Induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress under endotoxin tolerance increases inflammatory responses and decreases Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia

Repetitive Acinetobacter baumannii pneumonia induces infection tolerance in mice

Some long-term hospitalized patients with lung infections exhibit pathogen tolerance. To investigate whether long-term chronic infection can induce tolerance, we constructed a mouse model of pneumonia in which mice were infected once, twice, or three times with Acinetobacter baumannii. The results revealed that the inflammatory factor levels decreased in the lung lavage fluid and that pathological damage to the lung tissue was alleviated in the mice infected three times. Flow cytometry and transcriptome analysis of mouse lung tissue revealed that the expression of genes related to T cell activation, differentiation, and regulation and the proportion and number of regulatory T cells and immune suppression-related genes, such as Ctla4, Tigit, Slamf8, ICOS, and IDO1, were increased in mice infected three times. These findings show that repeated A. baumannii infections can induce tolerance, which may be mediated by immune suppression involving regulatory T cells.

Rab26 alleviates sepsis-induced immunosuppression as a master regulator of macrophage ferroptosis and polarization shift

Macrophage dysfunction is a significant contributor to more than 70 % of sepsis-related deaths, specifically secondary bacterial infections, during the immunosuppression stage of sepsis. Nevertheless, the role of Rab26 in this context remains unclear. In this study, we observed a substantial decrease in Rab26 expression in macrophages during the immunosuppressive phase of sepsis, which was also found to be suppressed by high extracellular levels of HMGB1. During the progression of sepsis, Rab26 deficiency promotes a polarization shift from the M1 to the M2-like phenotype in macrophages, rendering them susceptible to ferroptosis. Subsequent experimentation has revealed that Rab26 deficiency facilitates the degradation of GPX4, thereby aggravating macrophage ferroptosis through the upregulation of levels of lipid ROS, MDA, and ferrous iron induced by RSL3, a ferroptosis inducer. Additionally, Rab26-deficient mice in the immunosuppressed phase of sepsis exhibit heightened susceptibility to secondary infections, leading to exacerbated lung tissue damage and increased mortality rate. Overall, these findings indicate that Rab26 plays a crucial role in sepsis-induced macrophage immunosuppression by regulating macrophage ferroptosis and polarization. Hence, it represents a potential novel target for sepsis therapy.

Herp regulates intracellular survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Ra in macrophages by regulating reactive oxygen species-mediated autophagy

IMPORTANCE

Several studies have suggested that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is important in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases; however, the precise function of ER stress regulation and the role of Herp as a regulator in Mtb H37Ra-induced ER stress remain elusive. Therefore, our study investigated ER stress and autophagy associated with Herp expression in Mycobacterium tuberculosis-infected macrophages to determine the role of Herp in the pathogenesis of tuberculosis.

MDSCs in sepsis-induced immunosuppression and its potential therapeutic targets

Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. In sepsis, a complicated immune response is initiated, which varies over time with sustained excessive inflammation and immunosuppression. Identifying a promising way to orchestrate sepsis-induced immunosuppression is a challenge. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) comprise pathologically activated neutrophils and monocytes with potent immunosuppressive activity. They play an important part in inhibiting innate and adaptive immune responses, and have emerged as part of the immune response in sepsis. MDSCs numbers are persistently high in sepsis patients, and associated with nosocomial infections and other adverse clinical outcomes. However, their characteristics and functional mechanisms during sepsis have not been addressed fully. Our review sheds light on the features and suppressive mechanism of MDSCs. We also review the potential applications of MDSCs as biomarkers and targets for clinical treatment of sepsis.

Disease tolerance: a protective mechanism of lung infections

Resistance and tolerance are two important strategies employed by the host immune response to defend against pathogens. Multidrug-resistant bacteria affect the resistance mechanisms involved in pathogen clearance. Disease tolerance, defined as the ability to reduce the negative impact of infection on the host, might be a new research direction for the treatment of infections. The lungs are highly susceptible to infections and thus are important for understanding host tolerance and its precise mechanisms. This review focuses on the factors that induce lung disease tolerance, cell and molecular mechanisms involved in tissue damage control, and the relationship between disease tolerance and sepsis immunoparalysis. Understanding the exact mechanism of lung disease tolerance could allow better assessment of the immune status of patients and provide new ideas for the treatment of infections.

