抗病毒免疫中干扰素与炎症信号通路的交互调控：防御反应与维持稳态

天然免疫是机体通过识别自身或外部危险信号后,为维持体内稳态而逐步建立起来的一系列防御反应,当宿主细胞内的模式识别受体识别胞内病原相关分子模式后激活干扰素(interferon, IFN)、核因子-kappa B (nuclear factor-kappa B, NF-κB)和炎性小体等信号通路。IFNs在天然免疫应答中发挥重要作用,它诱导的抗病毒基因能够通过多种方式抵御病毒的感染,炎症反应则是机体自动的防御反应,能够在病毒感染机体时释放促炎性细胞因子以调控机体的免疫反应,进而发挥抗病毒作用。在病毒感染过程中,IFN信号通路与炎症反应调控网络中的关键分子如NF-κB/RelA、PKR等存在一定的交互作用,此外,IFN信号通路及其产生的细胞因子又影响其他信号通路的活化,进而调控机体的免疫应答以维持自身稳态,它们之间的交互调控失衡将会引起过度炎症反应,导致组织器官的免疫病理损伤,例如SARS-CoV-2感染机体时产生的过度炎症反应。本文综述了机体抗病毒免疫过程中干扰素信号通路与炎症反应之间的交互调控,为研发抗病毒策略提供新思路。     

科研快讯

《肝脏病学》:丙型肝炎病毒能诱导穹隆蛋白表达武汉大学生命科学学院的研究人员发表了题为"Major Vault Protein:A Virus-Induced Host Factor Against Viral Replication Through the Induction of Type-I Interferon"的文章,首次发现丙型肝炎病毒能诱导主要穹隆蛋白表达,并阐述了主要穹隆蛋白在病毒感染引起的宿主免疫应答中的作用,解析了宿主抗病毒的新机制。相关成果公布在肝炎病毒领域国际权威期刊Hepatology上。病毒感染引起机体炎症应答,炎症反应是宿主抵抗病毒感染的本能反应,在清除病毒感染过程中起重要作用。但炎症反应是双刃剑,过度的炎症反应导致疾病和死亡。因此,炎症因子的表达在体内受精细调控。     

科研快讯

《肝脏病学》:丙型肝炎病毒能诱导穹隆蛋白表达武汉大学生命科学学院的研究人员发表了题为"Major Vault Protein:A Virus-Induced Host Factor Against Viral ReplicationThrough the Induction of Type-I Interferon"的文章,首次发现丙型肝炎病毒能诱导主要穹隆蛋白表达,并阐述了主要穹隆蛋白在病毒感染引起的宿主免疫应答中的作用,解析了宿主抗病毒的新机制。相关成果公布在肝炎病毒领域国际权威期刊Hepatology上。病毒感染引起机体炎症应答,炎症反应是宿主抵抗病毒感染的本能反应,在清除病毒感染过程中起重要作用。但炎症反应是双刃剑,过度的炎症反     

宿主细胞应答病毒感染的细胞信号转导研究新进展

机体如何识别以及清除入侵的病毒一直是分子免疫学研究的重点.早期的研究揭示,病毒的入侵可诱导表达大量的IFNβ,PKR等抗病毒蛋白分子.这些蛋白质分子通过多种方式造成被侵染细胞表现出特殊的状态或迅速凋亡,从而控制病毒的复制和传播,同时诱导产生大量细胞因子和趋化因子等,启动适应性免疫反应的进程.但是,该领域研究的一个重要瓶颈是对于病毒与宿主细胞相互作用的最早期信号事件了解甚微.近几年的研究工作在先天性免疫系统如何识别早期病毒的入侵方面取得了重大进展.TLR3和RIG-I/MDA5细胞信号转导通路,是最近发现的宿主细胞识别与应答病毒的重要调节机制.它们利用不同的细胞信号转导机制诱导先天性免疫反应,主要参与脊椎动物细胞识别和清除RNA病毒的原发抗感染过程,是机体先天免疫系统的一种重要反应机制,直接影响后续适应性免疫系统的作用.就这些细胞信号转导通路在先天性免疫应答中的研究进展做了概述与展望.     

