This work was supported by NIH grants P01 HL108801, R01-HL60234, R01-HL55330, R01-HL079904, to A. M. K. Choi. S. Ryter received salary support from the Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute.

Note:&#160; The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at Brigham and Women&#39;s Hospital/ Harvard Medical School Area approved the following procedures.
1. Cecal Ligation and Puncture
Use mice of the same background (C57Bl/6), male, 8-10 weeks old. Female mice are more resistant than males against sepsis-induced lethality. Mice older than 8 weeks produce less variable results than younger mice in terms of survival after CLP. Approximately N=10 ...

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Med. 368, 651-662 (2013).</li><li>Haspel, J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Characterization+of+macroautophagic+flux+in+vivo+using+a+leupeptin-based+assay.">Characterization of macroautophagic flux in vivo using a leupeptin-based assay.</a> Autophagy. 7, 629-642 (2011).</li><li>Chen, Z. H., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Egr-1+regulates+autophagy+in+cigarette+smoke-induced+chronic+obstructive+pulmonary+disease.">Egr-1 regulates autophagy in cigarette smoke-induced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.</a> PLos One. 3, 3313 (2008).</li><li>Kim, H. P., Chen, Z. H., Choi, A. M., Ryter, S. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Analyzing+autophagy+in+clinical+tissues+of+lung+and+vascular+diseases.">Analyzing autophagy in clinical tissues of lung and vascular diseases.</a> Meth. Enzymol. 453, 197-216 (2009).</li><li>Flierl, M. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Adverse+functions+of+IL-17A+in+experimental+sepsis.">Adverse functions of IL-17A in experimental sepsis.</a> FASEB J. 22, 2198-2205 (2008).</li><li>Rittirsch, D., Huber-Lang, M. S., Flierl, M. A., Ward, P. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Immunodesign+of+experimental+sepsis+by+cecal+ligation+and+puncture.">Immunodesign of experimental sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture.</a> Nat. 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The major advantage of CLP is that it allows researchers to investigate sepsis of different severities (i.e.&#160;from low- to mid- and high-grade). Severity of induced sepsis is affected by the length of cecum ligated (which the most important determinant), the size of needle used for puncture and the number of holes performed15. In addition, the mouse strain and gender can impact on the severity of sepsis; several strains are more susceptible than others and males are generally more susceptible than...

Sepsis, a systemic inflammatory response to infection, represents a leading cause of death in critically-ill patients1. Intra-abdominal infections, often leading to polymicrobial sepsis, account for 20% of sepsis cases, which have substantial mortality of up to 60%2. Sepsis-associated mortality primarily results from multi-organ dysfunction with subsequent organ failure3,4. Additional investigation into the pathogenic mechanism of this disease is urgently needed to promote the development of novel and more effective therapies.
The cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method is a commonly used procedure for modeling sepsis in vivo. As the cecum is full of bacteria, its puncture results in polymicrobial peritonitis, translocation of bacteria into the blood (bacteremia), septic shock, multi-organ dysfunction and, ultimately, death5. It is generally accepted that CLP reflects clinical reality more accurately than previous techniques, such as injection of endotoxin or even purified bacteria into rodents, Thus, CLP is considered the gold standard (albeit not without limitations)6 for the experimental induction and, hence, the investigation of the pathogenesis of sepsis. In this monograph, we describe protocols designed to assess whether pathogenic mechanisms of sepsis include autophagy.
Autophagy, an evolutionarily conserved cellular process, facilitates the turnover of damaged proteins and organelles such as mitochondria and plays an important role in the clearance of intracellular pathogens including bacteria7,8. During autophagy, cytosolic proteins or organelles are sequestered into double membrane-bound vesicles called autophagosomes, which are subsequently delivered to the lysosomes for degradation9. A number of proteins have been identified as the mammalian homologues of autophagy-related genes (Atg), originally identified in yeast, which regulate the process of autophagy. The conversion of microtubule associated protein-1 light chain 3B (LC3B) (homologue of Atg8) from LC3B-I (free form) to LC3B-II (phosphatidylethanolamine-conjugated form) represents a major step in autophagosome formation9. Autophagic dysfunction is associated with aging and human diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders10. Moreover, autophagy affects innate and adaptive immunity such as antigen presentation, lymphocyte development and cytokine secretion by immune cells8. Thus, it seems reasonable that autophagy might also play a role in the systemic inflammatory response to infection (i.e.&#160;in sepsis).
To date several methods have been described to assess the role of autophagy in tissue injury in vivo. These include the use of green fluorescence protein (GFP)-LC3 expressing mice&#160;and the quantification of autophagosomes in tissue by electron microscopy&#160;(these two methods are described in this monograph). Additional methods include the quantification of autophagic protein expression in tissue homogenates, and the analysis of autophagic flux (as described elsewhere)11-13. The goal of this review is to provide current protocols for assessing autophagy in vivo in the context of experimental sepsis.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" >
	<tbody>
		<tr >
			<td >GFP-LC3 Transgenic Mice</td>
			<td >Riken (Japan)</td>
			<td >RBRC00806</td>
			<td >GFP-LC3#53</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Xylazine</td>
			<td >Henry-Schein</td>
			<td >568-0606</td>
			<td>Xylazine HCl Injection Vet</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Ketamine</td>
			<td >Henry-Schein</td>
			<td >995-2949</td>
			<td>Ketaset Inj 100 mg/ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >EtOH</td>
			<td >Fisher</td>
			<td>A405-20</td>
			<td>Histology Grade</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >EtOH</td>
			<td >Fisher</td>
			<td>A407-1</td>
			<td>For Sterilizatiion</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >silk surgical sutures 6-0</td>
			<td >Owens &#38; Minor</td>
			<td >2300-0078OG, 017624</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >buprenorphine-HCl</td>
			<td >Henry-Schein</td>
			<td >614-5157</td>
			<td>Buprenex Ampules</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >paraformaldehyde (37%) solution</td>
			<td >JT Baker</td>
			<td >S898-09</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >xylenes</td>
			<td >Fisher</td>
			<td>X3P-1GAL </td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >anti-GFP monoclonal antibody</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>G10362</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Hoescht</td>
			<td >Sigma</td>
			<td>944403</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >DAPI</td>
			<td >Invitrogen</td>
			<td >D1306</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >OCT</td>
			<td >VWR scientific</td>
			<td >25608-930</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Sudan Black</td>
			<td >Santa Cruz</td>
			<td >sc-203760</td>
			<td ></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >EM grade Glutaraldehyde 2.5% in sodium cacodylate</td>
			<td >Electron microscopy Sciences</td>
			<td>15960</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >propylene oxide</td>
			<td >Sigma</td>
			<td>240397</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Agar 100 resin</td>
			<td >Agar scientific</td>
			<td > R1045</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >dodecenylsuccinic anhydride</td>
			<td >Sigma</td>
			<td>46346</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >methylnadic anhydride</td>
			<td >Sigma</td>
			<td>45359</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >N-benzyldimethylamine</td>
			<td >Sigma</td>
			<td>185582</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

cecal ligation and puncture-induced sepsis as a model to study autophagy in mice

Experimental sepsis can be induced in mice using the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method, which causes polymicrobial sepsis. Here, a protocol is provided to induce sepsis of varying severity in mice using the CLP technique. Autophagy is a fundamental tissue response to stress and pathogen invasion. Two current protocols to assess autophagy in vivo in the context of experimental sepsis are also presented here. (I) Transgenic mice expressing green fluorescence protein (GFP)-LC3 fusion protein are subjected to CLP. Localized enhancement of GFP signal (puncta), as assayed either by immunohistochemical or confocal assays, can be used to detect enhanced autophagosome formation and, thus, altered activation of the autophagy pathway. (II) Enhanced autophagic vacuole (autophagosome) formation per unit tissue area (as a marker of autophagy stimulation) can be quantified using electron microscopy. The study of autophagic responses to sepsis is a critical component of understanding the mechanisms by which tissues respond to infection. Research findings in this area may ultimately contribute towards understanding the pathogenesis of sepsis, which represents a major problem in critical care medicine.

