Lack of functional P-selectin ligand exacerbates Salmonella serovar typhimurium infection

PSGL-1, a Strategic Biomarker for Pathological Conditions in HIV Infection: A Hypothesis Review

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) has been established to be a cell adhesion molecule that is involved in the cellular rolling mechanism and the extravasation cascade, enabling the recruitment of immune cells to sites of inflammation. In recent years, researchers have established that PSGL-1 also functions as an HIV restriction factor. PSGL-1 has been shown to inhibit the HIV reverse transcription process and inhibit the infectivity of HIV virions produced by cells expressing PSGL-1. Cumulative evidence gleaned from contemporary literature suggests that PSGL-1 expression negatively affects the functions of immune cells, particularly T-cells, which are critical participants in the defense against HIV infection. Indeed, some researchers have observed that PSGL-1 expression and signaling provokes T-cell exhaustion. Additionally, it has been established that PSGL-1 may also mediate virus capture and subsequent transfer to permissive cells. We therefore believe that, in addition to its beneficial roles, such as its function as a proinflammatory molecule and an HIV restriction factor, PSGL-1 expression during HIV infection may be disadvantageous and may potentially predict HIV disease progression. In this hypothesis review, we provide substantial discussions with respect to the possibility of using PSGL-1 to predict the potential development of particular pathological conditions commonly seen during HIV infection. Specifically, we speculate that PSGL-1 may possibly be a reliable biomarker for immunological status, inflammation/translocation, cell exhaustion, and the development of HIV-related cancers. Future investigations directed towards our hypotheses may help to evolve innovative strategies for the monitoring and/or treatment of HIV-infected individuals.

P-Selectin Glycoprotein Ligand 1: A Potential HIV-1 Therapeutic Target

Antiretroviral therapy (ART), which is a life-long therapeutic option, remains the only currently effective clinical method to treat HIV-1 infection. However, ART may be toxic to vital organs including the liver, brain, heart, and kidneys, and may result in systemic complications. In this context, to consider HIV-1 restriction factors from the innate immune system to explore novel HIV therapeutics is likely to be a promising investigative strategy. In light of this, P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1 (PSGL-1) has recently become the object of close scrutiny as a recognized cell adhesion molecule, and has become a major focus of academic study, as researchers believe that PSGL-1 may represent a novel area of interest in the research inquiry into the field of immune checkpoint inhibition. In this article, we review PSGL-1's structure and functions during infection and/or inflammation. We also outline a comprehensive review of its role and potential therapeutic utility during HIV-1 infection as published in contemporary academic literature.

The evolving role of T-bet in resistance to infection

The identification of T-bet as a key transcription factor associated with the development of IFNγ-producing CD4⁺ T cells predicted a crucial role for T-bet in cell-mediated immunity and in resistance to many intracellular infections. This idea was reinforced by initial reports showing that T-bet-deficient mice were more susceptible to pathogens that survived within the lysosomal system of macrophages. However, subsequent studies revealed IFNγ-dependent, T-bet-independent pathways of resistance to diverse classes of microorganisms that occupy other intracellular niches. Consequently, a more complex picture has emerged of how T-bet and the related transcription factor eomesodermin (EOMES) coordinate many facets of the immune response to bona fide pathogens as well as commensals. This article provides an overview of the discovery and evolutionary relationship between T-bet and EOMES and highlights the studies that have uncovered broader functions of T-bet in innate and adaptive immunity and in the development of the effector and memory T cell populations that mediate long-term resistance to infection.

The in vitro and in vivo protective effects of tannin derivatives against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection

In this study, we investigated the protective effects of tannin-derived components, gallic acid (GA) and tannic acid (TA), in vitro and in vivo against Salmonella infection in mice. Both GA and TA showed antibacterial effects against Salmonella (S.) Typhimurium as well as inhibitory effects on the adherence, invasion, and intracellular growth of the pathogens in macrophages. Following a lethal dose of Salmonella infection in mice, reduced virulence in both GA- and TA-treated groups was observed based on reduced mortality rates. In the non-infected groups, the average weights of the spleens and livers of GA- or TA-treated mice were not significantly different with the control group. In addition, the average weights of these organs in all of the Salmonella-infected groups were not significantly different but the numbers of bacteria in the spleens and livers in both GA- and TA-treated mice were significantly reduced. The levels of cytokine production in non-infected mice revealed that GA-treated and TA-treated mice elicited an increased level of IFN-γ, and both IFN-γ and MCP-1, respectively, as compared with the PBS-treated group. These findings highlight the potential of GA and TA as alternatives for the treatment of salmonellosis and as supplements to conventional antimicrobial food additives.

