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Clinical Trial
. 2019 Jan;143(1):114-125.e4.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2018.04.003. Epub 2018 Apr 24.

Bronchial mucosal IFN-α/β and pattern recognition receptor expression in patients with experimental rhinovirus-induced asthma exacerbations

Jie Zhu  1 , Simon D Message  2 , Patrick Mallia  2 , Tatiana Kebadze  1 , Marco Contoli  3 , Christine K Ward  4 , Elliot S Barnathan  4 , Mary Ann Mascelli  4 , Onn M Kon  5 , Alberto Papi  6 , Luminita A Stanciu  1 , Michael R Edwards  1 , Peter K Jeffery  1 , Sebastian L Johnston  7
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Bronchial mucosal IFN-α/β and pattern recognition receptor expression in patients with experimental rhinovirus-induced asthma exacerbations

Jie Zhu et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

Background: The innate immune system senses viral infection through pattern recognition receptors (PRRs), leading to type I interferon production. The role of type I interferon and PPRs in rhinovirus-induced asthma exacerbations in vivo are uncertain.

Objectives: We sought to compare bronchial mucosal type I interferon and PRR expression at baseline and after rhinovirus infection in atopic asthmatic patients and control subjects.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to detect expression of IFN-α, IFN-β, and the PRRs: Toll-like receptor 3, melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5, and retinoic acid-inducible protein I in bronchial biopsy specimens from 10 atopic asthmatic patients and 15 nonasthmatic nonatopic control subjects at baseline and on day 4 and 6 weeks after rhinovirus infection.

Results: We observed IFN-α/β deficiency in the bronchial epithelium at 3 time points in asthmatic patients in vivo. Lower epithelial IFN-α/β expression was related to greater viral load, worse airway symptoms, airway hyperresponsiveness, and reductions in lung function during rhinovirus infection. We found lower frequencies of bronchial subepithelial monocytes/macrophages expressing IFN-α/β in asthmatic patients during infection. Interferon deficiency at baseline was not accompanied by deficient PRR expression in asthmatic patients. Both epithelial and subepithelial PRR expression were induced during rhinovirus infection. Rhinovirus infection-increased numbers of subepithelial interferon/PRR-expressing inflammatory cells were related to greater viral load, airway hyperresponsiveness, and reductions in lung function.

Conclusions: Bronchial epithelial IFN-α/β expression and numbers of subepithelial IFN-α/β-expressing monocytes/macrophages during infection were both deficient in asthmatic patients. Lower epithelial IFN-α/β expression was associated with adverse clinical outcomes after rhinovirus infection in vivo. Increases in numbers of subepithelial cells expressing interferon/PRRs during infection were also related to greater viral load/illness severity.

