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Infection and Immunity, November 2006, p. 6467-6478, Vol. 74, No. 11
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00644-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Comparison of the Inflammatory Responses of Human Meningeal Cells following Challenge with Neisseria lactamica and with Neisseria meningitidis{triangledown}

Mark I. Fowler,1,{dagger} Kiave Y. Ho Wang Yin,2 Holly E. Humphries,1 John E. Heckels,1 and Myron Christodoulides1*

Molecular Microbiology Group, Division of Infection, Inflammation and Repair, Mailpoint 814, University of Southampton Medical School, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, United Kingdom,1 Institut National Agronomique Paris-Grignon, 16 rue Claude Bernard, 75231 Paris cedex 05, France2

Received 21 April 2006/ Returned for modification 9 June 2006/ Accepted 29 August 2006

The rationale for the present study was to determine how different species of bacteria interact with cells of the human meninges in order to gain information that would have broad relevance to understanding aspects of the innate immune response in the brain. Neisseria lactamica is an occasional cause of meningitis in humans, and in this study we investigated the in vitro interactions between N. lactamica and cells derived from the leptomeninges in comparison with the closely related organism Neisseria meningitidis, a major cause of meningitis worldwide. N. lactamica adhered specifically to meningioma cells, but the levels of adherence were generally lower than those with N. meningitidis. Meningioma cells challenged with N. lactamica and N. meningitidis secreted significant amounts of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6), the C-X-C chemokine IL-8, and the C-C chemokines monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) and RANTES, but it secreted very low levels of the cytokine growth factor granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). Thus, meningeal cells are involved in the innate host response to Neisseria species that are capable of entering the cerebrospinal fluid. The levels of IL-8 and MCP-1 secretion induced by both bacteria were essentially similar. By contrast, N. lactamica induced significantly lower levels of IL-6 than N. meningitidis. Challenge with the highest concentration of N. lactamica (108 CFU) induced a small but significant down-regulation of RANTES secretion, which was not observed with lower concentrations of bacteria. N. meningitidis (106 to 108 CFU) also down-regulated RANTES secretion, but this effect was significantly greater than that observed with N. lactamica. Although both bacteria were unable to invade meningeal cells directly, host cells remained viable on prolonged challenge with N. lactamica, whereas N. meningitidis induced death; the mechanism was overwhelming necrosis with no significant apoptosis. It is likely that differential expression of modulins between N. lactamica and N. meningitidis contributes to these observed differences in pathogenic potential.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Molecular Microbiology Group, Division of Infection, Inflammation and Repair, Mailpoint 814, University of Southampton Medical School, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD, United Kingdom. Phone: 44-2380-798-896. Fax: 44-2380-796-992. E-mail: mc4{at}soton.ac.uk.

{triangledown} Published ahead of print on 5 September 2006.

Editor: J. N. Weiser

{dagger} Present address: Life Science, Unilever R&D Colworth, Sharnbrook, Bedford MK44 1LQ, United Kingdom.

Infection and Immunity, November 2006, p. 6467-6478, Vol. 74, No. 11
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.00644-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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