Successful immunotherapy of cancer is becoming a reality aided by the realization that macrophages play an important role in the growth or regression of tumors. Specifically, M2/repair-type macrophages predominate in human cancers and produce growth-promoting molecules that actively stimulate tumor growth in much the same way they help wounds heal. However, modulating M2/repair-type macrophages to M1/kill-type can slow or stop cancer growth. The effects involve direct activity of M1 kill-type as well as the ability of M1-type macrophages to stimulate Th1-type cytotoxic T cells and other effector cells. Macrophage responses can also predict cancer susceptibility; individuals with a high M1/kill to M2/repair ratio are less prone. That macrophages/innate immunity can be modulated to play a central role in directly or indirectly combating cancer is a breakthrough that seems likely to finally make successful immunotherapy of cancer a reality. Cancer Res; 76(3); 513–6. ©2016 AACR.

Cyclic-di-GMP and cyclic-di-AMP are second messengers produced by bacteria and influence bacterial cell survival, differentiation, colonization, biofilm formation, virulence, and bacteria–host interactions. In this study, we show that in both RAW264.7 macrophage cells and primary bone marrow-derived macrophages, the production of IFN-β and IL-6, but not TNF, in response to cyclic-di-AMP and cyclic-di-GMP requires MPYS (also known as STING, MITA, and TMEM173). Furthermore, expression of MPYS was required for IFN response factor 3 but not NF-κB activation in response to these bacterial metabolites. We also confirm that MPYS is required for type I IFN production by cultured macrophages infected with the intracellular pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Francisella tularensis. However, during systemic infection with either pathogen, MPYS deficiency did not impact bacterial burdens in infected spleens. Serum IFN-β and IL-6 concentrations in the infected control and MPYS^−/− mice were also similar at 24 h postinfection, suggesting that these pathogens stimulate MPYS-independent cytokine production during in vivo infection. Our findings indicate that bifurcating MPYS-dependent and -independent pathways mediate sensing of cytosolic bacterial infections.

Maternal obesity is associated with increased risk for offspring obesity and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the causal drivers of this association are unclear. Early colonization of the infant gut by microbes plays a critical role in establishing immunity and metabolic function. Here, we compare germ-free mice colonized with stool microbes (MB) from 2-week-old infants born to obese (Inf-ObMB) or normal-weight (Inf-NWMB) mothers. Inf-ObMB-colonized mice demonstrate increased hepatic gene expression for endoplasmic reticulum stress and innate immunity together with histological signs of periportal inflammation, a histological pattern more commonly reported in pediatric cases of NAFLD. Inf-ObMB mice show increased intestinal permeability, reduced macrophage phagocytosis, and dampened cytokine production suggestive of impaired macrophage function. Furthermore, exposure to a Western-style diet in Inf-ObMB mice promotes excess weight gain and accelerates NAFLD. Overall, these results provide functional evidence supporting a causative role of maternal obesity-associated infant dysbiosis in childhood obesity and NAFLD.

Production of type I interferon (IFN; IFN-αβ) increases host susceptibility to Listeria monocytogenes, whereas type II IFN (IFN-γ) activates macrophages to resist infection. We show that these opposing immunological effects of IFN-αβ and IFN-γ occur because of cross talk between the respective signaling pathways. We found that cultured macrophages infected with L. monocytogenes were refractory to IFN-γ treatment as a result of down-regulation of the IFN-γ receptor (IFNGR). The soluble factor responsible for these effects was identified as host IFN-αβ. Accordingly, macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) showed reduced IFNGR1 expression and reduced responsiveness to IFN-γ during systemic infection of IFN-αβ–responsive mice. Furthermore, the increased resistance of mice lacking the IFN-αβ receptor (IFNAR−/−) to L. monocytogenes correlated with increased expression of IFN-γ–dependent activation markers by macrophages and DCs and was reversed by depletion of IFN-γ. Thus, IFN-αβ produced in response to bacterial infection and other stimuli antagonizes the host response to IFN-γ by down-regulating the IFNGR. Such cross talk permits prioritization of IFN-αβ–type immune responses and may contribute to the beneficial effects of IFN-β in treatment of inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is inherent to immune responses. ROS are crucially involved in host defense against pathogens by promoting bacterial killing, but also as signaling agents coordinating the production of cytokines. Transient Receptor Potential Melastatin 2 (TRPM2) is a Ca²⁺-permeable channel gated via binding of ADP-ribose, a metabolite formed under conditions of cellular exposure to ROS. Here, we show that TRPM2-deficient mice are extremely susceptible to infection withListeria monocytogenes (Lm), exhibiting an inefficient innate immune response. In a comparison with IFNγR-deficient mice, TRPM2^−/−mice shared similar features of uncontrolled bacterial replication and reduced levels of inducible (i)NOS-expressing monocytes, but had intact IFNγ responsiveness. In contrast, we found that levels of cytokines IL-12 and IFNγ were diminished in TRPM2^−/−mice followingLminfection, which correlated with their reduced innate activation. Moreover, TRPM2^−/−mice displayed a higher degree of susceptibility than IL-12–unresponsive mice, and supplementation with recombinant IFNγ was sufficient to reverse the unrestrained bacterial growth and ultimately the lethal phenotype ofLm-infected TRPM2^−/−mice. The severity of listeriosis we observed in TRPM2^−/−mice has not been reported for any other ion channel. These findings establish an unsuspected role for ADP-ribose and ROS-mediated cation flux for innate immunity, opening up unique possibilities for immunomodulatory intervention through TRPM2.