The Microbiome Modifies Manifestations of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in Perforin-Deficient Mice

Mann J, Runge S, Schell C, Gräwe K, Thoulass G, Lao J, Ammann S, Grün S, König C, Berger SA, Hild B, Aichele P, Rosshart SP, Ehl S (2024)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

DOI: 10.1002/eji.202451061

Abstract

Primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a life-threatening hyperinflammatory syndrome caused by inborn errors of cytotoxicity. Patients with biallelic PRF1 null mutations (encoding perforin) usually develop excessive immune cell activation, hypercytokinemia, and life-threatening immunopathology in the first 6 months of life, often without an apparent infectious trigger. In contrast, perforin-deficient (PKO) mice only develop HLH after systemic infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). We hypothesized that restricted microbe–immune cell interactions due to specific pathogen-free (SPF) housing might explain the need for this specific viral trigger in PKO mice. To investigate the influence of a “wild” microbiome in PKO mice, we fostered PKO newborns with Wildling microbiota (‘PKO-Wildlings’) and monitored them for signs of HLH. PKO-Wildlings survived long-term without spontaneous disease. Also, systemic infection with vaccinia virus did not reach the threshold of immune activation required to trigger HLH in PKO-Wildlings. Interestingly, after infection with LCMV, PKO-Wildlings developed an altered HLH pattern. This included lower IFN-γ serum levels along with improved IFN-γ-driven anemia, but more elevated levels of IL-17 and increased liver inflammation compared with PKO-SPF mice. Thus, wild microbiota alone is not sufficient to trigger HLH in PKO mice, but host–microbe interactions shape inflammatory cytokine patterns, thereby influencing manifestations of HLH immunopathology.

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How to cite

APA:

Mann, J., Runge, S., Schell, C., Gräwe, K., Thoulass, G., Lao, J.,... Ehl, S. (2024). The Microbiome Modifies Manifestations of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in Perforin-Deficient Mice. European Journal of Immunology. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.202451061

MLA:

Mann, Jasmin, et al. "The Microbiome Modifies Manifestations of Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in Perforin-Deficient Mice." European Journal of Immunology (2024).

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