Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), a major pro-inflammatory cytokine, is a leaderless cytosolic protein whose secretion does not follow the classical endoplasmic reticulum-to-Golgi pathway, and for which a canonical mechanism of secretion remains to be established. Neutrophils are essential players against bacterial and fungi infections. These cells are rapidly and massively recruited from the circulation into infected tissues and, beyond of displaying an impressive arsenal of toxic weapons effective to kill pathogens, are also an important source of IL-1β in infectious conditions. Here, we analyzed if an unconventional secretory autophagy mechanism is involved in the exportation of IL-1β by these cells. Our findings indicated that inhibition of autophagy with 3-methyladenine and Wortmannin markedly reduced IL-1β secretion induced by LPS + ATP, as did the disruption of the autophagic flux with Bafilomycin A1 and E64d. These compounds did not noticeable affect neutrophil viability ruling out that the effects on IL-1β secretion were due to cell death. Furthermore, VPS34IN-1, a specific autophagy inhibitor, was still able to reduce IL-1β secretion when added after it was synthesized. Moreover, siRNA-mediated knockdown of ATG5 markedly reduced IL-1β secretion in neutrophil-differentiated PLB985 cells. Upon LPS + ATP stimulation, IL-1β was incorporated to an autophagic compartment, as was revealed by its colocalization with LC3B by confocal microscopy. Overlapping of IL-1β-LC3B in a vesicular compartment peaked before IL-1β increased in culture supernatants. On the other hand, stimulation of autophagy by cell starvation augmented the colocalization of IL-1β and LC3B and then promoted neutrophil IL-1β secretion. In addition, specific ELISAs indicated that although both IL-1β and pro-IL-1β are released to culture supernatants upon neutrophil stimulation, autophagy only promotes IL-1β secretion. Furthermore, the serine proteases inhibitor AEBSF reduced IL-1β secretion. Moreover, IL-1β could be also found colocalizing with elastase, suggesting both some vesicles containing IL-1β intersect azurophil granules content and that serine proteases also regulate IL-1β secretion. Altogether, our findings indicate that an unconventional autophagy-mediated secretory pathway mediates IL-1β secretion in human neutrophils.

SummaryDry eye is an allegedly autoimmune disorder for which the initiating mechanisms and the targeted antigens in the ocular surface are not known, yet there is extensive evidence that a localized T helper type 1 (Th1)/Th17 effector T cell response is responsible for its pathogenesis. In this work, we explore the reconciling hypothesis that desiccating stress, which is usually considered an exacerbating factor, could actually be sufficient to skew the ocular surface's mucosal response to any antigen and therefore drive the disease. Using a mouse model of dry eye, we found that desiccating stress causes a nuclear factor kappa B (NF-jB)-and time-dependent disruption of the ocular surface's immune tolerance to exogenous ovalbumin. This pathogenic event is mediated by increased Th1 and Th17 T cells and reduced regulatory T cells in the draining lymph nodes. Conversely, topical NF-jB inhibitors reduced corneal epithelial damage and interleukin (IL)-1b and IL-6 levels in the ocular surface of mice under desiccating stress. The observed effect was mediated by an augmented regulatory T cell response, a finding that highlights the role of mucosal tolerance disruption in dry eye pathogenesis. Remarkably, the NF-jB pathway is also involved in mucosal tolerance disruption in other ocular surface disorders. Together, these results suggest that targeting of mucosal NF-jB activation could have therapeutic potential in dry eye.

Neutrophils are essential players in acute inflammatory responses. Upon stimulation, neutrophils activate NADPH oxidase, generating an array of reactive oxygen species (ROS).Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) is a major proinflammatory cytokine synthesized as a precursor that has to be proteolytically processed to become biologically active. The role of ROS in IL-1β processing is still controversial and has not been previously studied in neutrophils. We report here that IL-1β processing in human neutrophils is dependent on caspase-1 and on the serine proteases elastase and/or proteinase 3. NADPH oxidase deficient neutrophils activated caspase-1 and did not exhibit differences in NALP3 expression, indicating that ROS are neither required for inflammasome activation nor for its priming, as has been reported for macrophages. Strikingly, ROS exerted opposite effects on the processing and secretion of IL-1β; whereas ROS negatively controlled caspase-1 activity, as reported in mononuclear phagocytes, ROS were found to be necessary for the exportation of mature IL-1β out of the cell, a role never previously described. The complex ROS-mediated regulation of neutrophil IL-1β secretion might constitute a physiological mechanism to control IL-1β-dependent inflammatory processes where neutrophils play a crucial role.Keywords: Caspase-1 r IL-1β r NADPH-oxidase r Neutrophil r Reactive oxygen species Additional supporting information may be found in the online version of this article at the publisher's web-site IntroductionNeutrophils represent the first line of defense against bacterial and fungal infections. Their pivotal role is highlighted by recurCorrespondence: Dr. Analía S. Trevani e-mail: analiatrevani@yahoo.com.ar rent infections in individuals suffering from neutrophil functional disorders or neutropenia [1]. Neutrophils kill microbes by the release of destructive molecules such as proteases and highly reactive oxygen species (ROS), and can also produce a variety of proteins, including cytokines, chemotactic molecules, and other mediators that are involved in their effector functions [2]. However, the microbicidal effectiveness of neutrophils is sometimes obscured by the damage suffered by adjacent healthy tissues; this is a price that has to be paid to contain potentially C 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim www.eji-journal.eu Eur. J. Immunol. 2013. 43: 3324-3335 Innate Immunity 3325 life-threatening situations [3]. Although infections are the major triggers of neutrophil recruitment, many different sterile stimuli, including mechanical trauma, ischemia, toxins, minerals, crystals, and chemicals also lead to neutrophil accumulation in the tissues. In these situations, neutrophils may contribute to inflict collateral damage on otherwise healthy cells [3]. Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) is a key cytokine involved in the development of neutrophilic inflammation induced either by microbial or sterile inflammatory stimuli. It is a potent multifunctional proinflammatory cytokine, whose activity is controlled at the le...

