Production of type I IFN sensitizes macrophages to cell death induced by Listeria monocytogenes

S Stockinger, T Materna, D Stoiber, L Bayr… - The Journal of …, 2002 - journals.aai.org
S Stockinger, T Materna, D Stoiber, L Bayr, R Steinborn, T Kolbe, H Unger, T Chakraborty
The Journal of Immunology, 2002journals.aai.org
Abstract Type I IFNs (IFN-α/β) modulate innate immune responses. Here we show activation
of transcription factor IFN regulatory factor 3, the synthesis of large amounts of IFN-β mRNA,
and type I IFN signal transduction in macrophages infected with Listeria monocytogenes.
Expression of the bacterial virulence protein listeriolysin O was necessary, but not sufficient,
for efficient IFN-β production. Signaling through a pathway involving the type I IFN receptor
and Stat1 sensitized macrophages to L. monocytogenes-induced cell death in a manner not …
Abstract
Type I IFNs (IFN-α/β) modulate innate immune responses. Here we show activation of transcription factor IFN regulatory factor 3, the synthesis of large amounts of IFN-β mRNA, and type I IFN signal transduction in macrophages infected with Listeria monocytogenes. Expression of the bacterial virulence protein listeriolysin O was necessary, but not sufficient, for efficient IFN-β production. Signaling through a pathway involving the type I IFN receptor and Stat1 sensitized macrophages to L. monocytogenes-induced cell death in a manner not requiring inducible NO synthase (nitric oxide synthase 2) or protein kinase R, potential effectors of type I IFN action during microbial infections. The data stress the importance of type I IFN for the course of infections with intracellular bacteria and suggest that factors other than listeriolysin O contribute to macrophage death during Listeria infection.
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