Epithelial Cells Attenuate Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Monocyte-Derived Macrophage-Like Cells to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway

Both alveolar macrophages (AMs) and alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) are main targets of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis (Mtb)). Intercellular communications between mucosal AECs and AMs have important implications in cellular responses to exogenous insults. However, molecular mechanisms...

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Main Authors: Yi Yang, Yingfei Sun, Jinrui Xu, Kangda Bao, Meihui Luo, Xiaoming Liu, Yujiong Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2018-01-01
Series:Mediators of Inflammation
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/3685948
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author Yi Yang
Yingfei Sun
Jinrui Xu
Kangda Bao
Meihui Luo
Xiaoming Liu
Yujiong Wang
author_facet Yi Yang
Yingfei Sun
Jinrui Xu
Kangda Bao
Meihui Luo
Xiaoming Liu
Yujiong Wang
author_sort Yi Yang
collection DOAJ
description Both alveolar macrophages (AMs) and alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) are main targets of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis (Mtb)). Intercellular communications between mucosal AECs and AMs have important implications in cellular responses to exogenous insults. However, molecular mechanisms underpinning interactions responding to Mtb remain largely unknown. In this study, impacts of AECs on Toll-like receptor- (TLR-) mediated inflammatory responses of AMs to Mtb virulent strain H37Rv were interrogated using an air-liquid interface (ALI) coculture model of epithelial A549 cells and U937 monocyte-derived macrophage-like cells. Results showed that Mtb-activated TLR-mediated inflammatory responses in U937 cells were significantly alleviated when A549 cells were coinfected with H37Rv, in comparison with the infection of U937 cells alone. Mechanistically, PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling was involved in the epithelial cell-modulated Mtb-activated TLR signaling. The epithelial cell-attenuated TLR signaling in U937s could be reversed by PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, but not glycogen synthase kinase 3β inhibitor LiCl, suggesting that the epithelially modulated-TLR signaling in macrophages was in part caused by inhibiting the TLR-triggered PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Together, this study demonstrates that mucosal AEC-derived signals play an important role in modulating inflammatory responses of AMs to Mtb, which thus also offers an insight into cellular communications between AECs and AMs to Mtb infections.
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spelling doaj-art-bc8b6d90e6264fdc84dbf58345249f402025-08-20T02:18:51ZengWileyMediators of Inflammation0962-93511466-18612018-01-01201810.1155/2018/36859483685948Epithelial Cells Attenuate Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Monocyte-Derived Macrophage-Like Cells to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling PathwayYi Yang0Yingfei Sun1Jinrui Xu2Kangda Bao3Meihui Luo4Xiaoming Liu5Yujiong Wang6Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, ChinaKey Laboratory of Ministry of Education for Conservation and Utilization of Special Biological Resources in Western China, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, Ningxia 750021, ChinaBoth alveolar macrophages (AMs) and alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) are main targets of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis (Mtb)). Intercellular communications between mucosal AECs and AMs have important implications in cellular responses to exogenous insults. However, molecular mechanisms underpinning interactions responding to Mtb remain largely unknown. In this study, impacts of AECs on Toll-like receptor- (TLR-) mediated inflammatory responses of AMs to Mtb virulent strain H37Rv were interrogated using an air-liquid interface (ALI) coculture model of epithelial A549 cells and U937 monocyte-derived macrophage-like cells. Results showed that Mtb-activated TLR-mediated inflammatory responses in U937 cells were significantly alleviated when A549 cells were coinfected with H37Rv, in comparison with the infection of U937 cells alone. Mechanistically, PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling was involved in the epithelial cell-modulated Mtb-activated TLR signaling. The epithelial cell-attenuated TLR signaling in U937s could be reversed by PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, but not glycogen synthase kinase 3β inhibitor LiCl, suggesting that the epithelially modulated-TLR signaling in macrophages was in part caused by inhibiting the TLR-triggered PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Together, this study demonstrates that mucosal AEC-derived signals play an important role in modulating inflammatory responses of AMs to Mtb, which thus also offers an insight into cellular communications between AECs and AMs to Mtb infections.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/3685948
spellingShingle Yi Yang
Yingfei Sun
Jinrui Xu
Kangda Bao
Meihui Luo
Xiaoming Liu
Yujiong Wang
Epithelial Cells Attenuate Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Monocyte-Derived Macrophage-Like Cells to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway
Mediators of Inflammation
title Epithelial Cells Attenuate Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Monocyte-Derived Macrophage-Like Cells to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway
title_full Epithelial Cells Attenuate Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Monocyte-Derived Macrophage-Like Cells to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway
title_fullStr Epithelial Cells Attenuate Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Monocyte-Derived Macrophage-Like Cells to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway
title_full_unstemmed Epithelial Cells Attenuate Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Monocyte-Derived Macrophage-Like Cells to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway
title_short Epithelial Cells Attenuate Toll-Like Receptor-Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Monocyte-Derived Macrophage-Like Cells to Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Modulating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway
title_sort epithelial cells attenuate toll like receptor mediated inflammatory responses in monocyte derived macrophage like cells to mycobacterium tuberculosis by modulating the pi3k akt mtor signaling pathway
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/3685948
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