Chinese Medical Journal (Jan 2017)

Role of Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid Cell-1 Expression in Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Modulation of CD8+ T-cell Differentiation during the Immune Response to Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis

  • Na Cui,
  • Hao Wang,
  • Long-Xiang Su,
  • Jia-Hui Zhang,
  • Yun Long,
  • Da-Wei Liu

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/0366-6999.205850
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 130, no. 10
pp. 1211 – 1217

Abstract

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Background: Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-1 (TREM-1) may play a vital role in mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) modulation of CD8+ T-cell differentiation through the transcription factors T-box expressed in T-cells and eomesodermin during the immune response to invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). This study aimed to investigate whether the mTOR signaling pathway modulates the proliferation and differentiation of CD8+ T-cells during the immune response to IPA and the role TREM-1 plays in this process. Methods: Cyclophosphamide (CTX) was injected intraperitoneally, and Aspergillus fumigatus spore suspension was inoculated intranasally to establish the immunosuppressed IPA mouse model. After inoculation, rapamycin (2 mg.kg−1.d−1) or interleukin (IL)-12 (5 μg/kg every other day) was given for 7 days. The number of CD8+ effector memory T-cells (Tem), expression of interferon (IFN)-γ, mTOR, and ribosomal protein S6 kinase (S6K), and the levels of IL-6, IL-10, galactomannan (GM), and soluble TREM-1 (sTREM-1) were measured. Results: Viable A. fumigatus was cultured from the lung tissue of the inoculated mice. Histological examination indicated greater inflammation, hemorrhage, and lung tissue injury in both IPA and CTX + IPA mice groups. The expression of mTOR and S6K was significantly increased in the CTX + IPA + IL-12 group compared with the control, IPA (P = 0.01; P= 0.001), and CTX + IPA (P = 0.034; P= 0.032) groups, but significantly decreased in the CTX + IPA + RAPA group (P < 0.001). Compared with the CTX + IPA group, the proportion of Tem, expression of IFN-γ, and the level of sTREM-1 were significantly higher after IL-12 treatment (P = 0.024, P= 0.032, and P= 0.017, respectively), and the opposite results were observed when the mTOR pathway was blocked by rapamycin (P < 0.001). Compared with the CTX + IPA and CTX + IPA + RAPA groups, IL-12 treatment increased IL-6 and downregulated IL-10 as well as GM, which strengthened the immune response to the IPA infection. Conclusions: mTOR modulates CD8+ T-cell differentiation during the immune response to IPA. TREM-1 may play a vital role in signal transduction between mTOR and the downstream immune response.

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