TBK1 upregulates the interferon response against virus by the TBK1-IRF3/7 axis in yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco)

Yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) is an important economic species of freshwater fish, widely distributed in China. Recently, viral diseases of yellow catfish have been identified in Chian (Hubei province), arising more attention to the viral immunity in P. fulvidraco. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor NF-κB activator (TANK)-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) plays an essential role in IFN production and innate antiviral immunity. In the present study, we characterized the P. fulvidraco TBK1 (PfTBK1) and reported its function in interferon response. The full-length open reading frame (ORF) is 2184 bp encoding a protein with 727 amino acids, which is composed of four conserved domains, including KD, ULD, CCD1, and CCD2, similar to TBK1 in other species. Pftbk1 was widely expressed in all detected tissues by qPCR and was not inducible by the spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV), a single-strand RNA virus. In addition, the cellular distribution indicated that PfTBK1 was only located in the cytoplasm. Moreover, PfTBK1 induced strong IFN promoter activities through the Jak-stat pathway, and PfTBK1 interacted with and significantly phosphorylated IFN regulatory factor 3/7 (IRF3/7) in P. fulvidraco, promoting the nuclear translocation of pfIRF3 and PfIRF7, and PfTBK1 upregulated IFN response by PfTBK1-PfIRF3/7 axis. Above all, PfTBK1 triggered IFN response and strongly inhibited the replication of SVCV in EPC cells through induction of IFN downstream IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). Summarily, this work reveals that PfTBK1 plays a positive regulatory role in IFN induction through the TBK1-IRF3/7 axis, laying a foundation for further exploring the molecular mechanism of the antiviral process in P. fulvidraco.

Sox4 represses host innate immunity to facilitate pathogen infection by hijacking the TLR signaling networks

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are essential for the protection of the host from pathogen infections by initiating the integration of contextual cues to regulate inflammation and immunity. However, without tightly controlled immune responses, the host will be subjected to detrimental outcomes. Therefore, it is important to balance the positive and negative regulations of TLRs to eliminate pathogen infection, yet avert harmful immunological consequences. This study revealed a distinct mechanism underlying the regulation of the TLR network. The expression of sex-determining region Y-box 4 (Sox4) is induced by virus infection in viral infected patients and cultured cells, which subsequently represses the TLR signaling network to facilitate viral replication at multiple levels by a distinct mechanism. Briefly, Sox4 inhibits the production of myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) and most of the TLRs by binding to their promoters to attenuate gene transcription. In addition, Sox4 blocks the activities of the TLR/MyD88/IRAK4/TAK1 and TLR/TRIF/TRAF3/TBK1 pathways by repressing their key components. Moreover, Sox4 represses the activation of the nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) through interacting with IKKα/α, and attenuates NF-kB and IFN regulatory factors 3/7 (IRF3/7) abundances by promoting protein degradation. All these contributed to the down-regulation of interferons (IFNs) and IFN-stimulated gene (ISG) expression, leading to facilitate the viral replications. Therefore, we reveal a distinct mechanism by which viral pathogens evade host innate immunity and discover a key regulator in host defense.

Heat-killed Salmonella Typhimurium protects mice against carbon ion radiation

OBJECTIVE

Patients receiving carbon-ion radiation therapy and astronauts exploring outer space are inevitably exposed to heavy ion radiation. The aim of this study was to develop radioprotectors to minimize the injuries induced by carbon ion radiation.

METHODS

Heat-killed Salmonella Typhimurium (HKST) was administered to mice by gavage prior to irradiation with a ¹²C⁶⁺ heavy ion accelerator. Hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunofluorescence TdT-mediated dUTP Nick-End Labeling staining were used to assess the radioprotective effect of HKST on organ damage and levels of apoptosis, respectively, in mice. To investigate the mechanism underlying the radioprotective effect of HKST, levels of the pro-apoptotic proteins BAX and caspase 3 as well as interferon-regulatory factor (IRF) 3/7 in the femur, testis and intestine were assessed using immunofluorescence.

RESULTS

Injuries induced by carbon ion radiation were significantly eased by pretreatment with HKST. Both apoptosis and high expression levels of pro-apoptotic proteins induced by heavy ion radiation were inhibited by HKST pretreatment. The radioprotective effect of HKST was associated with stimulation of Toll-like receptor signaling mediated by enhanced IRF3 and IRF7 signaling.

CONCLUSION

HKST was an effective radioprotector alleviating damage to multiple organs caused by heavy ion radiation.

TLR2 stimulation impairs anti-inflammatory activity of M2-like macrophages, generating a chimeric M1/M2 phenotype

Background

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and macrophages play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Currently, it is not clear whether inflammatory M1 or anti-inflammatory M2 predominate among the resident macrophages in the synovium. In the present study, we set out to investigate the impact of TLR stimulation on monocyte-derived M1 and M2 macrophage function and phenotype by mimicking the exposure to abundant TLR agonists as occurs in the context of RA. The response of macrophage subsets to TLR2 and TLR4 activation was evaluated on cluster of differentiation (CD) marker profile; cytokine secretion; gene expression; and NF-κB, interferon regulatory factors 3 and 7 (IRF3/7), and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation.

Methods

Human monocytes were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy individuals and patients with RA and differentiated into M1-like and M2-like macrophages by granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), respectively. Cells were either (1) stimulated with TLR ligands Pam3 or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or (2) classically activated via interferon (IFN)-γ/LPS. Cytokine production was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and gene expression was measured by qPCR. Cells were stained for CD markers and analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. NF-κB, IRF3/7, and MAPKs were detected by Western blotting.

Results

Monocyte-derived macrophages of healthy donors (HD) or patients with RA displayed comparable subset-specific phenotypes upon exposure to TLR agonists. CD14 and CD163 marker expression on M2 macrophages did not change upon TLR2 and TLR4 engagement. By contrast, M2 gene markers HMOX1, FOLR2, and SLC40A1 were decreased. Importantly, M2 macrophages derived from HD or patients with RA showed both a decreased ratio of interleukin (IL)-10/IL-6 and IL-10/IL-8 upon stimulation with TLR2 ligand Pam3 compared with TLR4 ligand LPS. Gene expression of TLR2 was increased, whereas TLR4 expression was decreased, by TLR ligand stimulation. MAPKs p38, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase were activated more strongly in M2 than in M1 macrophages by Pam3 or LPS.

Conclusions

We show that the anti-inflammatory activity of M2 macrophages is reduced in the presence of abundant TLR2 ligands without significant changes in cell surface markers. Thus, the classical M1/M2 paradigm based on cellular markers does not apply to macrophage functions in inflammatory conditions such as RA.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13075-017-1447-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.