Flt3 ligand treatment modulates parasitemia during infection with rodent malaria parasites via MyD88- and IFN-γ-dependent mechanisms

Aspecific binding of anti-NK1.1 antibodies on myeloid cells in an experimental model for malaria-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome

BACKGROUND

Conventional natural killer (cNK) cells play an important role in the innate immune response by directly killing infected and malignant cells and by producing pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Studies on their role in malaria and its complications have resulted in conflicting results.

METHODS

Using the commonly used anti-NK1.1 depletion antibodies (PK136) in an in-house optimized experimental model for malaria-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (MA-ARDS), the role of cNK cells was investigated. Moreover, flow cytometry was performed to characterize different NK cell populations.

RESULTS

While cNK cells were found to be dispensable in the development of MA-ARDS, the appearance of a NK1.1+ cell population was observed in the lungs upon infection despite depletion with anti-NK1.1. Detailed characterization of the unknown population revealed that this population consisted of a mixture of monocytes and macrophages that bind the anti-NK1.1 antibody in an aspecific way. This aspecific binding may occur via Fcγ receptors, such as FcγR4. In contrast, in vivo depletion using anti-NK1.1 antibodies was proved to be specific for cNK cells.

CONCLUSION

cNK cells are dispensable in the development of experimental MA-ARDS. Moreover, careful flow cytometric analysis, with a critical mindset in relation to potential aspecific binding despite the use of commercially available Fc blocking reagents, is critical to avoid misinterpretation of the results.

Plasmodium Infection-Cure Cycles Increase the Capacity of Phagocytosis in Conventional Dendritic Cells

Malaria stands as one of the most pervasive human infectious diseases globally and represents a prominent cause of mortality. Immunity against clinical malaria disease is achieved through multiple infection and treatment cycles, culminating in a substantial reduction in parasite burden. To investigate this phenomenon, we established a murine model involving repeated infection-cure cycles, whereby mice were infected with the lethal rodent malarial parasite Plasmodium berghei ANKA and subsequently treated with the anti-malarial drug pyrimethamine. Our earlier study revealed a significant decrease in the capacity of conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) to produce cytokines upon stimulation in infection-cured mice. In the present study, we aimed to further elucidate the modulation of cDC functionality during repeated infection-cure cycles by examining their phagocytic capacity. Administering fluorescent beads to mice resulted in no significant difference in the total number of bead-positive cells within the spleens of both uninfected and 3-cure (three cycles of infection-cure) mice. However, the proportion of the CD11c+F4/80- population within bead-positive cells was notably higher in 3-cure mice compared to uninfected mice. Subsequent in vitro analysis of bead phagocytosis by purified CD11c+cDCs revealed that the cDC2 subset from 3-cure mice exhibited significantly enhanced phagocytic capacity in comparison to their uninfected counterparts. These findings underscore the substantial impact of repeated infection-cure cycles on various facets of cDC function, potentially influencing the trajectory of immune responses against subsequent malaria infections.

Plasmodium infection cure cycles induce modulation of conventional dendritic cells

Malaria is one of the most widespread human infectious diseases worldwide and a cause of mortality. It is difficult to induce immunological memory against the malarial parasite Plasmodium. The immunity to clinical malaria disease is acquired with multiple infection and treatment cycles, along with substantial reduction in parasite burden. However, the mechanism of the acquired immunity remains largely unclear. Conventional DCs (cDCs) play a pivotal role in orchestration of immune responses. The purpose of this study is to analyze the characterization of cDCs after the infection and cure treatment cycles. Mice were infected with the lethal rodent malarial parasite Plasmodium berghei ANKA, which was followed by cure treatment with the antimalarial drug pyrimethamine. This was then followed by a challenge with live parasites. The mice that went through infection cure cycles showed significant immune response, demonstrating robust immunological memory against malaria parasites. We investigated the cytokine production capacity of splenic cDCs in both naive and infection cure mice by stimulating purified splenic cDCs with LPS (TLR4 agonist) or CpG (TLR9 agonist). The capacity of cytokine production was found to be significantly decreased in infection cure mice. The suppression of cytokine production was sustained for a long term (6 months). Moreover, the surface expression of MHC Class II molecules was significantly lower in infection cure mice than in naive mice. These results suggest that Plasmodium infection and cure treatment resulted in strong immunological memory and modulation of full functionality of cDCs.