Bacteremia is present in mice as early as 6 hr after CLP-induced sepsis14. Clinical signs of sepsis (including chills, tachypnoea and impaired motor activity) appear approximately 12 hr after the procedure. Mice subjected to CLP begin to die at around 18 hr after induction of peritonitis. The more severe is the sepsis the more increased is the lethality15. In detail, high-grade sepsis causes 100% mortality within 2-3 days, while mid-grade sepsis results in around 60% mortality at 7 days after CLP (b...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Cecal Ligation and Puncture-induced Sepsis as a Model To Study Autophagy in Mice at JoVE.com

Cecal Ligation and Puncture-induced Sepsis as a Model To Study Autophagy in Mice

Experimental sepsis can be induced in mice using the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method. Current protocols to assess autophagy in vivo in the context of CLP-induced sepsis are presented here: A protocol for measuring autophagy using (GFP)-LC3 mice, and a protocol for measuring autophagosome formation by electron microscopy.

Experimental sepsis can be induced in mice using the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method, which causes polymicrobial sepsis. Here, a protocol is ...

cecal-ligation-puncture-induced-sepsis-as-model-to-study-autophagy

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

28.1K ビュー.  Brigham and Women's Hospital. 実験的敗血症は盲腸結紮穿刺（CLP）の方法を用いて、マウスにおいて誘発することができる。 CLP誘発性敗血症の文脈においてインビボでオートファジーを評価するための現在のプロトコルがここに提示されている：（GFP）-LC3マウスを用いたオートファジーを測定するためのプロトコル、および電子顕微鏡法によってオートファゴソームの形成を測...

ビデオ: Cecal Ligation and Puncture-induced Sepsis as a Model To Study Autophagy in Mice

Experimental sepsis can be induced in mice using the cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method. Current protocols to assess autophagy in vivo in the context of CLP-induced sepsis are presented here: A protocol for measuring autophagy using (GFP)-LC3 mice, and a protocol for measuring autophagosome formation by electron...

evaluation of a reliable biomarker in a cecal ligation and puncture-induced mouse model of sepsis

Evaluation of a Reliable Biomarker in a Cecal Ligation and Puncture-Induced Mouse Model of Sepsis

This protocol presents the operative details of cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) in a mouse model of sepsis. CLP is one of the most widely used techniques to create an animal model of sepsis. Therefore, a standardized CLP protocol is required for the attainment of reliable research...

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Design of Cecal Ligation and Puncture and Intranasal Infection Dual Model of Sepsis-Induced Immunosuppression

This protocol describes techniques to measure infectious outcomes underlying secondary hospital-acquired infections in the immunosuppressive condition, first by establishing cecal ligation/puncture mice then challenging them with intranasal infection to create a clinically relevant model of immunosuppression sepsis.

combining cecal ligation and puncture (clp) with hindlimb suspension (hls) to study sepsis-induced myopathy in mice

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Author Spotlight: Advanced Integrated Model for Sepsis-Induced Myopathy and Single-Cell Metabolic Analysis

This murine model combines a septic insult with hindlimb muscle disuse to recapitulate the bedridden feature of the typical septic patient. The model represents a significant departure from previous models to study muscle dysfunction in sepsis and is a reproducible approach to addressing therapeutic strategies to treat this...

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Iris neovascularization, a common complication of ischemic retinal disease, may lead to sight-threatening neovascular glaucoma. Here, we describe a murine protocol for inducing experimental iris neovascularization that may be used for noninvasive evaluation of angiogenesis-modulating...

