Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for severe cases of nosocomial pneumonia. During the infectious process, both neutrophils and monocytes migrate to the site of infection, where they carry out their effector functions and can be affected by different patterns of cell death. Our data show that clinical strains of K. pneumoniae have dissimilar mechanisms for surviving within macrophages; these mechanisms include modulation of microbicidal mediators and cell death. The A28006 strain induced high IL-1β production and pyroptotic cell death in macrophages; by contrast, the A54970 strain induced high IL-10 production and low IL-1β production by macrophages. Pyroptotic cell death induced by the A28006 strain leads to a significant increase in bacterial sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide, and efferocytosis of the pyroptotic cells results in efficient bacterial clearance both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the A54970 strain was able to inhibit inflammasome activation and pyroptotic cell death by inducing IL-10 production. Here, for the first time, we present a K. pneumoniae strain able to inhibit inflammasome activation, leading to bacterial survival and dissemination in the host. The understanding of possible escape mechanisms is essential in the search for alternative treatments against multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Inflammatory responses are terminated by the clearance of dead cells, a process termed efferocytosis. A consequence of efferocytosis is the synthesis of the antiinflammatory mediators TGF-β, PGE, and IL-10; however, the efferocytosis of infected cells favors Th17 responses by eliciting the synthesis of TGF-β, IL-6, and IL-23. Recently, we showed that the efferocytosis of apoptotic -infected macrophages by dendritic cells triggers PGE production in addition to pro-Th17 cytokine expression. We therefore examined the role of PGE during Th17 differentiation and intestinal pathology. The efferocytosis of apoptotic -infected cells by dendritic cells promoted high levels of PGE, which impaired IL-1R expression via the EP4-PKA pathway in T cells and consequently inhibited Th17 differentiation. The outcome of murine intestinal infection was dependent on the EP4 receptor. Infected mice treated with EP4 antagonist showed enhanced intestinal defense against compared with infected mice treated with vehicle control. Those results suggest that EP4 signaling during infectious colitis could be targeted as a way to enhance Th17 immunity and host defense.
Three new isoaigialones, A, B, and C (1-3), along with aigialone (4), were isolated from the crude EtOAc extract of a Phaeoacremonium sp., an endophytic fungus obtained from the leaves of Senna spectabilis. The structures of these compounds were elucidated based on the analysis of spectroscopic data. Compounds 2 and 4 were active against the phytopathogenic fungi Cladosporium cladosporioides and C. sphaerospermum. This is the first report of metabolites produced by an Phaeoacremonium sp., associated with S. spectabilis.
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