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Danner R, Prochniak LM, Pereckas M, Rouse JR, Wahhab A, Hackner LG, Lochhead RB. Identification of Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Epitopes From Lyme Autoantigen Apolipoprotein B-100 and Borrelia burgdorferi Mcp4 in Murine Lyme Arthritis. J Infect Dis 2024; 230:S27-S39. [PMID: 39140726 PMCID: PMC11322890 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiae324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND During infection with the Lyme arthritis (LA) pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, T-cell responses to both host and pathogen are dysregulated, resulting in chronic infection and frequent development of autoimmunity. METHODS To assess CD4+ T-cell epitopes presented during development of LA, we used an unbiased, immunopeptidomics approach to characterize the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II immunopeptidome in B burgdorferi-infected C57BL/6 (B6) mice, which develop mild, self-limiting LA, and infected B6 Il10-/- mice, which develop severe, persistent LA at 0, 4, and 16 weeks postinfection (22-23 mice per group). RESULTS Peptides derived from proteins involved in adaptive T- and B-cell responses and cholesterol metabolism, including human Lyme autoantigen apolipoprotein B-100 (apoB-100), were enriched in infected Il10-/- mice; whereas peptides derived from proteins involved in neutrophil extracellular net formation were enriched in infected B6 mice. Presentation of apoB-100 peptides showed evidence of epitope expansion during infection. Of several identified B burgdorferi peptides, only 1, a methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein peptide Mcp4442-462, was immunogenic. CONCLUSIONS ApoB-100, a human Lyme autoantigen, undergoes marked epitope expansion during LA development. The paucity of immunogenic B burgdorferi epitopes supports previous findings suggesting CD4+ T-cell responses are suppressed in murine LA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Danner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Lauren M Prochniak
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Michaela Pereckas
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Joseph R Rouse
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Amanda Wahhab
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Lauren G Hackner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
| | - Robert B Lochhead
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Bourgeois JS, Hu LT. Hitchhiker's Guide to Borrelia burgdorferi. J Bacteriol 2024:e0011624. [PMID: 39140751 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00116-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Don't Panic. In the nearly 50 years since the discovery of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi has emerged as an unlikely workhorse of microbiology. Interest in studying host-pathogen interactions fueled significant progress in making the fastidious microbe approachable in laboratory settings, including the development of culture methods, animal models, and genetic tools. By developing these systems, insight has been gained into how the microbe is able to survive its enzootic cycle and cause human disease. Here, we discuss the discovery of B. burgdorferi and its development as a model organism before diving into the critical lessons we have learned about B. burgdorferi biology at pivotal stages of its lifecycle: gene expression changes during the tick blood meal, colonization of a new vertebrate host, and developing a long-lasting infection in that vertebrate until a new tick feeds. Our goal is to highlight the advancements that have facilitated B. burgdorferi research and identify gaps in our current understanding of the microbe.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey S Bourgeois
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University Lyme Disease Initiative, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Linden T Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University Lyme Disease Initiative, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Kumaresan V, Ingle TM, Kilgore N, Zhang G, Hermann BP, Seshu J. Cellular and transcriptome signatures unveiled by single-cell RNA-Seq following ex vivo infection of murine splenocytes with Borrelia burgdorferi. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1296580. [PMID: 38149246 PMCID: PMC10749944 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1296580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne infectious disease in the US, is caused by a spirochetal pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb). Distinct host responses are observed in susceptible and resistant strains of inbred of mice following infection with Bb reflecting a subset of inflammatory responses observed in human Lyme disease. The advent of post-genomic methodologies and genomic data sets enables dissecting the host responses to advance therapeutic options for limiting the pathogen transmission and/or treatment of Lyme disease. Methods In this study, we used single-cell RNA-Seq analysis in conjunction with mouse genomics exploiting GFP-expressing Bb to sort GFP+ splenocytes and GFP- bystander cells to uncover novel molecular and cellular signatures that contribute to early stages of immune responses against Bb. Results These data decoded the heterogeneity of splenic neutrophils, macrophages, NK cells, B cells, and T cells in C3H/HeN mice in response to Bb infection. Increased mRNA abundance of apoptosis-related genes was observed in neutrophils and macrophages clustered from GFP+ splenocytes. Moreover, complement-mediated phagocytosis-related genes such as C1q and Ficolin were elevated in an inflammatory macrophage subset, suggesting upregulation of these genes during the interaction of macrophages with Bb-infected neutrophils. In addition, the role of DUSP1 in regulating the expression of Casp3 and pro-inflammatory cytokines Cxcl1, Cxcl2, Il1b, and Ccl5 in Bb-infected neutrophils were identified. Discussion These findings serve as a growing catalog of cell phenotypes/biomarkers among murine splenocytes that can be exploited for limiting spirochetal burden to limit the transmission of the agent of Lyme disease to humans via reservoir hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Venkatesh Kumaresan
