Michael Smith Laboratories, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada.
Immunology Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
Cell. 2014 Feb 27;156(5):1045-59. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2014.01.026.
Mucus production by goblet cells of the large intestine serves as a crucial antimicrobial protective mechanism at the interface between the eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells of the mammalian intestinal ecosystem. However, the regulatory pathways involved in goblet cell-induced mucus secretion remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the NLRP6 inflammasome, a recently described regulator of colonic microbiota composition and biogeographical distribution, is a critical orchestrator of goblet cell mucin granule exocytosis. NLRP6 deficiency leads to defective autophagy in goblet cells and abrogated mucus secretion into the large intestinal lumen. Consequently, NLRP6 inflammasome-deficient mice are unable to clear enteric pathogens from the mucosal surface, rendering them highly susceptible to persistent infection. This study identifies an innate immune regulatory pathway governing goblet cell mucus secretion, linking nonhematopoietic inflammasome signaling to autophagy and highlighting the goblet cell as a critical innate immune player in the control of intestinal host-microbial mutualism. PAPERCLIP:
大肠杯状细胞分泌的黏液是哺乳动物肠道生态系统中真核细胞和原核细胞界面的重要抗菌保护机制。然而,杯状细胞诱导黏液分泌所涉及的调节途径在很大程度上仍是未知的。在这里,我们证明 NLRP6 炎性体,一种最近描述的结肠微生物群落组成和生物地理分布的调节剂,是杯状细胞粘蛋白颗粒胞吐作用的关键协调者。NLRP6 缺陷导致杯状细胞中的自噬作用缺陷和黏液分泌到大肠腔中。结果,NLRP6 炎性体缺陷的小鼠无法从黏膜表面清除肠道病原体,使它们极易受到持续性感染。这项研究确定了一个调节杯状细胞黏液分泌的先天免疫调节途径,将非造血炎性体信号与自噬联系起来,并强调了杯状细胞作为控制肠道宿主-微生物共生关系的关键先天免疫细胞。