Human bladder uroepithelial cells synergize with monocytes to promote IL-10 synthesis and other cytokine responses to uropathogenic Escherichia coli

PLoS One. 2013 Oct 14;8(10):e78013. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0078013. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Urinary tract infections are a major source of morbidity for women and the elderly, with Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) being the most prevalent causative pathogen. Studies in recent years have defined a key anti-inflammatory role for Interleukin-10 (IL-10) in urinary tract infection mediated by UPEC and other uropathogens. We investigated the nature of the IL-10-producing interactions between UPEC and host cells by utilising a novel co-culture model that incorporated lymphocytes, mononuclear and uroepithelial cells in histotypic proportions. This co-culture model demonstrated synergistic IL-10 production effects between monocytes and uroepithelial cells following infection with UPEC. Membrane inserts were used to separate the monocyte and uroepithelial cell types during infection and revealed two synergistic IL-10 production effects based on contact-dependent and soluble interactions. Analysis of a comprehensive set of immunologically relevant biomarkers in monocyte-uroepithelial cell co-cultures highlighted that multiple cytokine, chemokine and signalling factors were also produced in a synergistic or antagonistic fashion. These results demonstrate that IL-10 responses to UPEC occur via multiple interactions between several cells types, implying a complex role for infection-related IL-10 during UTI. Development and application of the co-culture model described in this study is thus useful to define the degree of contact dependency of biomarker production to UPEC, and highlights the relevance of histotypic co-cultures in studying complex host-pathogen interactions.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers / metabolism
  • Cell Communication
  • Cell Line
  • Coculture Techniques
  • Epithelial Cells / metabolism*
  • Epithelial Cells / microbiology*
  • Epithelial Cells / pathology
  • Escherichia coli Infections / genetics
  • Escherichia coli Infections / microbiology
  • Escherichia coli Infections / pathology
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-10 / biosynthesis*
  • Interleukin-10 / genetics
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Monocytes / metabolism
  • Monocytes / microbiology*
  • Monocytes / pathology
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Solubility
  • Urinary Bladder / pathology*
  • Uropathogenic Escherichia coli / physiology*
  • Urothelium / pathology*

Substances

  • Biomarkers
  • IL10 protein, human
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Interleukin-10

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), and Griffith University. GCU is the recipient of an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship. AJC is the recipient of a NHMRC Peter Doherty Australian Biomedical Fellowship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.