Female Genital Innate Immune Response to Vaginal Microbiota

描述(申请人提供)：细菌性阴道病(BV)是一种阴道综合征，以阴道厌氧细菌过度生长为特征，并与几种不良临床结果有关，包括盆腔炎、早产和感染艾滋病毒-1的风险增加。不同个体的细菌种类不同，临床症状、严重后遗症的发生率和细胞因子反应的模式也不同。我们假设临床差异是由个体物种和宿主免疫反应之间的相互作用造成的。我们计划测试以下假设：1)一些细菌物种下调固有宿主反应，通过减少阴道细胞因子水平和/或抗菌肽(β-防御素、青蒿素、分泌性白细胞蛋白酶抑制物[SLPI]、乳铁蛋白)的产生来允许高水平的定植；2)由于这些抗菌肽的基线水平较低，一些个体更容易定植；3)乳杆菌物种和BV相关病原体通过模式识别受体(如TLR-2)以不同方式激活固有免疫反应；4)由于存在毒力因子或破坏宿主免疫反应的机制，一些细菌物种更有可能在上生殖道定植。我们将使用16S rRNA基因的定量聚合酶链式反应(QPCR)对30名妇女每日收集的阴道拭子进行个体细菌种类水平的鉴定，并将其与细胞因子和抗菌肽水平的时间反应相关联(目标1)。阴道上皮细胞培养中的反应将被用来确定乳杆菌和BV相关微生物是否以不同方式激活Toll样受体，从而导致不同的细胞因子谱，以及TLR-2的激活是否与更高水平的抗菌肽有关(目标2)。子宫切除时采集的子宫内膜样本将通过广谱16S rRNA、聚合酶链式反应和焦磷酸测序来检测上生殖道定植并确定微生物区系，并将其与同一妇女的阴道微生物区系进行比较。此外，还将测量宫颈细胞因子和防御分子的水平，以评估它们与上尿路定植的关系(目标3)。这一应用的PI，医学博士Caroline Mitchell是一名妇产科医生，其目标是了解女性生殖道如何防御细菌病原体，最终目的是开发更好的治疗和预防干预措施。她的导师大卫·弗雷德里克斯博士是一位全国公认的研究人员，以使用先进的分子技术更好地描述阴道微生物区系而闻名，最近因在指导方面的出色表现而受到认可。华盛顿大学是提供研究资金的顶级公立大学，拥有国际知名的传染病项目和悠久的BV研究历史。科学咨询委员会在免疫学技术、临床试验和数据分析方面拥有专业知识。 简介：细菌性阴道病是一种常见的临床综合征，在美国影响高达30%的女性，并与早产、盆腔炎和感染HIV-1的风险增加2倍有关。这个项目将增加我们对某些细菌物种如何改变感染细菌性阴道病的风险，以及免疫反应中哪些成分对预防细菌性阴道病最重要的理解。这将允许制定有针对性的预防和治疗干预措施，以减少不利的临床后果。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a vaginal syndrome characterized by an overgrowth of anaerobic vaginal bacteria, and is associated with several adverse clinical outcomes, including pelvic inflammatory disease, preterm birth and increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition. The individual bacterial species differ between individuals, as do the clinical symptoms, the incidence of serious sequelae, and patterns of cytokine response. We hypothesize that clinical differences result from the interactions between individual species and host immune responses. We plan to test the following hypotheses: 1) that some bacterial species downregulate the innate host response, allowing high levels of colonization by decreasing levels of vaginal cytokines and/or production of antimicrobial peptides(beta-defensins, cathelicidin, secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor[SLPI], lactoferrin); 2) that some individuals are more vulnerable to colonization due to low baseline levels of those antimicrobial peptides; 3) that Lactobacillus species and BV-associated pathogens activate the innate immune response differently via pattern-recognition receptors like TLR-2; and 4) that some bacterial species are more likely to colonize the upper genital tract due to the presence of virulence factors or mechanisms for subverting the host immune response. We will characterize prospectively collected daily vaginal swabs from 30 women for levels of individual bacterial species using qPCR for the 16S rRNA gene, and correlate these with the temporal response in levels of cytokines and antimicrobial peptides (Aim 1). Responses in vaginal epithelial cell culture will be used to determine whether lactobacilli and BV-associated microbes activate toll-like receptors differently resulting in different cytokine profiles, and whether TLR-2 activation is associated with higher levels of antimicrobial peptides (Aim 2). Endometrial samples collected at hysterectomy will be characterized by broad range 16S rRNA PCR and pyrosequencing to detect upper genital tract colonization and define the microbiota in comparison to the vaginal microbiota in the same women. In addition, levels of cervical cytokines and defense molecules will be measured to assess their relationship with upper tract colonization (Aim 3). The PI for this application, Caroline Mitchell, MD is an OB/Gyn whose goal is to understand how the female genital tract defends against bacterial pathogens, with the ultimate endpoint of developing better therapeutic and preventive interventions. Her mentor, Dr. David Fredricks, is a nationally recognized investigator known for using advanced molecular techniques to better characterize the vaginal microbiota, and has recently been recognized for excellence in mentoring. The University of Washington is the top public university for research funding, with an internationally-renowned Infectious Diseases program and a long history of studies on BV. The scientific advisory committee has expertise in immunologic techniques, clinical trials and data analysis. Narrative: Bacterial vaginosis is a common clinical syndrome that affects up to 30% of women in the United States and is associated with a 2-fold increase of the risk of preterm birth, pelvic inflammatory disease and HIV-1 acquisition. This project will increase our understanding how certain bacterial species change the risk of acquiring bacterial vaginosis and what components of the immune response are most important for protection against bacterial vaginosis. This will allow development of targeted preventive and therapeutic interventions to reduce the adverse clinical outcomes.