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Taylor MacMackin Ingle
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Nathan Kilgore
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Guoquan Zhang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Brian P. Hermann
- Department of Neuroscience, Developmental and Regenerative Biology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
| | - Janakiram Seshu
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
- South Texas Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, United States
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Petnicki-Ocwieja T, McCarthy JE, Powale U, Langston PK, Helble JD, Hu LT. Borrelia burgdorferi initiates early transcriptional re-programming in macrophages that supports long-term suppression of inflammation. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011886. [PMID: 38157387 PMCID: PMC10783791 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb), the causative agent of Lyme disease, establishes a long-term infection and leads to disease manifestations that are the result of host immune responses to the pathogen. Inflammatory manifestations resolve spontaneously despite continued bacterial presence, suggesting inflammatory cells become less responsive over time. This is mimicked by in vitro repeated stimulations, resulting in tolerance, a phenotypic subset of innate immune memory. We performed comparative transcriptional analysis of macrophages in acute and memory states and identified sets of Tolerized, Hyper-Induced, Secondary-Induced and Hyper-Suppressed genes resulting from memory induction, revealing previously unexplored networks of genes affected by cellular re-programming. Tolerized gene families included inflammatory mediators and interferon related genes as would be predicted by the attenuation of inflammation over time. To better understand how cells mediate inflammatory hypo-responsiveness, we focused on genes that could mediate maintenance of suppression, such as Hyper-Induced genes which are up-regulated in memory states. These genes were notably enriched in stress pathways regulated by anti-inflammatory modulators. We examined one of the most highly expressed negative regulators of immune pathways during primary stimulation, Aconitate decarboxylase 1 (Acod1), and tested its effects during in vivo infection with Bb. As predicted by our in vitro model, we show its inflammation-suppressive downstream effects are sustained during in vivo long-term infection with Bb, with a specific role in Lyme carditis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Petnicki-Ocwieja
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Julie E. McCarthy
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Urmila Powale
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
- Graduate Program in Immunology, Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - P. Kent Langston
- Department of Immunology, Harvard Medical School and Evergrande Center for Immunologic Diseases, Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital; Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Jennifer D. Helble
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Linden T. Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Rouse JR, Danner R, Wahhab A, Pereckas M, McClune ME, Steere AC, Strle K, Jutras BL, Lochhead RB. Human leukocyte antigen HLA-DR-expressing fibroblast-like synoviocytes are inducible antigen presenting cells that present autoantigens in Lyme arthritis. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.21.568066. [PMID: 38045407 PMCID: PMC10690166 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.21.568066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Background HLA-DR-expressing fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) are a prominent cell type in synovial tissue in chronic inflammatory forms of arthritis. We recently showed that peptides from several extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, including fibronectin-1 (FN1), contained immunogenic CD4+ T cell epitopes in patients with postinfectious Lyme arthritis (LA). However, the role of FLS in presentation of these T cell epitopes remains uncertain. Methods Primary LA FLS and primary murine FLS stimulated with interferon gamma (IFNγ), Borrelia burgdorferi, and/or B. burgdorferi peptidoglycan (PG) were assessed for properties associated with antigen presentation. HLA-DR-presented peptides from stimulated LA FLS were identified by immunopeptidomics analysis. OT-II T cells were cocultured with stimulated murine FLS in the presence of cognate ovalbumin antigen to determine the potential of FLS to act as inducible antigen presenting cells (APC). Results FLS expressed HLA-DR molecules within inflamed synovial tissue and tendons from patients with post-infectious LA patients in situ. MHC class II and costimulatory molecules were expressed by FLS following in vitro stimulation with IFNγ and B. burgdorferi and presented both foreign and self MHC-II peptides, including T cell epitopes derived from two Lyme autoantigens fibronectin-1 (FN1) and endothelial cell growth factor (ECGF). Stimulated murine FLS induced proliferation of naïve OT-II CD4+ T cells, particularly when FLS were stimulated with both IFNγ and PG. Conclusions MHC-II+ FLS are inducible APCs that can induce CD4+ T cell activation and can present Lyme autoantigens derived from ECM proteins, thereby amplifying tissue-localized autoimmune CD4+ T cell responses in LA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph R Rouse
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Rebecca Danner
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Amanda Wahhab
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Michaela Pereckas
- Department of Biochemistry, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
| | - Mecaila E McClune
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Allen C Steere
- Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Diseases, Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Klemen Strle
