The Regulation of the CNS Innate Immune Response Is Vital for the Restoration of Tissue Homeostasis (Repair) after Acute Brain Injury: A Brief Review

Neurons and glia respond to acute injury by participating in the CNS innate immune response. This involves the recognition and clearance of “not self ” pathogens and “altered self ” apoptotic cells. Phagocytic receptors (CD14, CD36, TLR–4) clear “not self” pathogens; neurons and glia express “death signals” to initiate apoptosis in T cells.The complement opsonins C1q, C3, and iC3b facilitate the clearance of apoptotic cells by interacting with CR3 and CR4 receptors. Apoptotic cells are also cleared by the scavenger receptors CD14, Prs-R, TREM expressed by glia. Serpins also expressed by glia counter the neurotoxic effects of thrombin and other systemic proteins that gain entry to the CNS following injury. Complement pathway and T cell activation are both regulated by complement regulatory proteins expressed by glia and neurons. CD200 and CD47 are NIRegs expressed by neurons as “don't eat me” signals and they inhibit microglial activity preventing host cell attack. Neural stem cells regulate T cell activation, increase the Treg population, and suppress proinflammatory cytokine expression. Stem cells also interact with the chemoattractants C3a, C5a, SDF-1, and thrombin to promote stem cell migration into damaged tissue to support tissue homeostasis

Is there a link between genetic defects in the complement cascade and Porphyromonas gingivalis in Alzheimer’s disease?

Defects, as determined by Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS), in the complement cascade of innate immunity have been suggested to play a key role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These defective genes encode complement sub-component 1s (C1s), complement receptor 1, complement component 9, and clusterin, a fluid-phase regulatory protein. A dysregulated complement cascade has been shown to relate to cell activation, defective complement mediated clearance and possible cognitive decline in AD patients. Porphyromonas gingivalis, a putative keystone pathogen of periodontal disease, has been reported to be associated with human AD. The inflammatory burden following an experimental oral infection in mice and putative entry of this bacterium into the brain appears to drive the formation of amyloid-beta plaques and neurofibrillary tangles with loss of cognition. P. gingivalis is a master of immune subversion in this inflammatory cascade and may establish microbial dysbiosis where it is located. Here we discuss if P. gingivalis may enhance the detrimental effects of the defective GWAS complement cascade protein genes thereby contributing to formation of hallmark lesions of AD and excessive chronic inflammation

Hepatitis C virus infection upregulates CD55 expression on the hepatocyte surface and promotes association with virus particles

CD55 limits excessive complement activation on the host cell surface by accelerating the decay of C3 convertases. In this study, we observed that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection of hepatocytes or HCV core protein expression in transfected hepatocytes upregulated CD55 expression at the mRNA and protein levels. Further analysis suggested that the HCV core protein or full-length (FL) genome enhanced CD55 promoter activity in a luciferase-based assay, which was further augmented in the presence of interleukin-6. Mutation of the CREB or SP-1 binding site on the CD55 promoter impaired HCV core protein-mediated upregulation of CD55. HCV-infected or core protein-transfected Huh7.5 cells displayed greater viability in the presence of CD81 and CD55 antibodies and complement. Biochemical analysis revealed that CD55 was associated with cell culture-grown HCV after purification by sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation. Consistent with this, a polyclonal antibody to CD55 captured cell culture-grown HCV. Blocking antibodies against CD55 or virus envelope glycoproteins in the presence of normal human serum as a source of complement inhibited HCV infection. The inhibition was enhanced in the presence of both the antibodies and serum complement. Collectively, these results suggest that HCV induces and associates with a negative regulator of the complement pathway, a likely mechanism for immune evasion

Synthesis and propagation of complement C3 by microglia/monocytes in the aging retina

INTRODUCTION Complement activation is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which may be mediated in part by para-inflammatory processes. We aimed to investigate the expression and localization of C3, a crucial component of the complement system, in the retina during the course of aging. METHODS SD rats were born and reared in low-light conditions, and euthanized at post-natal (P) days 100, 450, or 750. Expression of C3, IBA1, and Ccl- and Cxcl- chemokines was assessed by qPCR, and in situ hybridization. Thickness of the ONL was assessed in retinal sections as a measure of photoreceptor loss, and counts were made of C3-expressing monocytes. RESULTS C3 expression increased significantly at P750, and correlated with thinning of the ONL, at P750, and up-regulation of GFAP. In situ hybridization showed that C3 was expressed by microglia/monocytes, mainly from within the retinal vasculature, and occasionally the ONL. The number of C3-expressing microglia increased significantly by P750, and coincided spatiotemporally with thinning of the ONL, and up-regulation of Ccl- and Cxcl- chemokines. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that recruited microglia/monocytes contribute to activation of complement in the aging retina, through local expression of C3 mRNA. C3 expression coincides with age-related thinning of the ONL at P750, although it is unclear whether the C3-expressing monocytes are a cause or consequence. These findings provide evidence of activation of complement during natural aging, and may have relevance to cellular events underling the pathogenesis of age-related retinal diseases.Funding provided by Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence Program Grant (CE0561903)

Complement is activated in progressive multiple sclerosis cortical grey matter lesions

The symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) are caused by damage to myelin and nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Inflammation is tightly linked with neurodegeneration, and it is the accumulation of neurodegeneration that underlies increasing neurological disability in progressive MS. Determining pathological mechanisms at play in MS grey matter is therefore a key to our understanding of disease progression

Complement component 3 (C3) expression in the hippocampus after excitotoxic injury: role of C/EBPβ

[Background] The CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β (C/EBPβ) is a transcription factor implicated in the control of proliferation, differentiation, and inflammatory processes mainly in adipose tissue and liver; although more recent results have revealed an important role for this transcription factor in the brain. Previous studies from our laboratory indicated that CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β is implicated in inflammatory process and brain injury, since mice lacking this gene were less susceptible to kainic acid-induced injury. More recently, we have shown that the complement component 3 gene (C3) is a downstream target of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β and it could be a mediator of the proinflammatory effects of this transcription factor in neural cells.[Methods] Adult male Wistar rats (8–12 weeks old) were used throughout the study. C/EBPβ+/+ and C/EBPβ–/– mice were generated from heterozygous breeding pairs. Animals were injected or not with kainic acid, brains removed, and brain slices containing the hippocampus analyzed for the expression of both CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β and C3.[Results] In the present work, we have further extended these studies and show that CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β and C3 co-express in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus after an excitotoxic injury. Studies using CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β knockout mice demonstrate a marked reduction in C3 expression after kainic acid injection in these animals, suggesting that indeed this protein is regulated by C/EBPβ in the hippocampus in vivo.[Conclusions] Altogether these results suggest that CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein β could regulate brain disorders, in which excitotoxic and inflammatory processes are involved, at least in part through the direct regulation of C3.This work was supported by MINECO, Grant SAF2014-52940-R and partially financed with FEDER funds. CIBERNED is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. JAM-G was supported by CIBERNED. We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).Peer reviewe

Complement system activation contributes to the ependymal damage induced by microbial neuraminidase

Background In the rat brain, a single intracerebroventricular injection of neuraminidase from Clostridium perfringens induces ependymal detachment and death. This injury occurs before the infiltration of inflammatory blood cells; some reports implicate the complement system as a cause of these injuries. Here, we set out to test the role of complement. Methods The assembly of the complement membrane attack complex on the ependymal epithelium of rats injected with neuraminidase was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Complement activation, triggered by neuraminidase, and the participation of different activation pathways were analyzed by Western blot. In vitro studies used primary cultures of ependymal cells and explants of the septal ventricular wall. In these models, ependymal cells were exposed to neuraminidase in the presence or absence of complement, and their viability was assessed by observing beating of cilia or by trypan blue staining. The role of complement in ependymal damage induced by neuraminidase was analyzed in vivo in two rat models of complement blockade: systemic inhibition of C5 by using a function blocking antibody and testing in C6-deficient rats. Results The complement membrane attack complex immunolocalized on the ependymal surface in rats injected intracerebroventricularly with neuraminidase. C3 activation fragments were found in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of rats treated with neuraminidase, suggesting that neuraminidase itself activates complement. In ventricular wall explants and isolated ependymal cells, treatment with neuraminidase alone induced ependymal cell death; however, the addition of complement caused increased cell death and disorganization of the ependymal epithelium. In rats treated with anti-C5 and in C6-deficient rats, intracerebroventricular injection of neuraminidase provoked reduced ependymal alterations compared to non-treated or control rats. Immunohistochemistry confirmed the absence of membrane attack complex on the ependymal surfaces of neuraminidase-exposed rats treated with anti-C5 or deficient in C6. Conclusions These results demonstrate that the complement system contributes to ependymal damage and death caused by neuraminidase. However, neuraminidase alone can induce moderate ependymal damage without the aid of complement

Expression of innate immune complement regulators on brain epithelial cells during human bacterial meningitis

BACKGROUND: In meningitis, the cerebrospinal fluid contains high levels of innate immune molecules (e.g. complement) which are essential to ward off the infectious challenge and to promote the infiltration of phagocytes (neutrophils, monocytes). However, epithelial cells of either the ependymal layer, one of the established niche for adult neural stem cells, or of the choroid plexus may be extremely vulnerable to bystander attack by cytotoxic and cytolytic complement components. METHODS: In this study, we assessed the capacity of brain epithelial cells to express membrane-bound complement regulators (ie, CD35, CD46, CD55 and CD59) in vitro and in situ by immunostaining of control and meningitis human brain tissue sections. RESULTS: Double immunofluorescence experiments for ependymal cell markers (GFAP, S100, ZO-1, E-cadherin) and complement regulators indicated that the human ependymal cell line model was strongly positive for CD55, CD59 compared to weak stainings for CD46 and CD35. In tissues, we found that CD55 was weakly expressed in control choroid plexus and ependyma but was abundantly expressed in meningitis. Anti-CD59 stained both epithelia in apical location while increased CD59 staining was solely demonstrated in inflamed choroid plexus. CD46 and CD35 were not detected in control tissue sections. Conversely, in meningitis, the ependyma, subependyma and choroid plexus epithelia were strongly stained for CD46 and CD35. CONCLUSION: This study delineates for the first time the capacity of brain ependymal and epithelial cells to respond to and possibly sustain the innate complement-mediated inflammatory insult