Dectin immunoadhesins and pneumocystis pneumonia

Infect Immun. 2013 Sep;81(9):3451-62. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00136-13. Epub 2013 Jul 8.

Abstract

The opportunistic pathogen Pneumocystis jirovecii is a significant cause of disease in HIV-infected patients and others with immunosuppressive conditions. Pneumocystis can also cause complications in treatment following antiretroviral therapy or reversal of immunosuppressive therapy, as the newly reconstituted immune system can develop a pathological inflammatory response to remaining antigens or a previously undetected infection. To target β-(1,3)-glucan, a structural component of the Pneumocystis cell wall with immune-stimulating properties, we have developed immunoadhesins consisting of the carbohydrate binding domain of Dectin-1 fused to the Fc regions of the 4 subtypes of murine IgG (mIgG). These immunoadhesins bind β-glucan with high affinity, and precoating the surface of zymosan with Dectin-1:Fc can reduce cytokine production by macrophages in an in vitro stimulation assay. All Dectin-1:Fc variants showed specificity of binding to the asci of Pneumocystis murina, but effector activity of the fusion molecules varied depending on Fc subtype. Dectin-1:mIgG2a Fc was able to reduce the viability of P. murina in culture through a complement-dependent mechanism, whereas previous studies have shown the mIgG1 Fc fusion to increase macrophage-dependent killing. In an in vivo challenge model, systemic expression of Dectin-1:mIgG1 Fc significantly reduced ascus burden in the lung. When administered postinfection in a model of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), both Dectin-1:mIgG1 and Dectin-1:mIgG2a Fc reduced hypoxemia despite minimal effects on fungal burden in the lung. Taken together, these data indicate that molecules targeting β-glucan may provide a mechanism for treatment of fungal infection and for modulation of the inflammatory response to Pneumocystis and other pathogens.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / immunology*
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Cell Wall / immunology
  • Cytokines / immunology
  • Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome / immunology
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Inflammation / immunology
  • Lectins, C-Type / immunology*
  • Lung / immunology
  • Macrophages / immunology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Pneumonia, Pneumocystis / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Zymosan / immunology
  • beta-Glucans / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Cytokines
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Lectins, C-Type
  • beta-Glucans
  • dectin 1
  • Zymosan