title: Induction of neutrophil apoptosis by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin pyocyanin: a potential mechanism of persistent infection.
abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonizes and infects human tissues, although the mechanisms by which the organism evades the normal, predominantly neutrophilic, host defenses are unclear. Phenazine products of P. aeruginosa can induce death in Caenorhabditis elegans. We hypothesized that phenazines induce death of human neutrophils, and thus impair neutrophil-mediated bacterial killing. We investigated the effects of two phenazines, pyocyanin and 1-hydroxyphenazine, upon apoptosis of neutrophils in vitro. Pyocyanin induced a concentration- and time-dependent acceleration of neutrophil apoptosis, with 50 microM pyocyanin causing a 10-fold induction of apoptosis at 5 h (p < 0.001), a concentration that has been documented in sputum from patients colonized with P. aeruginosa. 1-hydroxyphenazine was without effect. In contrast to its rapid induction of neutrophil apoptosis, pyocyanin did not induce significant apoptosis of monocyte-derived macrophages or airway epithelial cells at time points up to 24 h. Comparison of wild-type and phenazine-deleted strains of P. aeruginosa showed a highly significant reduction in neutrophil killing by the phenazine-deleted strain. In clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa pyocyanin production was associated with a proapoptotic effect upon neutrophils in culture. Pyocyanin-induced neutrophil apoptosis was not delayed either by treatment with LPS, a powerfully antiapoptotic bacterial product, or in neutrophils from cystic fibrosis patients. Pyocyanin-induced apoptosis was associated with rapid and sustained generation of reactive oxygen intermediates and subsequent reduction of intracellular cAMP. Treatment of neutrophils with either antioxidants or synthetic cAMP analogues significantly abrogated pyocyanin-induced apoptosis. We conclude that pyocyanin-induced neutrophil apoptosis may be a clinically important mechanism of persistence of P. aeruginosa in human tissue.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Medicine Unit and Infectious Diseases Unit, Division of Genomic Medicine and Institute of Child Health, University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Lynne R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Usher
authors.forename: Roderick A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Geary
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Colin D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Bingle
authors.forename: Graham W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Moira K B
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Whyte
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D003994:Bucladesine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000494:pharmacology; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D010619:Phenazines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000276:immunology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D011710:Pyocyanine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D005098:Exotoxins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010619:Phenazines; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C050093:1-hydroxyphenazine; D003994:Bucladesine; D011710:Pyocyanine; D000242:Cyclic AMP