Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0023241 (Legionella)
 6,990 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

We have used the cryosection immunogold technique to study the composition of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis phagosome. We have used quantitative immunogold staining to determine the distribution of several known markers of the endosomal-lysosomal pathway in human monocytes after ingestion of either M. tuberculosis, Legionella pneumophila, or polystyrene beads. Compared with the other phagocytic particles studied, the M. tuberculosis phagosome exhibits delayed clearance of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, relatively intense staining for MHC class II molecules and the endosomal marker transferrin receptor, and relatively weak staining for the lysosomal membrane glycoproteins, CD63, LAMP-1, and LAMP-2 and the lysosomal acid protease, cathepsin D. In contrast to M. tuberculosis, the L. pneumophila phagosome rapidly clears MHC class I molecules and excludes all endosomal-lysosomal markers studied. In contrast to both live M. tuberculosis and L. pneumophila phagosomes, phagosomes containing either polystyrene beads or heat-killed M. tuberculosis stain intensely for lysosomal membrane glycoproteins and cathepsin D. These findings suggest that (a) M. tuberculosis retards the maturation of its phagosome along the endosomal-lysosomal pathway and resides in a compartment with endosomal, as opposed to lysosomal, characteristics; and (b) the intraphagosomal pathway, i.e., the pathway followed by several intracellular parasites that inhibit phagosome-lysosome fusion, is heterogeneous.
 ...
PMID:Characterization of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis phagosome and evidence that phagosomal maturation is inhibited. 780 6

Legionella pneumophila is a facultative intracellular pathogen that parasitizes host mononuclear phagocytes. Cell-mediated immunity is pivotal to host defense against L. pneumophila, and the infected host cell may play a central role in processing and presenting parasite antigens to lymphocytes mediating cell-mediated immune response. However, in the case of L. pneumophila and intracellular parasites in general, little is known about the intracellular trafficking of parasite antigens, the influence of parasite infection on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) expression, or the relationship of MHC molecules to sites of parasite replication. To learn more about this, we have used flow cytometry to study the expression of HLA-DR by monocytes infected with L. pneumophila and cryosection immunogold electron microscopy to study the distribution of MHC class I and II molecules on L. pneumophila phagosomes. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that L. pneumophila infection has little effect on the overall expression of HLA-DR by monocytes. Cryosection immunogold studies revealed abundant staining for MHC class I and II molecules on the plasma membrane of infected monocytes but little or no staining on the membranes of mature L. pneumophila phagosomes. Cryosection immunogold studies of an avirulent mutant of L. pneumophila that, unlike the wild type, does not inhibit phagosome-lysosome fusion and subsequently survives but does not multiply in a phagolysosome yielded similar results. We have previously found that MHC class I and II molecules are excluded from nascent phagosomes during coiling and conventional phagocytosis. The present work demonstrates that MHC molecules do not accumulate appreciably in the L. pneumophila phagosome as it matures and at a point in the life cycle of the organism in which it is replicating and producing immunoprotective T-cell antigens. This suggests that L. pneumophila does not reside in a typical endosomal compartment in the host cell and that L. pneumophila antigens may encounter MHC molecules at extraphagosomal sites within the host cell.
 ...
PMID:Hypoexpression of major histocompatibility complex molecules on Legionella pneumophila phagosomes and phagolysosomes. 851 82

Legionella (L.) pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires' disease, is an intracellular pathogen of alveolar macrophages that resides in a compartment displaying features of endoplasmatic reticulum (ER). In this study, we show that intracellular multiplication of L. pneumophila results in a remarkable decrease in MHC class I expression by the infected monocytes. During intracellular multiplication, L. pneumophila absorbs ER-resident chaperons such as calnexin and BiP, molecules that are required for the correct formation of the MHC class I complex. Due to reduced MHC class I expression, stimulation of allogeneic blood mononuclear cells was severely inhibited by infected host cells but cytotoxicity of autologous natural killer cells against Legionella-infected monocytes was not enhanced. Thus, reduced expression of MHC class I in infected monocytes may resemble a new immune escape mechanism induced by L. pneumophila.
 ...
PMID:Legionella pneumophila down-regulates MHC class I expression of human monocytic host cells and thereby inhibits T cell activation. 1574 62

Dendritic cells (DCs) have a critical role in linking innate to adaptive immunity, and this transition is regulated by the up-regulation of costimulatory and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules as well as Toll-like receptors. These changes in DCs have been observed to occur following microbial infection, and in the present study, we examined the effect of Legionella pneumophila infection on the expression of these DC markers. We showed that bone marrow-derived DC cultures from BALB/c mice infected with live L. pneumophila resulted in the up-regulation of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4 and the activation of CD40, CD86, and MHC class I/II molecules.
 ...
PMID:Legionella pneumophila infection up-regulates dendritic cell Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)/TLR4 expression and key maturation markers. 1737 56