January 2021
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24 Reads
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4 Citations
The majority of Gram-negative bacteria elicit a potent immune response via recognition of lipid A expressed on the outer bacterial membrane by the host immune receptor TLR4. However, some Gram-negative bacteria evade detection by TLR4 or alter the outcome of TLR4 signaling by modification of lipid A species. Although the role of lipid A modifications on host innate immunity has been examined in some detail, it is currently unclear how lipid A remodeling influences host adaptive immunity. One prototypic Gram-negative bacterium that modifies its lipid A structure is Porphyromonas gingivalis , an anaerobic pathobiont that colonizes the human periodontium and induces chronic low-grade inflammation that is associated with periodontal disease as well as a number of systemic inflammatory disorders. P. gingivalis produces de-phosphorylated and de-acylated lipid A structures displaying altered activities at TLR4. Here, we explored the functional role of P. gingivalis lipid A modifications on TLR4-dependent innate and adaptive immune responses in mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). We discovered that lipid A 4’-phosphate removal is required for P. gingivalis to evade BMDC-dependent pro-inflammatory cytokine responses, and markedly limits the bacterium’s capacity to induce IFNβ production. In addition, lipid A 4’-phosphatase activity prevents canonical bacterial-induced delay in antigen degradation, which leads to inefficient antigen cross-presentation and a failure to cross-prime CD8 T cells specific for a P. gingivalis -associated antigen. We propose that lipid A modifications produced by this bacterium alter host TLR4-dependent adaptive immunity to establish chronic infections associated with a number of systemic inflammatory disorders.