病毒诱导机体产生细胞因子及其信号转导的研究进展

病毒感染后,可诱导机体产生许多细胞因子,这些细胞因子在宿主抗病毒反应及病毒感染引起的免疫病理中起着非常重要的作用。有关病毒感染诱导机体产生细胞因子及其信号转导的研究取得了很大的进展,为开发抗病毒新药开辟了新途径。本文介绍了病毒诱导机体产生细胞因子的病毒成分及其主要信号转导途径。     

病毒感染激活和抑制炎症小体的研究进展

促炎细胞因子白细胞介素1β(IL-1β)和白细胞介素18(IL-18)主要由巨噬细胞和树突细胞产生,是宿主针对各种侵入病原体产生先天免疫应答的重要介质。这些促炎细胞因子从病毒感染的细胞中分泌,被称为炎症小体的多蛋白复合物严格调控。根据炎症小体识别蛋白的种类,炎症小体主要分为两类,即核苷酸结合寡聚结构域样受体(NOD-like receptors,NLRs)和黑色素瘤缺乏因子2样受体(Absent in melanoma 2,AIM2)炎症小体。与其他宿主防御机制不同,炎症小体活化后,会诱导促炎细胞因子IL-1β、IL-18的成熟及分泌。适量的促炎细胞因子有利于控制病理性感染,但如果过量,则会对机体造成一定免疫损伤。本文主要对近几年有关病毒感染对炎症小体的激活和抑制机制进行了综述,总结分析了炎症小体在参与天然免疫反应及病毒感染致病过程中具有的重要作用。     

病毒感染调控巨噬细胞极化分子机制的研究进展

固有免疫是机体抵御病原微生物入侵的第一道防线。巨噬细胞(macrophages, Mφ)在机体中分布广泛并具有十分活跃的生物学功能,在宿主抗病毒固有免疫应答过程中发挥重要作用。既往研究集中于Mφ的吞噬功能及抗原提呈作用,而近年来研究发现,不同活化模式的Mφ对病毒感染后机体的炎症反应具有双重调控作用,Mφ的极化状态与病毒感染性疾病的发生和转归关系密切。病毒感染急性期,Mφ向M1方向极化,M1型Mφ可促进炎症反应,辅助机体清除病原体,但其过度活化可引起细胞因子风暴,加重组织的免疫病理损伤;随着病毒感染相关疾病的进展,Mφ向M2方向极化,M2型Mφ可通过分泌多种抑炎因子发挥免疫调控作用,参与组织修复,亦与感染慢性化密切相关。不同种类的病毒感染机体后可以诱导Mφ向不同方向极化,但其具体调控机制目前尚不清楚。现就Mφ极化在病毒感染过程中的作用及其调控机制作一概述,为相关疾病的发病机制研究奠定理论基础,并为治疗策略的研发提供新的思路。     

乙型脑炎病毒感染神经元细胞的固有免疫识别及其调控分子的研究进展

流行性乙型脑炎(epidemic encephalitis type B,简称乙脑)是由乙型脑炎病毒(encephalitis B virus,简称乙脑病毒)感染引起的中枢神经系统疾病。乙脑病毒感染具有明显的嗜神经性,它在神经元细胞中大量增殖并造成其损伤,以干扰素(interferons, IFNs)为核心的固有免疫应答在机体抵御乙脑病毒感染的过程中发挥重要作用。多项研究表明,乙脑病毒感染神经元细胞后,宿主细胞模式识别受体可识别病毒的结构成分,并经接头分子和转录因子等信号传递,介导IFN的产生。IFN随后激活下游干扰素信号通路,转录多种干扰素诱导基因(interferon stimulated genes, ISGs),启动宿主对病毒的固有免疫应答反应。现就乙脑病毒感染神经元细胞的固有免疫相关分子,如模式识别分子、关键接头分子、转录因子及IFN信号转导过程中相关的调控分子作一概述。     

食源性致病菌激活NLRP3炎症小体及食源性功能物质的抑制机理研究进展

食源性致病菌感染是引起食源性疾病的首要因素,严重影响人类健康。炎症小体通过识别受体感知入侵宿主的危险信号进而组装形成多聚蛋白复合物,从而诱导炎症反应,是先天免疫系统中识别食源性病原菌感染和清除病原体的重要防线。NLRP3炎症小体是位于胞内的炎症反应平台,可以感知多种病原微生物的侵袭,在先天性免疫反应中起着至关重要的作用。食源性致病菌感染常引起NLRP3炎症小体的异常激活,介导多种炎症性疾病的发生和发展,因此,许多抗炎研究中常常以NLRP3炎症小体作为靶点。本文总结了食源性致病菌及其代谢产物激活NLRP3炎症小体的分子机制,以及天然产物和膳食功能物质抑制NLRP3炎症小体激活的机理,为治疗炎症性疾病、开发缓解致病菌诱导的炎症反应的功能化合物提供新的思路。     