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Use of Animal Model of Sepsis to Evaluate Novel Herbal Therapies

Sepsis refers to a systemic inflammatory response syndrome resulting from a microbial infection, and can be simulated by a surgical technique termed cecal ligation and puncture (CLP).  Here we describe a method to use CLP-induced animal model to screen medicinal herbs for therapeutic...

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To counteract pathogen dissemination, host cells reorganize their cytoskeleton to compartmentalize bacteria and induce autophagy. Using Shigella infection of tissue culture cells, host and pathogen determinants underlying this process are identified and characterized. Using zebrafish models of Shigella infection, the role of discovered molecules and mechanisms are investigated in vivo.

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Autophagy activation is beneficial in the prevention of a number of diseases. One of the physiological approaches to induce autophagy in vivo is physical exercise. Here we show how to activate autophagy by aerobic exercise and measure autophagy levels in...

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Infection of neonatal mice with bioluminescent E. coli O1:K1:H7 results in a septic infection with significant pulmonary inflammation and lung pathology. Here, we describe procedures to model and further study neonatal sepsis using longitudinal intravital imaging in parallel with enumeration of systemic bacterial burdens, inflammatory profiling, and lung...

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Sepsis remains a persistent problem on intensive care units all over the world. Understanding the complex mechanisms of sepsis is the precondition for establishing new therapeutic approaches in this field. Therefore, animal models are required that are able to closely mimic the human disease and also sufficiently deal with scientific questions. The Colon Ascendens Stent Peritonitis (CASP) is a highly standardized model for polymicrobial abdominal sepsis in rodents. In this model, a small stent is surgically inserted into the ascending colon of mice or rats leading to a continuous leakage of intestinal bacteria into the peritoneal cavity. The procedure results in peritonitis, systemic bacteraemia, organ infection by gut bacteria, and systemic but also local release of several pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. The lethality of CASP can be controlled by the diameter of the inserted stent. A variant of this model, the so-called CASP with intervention (CASPI), raises opportunity to remove the septic focus by a second operation according to common procedures in clinical practice. CASP is an easily learnable and highly reproducible model that closely mimics the clinical course of abdominal sepsis. It leads way to study on questions in several scientific fields e.g. immunology, infectiology, or surgery.

The Colon Ascendens Stent Peritonitis (CASP) is a highly standardized model for polymicrobial abdominal sepsis in rodents. This article describes the surgical procedure of CASP. The CASP model and its variants allow the systematic investigation of various problems concerning the subject of sepsis.

Sepsis remains a persistent problem on intensive care units all over the world. Understanding the complex mechanisms of sepsis is the precondition for ...

Dissecting Host-virus Interaction in Lytic Replication of a Model Herpesvirus

In response to viral infection, a host develops various defensive responses, such as activating innate immune signaling pathways that lead to antiviral cytokine production1,2. In order to colonize the host, viruses are obligate to evade host antiviral responses and manipulate signaling pathways. Unraveling the host-virus interaction will shed light on the development of novel therapeutic strategies against viral infection.
Murine &gamma;HV68 is closely related to human oncogenic Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus and Epsten-Barr virus3,4. &gamma;HV68 infection in laboratory mice provides a tractable small animal model to examine the entire course of host responses and viral infection in vivo, which are not available for human herpesviruses. In this protocol, we present a panel of methods for phenotypic characterization and molecular dissection of host signaling components in &gamma;HV68 lytic replication both in vivo and ex vivo. The availability of genetically modified mouse strains permits the interrogation of the roles of host signaling pathways during &gamma;HV68 acute infection in vivo. Additionally, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) isolated from these deficient mouse strains can be used to further dissect roles of these molecules during &gamma;HV68 lytic replication ex vivo.
Using virological and molecular biology assays, we can pinpoint the molecular mechanism of host-virus interactions and identify host and viral genes essential for viral lytic replication. Finally, a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) system facilitates the introduction of mutations into the viral factor(s) that specifically interrupt the host-virus interaction. Recombinant &gamma;HV68 carrying these mutations can be used to recapitulate the phenotypes of &gamma;HV68 lytic replication in MEFs deficient in key host signaling components. This protocol offers an excellent strategy to interrogate host-pathogen interaction at multiple levels of intervention in vivo and ex vivo.
Recently, we have discovered that &gamma;HV68 usurps an innate immune signaling pathway to promote viral lytic replication5. Specifically, &gamma;HV68 de novo infection activates the immune kinase IKK&beta; and activated IKK&beta; phosphorylates the master viral transcription factor, replication and transactivator (RTA), to promote viral transcriptional activation. In doing so, &gamma;HV68 efficiently couples its transcriptional activation to host innate immune activation, thereby facilitating viral transcription and lytic replication. This study provides an excellent example that can be applied to other viruses to interrogate host-virus interaction.