Differentiation and adaptation of natural killer cells for anti-malarial immunity

Natural killer cells employ a diverse arsenal of effector mechanisms to target intracellular pathogens. Differentiation of natural killer (NK) cell activation pathways occurs along a continuum from reliance on innate pro-inflammatory cytokines and stress-induced host ligands through to interaction with signals derived from acquired immune responses. Importantly, the degree of functional differentiation of the NK cell lineage influences the magnitude and specificity of interactions with host cells infected with viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Individual humans possess a vast diversity of distinct NK cell clones, each with the capacity to vary along this functional differentiation pathway, which - when combined - results in unique individual responses to different infections. Here we summarize these NK cell differentiation events, review evidence for direct interaction of malaria-infected host cells with NK cells and assess how innate inflammatory signals induced by malaria parasite-associated molecular patterns influence the indirect activation and function of NK cells. Finally, we discuss evidence that anti-malarial immunity develops in parallel with advancing NK differentiation, coincident with a loss of reliance on inflammatory signals, and a refined capacity of NK cells to target malaria parasites more precisely, particularly through antibody-dependent mechanisms.

Reduction of conventional dendritic cells during Plasmodium infection is dependent on activation induced cell death by type I and II interferons

Dendritic cells (DCs) play critical roles in innate and adaptive immunity and in pathogenesis during the blood stage of malaria infection. The mechanisms underlying DC homeostasis during malaria infection are not well understood. In this study, the numbers of conventional DCs (cDCs) and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in the spleens after lethal rodent malaria infection were examined, and were found to be significantly reduced. Concomitant with up-regulation of maturation-associated molecules, activation of caspase-3 was significantly increased, suggesting induction of cell death. Studies using neutralizing antibody and gene-deficient mice showed that type I and II interferons were critically involved in activation induced cell death of cDCs during malaria infection. These results demonstrate that DCs rapidly disappeared following IFN-mediated DC activation, and that homeostasis of DCs was significantly impaired during malaria infection.

IL-33-mediated protection against experimental cerebral malaria is linked to induction of type 2 innate lymphoid cells, M2 macrophages and regulatory T cells

Cerebral malaria (CM) is a complex parasitic disease caused by Plasmodium sp. Failure to establish an appropriate balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory immune responses is believed to contribute to the development of cerebral pathology. Using the blood-stage PbA (Plasmodium berghei ANKA) model of infection, we show here that administration of the pro-Th2 cytokine, IL-33, prevents the development of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) in C57BL/6 mice and reduces the production of inflammatory mediators IFN-γ, IL-12 and TNF-α. IL-33 drives the expansion of type-2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) that produce Type-2 cytokines (IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13), leading to the polarization of the anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages, which in turn expand Foxp3 regulatory T cells (Tregs). PbA-infected mice adoptively transferred with ILC2 have elevated frequency of M2 and Tregs and are protected from ECM. Importantly, IL-33-treated mice deleted of Tregs (DEREG mice) are no longer able to resist ECM. Our data therefore provide evidence that IL-33 can prevent the development of ECM by orchestrating a protective immune response via ILC2, M2 macrophages and Tregs.

Cerebral malaria (CM) caused by the parasite Plasmodium sp. is a fatal disease, especially in children. Currently there is no effective treatment. We report here our investigation on the role of a recently discovered cytokine IL-33, in treating experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) in the susceptible C57BL/6 mice. IL-33 protects the mice against ECM. The protection is accompanied by a reduction of Th1 response and the enhancement of type 2 cytokine response. We also found that IL-33 mediates its protective effect by inducing a population of type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2), which then polarize macrophages to alternatively-activated phenotypes (M2). M2 in turn expand regulatory T cells (Tregs) which suppress the deleterious Th1 response. Our report therefore reveals hitherto unrecognised mechanisms of the regulation of ECM and provide a novel function of IL-33.