Vibrio vulnificus induces mTOR activation and inflammatory responses in macrophages

PLoS One. 2017 Jul 18;12(7):e0181454. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0181454. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Vibrio vulnificus (V. vulnificus), a Gram-negative marine bacterium, can cause life-threatening primary septicemia, especially in patients with liver diseases. How V. vulnificus affects the liver and how it acts on macrophages are not well understood. In this report, we demonstrated that V. vulnificus infection causes a strong inflammatory response, marked expansion of liver-resident macrophages, and liver damage in mice. We demonstrated further that V. vulnificus activates mTOR in macrophages and inhibition of mTOR differentially regulates V. vulnificus induced inflammatory responses, suggesting the possibility of targeting mTOR as a strategy to modulate V. vulnificus induced inflammatory responses.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Enzyme Activation
  • Inflammation / microbiology
  • Kupffer Cells / cytology
  • Liver / immunology
  • Macrophages / metabolism*
  • Macrophages / microbiology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • NF-kappa B / metabolism
  • Neutrophils / cytology
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Vibrio Infections / complications
  • Vibrio vulnificus / physiology*

Substances

  • NF-kappa B
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases