Muroi Masashi

Inducible nitric oxidase (iNOS) encoded by Nos2 is a representative IFNγ-inducible effector molecule that plays an important role in both innate and adaptive immunity. In the present study, we demonstrated that full-length NF-κB p105 (p105), which is a precursor of NF-κB p50 (p50), is required for full activation of IFNγ-induced iNOS expression in the RAW264.7 mouse macrophage cell line. In comparison to wild-type (WT) RAW264.7 cells, p105 KO RAW264.7 (p105 KO) cells completely lost IFNγ-induced iNOS expression. Despite the limited effect of exogenous expression of p50 in p105 KO cells on IFNγ-induced Nos2 promoter activity, p105 expression fully restored IFNγ-induced Nos2 promoter activity to a level comparable to that of WT cells, suggesting an important role for full-length p105 in IFNγ-induced iNOS expression. While the expression and phosphorylation of JAK1 and STAT1 were rather enhanced in p105 KO cells, the phosphorylation of c-Jun downstream of MAPK signaling was decreased. IFNγ-induced phosphorylation of ERK, a kinase for IFNγ-induced c-Jun phosphorylation, was not significantly reduced in p105 KO cells, although the nuclear activity of ERK was significantly decreased due to its reduced translocation to the nucleus. Expression of iNOS, nuclear translocation of ERK, and phosphorylation of c-Jun were restored by stable supplementation of p105 in p105 KO cells. These results suggest that p105 is required for the nuclear translocation of ERK and the subsequent phosphorylation of c-Jun, which are necessary for full activation of IFNγ-induced iNOS expression. Reduced nuclear translocation of ERK in p105 KO cells was also observed in the activation of ERK following serum starvation, further suggesting that the involvement of p105 in ERK nuclear translocation is not limited to IFNγ-stimulated cells but is a more general function of p105.

Abstract Eosinophils are typical effector cells associated with type 2 immune responses and play key roles in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. These cells are activated by various stimuli, such as cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors, but the regulatory mechanisms of eosinophil effector functions remain unclear. Glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor family-related protein (GITR), a transmembrane protein belonging to the TNF receptor superfamily, is a well-known regulatory molecule for T cell activation. Here, we show that GITR is also constitutively expressed on eosinophils and functions as a co-stimulatory molecule for these cells. Although degranulation was unaffected by GITR engagement of murine bone marrow-derived eosinophils (bmEos), secretion of inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-4, IL-6, and IL-13 from IL-33-activated bmEos were augmented by anti-mouse GITR agonistic antibody (DTA-1). In conclusion, our results provide a new regulatory pathway of cytokine secretion from eosinophils where GITR functions as a co-stimulatory molecule.

Abstract LPS interacts with TLR4, which play important roles in host-against-pathogen immune responses, by binding to MD-2 and inducing an inflammatory response. In this study, to our knowledge, we found a novel function of lipoteichoic acid (LTA), a TLR2 ligand, that involves suppression of TLR4-mediated signaling independently of TLR2 under serum-free conditions. LTA inhibited NF-κB activation induced by LPS or a synthetic lipid A in a noncompetitive manner in human embryonic kidney 293 cells expressing CD14, TLR4, and MD-2. This inhibition was abrogated by addition of serum or albumin. LTAs from different bacterial sources also inhibited NF-κB activation, although LTA from Enterococcus hirae had essentially no TLR2-mediated NF-κB activation. The TLR2 ligands tripalmitoyl-Cys-Ser-Lys-Lys-Lys-Lys (Pam3CSK4) and macrophage-activating lipopeptide-2 (MALP-2) did not affect the TLR4-mediated NF-κB activation. In bone marrow–derived macrophages from TLR2−/− mice, LTA inhibited LPS-induced IκB-α phosphorylation and production of TNF, CXCL1/KC, RANTES, and IFN-β without affecting cell surface expression of TLR4. LTA did not suppress IL-1β–induced NF-κB activation mediated through signaling pathways shared with TLRs. LTAs including E. hirae LTA, but not LPS, induced association of TLR4/MD-2 complexes, which was suppressed by serum. LTA also increased association of MD-2, but not TLR4 molecules. These results demonstrate that, under serum-free conditions, LTA induces association of MD-2 molecules to promote formation of an inactive TLR4/MD-2 complex dimer that in turn prevents TLR4-mediated signaling. The presence of LTA that poorly induces TLR2-mediated activation but inhibits TLR4 signaling provides insight into the role of Gram-positive bacteria in suppressing inflammation induced by Gram-negative bacteria in organs such as the intestines where serum is absent.

