Inappropriate activation of innate immune responses in intestinal epithelial cells underlies the pathophysiology of inflammatory disorders of the intestine. Here we examine the physiological effects of immune hyperactivation in the intestine of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We previously identified an immunostimulatory xenobiotic that protects C. elegans from bacterial infection by inducing immune effector expression via the conserved p38 MAP kinase pathway, but was toxic to nematodes developing in the absence of pathogen. To investigate a possible connection between the toxicity and immunostimulatory properties of this xenobiotic, we conducted a forward genetic screen for C. elegans mutants that are resistant to the deleterious effects of the compound, and identified five toxicity suppressors. These strains contained hypomorphic mutations in each of the known components of the p38 MAP kinase cassette (tir-1, nsy-1, sek-1, and pmk-1), demonstrating that hyperstimulation of the p38 MAPK pathway is toxic to animals. To explore mechanisms of immune pathway regulation in C. elegans, we conducted another genetic screen for dominant activators of the p38 MAPK pathway, and identified a single allele that had a gain-of-function (gf) mutation in nsy-1, the MAP kinase kinase kinase that acts upstream of p38 MAPK pmk-1. The nsy-1(gf) allele caused hyperinduction of p38 MAPK PMK-1-dependent immune effectors, had greater levels of phosphorylated p38 MAPK, and was more resistant to killing by the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to wild-type controls. In addition, the nsy-1(gf) mutation was toxic to developing animals. Together, these data suggest that the activity of the MAPKKK NSY-1 is tightly regulated as part of a physiological mechanism to control p38 MAPK-mediated innate immune hyperactivation, and ensure cellular homeostasis in C. elegans.
by guest on July 10, 2020 http://www.jbc.org/ Downloaded from Figure 1. Continuous in vitro culture of B. duncani in hamster RBCs and transfer to human RBCs. A, parasitemia expressed as the percentage of hamster RBCs infected by the parasite at 1, 2, and 3 days post-inoculation (DPI) in a representative experiment. Columns represent mean Ϯ S.E. (error bars) of six biological replicates. B, micrograph of the intracellular development of cultured B. duncani in hamster RBCs in a Giemsa-stained smear prepared at 3 days post-inoculation. The parasitemia was 15% in this sample. C, transfer of B. duncani to human RBCs. B. duncani-infected hamster RBCs (haRBCs) were freshly harvested and maintained in culture in the presence of human RBCs (hRBCs). Left, free merozoites and infected haRBCs. Right, successful development of B. duncani in hRBCs. Human RBCs are distinguishable from haRBCs by their larger size and darker staining. ACCELERATED COMMUNICATION: In vitro culture of B. duncani
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