Keywords: Asthma exacerbation; pattern recognition receptors; rhinovirus infection; type I interferon.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Bronchial epithelial IFN-α and IFN-β protein staining is deficient in asthmatic patients in vivo. Immunohistochemistry-stained cells are seen as yellow/brown positivity. A-D, A control subject at baseline shows weak (nongoblet) epithelial staining (arrowheads) for IFN-α (Fig 1, A) and IFN-β (Fig 1, B), and an asthmatic patient at baseline demonstrates faint staining (arrowheads) in some epithelial cells for IFN-α (Fig 1, C) and IFN-β (Fig 1, D). E, Negative control (normal sheep IgG as primary antibody) shows an absence of signal (internal scale bar = 20 μm for all). F and G, Dot graphs show scores of epithelial staining intensity for IFN-α (Fig 1, F) and IFN-β (Fig 1, G) in bronchial biopsy specimens of control subjects and asthmatic patients at baseline and day 4 and week 6 after infection. Triangles show individual scores, and horizontal bars show median values (Wilcoxon matched-pairs test and Mann-Whitney U test).
Fig 2
Fig 2
Weaker epithelial IFN-α or IFN-β staining at day 4 after infection is associated with greater viral load and clinical illness severity during rhinovirus infection and with greater baseline serum IgE levels. In all subjects taken together, correlations between nasal viral load and scores of epithelial IFN-α positivity at day 4 (A); between total cold (B and C) and total chest (D and E) symptom scores (summed daily scores on days 0-14) after the RV16 infection period and scores of epithelial IFN-α and IFN-β at day 4, respectively; between PC10 histamine at day 6 and scores of epithelial IFN-α (F) and IFN-β (G) at day 4, IFN-β at baseline (H) and IFN-β at week 6 (I), respectively; between maximum decrease in PEF (as a percentage) on days 0 to 14 after infection and epithelial IFN-β at day 4 (J); between maximum decrease in FEV1 (as a percentage) and scores of epithelial IFN-α (K) and IFN-β (L) positivity at day 4, respectively; between baseline serum IgE and scores of epithelial IFN-α (M) and IFN-β (N) positivity at day 4, respectively, are shown. Solid circles, Asthmatic patients; open circles, control subjects. Spearman rank correlation was used.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Weaker epithelial IFN-α or IFN-β staining at day 4 after infection is associated with greater viral load and clinical illness severity during rhinovirus infection and with greater baseline serum IgE levels. In all subjects taken together, correlations between nasal viral load and scores of epithelial IFN-α positivity at day 4 (A); between total cold (B and C) and total chest (D and E) symptom scores (summed daily scores on days 0-14) after the RV16 infection period and scores of epithelial IFN-α and IFN-β at day 4, respectively; between PC10 histamine at day 6 and scores of epithelial IFN-α (F) and IFN-β (G) at day 4, IFN-β at baseline (H) and IFN-β at week 6 (I), respectively; between maximum decrease in PEF (as a percentage) on days 0 to 14 after infection and epithelial IFN-β at day 4 (J); between maximum decrease in FEV1 (as a percentage) and scores of epithelial IFN-α (K) and IFN-β (L) positivity at day 4, respectively; between baseline serum IgE and scores of epithelial IFN-α (M) and IFN-β (N) positivity at day 4, respectively, are shown. Solid circles, Asthmatic patients; open circles, control subjects. Spearman rank correlation was used.
Fig 3
Fig 3
Bronchial epithelial TLR3, MDA5, and RIG-I protein staining is not deficient in asthmatic patients and is increased by rhinovirus infection in vivo. Immunohistochemistry-stained cells are seen as yellow/brown positivity. A-F, An asthmatic patient shows weak epithelial staining (arrowheads) and a few subepithelial positive cells (arrowheads) at baseline for TLR3 (Fig 3, A), MDA5 (Fig 3, B), and RIG-I (Fig 3, C) and increased epithelial staining intensity and numbers of subepithelial positive cells at day 4 after infection for TLR3 (Fig 3, D), MDA5 (Fig 3, E), and RIG-I (Fig 3, F; internal scale bar = 20 μm for all). G-I, Dot graphs show scores of epithelial staining intensity for TLR3 (Fig 3, G), MDA5 (Fig 3, H), and RIG-I (Fig 3, I) in bronchial biopsy specimens of control subjects and asthmatic patients at baseline and day 4 and week 6 after infection. Triangles show individual scores, and horizontal bars show median values (Wilcoxon matched-pairs test and Mann-Whitney U test).
Fig 3
Fig 3
