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Oser L, Midha A, Schlosser-Brandenburg J, Rausch S, Mugo RM, Kundik A, Elizalde-Velázquez LE, Adjah J, Musimbi ZD, Klopfleisch R, Helm CS, von Samson-Himmelstjerna G, Hartmann S, Ebner F. Ascaris suum infection in juvenile pigs elicits a local Th2 response in a setting of ongoing Th1 expansion. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1396446. [PMID: 38799456 PMCID: PMC11116563 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1396446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Ascaris spp. undergo extensive migration within the body before establishing patent infections in the small intestinal tract of humans and pigs. However, whether larval migration is critical for inducing efficient type 2 responses remains poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated systemic versus local adaptive immune responses along the hepato-tracheal migration of Ascaris suum during primary, single infections in conventionally raised pigs. Neither the initial invasion of gut tissue nor migration through the liver resulted in discernable Th2 cell responses. In contrast, lung-stage larvae elicited a Th2-biased pulmonary response, which declined after the larvae had left the lungs. In the small intestine, we observed an accumulation of Th2 cells upon the arrival of fourth-stage larvae (L4) to the small intestinal lumen. In parallel, we noticed robust and increasing Th1 responses in circulation, migration-affected organs, and draining lymph nodes. Phenotypic analysis of CD4+ T cells specifically recognizing A. suum antigens in the circulation and lung tissue of infected pigs confirmed that the majority of Ascaris-specific T cells produced IL-4 (Th2) and, to a much lesser extent, IL-4/IFN-g (Th2/1 hybrids) or IFN-g alone (Th1). These data demonstrate that lung-stage but not the early liver-stage larvae lead to a locally restricted Th2 response. Significant Th2 cell accumulation in the small intestine occurs only when L4 complete the body migration. In addition, Th2 immunity seems to be hampered by the concurrent, nonspecific Th1 bias in growing pigs. Together, the late onset of Th2 immunity at the site of infection and the Th1-biased systemic immunity likely enable the establishment of intestinal infections by sufficiently large L4 stages and pre-adult worms, some of which resist expulsion mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa Oser
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ankur Midha
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Josephine Schlosser-Brandenburg
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sebastian Rausch
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert M. Mugo
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Arkadi Kundik
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Luis E. Elizalde-Velázquez
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Joshua Adjah
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Zaneta D. Musimbi
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert Klopfleisch
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christina S. Helm
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Georg von Samson-Himmelstjerna
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Susanne Hartmann
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Friederike Ebner
- Centre for Infection Medicine, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Immunology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Infection Pathogenesis, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany
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Age-dependent rise in IFN-γ competence undermines effective type 2 responses to nematode infection. Mucosal Immunol 2022; 15:1270-1282. [PMID: 35690651 PMCID: PMC9705248 DOI: 10.1038/s41385-022-00519-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The efficient induction of type 2 immune responses is central to the control of helminth infections. Previous studies demonstrated that strong Th1 responses driven by intracellular pathogens as well as a bias for type 1 activity in senescent mice impedes the generation of Th2 responses and the control of intestinal nematode infections. Here, we show that the spontaneous differentiation of Th1 cells and their expansion with age restrains type 2 immunity to infection with the small intestinal nematode H. polygyrus much earlier in life than previously anticipated. This includes the more extensive induction of IFN-γ competent, nematode-specific Th2/1 hybrid cells in BALB/c mice older than three months compared to younger animals. In C57BL/6 mice, Th1 cells accumulate more rapidly at steady state, translating to elevated Th2/1 differentiation and poor control of parasite fitness in primary infections experienced at a young age. Blocking of early IFN-γ and IL-12 signals during the first week of nematode infection leads to sharply decreased Th2/1 differentiation and promotes resistance in both mouse lines. Together, these data suggest that IFN-γ competent, type 1 like effector cells spontaneously accumulating in the vertebrate host progressively curtail the effectiveness of anti-nematode type 2 responses with rising host age.
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NIIMI K, MORIMOTO M. Cytokine elevation in the mouse small intestine at the early stage of infection with the gastrointestinal parasite Heligmosomoides polygyrus. J Vet Med Sci 2021; 83:573-580. [PMID: 33597317 PMCID: PMC8111354 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.20-0498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
To eliminate pathogens, the initiation of an appropriate immune response is critical. When the gastrointestinal nematode, Heligmosomoides polygyrus (Hp), invades the small intestine, a type-2 cytokine response is initiated; however, this response is not sufficient to clear the infection, and chronic infection can ensue. In this study, the host defense against Hp was investigated in mice with a focus on the role of CD4+ T cells. To this end, tissues from the small intestine and mesenteric lymph node (MLN) were collected every day from just after infection until Day 5 because many previous studies have described the later stages of infection from Day 8 to Day 12, during which Hp returns to the lumen and Th2 cytokine expression reaches its peak. In this study, we focused on investigating the initiation of the type-2 immune response. Our results indicated that the larvae encysted by Day 3. Increased type-2 cytokine gene expression started in the small intestine before Day 2 and increased again on Day 5. Interferon (IFN) γ increased significantly on the second day. Flow cytometry and gene expression analysis of MLN cells revealed that CD4+ T cells were not activated until Day 4. These results suggested that innate immune cells in submucosa are activated immediately after infection, but CD4+ T cells accumulate in the cyst zone later. In addition, IFNγ may have an important role in converting type-2 cytokine-producing cells from innate cells to CD4+ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanae NIIMI
- School of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences,
Miyagi University, 2-2-1 Hatatate, Taihaku-ku, Sendaishi, Miyagi 982-0215, Japan
| | - Motoko MORIMOTO
- School of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences,
Miyagi University, 2-2-1 Hatatate, Taihaku-ku, Sendaishi, Miyagi 982-0215, Japan
