Potentiation of epithelial innate host responses by intercellular communication.
PLoS Pathog 2010;
6:e1001194. [PMID:
21124989 PMCID:
PMC2987820 DOI:
10.1371/journal.ppat.1001194]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2010] [Accepted: 10/13/2010] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The epithelium efficiently attracts immune cells upon infection despite the low number of pathogenic microbes and moderate levels of secreted chemokines per cell. Here we examined whether horizontal intercellular communication between cells may contribute to a coordinated response of the epithelium. Listeria monocytogenes infection, transfection, and microinjection of individual cells within a polarized intestinal epithelial cell layer were performed and activation was determined at the single cell level by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Surprisingly, chemokine production after L. monocytogenes infection was primarily observed in non-infected epithelial cells despite invasion-dependent cell activation. Whereas horizontal communication was independent of gap junction formation, cytokine secretion, ion fluxes, or nitric oxide synthesis, NADPH oxidase (Nox) 4-dependent oxygen radical formation was required and sufficient to induce indirect epithelial cell activation. This is the first report to describe epithelial cell-cell communication in response to innate immune activation. Epithelial communication facilitates a coordinated infectious host defence at the very early stage of microbial infection.
All body surfaces are covered by a single layer of epithelial cells. Epithelial cells form a physical barrier to separate the underlying sterile tissue from the environment. In addition, epithelial cells actively sense bacterial and viral infection. The recognition of pathogenic microorganisms results in cell stimulation and the secretion of soluble mediators that attract professional immune cells to the site of infection. This first line host defence works very efficiently despite the often low number of pathogens and the limited amount of mediators secreted per epithelial cell. We therefore investigated whether infection of one individual epithelial cell would result in activation of other, non-infected cells within a confluent epithelial monolayer resulting in a more substantial host response. Indeed, using the model of the gut pathogen Listeria monocytogenes and monitoring infection and epithelial activation at a single cell level, we can clearly show that the epithelial response is mainly mediated by non-infected cells. Also, we identify oxygen radicals as potential mediators to facilitate horizontal epithelial communication upon immune stimulation. Our results thus provide a novel concept of a coordinated epithelial host response upon microbial infection facilitated by horizontal epithelial communication.
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