We describe a protocol to identify key roles of host signaling molecules in lytic replication of a model herpesvirus, gamma herpesvirus 68 (&gamma;HV68). Utilizing genetically modified mouse strains and embryonic fibroblasts for &gamma;HV68 lytic replication, the protocol permits both phenotypic characterization and molecular interrogation of virus-host interactions in viral lytic replication.

In response to viral infection, a host develops various defensive responses, such as activating innate immune signaling pathways that lead to antiviral ...

Introducing Shear Stress in the Study of Bacterial Adhesion

During bacterial infections a sequence of interactions occur between the pathogen and its host. Bacterial adhesion to the host cell surface is often the initial and determining step of the pathogenesis. Although experimentally adhesion is mostly studied in static conditions adhesion actually takes place in the presence of flowing liquid. First encounters between bacteria and their host often occur at the mucosal level, mouth, lung, gut, eye, etc. where mucus flows along the surface of epithelial cells. Later in infection, pathogens occasionally access the blood circulation causing life-threatening illnesses such as septicemia, sepsis and meningitis. A defining feature of these infections is the ability of these pathogens to interact with endothelial cells in presence of circulating blood. The presence of flowing liquid, mucus or blood for instance, determines adhesion because it generates a mechanical force on the pathogen. To characterize the effect of flowing liquid one usually refers to the notion of shear stress, which is the tangential force exerted per unit area by a fluid moving near a stationary wall, expressed in dynes/cm2. Intensities of shear stress vary widely according to the different vessels type, size, organ, location etc. (0-100 dynes/cm2). Circulation in capillaries can reach very low shear stress values and even temporarily stop during periods ranging between a few seconds to several minutes 1. On the other end of the spectrum shear stress in arterioles can reach 100 dynes/cm2 2. The impact of shear stress on different biological processes has been clearly demonstrated as for instance during the interaction of leukocytes with the endothelium 3. To take into account this mechanical parameter in the process of bacterial adhesion we took advantage of an experimental procedure based on the use of a disposable flow chamber 4. Host cells are grown in the flow chamber and fluorescent bacteria are introduced in the flow controlled by a syringe pump. We initially focused our investigations on the bacterial pathogen Neisseria meningitidis, a Gram-negative bacterium responsible for septicemia and meningitis. The procedure described here allowed us to study the impact of shear stress on the ability of the bacteria to: adhere to cells 1, to proliferate on the cell surface 5and to detach to colonize new sites 6 (Figure 1). Complementary technical information can be found in reference 7. Shear stress values presented here were chosen based on our previous experience1 and to represent values found in the literature. The protocol should be applicable to a wide range of pathogens with specific adjustments depending on the objectives of the study.

During the infection process, a key step is the adhesion of pathogens with host cells. In most instances this adhesion step occurs in the presence of mechanical stress generated by flowing liquid. We describe a technique that introduces shear stress as an important parameter in the study of bacterial adhesion.