沙门菌感染与Caspase­-8介导的宿主细胞调控性死亡研究进展

沙门菌主要通过食物传播,严重威胁了人类健康。肠道上皮细胞作为抵抗沙门菌入侵的重要屏障,可通过多种方式抵抗沙门菌的定植与入侵。同时,肠道固有层巨噬细胞可特异性识别正常菌群与沙门菌,激活炎性小体并分泌白细胞介素(interleukin,IL)-1β等炎症因子诱导炎症反应清除沙门菌。Caspase家族属于半胱氨酸蛋白酶,它们被激活后可执行各种细胞功能。Caspase-1是炎性小体的重要组成部分,可切割消皮素D(gasdermin D)诱导细胞焦亡,引发炎症反应。研究发现,Caspase-8同样参与炎性小体复合物的形成,但其功能尚不明确。新近研究发现,在沙门菌感染所诱导的细胞焦亡被抑制时,Caspase-8在炎性小体中被强烈激活,并在肠道上皮细胞和巨噬细胞中调控细胞死亡与炎症反应,以限制沙门菌感染。因此,Caspase-8在沙门菌感染期间也是调节宿主抗感染免疫的关键分子,研究其调控宿主细胞死亡以及炎症因子释放的机制对深入了解沙门菌感染与宿主抗感染免疫应答之间的关系具有重要意义。     

Innate immune response to viral infection

In viral infections the host innate immune system is meant to act as a first line defense to prevent viral invasion or replication before more specific protection by the adaptive immune system is generated. In the innate immune response, pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) are engaged to detect specific viral components such as viral RNA or DNA or viral intermediate products and to induce type I interferons (IFNs) and other pro-inflammatory cytokines in the infected cells and other immune cells. Recently these innate immune receptors and their unique downstream pathways have been identified. Here, we summarize their roles in the innate immune response to virus infection, discrimination between self and viral nucleic acids and inhibition by virulent factors and provide some recent advances in the coordination between innate and adaptive immune activation.     

Therapeutic blockade of transforming growth factor beta fails to promote clearance of a persistent viral infection

Persistent viral infections often overburden the immune system and are a major cause of disease in humans. During many persistent infections, antiviral T cells are maintained in a state of immune exhaustion characterized by diminished effector and helper functions. In mammalian systems, an extensive immune regulatory network exists to limit unwanted, potentially fatal immunopathology by inducing T cell exhaustion. However, this regulatory network at times overprotects the host and fosters viral persistence by severely dampening adaptive immune responsiveness. Importantly, recent studies have shown that T cell exhaustion is mediated in part by host immunoregulatory pathways (e.g., programmed death 1 [PD-1], interleukin 10 [IL-10]) and that therapeutic blockade of these pathways either before or during persistent infection can promote viral clearance. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) is another immunosuppressive cytokine known to impede both self- and tumor-specific T cells, but its role in regulating antiviral immunity is not entirely understood. In this study, we inhibited TGF-β with three potent antagonists to determine whether neutralization of this regulatory molecule is a viable approach to control a persistent viral infection. Our results revealed that these inhibitors modestly elevate the number of antiviral T cells following infection with a persistent variant of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) but have no impact on viral clearance. These data suggest that therapeutic neutralization of TGF-β is not an efficacious means to promote clearance of a persistent viral infection.     

Interleukin-12p40 modulates human metapneumovirus-induced pulmonary disease in an acute mouse model of infection

The mechanisms that regulate the host immune response induced by human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a newly-recognized member of the Paramyxoviridae family, are largely unknown. Cytokines play an important role in modulating inflammatory responses during viral infections. IL-12p40, a known important mediator in limiting lung inflammation, is induced by hMPV and its production is sustained after the resolution phase of infection suggesting that this cytokine plays a role in the immune response against hMPV. In this work, we demonstrated that in mice deficient in IL-12p40, hMPV infection induced an exacerbated pulmonary inflammatory response and mucus production, altered cytokine response, and decreased lung function. However, hMPV infection in these mice does not have an effect on viral replication. These results identify an important regulatory role of IL-12p40 in hMPV infection.     

Distinctive and critical roles for cellular immunity and immune-inflammatory response in the immunopathology of Sendai virus infection in mice

Respiratory viral infections result in severe pulmonary injury, to which host immune response may be a significant contributor. At present, it is not entirely clear the extent to which lung injury is a necessary consequence of host defense. In this report, we use functional genomics approach to characterize the key roles of cellular immunity and immune-inflammatory response in the immunopathology of Sendai virus infection in resistant C57BL/6J and susceptible DBA/2J mice. Infected mice manifested an immune-inflammatory response characterized by the pulmonary influx of neutrophils and mononuclear cells. DBA/2J mice mounted a vigorous immune response, with significant up-regulation of cytokine/chemokine genes in two successive waves through the course of infection. Whereas, C57BL/6J mice displayed an efficient immune response with less severe pathology and clusters of immune-inflammatory responsive genes were exclusively up-regulated on day 4 in this strain. Overall, DBA/2J mice exhibited a dysregulated hyper-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine cascades that does not limit viral spread resulting in a predisposition to severe lung pathology. This response is similar to severe human respiratory paramyxovirus infections, which will serve as a model for the elucidation of hyper-immune inflammatory response that result to severe immunopathology in respiratory viral infections.     

