title: Deciphering the contribution of human meningothelial cells to the inflammatory and antimicrobial response at the meninges.
abstract: We have investigated the response of primary human meningothelial cells to Neisseria meningitidis. Through a transcriptome analysis, we provide a comprehensive examination of the response of meningothelial cells to bacterial infection. A wide range of chemokines are elicited which act to attract and activate the main players of innate and adaptive immunity. We showed that meningothelial cells expressed a high level of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), and, using a gene silencing strategy, we demonstrated the contribution of this pathogen recognition receptor in meningothelial cell activation. Secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6), CXCL10, and CCL5 was almost exclusively TLR4 dependent and relied on MyD88 and TRIF adaptor cooperation. In contrast, IL-8 induction was independent of the presence of TLR4, MyD88, and TRIF. Transcription factors NF-κB p65, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), Jun N-terminal protein kinase (JNK1), IRF3, and IRF7 were activated after contact with bacteria. Interestingly, the protein kinase IRAK4 was found to play a minor role in the meningothelial cell response to Neisseria infection. Our work highlights the role of meningothelial cells in the development of an immune response and inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) in response to meningococcal infection. It also sheds light on the complexity of intracellular signaling after TLR triggering.
authors.affiliation: School of Molecular Medical Sciences and School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Pierre-Joseph
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Royer
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Rogers
authors.forename: Karl G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Wooldridge
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tighe
authors.forename: Jafar
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mahdavi
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Rittig
authors.forename: Dlawer
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ala'Aldeen
mesh_terms: D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D008578:Meninges / Q000276:immunology*; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines