Analysis of the Human Mucosal Response to Cholera Reveals Sustained Activation of Innate Immune Signaling Pathways.

Infect Immun
Authors
Keywords
Abstract

To better understand the innate immune response to infection, we tracked gene expression in the duodenal mucosa of 11 Bangladeshi adults with cholera, using biopsy specimens obtained immediately after rehydration and 30 and 180 days later. We identified differentially expressed genes and performed an analysis to predict differentially regulated pathways and upstream regulators. During acute cholera, there was a broad increase in the expression of genes associated with innate immunity, including activation of the NF-κB, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated signaling pathways, which, unexpectedly, persisted even 30 days after infection. Focusing on early differences in gene expression, we identified 37 genes that were differentially expressed on days 2 and 30 across the 11 participants. These genes included the endosomal Toll-like receptor gene , which was expressed in lamina propria cells. Underscoring a potential role for endosomal TLR-mediated signaling , our pathway analysis found that interferon regulatory factor 7 and beta 1 and alpha 2 interferons were among the top upstream regulators activated during cholera. Among the innate immune effectors, we found that the gene for DUOX2, an NADPH oxidase involved in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis, was upregulated in intestinal epithelial cells during cholera. Notably, the observed increases in and expression were also modeled when Caco-2 or THP-1 cells, respectively, were stimulated with live but not with heat-killed organisms or cholera toxin alone. These previously unidentified features of the innate immune response to extend our understanding of the mucosal immune signaling pathways and effectors activated following cholera.

Year of Publication
2018
Journal
Infect Immun
Volume
86
Issue
2
Date Published
2018 02
ISSN
1098-5522
DOI
10.1128/IAI.00594-17
PubMed ID
29133347
PubMed Central ID
PMC5778365
Links
Grant list
T32 AI007061 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
K08 AI089721 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI099243 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
K08 AI123494 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI106878 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
D43 TW005572 / TW / FIC NIH HHS / United States
R01 AI103055 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
R56 AI106878 / AI / NIAID NIH HHS / United States
K43 TW010362 / TW / FIC NIH HHS / United States