PSGL-1: A New Player in the Immune Checkpoint Landscape

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) has long been studied as an adhesion molecule involved in immune cell trafficking and is recognized as a regulator of many facets of immune responses by myeloid cells. PSGL-1 also regulates T cell migration during homeostasis and inflammatory settings. However, recent findings indicate that PSGL-1 can also negatively regulate T cell function. Because T cell differentiation is finely tuned by multiple positive and negative regulatory signals that appropriately scale the magnitude of the immune response, PSGL-1 has emerged as an important checkpoint during this process. We summarize what is known regarding PSGL-1 structure and function and highlight how it may act as an immune checkpoint inhibitor in T cells.

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Associated Autophagy Gene Atg16L1T300A Acts as a Dominant Negative Variant in Mice

The basis of the increased risk for Crohn's disease conferred by the Atg16L1T300A polymorphism is incompletely understood. An important step forward came from the recent demonstration that the murine equivalent of Atg16L1T300A (Atg16L1T316A) exhibits increased susceptibility to caspase 3-mediated cleavage and resulting decreased levels of full-length Atg16L1 in macrophages. However, although this finding showed that this polymorphism is a loss-of-function abnormality, it did not address the possibility that this polymorphism also affects the function of a normal Atg16L1 allele in heterozygous mice. Therefore, we evaluated the function of the Atg16L1T300A polymorphism heterozygote and homozygote in knock-in (KI) mice. Surprisingly, we found that macrophages from both types of KI mice exhibit defective autophagic induction; accordingly, both types of mice exhibit defects in bacterial clearance coupled with increased inflammasome cytokine (IL-1β) responses. Furthermore, macrophages from both types of KI mice displayed defects in TNF-α-induced Atg16L1T300A cleavage, increased retention of bacteria, bacterial dissemination, and Salmonella-induced colitis. These studies suggested that chromosomes bearing the Atg16L1T300A polymorphism can interfere with the function of the wild-type (WT) Atg16L1 allele and, thus, that the Crohn's disease risk polymorphism is a dominant-negative variant with the potential to act as a disease factor, even when present on only one chromosome. This conclusion was supported by the finding that mice bearing a WT Atg16L1 allele and a null allele (Atg16L1^KO/+ mice) exhibit normal autophagic function equivalent to that of WT mice.

Properdin-Mediated C5a Production Enhances Stable Binding of Platelets to Granulocytes in Human Whole Blood

Enhanced levels of platelet/granulocyte aggregates (PGAs) are found in patients suffering from many different inflammatory vascular diseases, and their formation in animal models of vascular disease is associated with increased thromboinflammation and worsened outcomes. The complement system, a part of the innate immune system, influences PGA formation, but the mechanisms for its effects are unknown. In this study, we have defined complement-mediated mechanisms that enhance PGA formation in human whole blood stimulated with thrombin receptor-activating peptide (TRAP) using ex vivo flow cytometry assays. We demonstrate that physiological properdin, a positive regulator of complement alternative pathway activity, increases PGA formation when added to TRAP-stimulated blood. All physiological properdin forms increase PGA formation, but properdin tetramers are the most efficient at increasing complement activity and PGA formation. Inhibition of endogenous properdin, either circulating in the blood or produced locally by leukocytes, impairs TRAP-mediated PGA formation to the same level as specific inhibition of either the alternative or classical pathway. Additionally, blocking the interaction of C5a with its cellular receptor prevents properdin-mediated increases in PGA formation. Adding either properdin tetramers or C5a to whole blood increases CD11b expression on granulocytes, and this increase is prevented by blockade of the C5a-C5a receptor axis. Finally, we demonstrate that the effects of properdin on PGA formation are tightly regulated by Factor H. Cumulatively, our data indicate that properdin enhances PGA formation via increased production of C5a, and that inhibition of properdin function has therapeutic potential to limit thromboinflammation in diseases characterized by increased PGA formation.

