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Background: In the course of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and acute murine ileitis following peroral Taxoplasma gondii infection, commensal Escherichia coil accumulate at inflamed mucosal sites and aggravate small intestinal immunopathology. Aim: To unravel the molecular mechanisms by which commensal E coli exacerbate ileitis. Methods: Ileitis was investigated in mice that lack Toll-like receptors (TLR) 2 or 4, specific for bacterial lipoproteins (LP) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS), respectively. Gnotobiotic mice, in which any cultivable gut bacteria were eradicated by antibiotic treatment, were used to study the role of LPS in ileitis. Results: Microbiological analyses revealed that E coli increase in the inflamed ileum. TLR4-/-, but not TLR2-/-, mice displayed reduced mortality and small intestinal immunopathology. Decreased interferon (IFN)-7 and nitric oxide (NO) levels in the inflamed terminal ileum of TLR4-/- mice indicated that TLR4 signalling aggravates ileitis via local mediator release from immune cells. E coli strains isolated from the inflamed ileum adivated cultured mouse macrophages and induced TLR4-dependent nuclear factor κB activation and NO production in human embryonic kidney 293 cells and in peritoneal macrophages, respectively. Most strikingly, in contrast with wild-type mice, gnotobiotic TLR4-/- mice were protected from induction of ileitis by treatment with purified E coli lipid A or colonisation with live E coil Finally, prophylactic treatment with the LPS scavenger polymyxin B ameliorated T gondii-induced ileitis. Conclusion: These findings highlight the innate immune system as a key player in T gondii-induced ileal immunopathology. Treatment with LPS or TLR4 antagonists may represent a novel strategy for prophylaxis and/or therapy of small intestinal inflammation in IBD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various strains of Helicobacter pylori were able to lyse erythrocytes from sheep, horse, and human when grown on blood agar. The hemolysis did not depend on the production of the vacuolating cytotoxin VacA as demonstrated by the hemolytic behavior of an isogenic vacA-negative mutant strain. The hemolytic activity could be detected in cell-free supernatants and was not regulated by iron. To isolate genes coding for proteins involved in the destruction of erythrocytes, a plasmid-based DNA library was screened for expression of lytic activity on blood agar. This approach revealed that the H. pylori ribA gene confers hemolytic properties to Escherichia coli. The ribA gene encodes the enzyme GTP-cyclohydrolase II [EC 3.5.4.25] that catalyzes the initial step in the synthesis of riboflavin. The predicted amino acid sequence of the H. pylori RibA protein showed a high degree of similarity to equivalent enzymes from microorganisms and from plants. The single gene on a plasmid restored riboflavin synthesis in a ribA mutant of E. coli and induced hemolytic activity. Furthermore, ribA overexpression was associated with the production of a fluorescent yellow molecule that was not identical with riboflavin. Hemolysis was also seen for the ribA gene from E. coli, indicating that this feature was not specific for the H. pylori gene. The presence of ribA in various H. pylori strains was confirmed by Southern blot hybridization and by polymerase chain reaction with specific primers. This analysis revealed that microdiversity exists within the DNA region upstream from ribA, which was further confirmed by nucleotide sequence analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aroB gene from Helicobacter pylori strain P1 was cloned and further characterized by sequence analysis and by functional complementation of the aroB mutation in Escherichia coli. The aroB gene encodes the enzyme 3-dehydroquinate synthase which catalyzes one of the early steps in the shikimate pathway. This pathway, which creates aromatic molecules from sugar precursors, is present in prokaryotes, fungi and plants but is absent from mammalian cells. The predicted amino acid sequence of the H. pylori aroB gene product showed significant homology (30 – 40% identity and 50 – 60% similarity) to 3-dehydroquinate synthases from various other prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The single gene on a plasmid was biologically active in E. coli. It suppressed the specific phenotype of aroB mutants by restoring the shikimate pathway-dependent synthesis of aromatic amino acids and the production of the siderophore enterobactin. Two other reading frames were found adjacent to the aroB gene. The first, designated as orf1, had no significant homology to proteins and genes present in databases, whereas the second was found to share a significant degree of homology with the tgt gene encoding tRNA-guanine transglycosylase from a variety of other bacteria (40 – 50% identity and 60 – 70% similarity). The function of the tgt gene was confirmed by heterologous complementation. The gene on a plasmid was shown to complement the queuosine biosynthesis defect in a genetically defined tgt– strain of E. coli. The presence of the aroB gene and the putative tgt homologue in unrelated H. pylori strains was confirmed by Southern blot hybridization and by polymerase chain reaction with specific primers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Campylobacter jejuni is a bacterial human pathogen causing gastroenteritis and sequelae like irritable bowel syndrome. Epidemiologists count the human campylobacteriosis by C. jejuni as the most common foodborne zoonosis and bacterial diarrheal disease worldwide. Based on bioinformatics predictions for potential protective compounds in campylobacteriosis, the question was raised whether the plant-based polyphenol resveratrol is sufficient to attenuate intestinal epithelial damage induced by C. jejuni. We investigated this by performing experimental infection studies in an epithelial cell culture and the secondary abiotic IL-10−/− mouse model. In C. jejuni -infected human colonic HT-29/B6 cell monolayers, transepithelial electrical resistance (TER) was decreased and the paracellular marker flux of fluorescein (332 Da) increased. Concomitantly, the tight junction (TJ) proteins occludin and claudin-5 were re-distributed off the tight junction domain. This was accompanied by an increased induction of epithelial apoptosis, both changes contributing to compromised barrier function and the opening of the leak pathway induced by C. jejuni. In parallel, the recovery experiments with the application of resveratrol revealed a functional improvement of the disturbed epithelial barrier in both models in vitro and in vivo. During treatment with resveratrol, TJ localization of occludin and claudin-5 was fully restored in the paracellular domain of HT-29/B6 cells. Moreover, resveratrol decreased the rate of epithelial apoptosis. These resveratrol-induced molecular and cellular effects would therefore be expected to improve epithelial barrier function, thereby minimizing the so-called leaky gut phenomenon. In conclusion, the induction of the leak pathway by C. jejuni and the restoration of barrier function by resveratrol demonstrates its effectiveness as a potential preventive or therapeutic method of mitigating the leaky gut associated with campylobacteriosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an abstract of the study "Deficiency of Toll-Like Receptor 4 Leads to Cardioprotection Against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy," by A. Riad and colleagues.

An abstract of the article "TIR-domain-containing adaptor protein inducing IFN-beta (TRIF) is essential in coxsackievirus B3-indused myocarditis in mice," by A. Riad and colleagues is presented.

An abstract of the study "Toll-Like Receptor 4 Deficiency Reduces LV Remodelling and Mortality Rate After Myocardial Infarction in Mice," by A. Riad and colleagues is presented.