This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Yang, J. Articles by Talkington, D. F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Yang, J. Articles by Talkington, D. F.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, February 2003, p. 614-620, Vol. 71, No. 2
0019-9567/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.71.2.614-620.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Induction of Proinflammatory Cytokines in Human Lung Epithelial Cells during Chlamydia pneumoniae Infection

Jun Yang,^1, W. Craig Hooper,² Donald J. Phillips,² Maria L. Tondella,¹ and Deborah F. Talkington^1*

Division of Bacterial and Mycotic Diseases,¹ Division of AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, and Tuberculosis Laboratory Research, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333²

Received 11 June 2002/ Returned for modification 15 August 2002/ Accepted 8 November 2002

Chlamydia pneumoniae is an obligate intracellular human pathogen that causes acute respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Previous studies have established that C. pneumoniae can induce cytokines in mouse and/or human cells, but little information is available on the cytokine response of respiratory epithelial cells, a first line of infection. In this study, heparin treatment of C. pneumoniae significantly reduced its ability to induce interleukin 8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-) mRNA in human lung carcinoma cells, indicating that cytadherence is an important early stimulus for induction of proinflammatory mediators. Although the IL-8, gamma interferon, and TNF- message was consistently induced by infection of A549 cells not treated with heparin, only an elevation of IL-8 protein was detected in A549 supernatants. A549 IL-ß and IL-6 mRNA and supernatant protein profiles were not significantly changed by infection. Heat or UV inactivation of C. pneumoniae only partially reduced the cytokine response, and inhibition of C. pneumoniae protein or DNA synthesis did not affect its ability to induce cytokine gene expression. To prevent stress-induced cytokine release by the A549 cells, centrifugation was not utilized for infection experiments. These experiments establish the importance of cytadherence in cytokine release by cells of respiratory epithelial origin and suggest that further work in the area of cytokine mediators is warranted to gain valuable pathogenic and therapeutic insights.

Editor: J. D. Clements

Present address: Department of Pathophysiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310031, China

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Rodriguez, N., Mages, J., Dietrich, H., Wantia, N., Wagner, H., Lang, R., Miethke, T. (2007). MyD88-dependent changes in the pulmonary transcriptome after infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae. Physiol. Genomics 30: 134-145 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Graham, R. M. A., Paton, J. C. (2006). Differential Role of CbpA and PspA in Modulation of In Vitro CXC Chemokine Responses of Respiratory Epithelial Cells to Infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae. Infect. Immun. 74: 6739-6749 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Johnston, S. L., Martin, R. J. (2005). Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae: A Role in Asthma Pathogenesis?. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. 172: 1078-1089 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Bassinet, L., Fitting, C., Housset, B., Cavaillon, J.-M., Guiso, N. (2004). Bordetella pertussis Adenylate Cyclase-Hemolysin Induces Interleukin-6 Secretion by Human Tracheal Epithelial Cells. Infect. Immun. 72: 5530-5533 [Abstract] [Full Text]