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brandon L Jutras
- Department of Biochemistry, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
- Center for Emerging, Zoonotic and Arthropod-borne Pathogens, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Robert B Lochhead
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
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Helble JD, Walsh MJ, McCarthy JE, Smith NP, Tirard AJ, Arnold BY, Villani AC, Hu LT. Single-cell RNA sequencing of murine ankle joints over time reveals distinct transcriptional changes following Borrelia burgdorferi infection. iScience 2023; 26:108217. [PMID: 37953958 PMCID: PMC10632114 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterial pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi, which can be readily modeled in laboratory mice. In order to understand the cellular and transcriptional changes that occur during B. burgdorferi infection, we conducted single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of ankle joints of infected C57BL/6 mice over time. We found that macrophages/monocytes, T cells, synoviocytes and fibroblasts all showed significant differences in gene expression of both inflammatory and non-inflammatory genes that peaked early and returned to baseline before the typical resolution of arthritis. Predictions of cellular interactions showed that macrophages appear to communicate extensively between different clusters of macrophages as well as with fibroblasts and synoviocytes. Our data give unique insights into the interactions between B. burgdorferi and the murine immune system over time and allow for a better understanding of mechanisms by which the dysregulation of the immune response may lead to prolonged symptoms in some patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer D. Helble
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Michael J. Walsh
- Division of Gastroenterology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
- Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Julie E. McCarthy
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
| | - Neal P. Smith
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Alice J. Tirard
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Benjamin Y. Arnold
- Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | | | - Linden T. Hu
- Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02111, USA
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Gutierrez-Hoffmann M, Fan J, O’Meally RN, Cole RN, Florea L, Antonescu C, Talbot CC, Tiniakou E, Darrah E, Soloski MJ. The Interaction of Borrelia burgdorferi with Human Dendritic Cells: Functional Implications. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2023; 211:612-625. [PMID: 37405694 PMCID: PMC10527078 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
Dendritic cells bridge the innate and adaptive immune responses by serving as sensors of infection and as the primary APCs responsible for the initiation of the T cell response against invading pathogens. The naive T cell activation requires the following three key signals to be delivered from dendritic cells: engagement of the TCR by peptide Ags bound to MHC molecules (signal 1), engagement of costimulatory molecules on both cell types (signal 2), and expression of polarizing cytokines (signal 3). Initial interactions between Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease, and dendritic cells remain largely unexplored. To address this gap in knowledge, we cultured live B. burgdorferi with monocyte-derived dendritic cells (mo-DCs) from healthy donors to examine the bacterial immunopeptidome associated with HLA-DR. In parallel, we examined changes in the expression of key costimulatory and regulatory molecules as well as profiled the cytokines released by dendritic cells when exposed to live spirochetes. RNA-sequencing studies on B. burgdorferi-pulsed dendritic cells show a unique gene expression signature associated with B. burgdorferi stimulation that differs from stimulation with lipoteichoic acid, a TLR2 agonist. These studies revealed that exposure of mo-DCs to live B. burgdorferi drives the expression of both pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines as well as immunoregulatory molecules (e.g., PD-L1, IDO1, Tim3). Collectively, these studies indicate that the interaction of live B. burgdorferi with mo-DCs promotes a unique mature DC phenotype that likely impacts the nature of the adaptive T cell response generated in human Lyme disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Gutierrez-Hoffmann
- Lyme Disease Research Center, Johns Hopkins University,
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University,
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Jinshui Fan
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University,
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Robert N. O’Meally
- Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility,
Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Robert N. Cole
- Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics Facility,
Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Liliana Florea
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins
University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Corina Antonescu
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins
University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - C. Conover Talbot
- Institute for Basic Biomedical Sciences, Johns
Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Eleni Tiniakou
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University,
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Erika Darrah
- Lyme Disease Research Center, Johns Hopkins University,
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University,
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
| | - Mark J. Soloski
- Lyme Disease Research Center, Johns Hopkins University,
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University,
School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA
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