Inflammation induced by recognition of pathogen-associated molecular patterns dramatically impacts subsequent adaptive responses. We asked if the adaptive immune system can also affect the character and magnitude of innate inflammatory responses. We find that the response of memory, but not naïve, CD4+ T cells enhances production of multiple innate inflammatory cytokines and chemokines (IIC) in the lung, and that during influenza infection, this leads to early control of virus. Memory CD4+ T cell induced IIC and viral control require cognate antigen recognition and are optimal when memory cells are either T helper type 1 (TH1)- or TH17-polarized, but are independent of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) production and do not require activation of conserved pathogen recognition pathways. This represents a novel mechanism by which memory CD4+ T cells induce an early innate response that enhances immune protection against pathogens.
cCoxiella burnetii is an intracellular Gram-negative bacterium that causes human Q fever, a flu-like disease that can progress to chronic, life-threatening endocarditis. In humans, C. burnetii infects alveolar macrophages and promotes phagosomal fusion with autophagosomes and lysosomes, establishing a unique parasitophorous vacuole (PV) in which to replicate. The pathogen uses a Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS) to deliver effector proteins to the host cytoplasm, where they alter cellular processes to benefit the pathogen. The T4SS is required for PV expansion and prevention of apoptosis, but little else is known about the role of the system during intracellular growth. Recent reports suggest that C. burnetii actively recruits autophagosomes to the PV to deliver nutrients to the pathogen and provide membrane for the expanding vacuole. In this study, we examined the role of the T4SS in mediating PV interactions with autophagosomes. We found that the autophagy-related proteins LC3 and p62 localized to wild-type PV but not to T4SS mutant organism-containing phagosomes in human macrophage-like cells, primary human alveolar macrophages, and Chinese hamster ovary cells. However, while lipidated LC3 levels were elevated regardless of T4SS activity, no p62 turnover was observed during C. burnetii growth in macrophages, suggesting that the pathogen recruits preformed autophagosomes. When the T4SS was activated 24 h after infection, autophagosome recruitment ensued, indicating that autophagosome interactions are dispensable for initial PV maturation to a phagolysosome-like compartment but are involved in vacuole expansion. Together, these results demonstrate that C. burnetii actively directs PV-autophagosome interactions by using the Dot/Icm T4SS.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.