Tissue injury leads to the release of uric acid (UA). At high local concentrations, UA can form monosodium urate crystals (MSU). MSU and UA stimulate neutrophils to release extracellular traps (NET). Here, we investigated whether these NET could be involved in the development of inflammation by stimulating cytokine release by airway epithelial cells. We found that NET significantly increased the secretion of CXCL8/IL-8 and IL-6 by alveolar and bronchial epithelial cells. These effects were not observed when NETosis was inhibited by Diphenyleneiodonium, elastase inhibitor, or Cl-amidine. Similar findings were made with NET induced by cigarette smoke extract, suggesting that NET proinflammatory capacity is independent of the inducing stimulus. Furthermore, NET affected neither the viability and morphology of epithelial cells nor the barrier integrity of polarized cells. The epithelial stimulatory capacity of NET was not affected by degradation of DNA with micrococcal nuclease, treatment with heparin, or inhibition of the elastase immobilized to DNA, but it was significantly reduced by pretreatment with an anti-HMGB-1 blocking antibody. Altogether, our findings indicate that NET exert direct proinflammatory effects on airway epithelial cells that might contribute in vivo to the further recruitment of neutrophils and the perpetuation of inflammation upon lung tissue damage.

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SARS-CoV-2-specific humoral response was analyzed over time in a group of healthcare workers with or without exposure to SARS-CoV-2, who underwent vaccination with BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm) vaccine in Argentina. Seroconversion rates in unexposed subjects after the first and second doses were 40% and 100%, respectively, showing a significant increase in antibody concentrations from dose 1 to dose 2 ( p < 0.0001). The highest antibody concentrations were found in younger subjects and women, remaining significantly associated in a multivariable linear regression model ( p = 0.005). A single dose of the BBIBP-CorV vaccine induced a strong antibody response in individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2infection, while a second dose did not increase this response. A sharp increase in antibody concentrations was observed following SARS-CoV-2 infection in those participants who became infected after the first and second doses ( p = 0.008). Individuals with SARS-CoV-2 exposure prior to vaccination showed significantly higher anti-spike IgG antibody levels, at all-time points, than those not exposed ( p < 0.001). Higher antibody titers were induced by a single dose in previously SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals than those induced in naïve subjects by two doses of the vaccine ( p < 0.0001). Three months after the second dose both groups showed a decline in antibody levels, being more abrupt in unexposed subjects. Overall, our results showed a trend towards lower antibody concentrations over time following BBIBP-CorV vaccination. Sex and age seem to influence the magnitude of the humoral response in unexposed subjects while the combination of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 plus vaccination, whatever the sequence of the events was, produced a sharp increase in antibody levels. Evaluation of the humoral responses over time and the analysis of the induction and persistence of memory B and T cell responses, are needed to assess long-term immune protection induced by BBIBP-CorV vaccine.

Immunological interdependence between the two eyes has been reported for the cornea and the retina but not for the ocular mucosal surface. Intriguingly, patients frequently report ocular surface-related symptoms in the other eye after unilateral ocular surgery. Here we show how unilateral eye injuries in mice affect the mucosal immune response of the opposite ocular surface. We report that, despite the lack of lymphatic cross-drainage, a neurogenic inflammatory reflex in the contralateral conjunctiva is sufficient to increase, first, epithelial nuclear factor kappa B signaling, then, dendritic cell maturation, and finally, expansion of effector, instead of regulatory, T cells in the draining lymph node, leading to disrupted ocular mucosal tolerance. We also show that damage to ocular surface nerves is required. Using pharmacological inhibitors and agonists, we identified transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel as the receptor sensing tissue damage in the injured eye and substance P released in the opposite ocular surface as the effector of the sympathetic response. Finally, blocking either step prevented subsequent ocular allergic reactions in the opposite eye in a unilateral corneal alkali burn model. This study demonstrates that both ocular surfaces are immunologically linked and suggests potential therapeutic targets for intervention.

Transient exposure to tear hyperosmolarity without desiccation is sufficient to disrupt the neuroimmune homeostasis of the murine ocular surface. This treatment elicits sub‐clinical dry eye findings, such as increased conjunctival dendritic cell recruitment and maturation, more CD4+ T‐cell activation, and changes in corneal nerve morphology and function. Also, the pathogenic CD4+ T‐cells induced by tear hyperosmolarity promote full dry eye onset in naïve recipients.