The Kallikrein-Kinin System: A Novel Mediator of IL-17-Driven Anti-Candida Immunity in the Kidney

PLoS Pathogens

Heather R. Conti¹  Chetan V. Jawale²  Sarah L. Gaffen²  Natasha Whibley²  Partha S. Biswas²  Kritika Ramani²  Abhishek V. Garg²  Edwin K. Jackson³  Jay K. Kolls⁴  William Horne⁴  Sruti S. Shiva⁵ 

[1] Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio, United States of America;Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America;Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America;Richard King Mellon Foundation Institute for Pediatric Research, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America;Vascular Medicine Institute, Dept. of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America

关键词: Kidneys;    C;    idiasis;    C;    ida albicans;    Mouse models;    Renal system;    Gene expression;    Inflammation;    Neutrophils;   

DOI  :  10.1371/journal.ppat.1005952

学科分类：生物科学（综合）

来源: Public Library of Science

【 摘 要 】

The incidence of life-threatening disseminated Candida albicans infections is increasing in hospitalized patients, with fatalities as high as 60%. Death from disseminated candidiasis in a significant percentage of cases is due to fungal invasion of the kidney, leading to renal failure. Treatment of candidiasis is hampered by drug toxicity, the emergence of antifungal drug resistance and lack of vaccines against fungal pathogens. IL-17 is a key mediator of defense against candidiasis. The underlying mechanisms of IL-17-mediated renal immunity have so far been assumed to occur solely through the regulation of antimicrobial mechanisms, particularly activation of neutrophils. Here, we identify an unexpected role for IL-17 in inducing the Kallikrein (Klk)-Kinin System (KKS) in C. albicans-infected kidney, and we show that the KKS provides significant renal protection in candidiasis. Microarray data indicated that Klk1 was upregulated in infected kidney in an IL-17-dependent manner. Overexpression of Klk1 or treatment with bradykinin rescued IL-17RA-/- mice from candidiasis. Therapeutic manipulation of IL-17-KKS pathways restored renal function and prolonged survival by preventing apoptosis of renal cells following C. albicans infection. Furthermore, combining a minimally effective dose of fluconazole with bradykinin markedly improved survival compared to either drug alone. These results indicate that IL-17 not only limits fungal growth in the kidney, but also prevents renal tissue damage and preserves kidney function during disseminated candidiasis through the KKS. Since drugs targeting the KKS are approved clinically, these findings offer potential avenues for the treatment of this fatal nosocomial infection.

【 授权许可】

CC BY