Bronchial epithelial TLR3, MDA5, and RIG-I protein staining is not deficient in asthmatic patients and is increased by rhinovirus infection in vivo. Immunohistochemistry-stained cells are seen as yellow/brown positivity. A-F, An asthmatic patient shows weak epithelial staining (arrowheads) and a few subepithelial positive cells (arrowheads) at baseline for TLR3 (Fig 3, A), MDA5 (Fig 3, B), and RIG-I (Fig 3, C) and increased epithelial staining intensity and numbers of subepithelial positive cells at day 4 after infection for TLR3 (Fig 3, D), MDA5 (Fig 3, E), and RIG-I (Fig 3, F; internal scale bar = 20 μm for all). G-I, Dot graphs show scores of epithelial staining intensity for TLR3 (Fig 3, G), MDA5 (Fig 3, H), and RIG-I (Fig 3, I) in bronchial biopsy specimens of control subjects and asthmatic patients at baseline and day 4 and week 6 after infection. Triangles show individual scores, and horizontal bars show median values (Wilcoxon matched-pairs test and Mann-Whitney U test).
Fig 4
Fig 4
Numbers of subepithelial TLR3, MDA5, and RIG-I protein–expressing inflammatory cells in asthmatic patients are induced in response to rhinovirus infection in vivo. Counts for subepithelial IFN-α+(A), IFN-β+(B), TLR3+(C), MDA5+(D), and RIG-I+(E) cells in bronchial biopsy specimens of control subjects and asthmatic patients at baseline and day 4 and week 6 after infection are shown. Data are expressed as numbers of positive cells per square millimeter of subepithelium. Triangles show individual counts, and horizontal bars show median values (Wilcoxon matched-pairs test and Mann-Whitney U test).
Fig 5
Fig 5
Subepithelial IFN-α and PRR responses at day 4 after infection are associated with greater viral load and AHR and reductions in lung function during infection. Relations between numbers of subepithelial IFN-α+(A) and RIG-I+(B) cells at day 4 after infection and BAL fluid viral load, between PC10 histamine at day 6 and counts of subepithelial TLR3+ cells at day 4 (C), and between maximum decrease in FEV1 (as a percentage) on days 0 to 14 after infection and counts of subepithelial TLR3+(D) and RIG-I+(E) cells at day 4 are shown. Solid circles, Asthmatic patients; open circles, control subjects. Spearman rank correlation was used.
Fig 6
Fig 6
Numbers of subepithelial type I interferon–producing monocytes/macrophages, but not neutrophils, are deficient during rhinovirus infection in asthmatic patients. Results of double-immunofluorescence staining to demonstrate colocalization of neutrophils and CD68+ monocytes/macrophages (green) with IFN-α and IFN-β (red) in a bronchial biopsy specimen from an asthmatic patient at day 4 after infection are shown. Elastase-positive neutrophils (A and D) and CD68+ monocytes/macrophages (G and J) are shown by using fluorescein isothiocyanate green fluorescence, and IFN-α (B and H) and IFN-β (E and K) immunopositivity are shown by using Texas Red fluorescence. Coexpression is seen as yellow fluorescence in each case in neutrophils/IFN-α (C) and neutrophils/IFN-β (F). However, there are faint or no yellow fluorescence double-labeled cells for CD68/IFN-α (I) and CD68/IFN-β (L). Internal scale bars = 10 μm for all. Nuclei are counterstained blue with 4′-6-diamidino-2-pheynlindole dihydrochloride. Counting data of double-immunofluorescence staining are shown in graphs of percentages of neutrophils (M) and CD68+ monocytes/macrophages coexpressing (N) IFN-α and IFN-β. Triangles show individual percentages, and horizontal bars show median values (Mann-Whitney U test).
Fig 6
Fig 6
Numbers of subepithelial type I interferon–producing monocytes/macrophages, but not neutrophils, are deficient during rhinovirus infection in asthmatic patients. Results of double-immunofluorescence staining to demonstrate colocalization of neutrophils and CD68+ monocytes/macrophages (green) with IFN-α and IFN-β (red) in a bronchial biopsy specimen from an asthmatic patient at day 4 after infection are shown. Elastase-positive neutrophils (A and D) and CD68+ monocytes/macrophages (G and J) are shown by using fluorescein isothiocyanate green fluorescence, and IFN-α (B and H) and IFN-β (E and K) immunopositivity are shown by using Texas Red fluorescence. Coexpression is seen as yellow fluorescence in each case in neutrophils/IFN-α (C) and neutrophils/IFN-β (F). However, there are faint or no yellow fluorescence double-labeled cells for CD68/IFN-α (I) and CD68/IFN-β (L). Internal scale bars = 10 μm for all. Nuclei are counterstained blue with 4′-6-diamidino-2-pheynlindole dihydrochloride. Counting data of double-immunofluorescence staining are shown in graphs of percentages of neutrophils (M) and CD68+ monocytes/macrophages coexpressing (N) IFN-α and IFN-β. Triangles show individual percentages, and horizontal bars show median values (Mann-Whitney U test).
Fig E1
Fig E1
In asthmatic patients only, there is a trend toward correlations between sputum viral load and scores of epithelial IFN-α positivity at day 4 (A) and between total cold (B) and total chest (C) symptom scores (summed daily scores on days 0-14) after the RV16 infection period and scores of epithelial IFN-β at day 4, respectively (Spearman rank correlation).
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