neutrophils
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHyaluronidase Impairs Neutrophil Function and Promotes Group B Streptococcus Invasion and Preterm Labor in Nonhuman PrimatesGroup B streptococci (GBS) are bacteria that commonly reside in the female lower genital tract as asymptomatic members of the microbiota. However, during pregnancy, GBS can infect tissues at the maternal-fetal interface, leading to preterm birth, stillbirth, or fetal injury.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStaphylococcal DNA Repair Is Required for InfectionTo cause infection, bacteria must survive attack by the host immune system. For many bacteria, including the major human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus, the greatest threat is posed by neutrophils. These immune cells ingest the invading organisms and try to kill them with a cocktail of chemicals that includes reactive oxygen species (ROS). The ability of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologySpleen Tyrosine Kinase Is a Critical Regulator of Neutrophil Responses to Candida SpeciesNeutrophils are recognized to represent significant immune cell mediators for the clearance and elimination of the human-pathogenic fungal pathogen Candida. The sensing of fungi by innate cells is performed, in part, through lectin receptor recognition of cell wall components and downstream cellular activation by signaling components, including spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk). While the essential role of Syk in macrophages and...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHuman Neutrophils Produce Antifungal Extracellular Vesicles against Aspergillus fumigatusInvasive fungal infections caused by the mold Aspergillus fumigatus are a growing concern in the clinic due to the increasing use of immunosuppressive therapies and increasing antifungal drug resistance. These infections result in high rates of mortality, as treatment and diagnostic options remain limited. In healthy individuals, neutrophilic granulocytes are critical...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNucleic Acid-Sensing Toll-Like Receptors Play a Dominant Role in Innate Immune Recognition of PneumococciThe pneumococcus is a bacterium that frequently causes infections in the lungs, ears, sinus cavities, and meninges. During these infections, body defenses are triggered by tissue-resident cells that use specialized receptors, such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), to sense the presence of bacteria. We show here that pneumococci are predominantly detected by TLRs that are located inside intracellular vacuoles, including endosomes, where...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCryptococcus neoformans Chitin Synthase 3 Plays a Critical Role in Dampening Host Inflammatory ResponsesCryptococcus neoformans is the most common disseminated fungal pathogen in AIDS patients, resulting in ∼200,000 deaths each year. There is a pressing need for new treatments for this infection, as current antifungal therapy is hampered by toxicity and/or the inability of the host’s immune system to aid in resolution of the disease. An ideal target for new therapies is...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe HopQ-CEACAM Interaction Controls CagA Translocation, Phosphorylation, and Phagocytosis of Helicobacter pylori in NeutrophilsHelicobacter pylori is highly adapted to humans and evades host immunity to allow its lifelong colonization. However, the H. pylori mouse model is artificial for H. pylori, and few adapted strains allow gastric colonization. Here...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Human Cytomegalovirus Chemokine vCXCL-1 Modulates Normal Dissemination Kinetics of Murine Cytomegalovirus In VivoAn adequate in vivo analysis of HCMV’s viral chemokine vCXCL-1 has been lacking. Here we generate recombinant MCMVs expressing vCXCL-1 to study vCXCL-1 function in vivo using MCMV as a surrogate. We demonstrate that vCXCL-1 increases MCMV dissemination kinetics for both primary and secondary dissemination. Additionally, we provide evidence, that the murine neutrophil is largely a bystander in the mouse’s response to...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyKingella kingae Surface Polysaccharides Promote Resistance to Neutrophil Phagocytosis and KillingKingella kingae is a Gram-negative commensal in the oropharynx and represents a leading cause of joint and bone infections in young children. The mechanisms by which K. kingae evades host innate immunity during pathogenesis of disease remain poorly understood. In this study, we established that the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Secreted Bacterial Peptidylarginine Deiminase Can Neutralize Human Innate Immune DefensesBacterial pathogens do not only succeed in breaking the barriers that protect humans from infection, but they also manage to evade insults from the human immune system. The importance of the present study resides in the fact that protein citrullination is shown to represent a new bacterial mechanism for immune evasion. In particular, the oral pathogen P. gingivalis...