During bacterial infections a sequence of interactions occur between the pathogen and its host. Bacterial adhesion to the host cell surface is often the ...

An In vitro Model to Study Heterogeneity of Human Macrophage Differentiation and Polarization

Monocyte-derived macrophages represent an important cell type of the innate immune system. Mouse models studying macrophage biology suffer from the phenotypic and functional differences between murine and human monocyte-derived macrophages. Therefore, we here describe an in vitro model to generate and study primary human macrophages. Briefly, after density gradient centrifugation of peripheral blood drawn from a forearm vein, monocytes are isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells using negative magnetic bead isolation. These monocytes are then cultured for six days under specific conditions to induce different types of macrophage differentiation or polarization. The model is easy to use and circumvents the problems caused by species-specific differences between mouse and man. Furthermore, it is closer to the in vivo conditions than the use of immortalized cell lines. In conclusion, the model described here is suitable to study macrophage biology, identify disease mechanisms and novel therapeutic targets. Even though not fully replacing experiments with animals or human tissues obtained post mortem, the model described here allows identification and validation of disease mechanisms and therapeutic targets that may be highly relevant to various human diseases.

An In vitro Model to Study Heterogeneity of Human Macrophage Differentiation and Polarization

Monocyte-derived macrophages are important cells of the innate immune system. Here, we describe an easy to use in vitro model to generate these cells. Using gradient centrifugation, negative bead isolation and specific cell culture conditions, monocyte-derived macrophages can be generated for phenotypic and functional studies.

Monocyte-derived macrophages represent an important cell type of the innate immune system. Mouse models studying macrophage biology suffer from the ...

Use of Galleria mellonella as a Model Organism to Study Legionella pneumophila Infection

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of a severe pneumonia named Legionnaires&#39; disease, is an important human pathogen that infects and replicates within alveolar macrophages. Its virulence depends on the Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS), which is essential to establish a replication permissive vacuole known as the Legionella containing vacuole (LCV). L. pneumophila infection can be modeled in mice however most mouse strains are not permissive, leading to the search for novel infection models. We have recently shown that the larvae of the wax moth Galleria mellonella are suitable for investigation of L. pneumophila infection. G. mellonella is increasingly used as an infection model for human pathogens and a good correlation exists between virulence of several bacterial species in the insect and in mammalian models. A key component of the larvae&#39;s immune defenses are hemocytes, professional phagocytes, which take up and destroy invaders. L. pneumophila is able to infect, form a LCV and replicate within these cells. Here we demonstrate protocols for analyzing L. pneumophila virulence in the G. mellonella model, including how to grow infectious L. pneumophila, pretreat the larvae with inhibitors, infect the larvae and how to extract infected cells for quantification and immunofluorescence microscopy. We also describe how to quantify bacterial replication and fitness in competition assays. These approaches allow for the rapid screening of mutants to determine factors important in L. pneumophila virulence, describing a new tool to aid our understanding of this complex pathogen.

Use of Galleria mellonella as a Model Organism to Study Legionella pneumophila Infection

The larva of the wax moth Galleria mellonella was recently established as an in vivo model to study Legionella pneumophila infection. Here, we demonstrate fundamental techniques to characterize the pathogenesis of Legionella in the larvae, including inoculation, measurement of bacterial virulence and replication as well as extraction and analysis of infected hemocytes.

Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of a severe pneumonia named Legionnaires&#39; disease, is an important human pathogen that infects and ...