PSGL-1 on Leukocytes is a Critical Component of the Host Immune Response against Invasive Pneumococcal Disease

Bacterial uptake by phagocytic cells is a vital event in the clearance of invading pathogens such as Streptococcus pneumoniae. A major role of the P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) on leukocytes against invasive pneumococcal disease is described in this study. Phagocytosis experiments using different serotypes demonstrated that PSGL-1 is involved in the recognition, uptake and killing of S. pneumoniae. Co-localization of several clinical isolates of S. pneumoniae with PSGL-1 was demonstrated, observing a rapid and active phagocytosis in the presence of PSGL-1. Furthermore, the pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide and the main autolysin of the bacterium ―the amidase LytA― were identified as bacterial ligands for PSGL-1. Experimental models of pneumococcal disease including invasive pneumonia and systemic infection showed that bacterial levels were markedly increased in the blood of PSGL-1^−/− mice. During pneumonia, PSGL-1 controls the severity of pneumococcal dissemination from the lung to the bloodstream. In systemic infection, a major role of PSGL-1 in host defense is to clear the bacteria in the systemic circulation controlling bacterial replication. These results confirmed the importance of this receptor in the recognition and clearance of S. pneumoniae during invasive pneumococcal disease. Histological and cellular analysis demonstrated that PSGL-1^−/− mice have increased levels of T cells migrating to the lung than the corresponding wild-type mice. In contrast, during systemic infection, PSGL-1^−/− mice had increased numbers of neutrophils and macrophages in blood, but were less effective controlling the infection process due to the lack of this functional receptor. Overall, this study demonstrates that PSGL-1 is a novel receptor for S. pneumoniae that contributes to protection against invasive pneumococcal disease.

S. pneumoniae is one of the most important and devastating human pathogens worldwide, mainly affecting young children, elderly people and immunocompromised patients. In terms of host immune defense against invasive pneumococcal isolates, professional phagocytes require receptor-mediated recognition of certain ligands on the bacterial surface for the uptake and clearance of the microorganism. In this study, we demonstrate that the P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1) on leukocytes is involved in the phagocytosis process of S. pneumoniae by targeting the capsule and the surface protein LytA as pathogen-associated molecular patterns. To explore this process in more detail, we have used wild-type mice and mice deficient in PSGL-1 demonstrating that lack of PSGL-1 is detrimental for the host by increasing the susceptibility to the infection and the severity of the pneumococcal invasive disease. Overall, these data show the importance of PSGL-1 on leukocytes in host defense against S. pneumoniae and confirm that PSGL-1 plays a critical protective role against invasive bacterial disease.

Bacterial serine proteases secreted by the autotransporter pathway: classification, specificity, and role in virulence

Serine proteases exist in eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms and have emerged during evolution as the most abundant and functionally diverse group. In Gram-negative bacteria, there is a growing family of high molecular weight serine proteases secreted to the external milieu by a fascinating and widely employed bacterial secretion mechanism, known as the autotransporter pathway. They were initially found in Neisseria, Shigella, and pathogenic Escherichia coli, but have now also been identified in Citrobacter rodentium, Salmonella, and Edwardsiella species. Here, we focus on proteins belonging to the serine protease autotransporter of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATEs) family. Recent findings regarding the predilection of serine proteases to host intracellular or extracellular protein-substrates involved in numerous biological functions, such as those implicated in cytoskeleton stability, autophagy or innate and adaptive immunity, have helped provide a better understanding of SPATEs' contributions in pathogenesis. Here, we discuss their classification, substrate specificity, and potential roles in pathogenesis.

CD34 mediates intestinal inflammation in Salmonella-infected mice

CD34 is a highly glycosylated sialomucin expressed on a variety of cells, ranging from vascular endothelial cells to haematopoietic stem cells. Depending on its glycosylation state, CD34 has been shown to promote or inhibit cell adhesion and migration; however, a functional role for CD34 in the gut has not been determined. Using a model of Salmonella-induced gastroenteritis, we investigated the role of CD34 in the context of infection. Upon oral infection, the number of CD34+ cells detected in the submucosa, vascular endothelium and lamina propria significantly increased in S. Typhimurium-infected C57Bl/6 mice. The pathology of S. Typhimurium-infected C57Bl/6 mice was characterized by recruitment of neutrophils to the site of inflammation, submucosal oedema and crypt destruction. In contrast, Cd34(-/-) mice showed a delayed pathology, a defect in inflammatory cell migration into the intestinal tissue and enhanced survival. Importantly, this was not due to a lack of chemotactic signals in Cd34(-/-) mice as these mice had either similar or significantly higher levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines post infection when compared with infected C57/Bl6 control mice. In summary, we demonstrate a novel role for CD34 in enhancing migration of inflammatory cells and thereby exacerbating host-mediated immunopathology in the intestine of S. Typhimurium-infected mice.

