Commensal-induced regulatory T cells mediate protection against pathogen-stimulated NF-κB activation

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Date
2008-08-01
Authors
O'Mahony, Caitlin
Scully, Paul
O'Mahony, David
Murphy, Sharon
O'Brien, Frances
Lyons, Anne
Sherlock, Graham
MacSharry, John
Kiely, Barry
Shanahan, Fergus
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PLOS
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Abstract
Host defence against infection requires a range of innate and adaptive immune responses that may lead to tissue damage. Such immune-mediated pathologies can be controlled with appropriate T regulatory (Treg) activity. The aim of the present study was to determine the influence of gut microbiota composition on Treg cellular activity and NF-kB activation associated with infection. Mice consumed the commensal microbe Bifidobacterium infantis 35624 followed by infection with Salmonella typhimurium or injection with LPS. In vivo NF-kB activation was quantified using biophotonic imaging. CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cell phenotypes and cytokine levels were assessed using flow cytometry while CD4+ T cells were isolated using magnetic beads for adoptive transfer to naı¨ve animals. In vivo imaging revealed profound inhibition of infection and LPS induced NF-kB activity that preceded a reduction in S. typhimurium numbers and murine sickness behaviour scores in B. infantis–fed mice. In addition, pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, T cell proliferation, and dendritic cell co-stimulatory molecule expression were significantly reduced. In contrast, CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cell numbers were significantly increased in the mucosa and spleen of mice fed B. infantis. Adoptive transfer of CD4+CD25+ T cells transferred the NF-kB inhibitory activity. Consumption of a single commensal micro-organism drives the generation and function of Treg cells which control excessive NF-kB activation in vivo. These cellular interactions provide the basis for a more complete understanding of the commensal-host-pathogen trilogue that contribute to host homeostatic mechanisms underpinning protection against aberrant activation of the innate immune system in response to a translocating pathogen or systemic LPS.
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Keywords
Regulatory T Cells , Bifidobacterium infantis , Salmonella typhimurium , Commensal , Pathogen , NF-kB
Citation
O’Mahony C, Scully P, O’Mahony D, Murphy S, O’Brien F, et al. (2008) Commensal-Induced Regulatory T Cells Mediate Protection against Pathogen-Stimulated NF-kB Activation. PLoS Pathog 4(8): e1000112. doi:10.1371/journal.ppat.1000112