Molecular mechanism for the effects of E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin on mouse embryo survival

Oral Vaccination of Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) against Largemouth Bass Ranavirus (LMBV) Using Yeast Surface Display Technology

Largemouth bass ranavirus (LMBV) infects largemouth bass, leading to significant mortality and economic losses. There are no safe and effective drugs against this disease. Oral vaccines that directly target the intestinal mucosal immune system play an important role in resisting pathogens. Herein, the B subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LTB, a mucosal immune adjuvant) and the LMBV main capsid protein (MCP) were expressed using Saccharomyces cerevisiae surface display technology. The yeast-prepared oral vaccines were named EBY100-OMCP and EBY100-LTB-OMCP. The candidate vaccines could resist the acidic intestinal environment. After 7 days of continuous oral immunization, indicators of innate and adaptive immunity were measured on days 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42. High activities of immune enzymes (T-SOD, AKP, ACP, and LZM) in serum and intestinal mucus were detected. IgM in the head kidney was significantly upregulated (EBY100-OMCP group: 3.8-fold; BY100-LTB-OMCP group: 4.3-fold). IgT was upregulated in the intestines (EBY100-OMCP group: 5.6-fold; EBY100-LTB-OMCP group: 6.7-fold). Serum neutralizing antibody titers of the two groups reached 1:85. Oral vaccination protected against LMBV infection. The relative percent survival was 52.1% (EBY100-OMCP) and 66.7% (EBY100-LTB-OMCP). Thus, EBY100-OMCP and EBY100-LTB-OMCP are promising and effective candidate vaccines against LMBV infection.

Activation mechanisms of inflammasomes by bacterial toxins

Inflammasomes are cytosolic innate immune complexes, which assemble in mammalian cells in response to microbial components and endogenous danger signals. A major family of inflammasome activators is bacterial toxins. Inflammasome sensor proteins, such as the nucleotide-binding oligomerisation domain-like receptor (NLR) family members NLRP1b and NLRP3, and the tripartite motif family member Pyrin⁺ efflux triggered by pore-forming toxins or by other toxin-induced homeostasis-altering events such as lysosomal rupture. Pyrin senses perturbation of host cell functions induced by certain enzymatic toxins resulting in impairment of RhoA GTPase activity. Assembly of the inflammasome complex activates the cysteine protease caspase-1, leading to the proteolytic cleavage of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18, and the pore-forming protein gasdermin D causing pyroptosis. In this review, we discuss the latest progress in our understanding on the activation mechanisms of inflammasome complexes by bacterial toxins and effector proteins and explore avenues for future research into the relationships between inflammasomes and bacterial toxins.

NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to Listeria monocytogenes-induced animal pregnancy failure

Background

Listeria monocytogenes (LM), a foodborne pathogen, can cause pregnancy failure in animals, especially in ruminants. Recent studies have shown that LM activates inflammasomes to induce IL-1β release in macrophages, however, whether the inflammasome activation regulates LM-induced pregnancy failure remains largely unknown. Here we used mouse model to investigate the molecular mechanism by which LM-induced inflammsome activation contributes to LM-associated pregnancy failure

Results

We showed that wild-type, but not Listeriolysin O-deficient (Δhly) LM, significantly reduced mouse embryo survival, accompanied by the increase of IL-1β release and caspase-1 activation. IL-1β neutralization significantly reduced the LM-induced embryo losses, suggesting that LM-induced pregnancy failure was associated with LLO-induced inflammasome activation. To dissect the inflammasome sensor and components responsible for LM-induced caspase-1 activation and IL-1β production, we used wild-type and NLRP3^−/−, AIM2^−/−, NLRC4^−/−, ASC^−/−, caspase-1^−/− and cathepsin B^−/− mouse macrophages to test the roles of these molecules in LM-induce IL-1β production. We found that NLRP3 inflammasome was the main pathway in LM-induced caspase-1 activation and IL-1β production. To explore the mechanism of LM-induced pregnancy failure, we investigated the effects of LM-infected macrophages on SM9-1 mouse trophoblasts. We found that the conditioned medium from LM-infected-macrophage or the recombinant IL-1β significantly up-regulated TNFα, IL-6 and IL-8 productions in trophoblasts, suggesting that the LM-induced macrophage inflammasome activation increased trophoblast pro-inflammatory cytokine production, which was adverse to the animal pregnancy maintenance.

Conclusions

Our data demonstrated that the LLO-induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation plays a key role in LM-induced pregnancy failure, and inflammasome-mediated macrophage dysregulation on trophoblasts might be involved in the pregnancy failure.

Endotoxin exposure and puberty in female rats: the role of nitric oxide and caspase-1 inhibition in neonates

Bacterial toxins are widespread in the environment as well as in the digestive system of humans and animals. Toxin from Gram-negative bacteria (endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide; LPS) has a life-long programming effect on reproduction in rats, but the mediators have not been well-documented, so we investigated the effects of LPS on the timing of puberty in female rats. Because the levels of nitric oxide (NO) and interleukin 1β (IL-1β) increase following injection of LPS, we injected neonates (post-natal day (pnd) 7) with LPS, with or without NO or IL-1β inhibitors. Half of the prepubescent (pnd 30) animals received an additional LPS injection. Vaginal opening, number of ovarian follicles, and serum anti-LPS antibodies were determined. A single LPS injection was sufficient to reduce the primordial follicle pool, but puberty was delayed when rats received 2 LPS injections (at pnd 7 and 30). NO or IL-1β inhibitors improved both of these parameters, suggesting that the early detrimental effects of LPS on puberty and primordial follicle pool are mediated by NO and IL-1β.

Cholera toxin, and the related nontoxic adjuvants mmCT and dmLT, promote human Th17 responses via cyclic AMP-protein kinase A and inflammasome-dependent IL-1 signaling

We have examined the molecular pathways involved in the adjuvant action of cholera toxin (CT) and two novel nontoxic molecules, multiple-mutated CT (mmCT) and double-mutant heat-labile toxin (dmLT) on human T cell responses. Human PBMCs or isolated monocytes were stimulated in vitro with CT, mmCT, or dmLT plus a polyclonal stimulus (staphylococcal enterotoxin B) or specific bacterial Ags, and effects on expression of cytokines and signaling molecules were determined. CT, mmCT, and dmLT strongly enhanced IL-17A and to a lesser extent IL-13 responses, but had little effect on IFN-γ production or cell proliferation. Intracellular cytokine staining revealed that the enhanced IL-17A production was largely confined to CD4(+) T cells and coculture experiments showed that the IL-17A promotion was effectively induced by adjuvant-treated monocytes. Relative to CT, mmCT and dmLT induced at least 100-fold lower levels of cAMP, yet this cAMP was enough and essential for the promotion of Th17 responses. Thus, inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A was abolished, and stimulation with a cAMP analog mimicked the adjuvant effect. Furthermore, CT, mmCT, and dmLT induced IL-1β production and caspase-1 activation in monocytes, which was associated with increased expression of key proinflammatory and inflammasome-related genes, including NLRP1, NLRP3, and NLRC4. Inflammasome inhibition with a specific caspase-1 inhibitor, or blocking of IL-1 signaling by IL-1 receptor antagonist, abrogated the Th17-promoting effect. We conclude that CT, mmCT, and dmLT promote human Th17 responses via cAMP-dependent protein kinase A and caspase-1/inflammasome-dependent IL-1 signaling.