5 on CD4 T-cell sensitivity was independent of the adjuvant effect of flagellin and TLR5 ligation did not alter the sensitivity of ovalbumin (OVA)-specific T cells to OVA. In the spleen, the exquisite T-cell sensitivity to flagellin was regulated by CD4-CD8α- DCs and was blocked by a monoclonal antibody to TLR5. In the mesenteric lymph nodes, flagellin-specific T-cell activation was regulated by a population of CD103-CD11b+ DCs. Thus, TLR5 expression by mucosal and systemic DC subsets controls the sensitivity of the adaptive immune response to flagellated pathogens.

Microbial-induced Th17: superhero or supervillain?

Th17 cells are an effector lineage of CD4 T cells that can contribute to protection against microbial pathogens and to the development of harmful autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. An increasing number of studies suggests that Th17 cells play an important protective role in mobilizing host immunity to extracellular and intracellular microbial pathogens, such as Candida and Salmonella. Furthermore, the generation of Th17 cells is heavily influenced by the normal microbial flora, highlighting the complex interplay among harmless microbes, pathogens, and host immunity in the regulation of pathogen-specific Th17 responses. In this article, we review the current understanding of microbe-induced Th17 cells in the context of infectious and inflammatory disease.

Cutting edge: B cells are essential for protective immunity against Salmonella independent of antibody secretion

Typhoid fever and nontyphoidal bacteremia caused by Salmonella remain critical human health problems. B cells are required for protective immunity to Salmonella, but the mechanism of protection remains unclear. In this study, we immunized wild-type, B cell-deficient, Ab-deficient, and class-switched Ab-deficient mice with attenuated Salmonella and examined protection against secondary infection. As expected, wild-type mice were protected and B cell-deficient mice succumbed to secondary infection. Interestingly, mice with B cells but lacking secreted Ab or class-switched Ab had little deficiency in resistance to Salmonella infection. The susceptibility of B cell-deficient mice correlated with marked reductions in CD4 T cell IFN-γ production after secondary infection. Taken together, these data suggest that the primary role of B cells in acquired immunity to Salmonella is via the development of protective T cell immunity.

MHC class-I-restricted CD8 T cells play a protective role during primary Salmonella infection

Protective immunity against Salmonella infection is known to require CD4 Th1 cells and B cells, but the role of MHC class-I-restricted CD8 T cells is less clear. Previous studies have suggested that CD8 T cells participate in secondary, but not primary, bacterial clearance. However, these studies have used experimental models that are difficult to interpret and do not clearly isolate the role of MHC class-I-restricted CD8 T cells from other cell populations. Here, we examined the role of class-I-restricted T cells in protection against Salmonella infection using mice lacking all classical MHC class-Ia molecules, perforin, or granzyme B. Immunized K(b)D(b)-, perforin-, granzyme B-, or perforin/granzyme B-deficient mice were able to resolve secondary infection with virulent Salmonella, demonstrating that class-I-restricted CTLs are not required for acquired immunity. However, during primary infection with attenuated bacteria, bacterial clearance was delayed in each of these mouse strains when compared to wild-type mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate that CD8 T cells are not required for acquired immunity to Salmonella, but can play a protective role in resolving primary infection with attenuated bacteria.

Increased susceptibility to Salmonella infection in signal regulatory protein α-deficient mice

Recent studies have shed light on the connection between elevated erythropoetin production/spleen erythropoiesis and increased susceptibility to Salmonella infection. In this article, we provide another mouse model, the SIRPα-deficient (Sirpα⁻/⁻) mouse, that manifests increased erythropoiesis as well as heightened susceptibility to Salmonella infection. Sirpα⁻/⁻ mice succumbed to systemic infection with attenuated Salmonella, possessing significantly higher bacterial loads in both the spleen and the liver. Moreover, Salmonella-specific Ab production and Ag-specific CD4 T cells were reduced in Sirpα⁻/⁻ mice compared with wild-type controls. To further characterize the potential mechanism underlying SIRPα-dependent Ag-specific CD4 T cell priming, we demonstrate that lack of SIRPα expression on dendritic cells results in less efficient Ag processing and presentation in vitro. Collectively, these findings demonstrate an indispensable role of SIRPα for protective immunity to Salmonella infection.

Temporal expression of bacterial proteins instructs host CD4 T cell expansion and Th17 development

Pathogens can substantially alter gene expression within an infected host depending on metabolic or virulence requirements in different tissues, however, the effect of these alterations on host immunity are unclear. Here we visualized multiple CD4 T cell responses to temporally expressed proteins in Salmonella-infected mice. Flagellin-specific CD4 T cells expanded and contracted early, differentiated into Th1 and Th17 lineages, and were enriched in mucosal tissues after oral infection. In contrast, CD4 T cells responding to Salmonella Type-III Secretion System (TTSS) effectors steadily accumulated until bacterial clearance was achieved, primarily differentiated into Th1 cells, and were predominantly detected in systemic tissues. Thus, pathogen regulation of antigen expression plays a major role in orchestrating the expansion, differentiation, and location of antigen-specific CD4 T cells in vivo.

TLR5-deficient mice lack basal inflammatory and metabolic defects but exhibit impaired CD4 T cell responses to a flagellated pathogen

TLR5-deficient mice have been reported to develop spontaneous intestinal inflammation and metabolic abnormalities. However, we report that TLR5-deficient mice from two different animal colonies display no evidence of basal inflammatory disease, metabolic abnormalities, or enhanced resistance to Salmonella infection. In contrast, the absence of TLR5 hindered the initial activation and clonal expansion of intestinal flagellin-specific CD4 T cells following oral Salmonella infection. Together, these data demonstrate that a basal inflammatory phenotype is not a consistent feature of TLR5-deficient mice and document a novel role for TLR5 in the rapid targeting of flagellin by intestinal pathogen-specific CD4 T cells.