Role of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor signaling in regulating neutrophil antifungal activity and the oxidative burst during respiratory fungal …

S Kasahara, A Jhingran, S Dhingra… - The Journal of …, 2016 - academic.oup.com
S Kasahara, A Jhingran, S Dhingra, A Salem, RA Cramer, TM Hohl
The Journal of infectious diseases, 2016academic.oup.com
Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that
plays a critical role in regulating myeloid cell host defense. In this study, we demonstrated
that GM-CSF signaling plays an essential role in antifungal defense against Aspergillus
fumigatus. Mice that lack the GM-CSF receptor β chain (GM-CSFRβ) developed invasive
hyphal growth and exhibited impaired survival after pulmonary challenge with A. fumigatus
conidia. GM-CSFRβ signaling regulated the recruitment of inflammatory monocytes to …
Abstract
Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays a critical role in regulating myeloid cell host defense. In this study, we demonstrated that GM-CSF signaling plays an essential role in antifungal defense against Aspergillus fumigatus. Mice that lack the GM-CSF receptor β chain (GM-CSFRβ) developed invasive hyphal growth and exhibited impaired survival after pulmonary challenge with A. fumigatus conidia. GM-CSFRβ signaling regulated the recruitment of inflammatory monocytes to infected lungs, but not the recruitment of effector neutrophils. Cell-intrinsic GM-CSFRβ signaling mediated neutrophil and inflammatory monocyte antifungal activity, because lung GM-CSFRβ−/− leukocytes exhibited impaired conidial killing compared with GM-CSFRβ+/+ counterparts in mixed bone marrow chimeric mice. GM-CSFRβ−/− neutrophils exhibited reduced (hydrogenated) nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity in vivo. Conversely, administration of recombinant GM-CSF enhanced neutrophil NADPH oxidase function, conidiacidal activity, and lung fungal clearance in A. fumigatus–challenged mice. Thus, our study illustrates the functional role of GM-CSFRβ signaling on lung myeloid cell responses against inhaled A. fumigatus conidia and demonstrates a benefit for systemic GM-CSF administration.
Oxford University Press