Shigella flexneri is an intracellular pathogen that can escape from phagosomes to reach the cytosol, and polymerize the host actin cytoskeleton to promote its motility and dissemination. New work has shown that proteins involved in actin-based motility are also linked to autophagy, an intracellular degradation process crucial for cell autonomous immunity. Strikingly, host cells may prevent actin-based motility of S. flexneri by compartmentalizing bacteria inside &#8216;septin cages&#8217; and targeting them to autophagy. These observations indicate that a more complete understanding of septins, a family of filamentous GTP-binding proteins, will provide new insights into the process of autophagy. This report describes protocols to monitor autophagy-cytoskeleton interactions caused by S. flexneri in vitro using tissue culture cells and in vivo using zebrafish larvae. These protocols enable investigation of intracellular mechanisms that control bacterial dissemination at the molecular, cellular, and whole organism level.

To counteract pathogen dissemination, host cells reorganize their cytoskeleton to compartmentalize bacteria and induce autophagy. Using Shigella infection of tissue culture cells, host and pathogen determinants underlying this process are identified and characterized. Using zebrafish models of Shigella infection, the role of discovered molecules and mechanisms are investigated in vivo.

Shigella flexneri is an intracellular pathogen that can escape from phagosomes to reach the cytosol, and polymerize the host actin cytoskeleton to promote ...

Transplantation of Tail Skin to Study Allogeneic CD4 T Cell Responses in Mice

The study of T cell responses and their consequences during allo-antigen recognition requires a model that enables one to distinguish between donor and host T cells, to easily monitor the graft, and to adapt the system in order to answer different immunological questions. Medawar and colleagues established allogeneic tail-skin transplantation in mice in 1955. Since then, the skin transplantation model has been continuously modified and adapted to answer specific questions. The use of tail-skin renders this model easy to score for graft rejection, requires neither extensive preparation nor deep anesthesia, is applicable to animals of all genetic background, discourages ischemic necrosis, and permits chemical and biological intervention. 
In general, both CD4+ and CD8+ allogeneic T cells are responsible for the rejection of allografts since they recognize mismatched major histocompatibility antigens from different mouse strains. Several models have been described for activating allogeneic T cells in skin-transplanted mice. The identification of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II molecules in different mouse strains including C57BL/6 mice was an important step toward understanding and studying T cell-mediated alloresponses. In the tail-skin transplantation model described here, a three-point mutation (I-Abm12) in the antigen-presenting groove of the MHC-class II (I-Ab) molecule is sufficient to induce strong allogeneic CD4+ T cell activation in C57BL/6 mice. Skin grafts from I-Abm12 mice on C57BL/6 mice are rejected within 12-15 days, while syngeneic grafts are accepted for up to 100 days. The absence of T cells (CD3-/- and Rag2-/- mice) allows skin graft acceptance up to 100 days, which can be overcome by transferring 2 x 104 wild type or transgenic T cells. Adoptively transferred T cells proliferate and produce IFN-&#947; in I-Abm12-transplanted Rag2-/- mice.

Tail-skin transplantation is a powerful model for studying T cell-dependent rejection and tolerance induction during allogeneic immune responses in mice. The advantages of this protocol are minor invasive surgery, and ease of monitoring with no need to sacrifice the recipient mouse.

The study of T cell responses and their consequences during allo-antigen recognition requires a model that enables one to distinguish between donor and ...

Neonatal sepsis remains a global burden. A preclinical model to screen effective prophylactic or therapeutic interventions is needed. Neonatal mouse polymicrobial sepsis can be induced by injecting cecal slurry intraperitoneally into day of life 7 mice and monitoring them for the following week. Presented here are the detailed steps necessary for the implementation of this neonatal sepsis model. This includes making a homogeneous cecal slurry stock, diluting it to a weight- and litter-adjusted dose, an outline of the monitoring schedule, and a definition of observed health categories used to define humane endpoints. The generation of a homogeneous cecal slurry stock from pooled donors allows for the administration into many litters over time, reducing the variation between donors, and preventing the use of potentially toxic glycerol. The monitoring strategy used allows for the anticipation of survival outcome and the identification of mice that would later progress to death, allowing for an earlier identification of the humane endpoint. Two main behavioral features are used to define the health scores, namely, the ability of the neonatal mice to right themselves when placed on their back and their level of mobility. These criteria could potentially be applied to address humane endpoints in other studies of neonatal disease in mice, as long as a pilot study is performed to confirm accuracy. In conclusion, this approach provides a standardized method to model newborn sepsis in mice, while providing resources to assess animal welfare used to define early humane endpoints for challenged animals.

