Biology subjects

Gossner, A.

Publications and source records attributed to Gossner, A..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Cell-based screen identifies human type I interferon-stimulated regulators of Toxoplasma gondii Infection

Macrophages activated with interferons (IFNs) respond with transcriptional changes that enhance clearance of intracellular pathogens such as Toxoplasma, a ubiquitous apicomplexan parasite that infects more than a billion people worldwide. Although IFNs generally inhibit Toxoplasma, the parasite can also induce components of the host IFN signalling pathway to enhance survival in host cells. Compared to the type II IFN gamma (IFN{gamma}), the role of type I IFNs in macrophage response to Toxoplasma is relatively not well characterized. Here, using fluorescent Toxoplasma and a CRISPR/Cas9 knockout library that only targets interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), we adapted a loss-of-function flow cytometry-based approach to systematically identify type I ISGs that control Toxoplasma growth in THP-1 cells, a human macrophage cell line. The system enabled the rapid screening of more than 1900 ISGs for type I (IFN)-induced inhibitors and enhancers of Toxoplasma growth in THP-1 cells. We identified 26 genes that are associated with Toxoplasma growth arrest out of which we confirmed MAX, SNX5, F2RL2, and SSB, as potent IFN-induced inhibitors of Toxoplasma in THP1 cells. These findings provide a genetic and experimental roadmap to elucidate type I IFN-induced cell-autonomous responses to Toxoplasma.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

Stem cell-derived macrophages as a new platform for studying host-pathogen interactions in livestock

Infectious diseases of farmed and wild animals pose a recurrent threat to food security and human health. The macrophage, a key component of the innate immune system, is the first line of defence against many infectious agents and plays a major role in shaping the adaptive immune response. However, this phagocyte is a target and host for many pathogens. Understanding the molecular basis of interactions between macrophages and pathogens is therefore crucial for the development of effective strategies to combat important infectious diseases. We explored how pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can provide a limitless in vitro supply of genetically and experimentally tractable macrophages from livestock. Porcine and bovine PSC-derived macrophages (PSCdMs) exhibited molecular and functional characteristics of ex vivo primary macrophages. Pig PSCdMs were productively infected by Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) and African Swine Fever Virus (ASFV), two of the most economically important and devastating viruses in pig farming. Moreover, Pig PSCdMs were readily amenable to genetic modification by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing applied in parental stem cells, or directly by lentiviral vector transduction. PSCs and differentiated derivatives therefore provide a useful and ethical experimental platform to investigate the genetic and molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions in livestock.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2019

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals CD16- monocytes as key regulators of human monocyte transcriptional response to Toxoplasma

Monocytes are among the major myeloid cells that respond to Toxoplasma, a ubiquitous foodborne that infects [≥]1 billion people worldwide, in human peripheral blood. As such, a molecular understanding of human monocyte-Toxoplasma interactions can expedite the development of novel human toxoplasmosis control strategies. Current molecular studies on monocyte-Toxoplasma interactions are based on average cell or parasite responses across bulk cell populations. Although informative, population-level averages of monocyte responses to Toxoplasma have sometimes produced contradictory results, such as whether CCL2 or IL12 define effective monocyte response to the parasite. Here, we used single-cell dual RNA sequencing (scDual-Seq) to comprehensively define, for the first time, the monocyte and parasite transcriptional responses that underpin human monocyte-Toxoplasma encounters at the single cell level. We report extreme transcriptional variability between individual monocytes. Furthermore, we report that Toxoplasma-exposed and unexposed monocytes are transcriptionally distinguished by a reactive subset of CD14++CD16- monocytes. Functional cytokine assays on sorted monocyte populations show that the infection-distinguishing monocytes secrete high levels of chemokines, such as CCL2 and CXCL5. These findings uncover the Toxoplasma-induced monocyte transcriptional heterogeneity and shed new light on the cell populations that largely define cytokine and chemokine secretion in human monocytes exposed to Toxoplasma.

genomics↗