Molecular mechanisms responsible for the dynamic modulation of macrophage responses to varying dosages of lipopolysaccharide

The innate immune system depends for its effectiveness on the function of specialized pattern recognition receptors which enable it to target pathogens for destruction on the basis of conserved molecular patterns such as flagellin or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Specifically, LPS is recognized by the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), activating a signaling pathway which triggers the production of both pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators. Very low doses of LPS, however, preferentially induce pro-inflammatory cytokines, which can lead to persistent low-grade inflammation, a contributing factor in a host of chronic diseases. The mild pro-inflammatory skewing induced by super-low-dose LPS also potentiates the inflammatory response to later challenge with a higher dose of LPS in a phenomenon known as the "Shwartzman reaction" or "endotoxin priming". We investigated the mechanisms involved in pro-inflammatory skewing by super-low-dose LPS in THP-1 cells and found it to be governed by a regulatory circuit of competitive inhibition between glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) and Akt, which promote the activity of the transcription factors FoxO1 and CREB, respectively. Super-low-dose LPS mildly activated FoxO1 and pro-inflammatory gene transcription without inducing anti-inflammatory genes or activating CREB, and this pro-inflammatory skewing could be abolished by inhibition of GSK3 or direct activation of CREB. We then examined the dynamics of the LPS response at various different dosages in murine bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM). The pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-12 was most strongly induced by intermediate LPS dosages, with very low or high doses inducing less robust IL-12 production. Knockout of the inhibitory TLR4 pathway molecules Lyn or IRAK-M resulted in sustained induction of IL-12 by high doses of LPS. By activating CREB, we were able to reduce inflammation in WT BMDM, and saw that this corresponded with increased phosphorylation of CREB. Overall, we are confident that this subnetwork is an important switch regulating the resolution of inflammation in response to TLR4 stimulation. Furthermore, we propose that endotoxin priming is an example of the generalized capacity of all signaling networks to recall prior states, and that an appreciation for the history and context of exposure to stimuli is critical for the understanding of signaling behavior.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph. D.

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology

Department dc:contributor.department

Animal and Poultry Sciences

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Morris, Matthew

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Li, Liwu

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Lu, Chang
• Yuan, Lijuan
• Tyson, John J.

• Immunology
• lipopolysaccharide
• signaling
• monocyte
• macrophage

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:2727

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/64253