title: Interleukin-1β regulates CXCL8 release and influences disease outcome in response to Streptococcus pneumoniae, defining intercellular cooperation between pulmonary epithelial cells and macrophages.
abstract: The success of Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) as a pulmonary pathogen is related to its restriction of innate immune responses by respiratory epithelial cells. The mechanisms used to overcome this restriction are incompletely elucidated. Pulmonary chemokine expression involves complex cellular and molecular networks, involving the pulmonary epithelium, but the specific cellular interactions and the cytokines that control them are incompletely defined. We show that serotype 2 or 4 pneumococci induce only modest levels of CXCL8 expression from epithelial cell lines, even in the absence of a polysaccharide capsule. In contrast, coculture of A549 cells with the macrophage-like THP-1 cell line, differentiated with vitamin D, or monocyte-derived macrophages enhanced CXCL8 release. Supernatants from the THP-1 cell line prime A549 cells to release CXCL8 at levels similar to cocultures. Interleukin-1Ra (IL-1Ra) inhibits CXCL8 release from cocultures and reduces the activity of macrophage-conditioned media, but inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) had only a minimal effect on CXCL8 release. Release of IL-1β but not TNF-α was upregulated in cocultures. IL-1 type 1 receptor knockout C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice confirmed the importance of IL-1 signaling in CXC chemokine expression and neutrophil recruitment in vivo. In fulminant disease, increased IL-1 signaling resulted in increased neutrophils in the airway and more invasive disease. These results demonstrate that IL-1 is an important component of the cellular network involving macrophages and epithelial cells, which facilitates CXC chemokine expression and aids neutrophil recruitment during pneumococcal pneumonia. They also highlight a potential clinical role for anti-IL-1 treatment to limit excessive neutrophilic inflammation in the lung.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection and Immunity, University of Sheffield Medical School, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Marriott
authors.forename: Kate A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Gascoyne
authors.forename: Ravi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gowda
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Geary
authors.forename: Martin J H
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Nicklin
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iannelli
authors.forename: Gianni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pozzi
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Moira K B
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Whyte
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sabroe
authors.forename: David H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Dockrell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053583:Interleukin-1beta / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D016209:Interleukin-8 / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000276:immunology; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000276:immunology; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity
chemical_list: D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D053583:Interleukin-1beta; D016209:Interleukin-8; D017472:Receptors, Interleukin-1