Tidy up - The unfolded protein response in sepsis

Pathogens, their toxic byproducts, and the subsequent immune reaction exert different forms of stress and damage to the tissue of the infected host. This stress can trigger specific transcriptional and post-transcriptional programs that have evolved to limit the pathogenesis of infectious diseases by conferring tissue damage control. If these programs fail, infectious diseases can take a severe course including organ dysfunction and damage, a phenomenon that is known as sepsis and which is associated with high mortality. One of the key adaptive mechanisms to counter infection-associated stress is the unfolded protein response (UPR), aiming to reduce endoplasmic reticulum stress and restore protein homeostasis. This is mediated via a set of diverse and complementary mechanisms, i.e. the reduction of protein translation, increase of protein folding capacity, and increase of polyubiquitination of misfolded proteins and subsequent proteasomal degradation. However, UPR is not exclusively beneficial since its enhanced or prolonged activation might lead to detrimental effects such as cell death. Thus, fine-tuning and time-restricted regulation of the UPR should diminish disease severity of infectious disease and improve the outcome of sepsis while not bearing long-term consequences. In this review, we describe the current knowledge of the UPR, its role in infectious diseases, regulation mechanisms, and further clinical implications in sepsis.

NOD1 and NOD2 Activation by Diverse Stimuli: a Possible Role for Sensing Pathogen-Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

Prompt recognition of microbes by cells is critical to eliminate invading pathogens. Some cell-associated pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize and respond to microbial ligands. However, others can respond to cellular perturbations, such as damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Nucleotide oligomerization domains 1 and 2 (NOD1/2) are PRRs that recognize and respond to multiple stimuli of microbial and cellular origin, such as bacterial peptidoglycan, viral infections, parasitic infections, activated Rho GTPases, and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. How NOD1/2 are stimulated by such diverse stimuli is not fully understood but may partly rely on cellular changes during infection that result in ER stress. NOD1/2 are ER stress sensors that facilitate proinflammatory responses for pathogen clearance; thus, NOD1/2 may help mount broad antimicrobial responses through detection of ER stress, which is often induced during a variety of infections. Some pathogens may subvert this response to promote infection through manipulation of NOD1/2 responses to ER stress that lead to apoptosis. Here, we review NOD1/2 stimuli and cellular responses. Furthermore, we discuss pathogen-induced ER stress and how it might potentiate NOD1/2 signaling.

Characterization of the Proteomic Response of A549 Cells Following Sequential Exposure to Aspergillus fumigatus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Aspergillus fumigatus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa are the most prevalent fungal and bacterial pathogens associated with cystic-fibrosis-related infections, respectively. P. aeruginosa eventually predominates as the primary pathogen, though it is unknown why this is the case. Label-free quantitative proteomics was employed to investigate the cellular response of the alveolar epithelial cell line, A549, to coexposure of A. fumigatus and P. aeruginosa. These studies revealed a significant increase in the rate of P. aeruginosa proliferation where A. fumigatus was present. Shotgun proteomics performed on A549 cells exposed to either A. fumigatus or P. aeruginosa or to A. fumigatus and P. aeruginosa sequentially revealed distinct changes to the host cell proteome in response to either or both pathogens. While key signatures of infection were retained among all pathogen-exposed groups, including changes in mitochondrial activity and energy output, the relative abundance of proteins associated with endocytosis, phagosomes, and lysosomes was decreased in sequentially exposed cells compared to cells exposed to either pathogen. Our findings indicate that A. fumigatus renders A549 cells unable to internalize bacteria, thus providing an environment in which P. aeruginosa can proliferate. This research provides novel insights into the whole-cell proteomic response of A549 cells to A. fumigatus and P. aeruginosa and highlights distinct differences in the proteome following sequential exposure to both pathogens, which may explain why P. aeruginosa can predominate.