Excessive activation of Toll-like receptor (TLR) leads to sepsis. Inflammatory responses to various microbiological components are initiated via different TLR proteins, but all TLR signals are transmitted by TRAF6. We reported that TRAF6 associated with ubiquitinated IRAK-1 undergoes proteasome-mediated degradation, suggesting that IRAK-1 has a negative regulatory role in TLR signaling. Here, we investigated the minimal structural region of IRAK-1 needed for degradation of TRAF6. The IRAK-1 protein contains an N-terminal death domain (DD; amino acids 1-102), a serine/proline/threonine-rich ProST domain (amino acids 103-197), a central kinase domain with an activation loop (amino acids 198-522), and the C-terminal C1 and C2 domains (amino acids 523-712), which contain two and one putative TRAF6-binding (TB) sites, respectively. TRAF6 degradation was severely impaired by deletion of the DD or C1 domain, and a mutant (DC1) containing only the DD and C1 domains could induce TRAF6 degradation. IRAK-1 mutants lacking the N- or C-terminal amino acids of DD induced little degradation. Deletion or mutation of TB2 (amino acids 585-591) in the C1 domain also inhibited TRAF6 degradation. An IRAK-1 mutant possessing only DD and TB2 did not induce TRAF6 degradation, although a mutant in which a short spacer was inserted between DD and TB2 induced TRAF6 degradation, which and DC1-induced degradation were inhibited by proteasome inhibitors. All IRAK-1 mutants that induced TRAF6 degradation could be immunoprecipitated with TRAF6. Meanwhile, NF-κB activation was observed for all IRAK-1 mutants-including those that failed to induce degradation and was severely impaired only for a mutant carrying mutations in both TBs of C1. These results demonstrate that only DD and TB2 separated by an appropriate distance can induce TRAF6 degradation. Conformational analysis of this minimal structural unit may aid development of low molecular compounds that negatively regulate TLR signaling.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) are one of the sources of IL-5 and IL-13 in allergic airway inflammation. Innate immune receptors such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs) expressed on epithelial cells could contribute to ILC2 activation through IL-33 production, but a direct effect of TLRs on ILC2s remains to be elucidated. OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that TLRs can directly activate lung ILC2s and participate in the pathogenesis of asthma. METHODS: After intranasal administration of IL-33 to wild-type (WT), TLR2KO and TLR4KO female mice, ILC2s were isolated from harvested lungs. ILC2s were incubated with IL-2 and TLR stimulants (pam3csk4 (PAM), house dust mite extract (HDM)). In some experiments, TLR2 or dectin-1 signalling inhibitors were used. As an in vivo model, the mice were treated with IL-33 and rested until lung recruitment of eosinophils regressed. Then they were treated intranasally with PAM + HDM or vehicle and analysed. RESULTS: In vitro stimulation of isolated ILC2s showed that PAM could induce IL-13 and IL-5 production, and HDM had a synergistic effect on this stimulation. Both effects were dependent on TLR2 and NF-κB signalling. PAM + HDM stimulation of WT mice led to increased ILC2s, airway hyperresponsiveness and increased levels of both neutrophils and eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. These observations were dependent on TLR2. CONCLUSIONS & CLINICAL RELEVANCE: TLR2 can directly activate lung ILC2s, an effect that is augmented by HDM. Asthmatic characteristics mediated through the TLR2 pathway were evident in the in vivo mice model. These data implicate a new pathway of ILC2 activation in the pathogenesis of asthma.