Heat shock factor 1 protects mice from rapid death during Listeria monocytogenes infection by regulating expression of tumor necrosis factor alpha during fever.
Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is a stress-induced transcription factor that promotes expression of genes that protect mammalian cells from the lethal effects of severely elevated temperatures (>42°C). However, we recently showed that HSF1 is activated at a lower temperature (39.5°C) in T cells, suggesting that HSF1 may be important for preserving T cell function during pathogen-induced fever responses. To test this, we examined the role of HSF1 in clearance of Listeria monocytogenes, an intracellular bacterial pathogen that elicits a strong CD8(+) T cell response in mice. Using temperature transponder microchips, we showed that the core body temperature increased approximately 2°C in L. monocytogenes-infected mice and that the fever response was maintained for at least 24 h. HSF1-deficient mice cleared a low-dose infection with slightly slower kinetics than did HSF1(+/+) littermate controls but were significantly more susceptible to challenges with higher doses of bacteria. Surprisingly, HSF1-deficient mice did not show a defect in CD8(+) T cell responses following sublethal infection. However, when HSF1-deficient mice were challenged with high doses of L. monocytogenes, increased levels of serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) compared to those of littermate control mice were observed, and rapid death of the animals occurred within 48 to 60 h of infection. Neutralization of TNF-α enhanced the survival of HSF1-deficient mice. These results suggest that HSF1 is needed to prevent the overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines and subsequent death due to septic shock that can result following high-dose challenge with bacterial pathogens.
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose Street-MS401, Lexington, KY 40536, USA.
Patience
P
Murapa
Martin R
MR
Ward
Siva K
SK
Gandhapudi
Jerold G
JG
Woodward
Sarah E F
SE
D'Orazio
D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D005334:Fever / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D005838:Genotype; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000097:blood; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D000076249:Heat Shock Transcription Factors; C490017:Hsf1 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D007371:Interferon-gamma