背景:通过充当环境传感器,配体诱导的转录因子芳香烃受体(AhR)调节针对病原体的急性先天和适应性免疫反应。这里,我们分析了AhR在减毒鼠伤寒沙门氏菌(STM)慢性全身感染模型中的功能。
方法:用减毒STM菌株TAS2010感染WT和AhR缺陷小鼠,并分析细菌负荷,宿主防御功能和炎性应激红细胞生成。
结果:与WT小鼠相比,AhR缺陷小鼠对TAS2010感染高度敏感,细菌清除率降低,死亡率增加。STM感染导致AhR缺陷小鼠的大红细胞性贫血和脾肿大以及脾结构的破坏。此外,AhR缺陷小鼠表现出脾未成熟红细胞的大量扩增,指示感染诱导的应激性红细胞生成。感染时促红细胞生成素和白细胞介素6的血清水平升高以及已经处于稳定状态的脾应激性红细胞祖细胞数量的增加可能驱动这种效应,并可能导致脾免疫细胞区室的改变。从而阻止AhR缺陷型小鼠中针对STM的有效宿主防御。
结论:AhR缺陷小鼠不能清除慢性TAS2010感染,这是由于脾脏中应激性红细胞生成增强以及伴随的脾结构破坏。
BACKGROUND: By acting as an environmental sensor, the ligand-induced transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) regulates acute innate and adaptive immune responses against pathogens. Here, we analyzed the function of AhR in a model for chronic systemic infection with attenuated Salmonella Typhimurium (STM).
METHODS: WT and AhR-deficient mice were infected with the attenuated STM strain TAS2010 and analyzed for bacterial burden, host defense functions and inflammatory stress erythropoiesis.
RESULTS: AhR-deficient mice were highly susceptible to TAS2010 infection compared with WT mice demonstrated by reduced bacterial clearance and increased mortality. STM infection resulted in macrocytic anemia and enhanced splenomegaly along with destruction of the splenic architecture in AhR-deficient mice. In addition, AhR-deficient mice displayed a major expansion of splenic immature red blood cells, indicative of infection-induced stress erythropoiesis. Elevated serum levels of erythropoietin and interleukin-6 upon infection as well as increased numbers of splenic stress erythroid progenitors already in steady state probably drive this effect and might cause the alterations in splenic immune cell compartments, thereby preventing an effective host defense against STM in AhR-deficient mice.
CONCLUSIONS: AhR-deficient mice fail to clear chronic TAS2010 infection due to enhanced stress erythropoiesis in the spleen and accompanying destruction of the splenic architecture.