bResistin-like molecules (RELMs) are highly expressed following helminth infection, where they impact both the host and helminth. While RELM␣ (Retnla) impairs helminth expulsion by inhibiting protective Th2 immunity, RELM (Retnlb) can promote its expulsion. We employed Retnla ؊/؊ and Retnlb ؊/؊ mice to delineate the function of both proteins following infection with Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, a hookworm that infects the lung and intestine. Whereas wild-type (WT) and Retnlb ؊/؊ mice exhibited equivalent infection-induced inflammation, Retnla ؊/؊ mice suffered a heightened inflammatory response, including increased mortality, weight loss, and lung inflammation. In the intestine, Retnla ؊/؊ mice had low parasite egg burdens compared to those of WT mice, while Retnlb ؊/؊ mice exhibited high egg burdens, suggesting that RELM␣ and RELM have functionally distinct effects on immunity and inflammation to N. brasiliensis. To test the importance of both proteins, we generated Retnla ؊/؊ Retnlb ؊/؊ mice. Infected Retnla ؊/؊ Retnlb ؊/؊ mice exhibited similar responses to Retnla ؊/؊ mice, including increased mortality and lung inflammation. This inflammatory response in Retnla ؊/؊ Retnlb ؊/؊ mice negatively impacted N. brasiliensis fitness, as demonstrated by significantly lower worm ATP levels and decreased intestinal worm burden and fecundity. Lung cytokine analysis revealed that Retnla ؊/؊ and Retnla ؊/؊ Retnlb ؊/؊ mice expressed significantly increased levels of interleukin-4 (IL-4). Finally, we generated Retnla ؊/؊ mice on the Rag ؊/؊ background and observed that the effects of RELM␣ were abrogated in the absence of adaptive immunity. Together, these data demonstrate that RELM␣ but not RELM significantly impacts the immune response to N. brasiliensis infection by downregulating the Th2 adaptive immune response in the lung, which protects the host but allows improved parasite fitness. Soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) afflict over 2 billion individuals worldwide and can cause anemia and debilitating symptoms in the lung and intestine (1). Host protection against STHs is dependent on the balance between effector immune responses that promote worm expulsion and immunoregulatory pathways that control excessive infection-induced inflammation (2). Resistin-like molecules (RELMs) are secreted proteins with putative effector and immunoregulatory functions against helminth infections (3, 4). In humans, significant increases in resistin expression occur in both filarial nematode and gastrointestinal nematode infections (5, 6). In mice, RELM␣ and RELM, which share sequence homology with human RELM, are induced in response to Schistosoma mansoni and the gastrointestinal helminths Trichuris muris, Heligmosomoides polygyrus, and Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (7-11).Despite sharing sequence identity and expression patterns, the putative functions of RELM␣ and RELM in helminth infection are different and involve both host-specific and parasite-specific effects. S. mansoni and N. brasiliensis infection led to increased RELM␣ expr...
Parasitic helminth infections can be associated with lifelong morbidity such as immune-mediated organ failure. A better understanding of the host immune response to helminths could provide new avenues to promote parasite clearance and/or alleviate infection-associated morbidity. Murine resistin-like molecules (RELM) exhibit pleiotropic functions following helminth infection including modulating the host immune response; however, the relevance of human RELM proteins in helminth infection is unknown. To examine the function of human resistin (hResistin), we utilized transgenic mice expressing the human resistin gene (hRetnTg+). Following infection with the helminth Nippostrongylus brasiliensis (Nb), hResistin expression was significantly upregulated in infected tissue. Compared to control hRetnTg− mice, hRetnTg+ mice suffered from exacerbated Nb-induced inflammation characterized by weight loss and increased infiltration of inflammatory monocytes in the lung, along with elevated Nb egg burdens and delayed parasite expulsion. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of the infected tissue revealed that hResistin promoted expression of proinflammatory cytokines and genes downstream of toll-like receptor signaling. Moreover, hResistin preferentially bound lung monocytes, and exogenous treatment of mice with recombinant hResistin promoted monocyte recruitment and proinflammatory cytokine expression. In human studies, increased serum resistin was associated with higher parasite load in individuals infected with soil-transmitted helminths or filarial nematode Wuchereria bancrofti, and was positively correlated with proinflammatory cytokines. Together, these studies identify human resistin as a detrimental factor induced by multiple helminth infections, where it promotes proinflammatory cytokines and impedes parasite clearance. Targeting the resistin/proinflammatory cytokine immune axis may provide new diagnostic or treatment strategies for helminth infection and associated immune-mediated pathology.
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