2 Chronic Inflammatory Microenvironment in Epidermodysplasia Verruciformis Skin Lesions: Role of the Synergism Between HPV8 E2 and C/EBP beta to Induce Pro-Inflammatory S100A8/A9 Proteins
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
Authors: Podgorskal, Marta; Oldak, Monika; Marthaler, Anna; Fingerle, Mina; Walch-Rueckheimi, Barbara; Lohsei, Stefan; Mueller, Cornelia S. L.; Vogt, Thomas; Ustav, Mart; Wnorowski, Artur; Malejczyk, Magdalena; Majewski, Slawomir; Smolal, Sigrun
Abstract
Persistent genus beta-HPV (human papillomavirus) infection is a major co-factor for non-melanoma skin cancer in patients suffering from the inherited skin disease epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV). Malignant EV lesions are particularly associated with HPV type 5 or 8. There is clinical and molecular evidence that HPV8 actively suppresses epithelial immunosurveillance by interfering with the recruitment of Langerhans cells, which may favor viral persistence. Mechanisms how persistent HPV8 infection promotes the carcinogenic process are, however, less well understood. In various tumor types chronic inflammation has a central role in tumor progression. The calprotectin complex consisting of S100A8 and S100A9 proteins has recently been identified as key driver of chronic and tumor promoting inflammation in skin carcinogenesis. It induces chemotaxis of neutrophil granulocytes and modulates inflammatory as well as immune responses. In this study, we demonstrate that skin lesions of EV-patients are massively infiltrated by inflammatory cells, including CD15 C granulocytes. At the same time we observed a very strong expression of S100A8 and S100A9 proteins in lesional keratinocytes, which was mostly confined to the suprabasal layers of the epidermis. Both proteins were hardly detected in nonlesional skin. Further experiments revealed that the HPV8 oncoproteins E6 and E7 were not involved in S100A8/A9 up-regulation. They rather suppressed differentiationinduced S100A8/A9 expression. In contrast, the viral transcription factor E2 strongly enhanced PMA-mediated S100A8/A9 up-regulation in primary human keratinocytes. Similarly, a tremendous up-regulation of both S100 proteins was observed, when minute amounts of the PMA-inducible CCAAT/enhancer binding protein b (C/EBP b), which is expressed at low levels in the suprabasal layers of the epidermis, were co-expressed together with HPV8 E2. This confirmed our previous observation that C/EBP b interacts and functionally synergizes with the HPV8 E2 protein in differentiationdependent gene expression. Potent synergistic up-regulation of S100A8/A9 was seen at transcriptional and protein levels. S100A8/A9 containing supernatants from keratinocytes co-expressing HPV8 E2 and C/EBP b significantly induced chemotaxis of granulocytes in migration assays supporting the relevance of our finding. In conclusion, our data suggest that the HPV8 E2 protein actively contributes to the recruitment of myeloid cells into EV skin lesions, which may support chronic inflammation and progression to skin cancer.
S100A9-Driven Amyloid-Neuroinflammatory Cascade in Traumatic Brain Injury as a Precursor State for Alzheimer's Disease
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
Authors: Wang, Chao; Iashchishyn, Igor A.; Pansieri, Jonathan; Nystrom, Sofie; Klementieva, Oxana; Kara, John; Horvath, Istvan; Moskalenko, Roman; Rofougaran, Reza; Gouras, Gunnar; Kovacs, Gabor G.; Shankar, S. K.; Morozova-Roche, Ludmilla A.
Abstract
Pro-inflammatory and amyloidogenic S100A9 protein is an important contributor to Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is viewed as a precursor state for AD. Here we have shown that S100A9-driven amyloid-neuroinflammatory cascade was initiated in TBI and may serve as a mechanistic link between TBI and AD. By analyzing the TBI and AD human brain tissues, we demonstrated that in post-TBI tissues S100A9, produced by neurons and microglia, becomes drastically abundant compared to A beta and contributes to both precursor-plaque formation and intracellular amyloid oligomerization. Conditions implicated in TBI, such as elevated S100A9 concentration, acidification and fever, provide strong positive feedback for S100A9 nucleation-dependent amyloid formation and delay in its proteinase clearance. Consequently, both intracellular and extracellular S100A9 oligomerization correlated with TBI secondary neuronal loss. Common morphology of TBI and AD plaques indicated their similar initiation around multiple aggregation centers. Importantly, in AD and TBI we found S100A9 plaques without A beta. S100A9 and A beta plaque pathology was significantly advanced in AD cases with TBI history at earlier age, signifying TBI as a risk factor. These new findings highlight the detrimental consequences of prolonged post-TBI neuroinflammation, which can sustain S100A9-driven amyloid-neurodegenerative cascade as a specific mechanism leading to AD development.