DIFFERENTIAL CYTOKINE RESPONSE OF IMMUNOCOMPETENT CELLS TO THE INDUCTION OF RESISTANT, REVERTANT AND SENSITIVE ESCHERICHIA COLI

Abstract

The work is devoted to the study of the influence of the resistance phenotype of E. coli subcultures on the functionality of evolutionarily conserved pathogen-associated antigens (PAMP) and a special class of pathogen-associated molecular patterns indicating the viability of microbes (vitaPAMP) on immunocompetent human peripheral blood cells. In this work, we used the resistant E. coli strain ATCC BAA-2523, the sensitive E. coli strain ATCC 8739, and the revertant subculture of Escherichia coli obtained under experimental conditions from the E. coli strain ATCC BAA-196. Using enzyme immunoassay, we performed a comparative analysis of mononuclear (PBMC), monocytic (MON), and lymphocytic (LIM) cytokine responses to the induction of resistant, revertant, and susceptible E. coli subcultures by living and fixed cells. It turned out that the PAMP structures of subcultures of fixed E. coli cells are predominantly recognized by human PBMCs. While the pathogen-associated molecular patterns of living E. coli cells are recognized by different target cells, therefore, PBMCs primarily respond to the structures of the vitaPAMP-resistant subculture, while the structures of the revertant E. coli – human MON react to the structures of the vitaPAMP, which is a sensitive strain and PBMC – and MON respond to vitaPAMP. It has also been shown that, in response to fixed cultures of E. coli S and E. coli R, there is a decrease in the threshold level of production of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in both PBMCs and monocytes, compared with the level of cytokine production induced by live bacteria. Whereas fixed cells of revertant E. coli caused a higher production of pro-inflammatory cytokines PBMC than living cells of this culture.