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Mair I, McNeilly TN, Corripio-Miyar Y, Forman R, Else KJ. Embracing nature's complexity: Immunoparasitology in the wild. Semin Immunol 2021; 53:101525. [PMID: 34785137 PMCID: PMC8713030 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2021.101525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Revised: 11/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A wealth of research is dedicated to understanding how resistance against parasites is conferred and how parasite-driven pathology is regulated. This research is in part driven by the hope to better treatments for parasitic diseases of humans and livestock, and in part by immunologists who use parasitic infections as biomedical tools to evoke physiological immune responses. Much of the current mechanistic knowledge has been discovered in laboratory studies using model organisms, especially the laboratory mouse. However, wildlife are also hosts to a range of parasites. Through the study of host-parasite interactions in these non-laboratory systems we can gain a deeper understanding of parasite immunology in a more natural, complex environment. With a focus on helminth parasites, we here explore the insights gained into parasite-induced immune responses through (for immunologists) non-conventional experimental systems, and how current core findings from laboratory studies are reflected in these more natural conditions. The quality of the immune response is undoubtedly a central player in susceptibility versus resistance, as many laboratory studies have shown. Yet, in the wild, parasite infections tend to be chronic diseases. Whilst reading our review, we encourage the reader to consider the following questions which may (only) be answered by studying naturally occurring parasites in the wild: a) what type of immune responses are mounted against parasites in different hosts in the wild, and how do they vary within an individual over time, between individuals of the same species and between species? b) can we use wild or semi-wild study systems to understand the evolutionary drivers for tolerance versus resistance towards a parasite? c) what determines the ability of the host to cope with an infection and is there a link with the type of immune response mounted? d) can we modulate environmental factors to manipulate a wild animal's immune response to parasitic infections, with translation potential for humans, wildlife, and livestock? and e) in context of this special issue, what lessons for Type 2 immunity can we glean from studying animals in their natural environments? Further, we aim to integrate some of the knowledge gained in semi-wild and wild settings with knowledge gained from traditional laboratory-based research, and to raise awareness for the opportunities (and challenges) that come with integrating a multitude of naturally-occurring variables into immunoparasitological research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Mair
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
| | - Tom N McNeilly
- Disease Control Department, Moredun Research Institute, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, Scotland, UK
| | - Yolanda Corripio-Miyar
- Disease Control Department, Moredun Research Institute, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, Scotland, UK
| | - Ruth Forman
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Kathryn J Else
- Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Oxford Road Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
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Zhou H, Wang L, Liu F. Immunological Impact of Intestinal T Cells on Metabolic Diseases. Front Immunol 2021; 12:639902. [PMID: 33679800 PMCID: PMC7930072 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.639902] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging evidence accumulated over the past several years has uncovered intestinal CD4+ T cells as an essential mediator in modulating intestinal immunity in health and diseases. It has also been increasingly recognized that dietary and microbiota-derived factors play key roles in shaping the intestinal CD4+ T-cell compartment. This review aims to discuss the current understanding on how the intestinal T cell immune responses are disturbed by obesity and metabolic stress. In addition, we review how these changes influence systemic metabolic homeostasis and the T-cell-mediated crosstalk between gut and liver or brain in the progression of obesity and its related diseases. Lastly, we highlight the potential roles of some drugs that target intestinal T cells as a therapeutic treatment for metabolic diseases. A better understanding of the interaction among metabolites, bacterial signals, and T cell immune responses in the gut and their roles in systemic inflammation in metabolic tissues should shed new light on the development of effective treatment of obesity and related disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haiyan Zhou
- Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Liwen Wang
- Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Feng Liu
- Department of Metabolism and Endocrinology, National Clinical Research Center for Metabolic Diseases, Metabolic Syndrome Research Center, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Department of Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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Morimoto M, Azuma N, Kadowaki H, Abe T, Suto Y. Regulation of type 2 diabetes by helminth-induced Th2 immune response. J Vet Med Sci 2016; 78:1855-1864. [PMID: 27665994 PMCID: PMC5240765 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.16-0183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Helminth-induced type 2 cytokines increase the number of regulatory T cells and
alternatively activated macrophages, resulting in modulation of the host–immune system.
Studies on these parasite-induced immunoregulatory mechanisms might contribute to the
development of new therapies for inflammatory diseases, including type 2 diabetes (T2D).
Previous studies have suggested that progression of obesity-associated metabolic
abnormalities is under pathophysiological control of CD4+ T cells. Glucose absorption
through the intestinal epithelium reduced after infection in a STAT-6-dependent manner. In
this study, we investigated whether infection with the gastrointestinal nematode parasite
Heligmosomoides polygyrus (Hp) can modulate T2D-associated pathology in
a mouse model (KK-Ay/TaJcl). KK-Ay/TaJcl mice were inoculated with infective third-stage
Hp larvae and studied at Day 8 following infection. Uninfected KK-Ay/TaJcl mice showed
high blood glucose levels even 120 min after administration of glucose by IP injection.
However, it was significantly improved in the infected group. HOMA-IR, fat accumulation
and FAS gene expression in the liver were significantly decreased by Hp infection. GLUT2
gene expression in this group was significantly lower than that in the uninfected diabetic
mice, which might be related to the decrease in glucose absorption in the
parasite-infected intestine. In conclusion, helminth-induced type 2 immune responses might
contribute to T2D disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Motoko Morimoto
- School of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Miyagi University, Sendai City, Miyagi 982-0215, Japan
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