Neural regulation of innate immunity: a coordinated nonspecific host response to pathogens

The central nervous system (CNS) regulates innate immune responses through hormonal and neuronal routes. The neuroendocrine stress response and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems generally inhibit innate immune responses at systemic and regional levels, whereas the peripheral nervous system tends to amplify local innate immune responses. These systems work together to first activate and amplify local inflammatory responses that contain or eliminate invading pathogens, and subsequently to terminate inflammation and restore host homeostasis. Here, I review these regulatory mechanisms and discuss the evidence indicating that the CNS can be considered as integral to acute-phase inflammatory responses to pathogens as the innate immune system.     

Role of oxidative damage in the pathogenesis of viral infections of the nervous system

Oxidative stress, primarily due to increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), is a feature of many viral infections. ROS and RNS modulate the permissiveness of cells to viral replication, regulate host inflammatory and immune responses, and cause oxidative damage to both host tissue and progeny virus. The lipid-rich nervous system is particularly susceptible to lipid peroxidation, an autocatalytic process that damages lipid-containing structures and yields reactive by-products, which can covalently modify and damage cellular macromolecules. Oxidative injury is a component of acute encephalitis caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 and reovirus, neurodegenerative disease caused by human immunodeficiency virus and murine leukemia virus, and subacute sclerosing panencephalitis caused by measles virus. The extent to which oxidative damage plays a beneficial role for the host by limiting viral replication is largely unknown. An enhanced understanding of the role of oxidative damage in viral infections of the nervous system may lead to therapeutic strategies to reduce tissue damage during viral infection without impeding the host antiviral response.     

Leptin beyond body weight regulation--current concepts concerning its role in immune function and inflammation

Leptin, a 16 kDa non-glycosylated polypeptide produced primarily by adipocytes and released into the systemic circulation, exerts a multitude of regulatory functions including energy utilization and storage, regulation of various endocrine axes, bone metabolism, and thermoregulation. In addition to leptin's best known role as regulator of energy homeostasis, several studies indicate that leptin plays a pivotal role in immune and inflammatory response. Because of its dual nature as a hormone and cytokine, leptin can be nowadays considered the link between neuroendocrine and immune system. The increase in leptin production that occurs during infections and inflammatory processes strongly suggests that this adipokine is a part of the cytokines network which governs inflammatory/immune response and host defence mechanisms. Indeed, leptin plays a relevant role in inflammatory processes involving either innate or adaptive immune responses. Several studies have implicated leptin in the pathogenesis of autoimmune inflammatory conditions such as encephalomyelitis, type I diabetes, bowel inflammation and also articular degenerative diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Although the mechanisms by which leptin exerts its action as modulator of inflammatory/immune response are likely to be more complex than predicted and far to be completely depicted, there is a general consensus about its pivotal role as pro-inflammatory and immune-modulating agent. Here, we review the most recent advances on leptin biology with a particular attention to its adipokine facet, even though its role as metabolic hormone will be also addressed.     

Viral induction of inflammatory cytokines in human epithelial cells follows a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase-dependent but NF-kappa B-independent pathway

The initial step in an immune response toward a viral infection is the induction of inflammatory cytokines. This innate immune response is mediated by expression of a variety of cytokines exemplified by TNF-alpha and IL-1beta. A key signal for the recognition of intracellular viral infections is the presence of dsRNA. Viral infections and dsRNA treatment can activate several signaling pathways including the protein kinase R pathway, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways, and NF-kappaB, which are important in the expression of inflammatory cytokines. We previously reported that activation of protein kinase R was required for dsRNA induction of TNF-alpha, but not for IL-1beta. In this study, we report that activation of the p38 MAPK pathway by respiratory viral infections is necessary for induction of inflammatory cytokines in human bronchial epithelial cells. Inhibition of p38 MAPK by two different pharmacological inhibitors showed that expression of both TNF-alpha and IL-1beta required activation of this signaling pathway. Interestingly, inhibition of NF-kappaB did not significantly reduce viral induction of either cytokine. Our data show that, during the initial infections of epithelial cells with respiratory viruses, activation of the p38 MAPK pathway is associated with induction of inflammation, and NF-kappaB activation may be less important than previously suggested.