Neutrophil Dynamics in Nasal Mucosa

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The nasal mucosa (NM) has several critical physiologic functions, including as a chemosensory organ, as a filter and conditioning surface of inhaled air for the lower airways, and as a first line of defense against airborne infections. In mammals, the nasal passage is anatomically complex, with different sub-compartments with distinct morphological and cellular features that may exert specialized, but as yet poorly understood, functions. Owing to its constant exposure to ever-changing environments, the NM is arguably the most frequently infected tissue in mammals. Aside from being a preferred initial target for many fungal, viral and bacterial pathogens, some of which may subsequently spread to the lower airways, blood, brain or other cranial regions, the nasal cavity is also colonized by a specialized microbiome that can serve as a reservoir for opportunistic pathogens. Despite the NM's importance for human health, little is known about the mechanisms by which local immune responses are initiated and/or regulated. Arguably, the NM must possess specialized features to enable appropriate innate and adaptive immune responses against a broad variety of challenges. The NM is known to harbor a population of subepithelial extravascular immune cells, but their origin, composition, and role at steady-state and in pathologic conditions are poorly understood. To address this issue, a novel intravital microscopy (IVM) model was devised to track the dynamic behavior of leukocytes in the NM of living mice. Preliminary results indicate that murine steady-state NM harbors a prominent population of extravascular neutrophils (EVN) that are abundant in both conventional and germ-free mice, suggesting that their presence is not driven by microbial stimuli. Furthermore, nasal EVN can be subdivided into three phenotypically distinct subsets: one population (termed N1) is CD11bint Ly6Gint, while the other two subsets are both CD11bhi Ly6Ghi and distinguishable by the absence (N2) or presence (N3) of CD11c and SiglecF. The primary objective of this project is to define how these unusual EVN subsets arise, how they respond to infectious challenges and what role they play in health and disease. It is hypothesized that each nasal EVN subset has a distinct origin, accesses the NM by discrete mechanisms, and exerts specialized functions in tissue homeostasis and in host defense against microbial infections. To test this hypothesis, Aim 1 will explore the origin and migratory properties of steady-state nasal EVN subsets, whereas Aim 2 will define the function of each EVN subset in homeostasis and after intranasal pathogen challenge. Results from the proposed work may not only improve our understanding of the NM as a critical barrier tissue, but also shed new light on immunological mechanisms that may impact the efficacy of nasal vaccines and on pathologic conditions affecting the nasal cavity such as allergies and a host of respiratory infections.