This protocol provides the necessary steps to establish and evaluate neonatal sepsis in 7-day-old mice.

Neonatal sepsis remains a global burden. A preclinical model to screen effective prophylactic or therapeutic interventions is needed. Neonatal mouse ...

Sepsis, a severe and complicated life-threatening infection, is characterized by an imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory responses in multiple organs. With the development of therapies, most patients survive the hyperinflammatory phase but progress to an immunosuppressive phase, which increases the emergence of secondary infections. Therefore, improved understanding of the pathogenesis underlying secondary hospital-acquired infections in the immunosuppressive phase during sepsis is of tremendous importance. Reported here is a model to test infectious outcomes by creating double-hit infections in mice. A standard surgical procedure is used to induce polymicrobial peritonitis by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) and followed by intranasal infection of Staphylococcus aureus to simulate pneumonia occurring in immune suppression that is frequently seen in septic patients. This dual model can reflect the immunosuppressive state occurring in patients with protracted sepsis and susceptibility to secondary infection from nosocomial pneumonia. Hence, this model provides a simple experimental approach to investigate the pathophysiology of sepsis-induced secondary bacterial pneumonia, which may be used for discovering novel treatments for sepsis and its complications.

This protocol describes techniques to measure infectious outcomes underlying secondary hospital-acquired infections in the immunosuppressive condition, first by establishing cecal ligation/puncture mice then challenging them with intranasal infection to create a clinically relevant model of immunosuppression sepsis.

Sepsis, a severe and complicated life-threatening infection, is characterized by an imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory responses in multiple ...

Use of the Invertebrate Galleria mellonella as an Infection Model to Study the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex

Tuberculosis is the leading global cause of infectious disease mortality and roughly a quarter of the world&#8217;s population is believed to be infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Despite decades of research, many of the mechanisms behind the success of M. tuberculosis as a pathogenic organism remain to be investigated, and the development of safer, more effective antimycobacterial drugs are urgently needed to tackle the rise and spread of drug resistant tuberculosis. However, the progression of tuberculosis research is bottlenecked by traditional mammalian infection models that are expensive, time consuming, and ethically challenging. Previously we established the larvae of the insect Galleria mellonella (greater wax moth) as a novel, reproducible, low cost, high-throughput and ethically acceptable infection model for members of the M. tuberculosis complex. Here we describe the maintenance, preparation, and infection of G. mellonella with bioluminescent Mycobacterium bovis BCG lux. Using this infection model, mycobacterial dose dependent virulence can be observed, and a rapid readout of in vivo mycobacterial burden using bioluminescence measurements is easily achievable and reproducible. Although limitations exist, such as the lack of a fully annotated genome for transcriptomic analysis, ontological analysis against genetically similar insects can be carried out. As a low cost, rapid, and ethically acceptable model for tuberculosis, G. mellonella can be used as a pre-screen to determine drug efficacy and toxicity, and to determine comparative mycobacterial virulence prior to the use of conventional mammalian models. The use of the G. mellonella-mycobacteria model will lead to a reduction in the substantial number of animals currently used in tuberculosis research.

Use of the Invertebrate Galleria mellonella as an Infection Model to Study the Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex

Galleria mellonella was recently established as a reproducible, cheap, and ethically acceptable infection model for the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Here we describe and demonstrate the steps taken to establish successful infection of G. mellonella with bioluminescent Mycobacterium bovis BCG lux.

Tuberculosis is the leading global cause of infectious disease mortality and roughly a quarter of the world&#8217;s population is believed to be infected ...