Impaired calcineurin signaling in dendritic cells and macrophages increases susceptibility to aspergillosis through pentraxin-3 downregulation

Treatment of post-transplant patients with immunosuppressive drugs targeting the calcineurin-NFAT pathway, such as Cyclosporine A or Tacrolimus, are commonly associated with a higher incidence of opportunistic infections, such as Aspergillus fumigatus, which can lead to severe life-threating conditions. A component of the A. fumigatus cell wall, -glucan, is recognized by dendritic cells via the Dectin-1 receptor, triggering downstream signaling that leads to calcineurin-NFAT binding, NFAT translocation, and transcription of NFAT-regulated genes. Here, we address the question of whether calcineurin signaling in CD11c-expressing cells, such as DCs, has a specific role in the innate control of A. fumigatus. Impairment of calcineurin in CD11c-expressing cells (CD11ccrecnb1loxP) significantly increased susceptibility to systemic A. fumigatus infection and to intranasal infection in irradiated mice undergoing bone marrow transplant. Global expression profiling of bone marrow-derived DCs identified calcineurin-regulated processes in the immune response to infection, including expression of pentraxin-3, an important anti-fungal defense protein. These results suggest that calcineurin inhibition directly impairs important immunoprotective functions of myeloid cells, as shown by the higher susceptibility of CD11ccrecnbloxP mice in models of systemic and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, including after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. These findings are relevant to the clinical management of transplant patients with severe Aspergillus infections.

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Zelante T, Wong AY, Mencarelli A, Foo S, Zolezzi F, Lee B, Poidinger M, Ricciardi-Castagnoli P, Fric J