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 modulates immune inflammatory responses in the enteric lamina propria

P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), a leukocyte adhesion receptor that interacts with selectins, induces a tolerogenic programme in bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs), which in turn promotes the generation of T regulatory (Treg) lymphocytes. In the present study, we have used a mouse model of dextran sulphate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis and studied the characteristics of the inflammatory cell infiltrate in the lamina propria (LP), mesenteric lymph nodes (mLNs) and Peyer's patches (PPs) to assess the possible role of PSGL-1 in the modulation of the enteric immune response. We have found that untreated PSGL-1-deficient mice showed an altered proportion of innate and adaptive immune cells in mLNs and PPs as well as an activated phenotype of macrophages and DCs in the colonic LP that mainly produced pro-inflammatory cytokines. Administration of an anti-PSGL-1 antibody also reduced the total numbers of macrophages, DCs and B cells in the colonic LP, and induced a lower expression of MHC-II by DCs and macrophages. After DSS treatment, PSGL-1(-/-) mice developed colitis earlier and with higher severity than wild-type (WT) mice. Accordingly, the colonic LP of these animals showed an enhanced number of Th1 and Th17 lymphocytes, with enhanced synthesis of IL-1α, IL-6 and IL-22, and increased activation of LP macrophages. Together, our data indicate that PSGL-1 has a relevant homeostatic role in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue under steady-state conditions, and that this adhesion receptor is able to down-regulate the inflammatory phenomenon in DSS-induced colitis.

Role of Salmonella Pathogenicity Island 1 protein IacP in Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium pathogenesis

Gram-negative bacteria, including Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, exploit type III secretion systems (T3SSs) through which virulence proteins are delivered into the host cytosol to reinforce invasive and replicative niches in their host. Although many secreted effector proteins and membrane-bound structural proteins in the T3SS have been characterized, the functions of many cytoplasmic proteins still remain unknown. In this study, we found that IacP, encoded by Salmonella pathogenicity island 1, was important for nonphagocytic cell invasion and bacterial virulence. When the iacP gene was deleted from several Salmonella serovar Typhimurium strains, the invasion into INT-407 epithelial cells was significantly decreased compared to that of their parental strains, and retarded rearrangements of actin fibers were observed for the iacP mutant-infected cells. Although IacP had no effect on the secretion of type III translocon proteins, the levels of secretion of the effector proteins SopB, SopA, and SopD into the culture medium were decreased in the iacP mutant. In a mouse infection model, mice infected with the iacP mutant exhibited alleviated pathological signs in the intestine and survived longer than did wild-type-infected mice. Taken together, IacP plays a key role in Salmonella virulence by regulating the translocation of T3SS effector proteins.

Impaired innate immune response and enhanced pathology during Citrobacter rodentium infection in mice lacking functional P-selectin

The selectin family of adhesion molecules mediates recruitment of immune cells to sites of inflammation which is critical for host resistance against infection. To characterize the role of selectins in host defence against Citrobacter rodentium infection, wild-type (WT) mice and mice lacking P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), P-, E- and L-selectin were infected using a Citrobacter-induced colitis model. Infected mice lacking PSGL-1 or P-selectin showed a more pronounced morbidity associated with higher bacterial load, elevated IL-12 p70, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, MCP-1 and IL-6 production, more severe inflammation and surprisingly higher leucocyte infiltration in the guts than WT control. Recruitment of neutrophils and macrophages and caecal inflammation were drastically reduced in infected P-selectin knockout mice receiving blocking monoclonal antibodies to ICAM-1 or LFA-1, indicating that these adhesion molecules may compensate for the loss of selectins in leucocyte recruitment. Furthermore, the adaptive immune response in mice lacking PSGL-1 or P-selectin remained functional since these infected mice were capable of eradicating the bacteria and being protected upon re-challenge with C. rodentium. These data demonstrate a definitive phenotypic impairment of innate response in mice lacking PSGL-1 or P-selectin, and suggest that these adhesion molecules are important in host innate immune response against Citrobacter infection.