Modulation of Human Cells by Virulent Francisella tularensis

有毒土拉弗朗西斯菌对人体细胞的调节

• 批准号: 9566707
• 负责人: Catharine Bosio
• 金额: $ 69.43万
• 依托单位: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 至
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9566707
• 关键词: Acellular Vaccines; Acute; Aerosols; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Anti-inflammatory; Bacteria; Biological; Breathing; Carbohydrates; Cells; Cover-up; Dangerousness; Data; Defect; Dendritic Cells; Dengue Virus; Development; Disease; Francisella; Francisella tularensis; Goals; Human; Immune response; Immune system; Immunosuppression; Immunosuppressive Agents; Impairment; In Vitro; Individual; Infection; Infectious Agent; Inflammation; Inflammatory; Inflammatory Response; Invaded; Laboratories; Legal patent; Lipids; Liposomes; Mediating; Membrane; Microbe; Mus; Natural Immunity; O Antigens; Pathogenicity; Play; Proteins; Pulmonary tularemia; Research; Role; Route; Secondary to; Sentinel; Signal Pathway; Signaling Molecule; Stimulus; Structure; Surface; Symptoms; Testing; Therapeutic; Time; Tularemia; USSR; United States; Viral; Virulence; Virulent; adaptive immunity; capsule; carbohydrate structure; cell killing; cytokine; in vivo; macrophage; mortality; mutant; novel; novel therapeutics; novel vaccines; pathogen; prevent; programs; receptor; response; transmission process; vector; weapons

Summary: Francisella tularensis (FT), the causative agent for tularemia, can infect humans by a number of routes, including vector-borne transmission. However, it is inhalation of the bacterium, and the resulting pneumonic tularemia, that represents the most dangerous form of disease. This is due to the short incubation time (3-5 days), non-specific symptoms, and a high mortality rate (greater than 80%) in untreated individuals. Furthermore, FT has been weaponized by both the United States and the former Soviet Union making it a viable candidate for use as a biological weapon. Despite over 80 years of research on FT around the world, very little is understood about the dynamic interaction of this bacterium with the host, especially following aerosol infection. My laboratory has established that, similarly to murine cells, human dendritic cells and macrophages are acutely susceptible to infection with FT, but fail to produce pro-inflammatory cytokines or undergo maturation. Further, virulent FT actively interferes with the ability of human DC and macrophages to respond to secondary stimuli. Understanding the mechanism by which FT actively suppresses DC and macrophage function is a central directive of my laboratory. We are tackling this directive in two different ways. Specific Aim 1: We are analyzing the role Francisella lipids play in mediating anti-inflammatory responses. Structures present on the surface of bacteria are the first components encountered by the host cell. Thus, it is possible that, in the context of FT infections, these structures contribute to the early, rapid suppression of human dendritic cells. Bacterial lipids represent one such structure. We have recently identified one of the active lipid species present in FT that inhibit inflammation. We have tested a synthetic version of this lipid and confirmed that it also impairs inflammatory responses. We have identified one of the receptors utilized by both the intact bacterium and purified lipid as well as a host signaling molecule required to promote immunosuppressive responses. Importantly, we have also demonstrated that FT lipids can limit pathogenic inflammatory responses driven by other infectious agents in vitro, including Dengue virus. We have screened FT lipids (including synthetic liposomes) for off target effects in vivo following delivery via multiple routes and are preparing to examine their efficacy against viral mediated inflammation in vivo. We have filed a patent application for use of FT lipids as novel anti-inflammatory therapeutics. We are currently identifying the other lipids present in FT that contribute to suppression of inflammation and additional mechanisms by which they interfere with functions in human cell. We have generated a lipid mutant and identified a requirement for a specific species of FT lipid in evasion, but not suppression, of pro-inflammatory responses in human cells. Specific Aim 2: We are exploring the role of carbohydrates associated with the outer surface of FT in directing immunosuppressive programs in human cells. The major outer surface carbohydrate structure of FT is the O-Antigen (O-Ag) capsule. Typically, capsules are thought to simply cover up proteins present on the bacterial surface that could stimulate an inflammatory response. However, our data demonstrates that FT capsule directly inhibits pro-inflammatory responses in human cells. Utilizing mutants with specific defects in capsule synthesis along with purified FT capsule, we are currently identifying the specific receptors and host signaling pathways modulated by capsule to initiate an anti-inflammatory program in human cells.

摘要：土拉热弗朗西斯菌 (FT) 是兔热病的病原体，可通过多种途径感染人类，包括媒介传播。然而，吸入细菌以及由此产生的肺炎兔热病才是最危险的疾病。这是由于潜伏期短（3-5天）、非特异性症状以及未经治疗的个体死亡率高（大于80%）。此外，FT 已被美国和前苏联武器化，使其成为生物武器的可行候选者。尽管世界各地对 FT 的研究已有 80 多年的历史，但人们对这种细菌与宿主的动态相互作用知之甚少，尤其是在气溶胶感染后。 我的实验室已经证实，与小鼠细胞类似，人类树突状细胞和巨噬细胞非常容易受到 FT 感染，但无法产生促炎细胞因子或经历成熟。此外，有毒的 FT 会主动干扰人类 DC 和巨噬细胞对二次刺激做出反应的能力。了解 FT 主动抑制 DC 和巨噬细胞功能的机制是我实验室的中心指令。我们正在以两种不同的方式处理该指令。 具体目标 1：我们正在分析弗朗西斯菌脂质在介导抗炎反应中的作用。细菌表面的结构是宿主细胞首先遇到的成分。因此，在 FT 感染的情况下，这些结构可能有助于早期、快速抑制人类树突状细胞。细菌脂质代表了一种这样的结构。我们最近发现了 FT 中存在的一种抑制炎症的活性脂质。 我们测试了这种脂质的合成版本，并证实它也会损害炎症反应。 我们已经鉴定出完整细菌和纯化脂质所利用的受体之一以及促进免疫抑制反应所需的宿主信号分子。 重要的是，我们还证明 FT 脂质可以在体外限制由其他感染因子（包括登革热病毒）驱动的致病性炎症反应。 我们已经筛选了 FT 脂质（包括合成脂质体）在通过多种途径递送后体内的脱靶效应，并准备检查它们在体内对抗病毒介导的炎症的功效。 我们已经提交了使用 FT 脂质作为新型抗炎疗法的专利申请。 我们目前正在鉴定 FT 中存在的其他脂质，这些脂质有助于抑制炎症以及它们干扰人体细胞功能的其他机制。我们已经产生了一种脂质突变体，并确定了特定种类的 FT 脂质在逃避而不是抑制人类细胞中促炎症反应中的需要。 具体目标 2：我们正在探索与 FT 外表面相关的碳水化合物在指导人类细胞免疫抑制程序中的作用。 FT 的主要外表面碳水化合物结构是 O-抗原 (O-Ag) 胶囊。通常，胶囊被认为只是掩盖了细菌表面存在的可能刺激炎症反应的蛋白质。然而，我们的数据表明 FT 胶囊直接抑制人体细胞的促炎症反应。利用胶囊合成中具有特定缺陷的突变体以及纯化的 FT 胶囊，我们目前正在鉴定由胶囊调节的特定受体和宿主信号通路，以启动人体细胞中的抗炎程序。