Specific project 3

Host pathogen interactions in C. trachomatis reactive arthritis

Recently, the lipid component of a C. trachomatis lipoprotein, the Macrophage Infectivity Potentiator (MIP), has been described for the first time and shown to be present at the surface of bacteria (2). Its proinflammatory properties have been characterized (3). The presence of C. trachomatis DNA has been detected in synovial fluid from reactive and undifferentiated arthritis patients (5). The levels of IFN-γ (1) and IL-17 (submitted manuscript) have been determined in synovial fluid from C. trachomatis reactive arthritis patients. The cytokine response to chlamydial antigens has been studied in cervicovaginal cells from C. trachomatis infected women (4).

At the present time we are studying the role of IL-17 in C. trachomatis infections. The main preliminary results are:
- C. trachomatis infected HeLa cells release soluble factors able to induce IL-17 production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy blood donors;
- a potentiation of IFN-γ-mediated inhibition of C. trachomatis infection by IL-17 in HeLa cell cultures;
- a high ability of IL-17 to amplify IFN-γ-mediated IL-6 production in infected HeLa cell cultures.

References

1. “Lower level of synovial fluid interferon-gamma in HLA-B27-positive than in HLA-B27-negative patients with Chlamydia trachomatis reactive arthritis” S. Bas, T.K. Kvien, N. Buchs, T. Fulpius and C. Gabay Rheumatology, 2003, 42, 461-467.

2. "Molecular characterization and subcellular localization of macrophage infectivity potentiator, a Chlamydia trachomatis lipoprotein" L. Neff, S. Daher, P. Muzzin, U. Spenato , F. Gülaçar, C. Gabay and S. Bas J Bacteriol, 2007, 189, 4739-4718.

3. "The proinflammatory cytokine response to Chlamydia trachomatis elementary bodies in human macrophages is partly mediated by a lipoprotein, the macrophage infectivity potentiator, through TLR2/TLR1/TLR6 and CD14" S. Bas, L. Neff, M. Vuillet, U. Spenato , T. Seya, M. Matsumoto and C. Gabay J Immunol, 2008, 180, 1158-1168.

4. “In infertile women, cells from Chlamydia trachomatis infected site release higher levels of interferon-gamma, interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha upon heat shock protein stimulation than fertile women" P. Srivastava, R. Jha, S. Bas, S. Salhan and A. Mittal Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, 2008, 6, 20

5. “Reactive and undifferentiated arthritis in North Africa. Use of PCR for detection of Chlamydia trachomatis" J.G. Kuipers, J. Sibilia, S. Bas, H. Gaston, K. Granfors, T.L. Vischer, N. Hajjaj-Hassouni, A., Ladjouze- Rezig, S. Sellami, J. Wollenhaupt, H. Zeidler, HR. Schumacher and M. Dougados Clinical Rheumatology, 2008

Druckversion