Pulmonary Chlamydia muridarum challenge activates lung interstitial macrophages which correlate with IFN-γ production and infection control in mice.
Protective immunity to the pathogen Chlamydia is dependent on a robust IFN-γ response generated by innate and adaptive lymphocytes. Here we assess the role of the macrophage in orchestrating a protective response in vivo to the murine pathogen, Chlamydia muridarum. During acute pulmonary and peritoneal infection, resident macrophages in both sites are infected with C. muridarum and adopt an inflammatory phenotype. In the lung, this activation is restricted to interstitial macrophages, which harbor higher levels of C. muridarum 16sRNA than alveolar macrophages. We examined innate and adaptive lymphocyte activation in the peritoneal cavity with macrophage depletion and with adoptive transfer of infected macrophages. These experiments demonstrate macrophage activation correlates with a protective IFN-γ response and effective control of C. muridarum. These studies suggest that a quantitative or qualitative alteration in macrophages may play a key role in the development of Chlamydia-associated diseases.
Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Canada.|Division of Genetics and Development, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Eric
E
Gracey
Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Canada.|Division of Genetics and Development, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Yuriy
Y
Baglaenko
Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Canada.
Nadia
N
Prayitno
Vrije Universiteit, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Nico
N
Van Rooijen
Division of Genetics and Development, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Ali
A
Akram
Division of Genetics and Development, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Aifeng
A
Lin
Division of Genetics and Development, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Basil
B
Chiu
Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Canada.|Division of Genetics and Development, Toronto Western Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada.
Robert D
RD
Inman
D000818:Animals; D002465:Cell Movement; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D023502:Chlamydia muridarum / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D008168:Lung / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D008262:Macrophage Activation; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C
D016207:Cytokines; D007371:Interferon-gamma
Chlamydia; IFN-γ; Infection; Lung; Macrophage