Publications by authors named "Kathryn A Wierenga"

Picornaviridae represent a large family of single-stranded positive RNA viruses of which different members can infect both humans and animals. These include the enteroviruses (e.g.

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Introduction: Phagocytosis of inhaled crystalline silica (cSiO) particles by tissue-resident alveolar macrophages (AMs) initiates generation of proinflammatory eicosanoids derived from the ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) arachidonic acid (ARA) that contribute to chronic inflammatory disease in the lung. While supplementation with the ω-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may influence injurious cSiO-triggered oxylipin responses, investigation of this hypothesis in physiologically relevant AMs is challenging due to their short-lived nature and low recovery numbers from mouse lungs. To overcome these challenges, we employed fetal liver-derived alveolar-like macrophages (FLAMs), a self-renewing surrogate that is phenotypically representative of primary lung AMs, to discern how DHA influences cSiO-induced eicosanoids.

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Preclinical and clinical studies suggest that consumption of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) reduces severity of chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. While these ameliorative effects are conventionally associated with downregulated expression of proinflammatory cytokine and chemokine genes, our laboratory has recently identified Type 1 interferon (IFN1)-regulated gene expression to be another key target of omega-3 PUFAs. Here we used single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) to gain new mechanistic perspectives on how the omega-3 PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) influences TLR4-driven proinflammatory and IFN1-regulated gene expression in a novel self-renewing murine fetal liver-derived macrophage (FLM) model.

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Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are tissue-resident cells in the lungs derived from the fetal liver that maintain lung homeostasis and respond to inhaled stimuli. Although the importance of AMs is undisputed, they remain refractory to standard experimental approaches and high-throughput functional genetics, as they are challenging to isolate and rapidly lose AM properties in standard culture. This limitation hinders our understanding of key regulatory mechanisms that control AM maintenance and function.

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Have you ever heard the phrase, "You are what you eat"? Of course, if you eat a donut, you will not turn into a donut - but bits and pieces of what we eat do become parts of us! In this article, we will talk about how the fatty acids in our cells can help protect us from various diseases by controlling inflammation. Specifically, we will focus on food components called omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are most abundant in seafood. We will talk about how eating foods rich in omega-3s increases the levels of omega-3s in your cell membranes and may protect against several diseases that are associated with uncontrolled inflammation.

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Repeated short-term intranasal instillation of lupus-prone mice with crystalline silica (cSiO) induces inflammatory gene expression and ectopic lymphoid neogenesis in the lung, leading to early onset of systemic autoimmunity and rapid progression to glomerulonephritis. These responses are suppressed by dietary supplementation with the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Here, we tested the hypothesis that dietary DHA supplementation suppresses cSiO-induced inflammatory proteins in bronchoalveolar alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and plasma of lupus-prone mice.

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Workplace exposure to respirable crystalline silica dust (cSiO) has been etiologically linked to the development of lupus and other human autoimmune diseases. Lupus triggering can be recapitulated in female NZBWF1 mice by four weekly intranasal instillations with 1 mg cSiO This elicits inflammatory/autoimmune gene expression and ectopic lymphoid structure (ELS) development in the lung within 1 week, ultimately driving early onset of systemic autoimmunity and glomerulonephritis. Intriguingly, dietary supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) found in fish oil, beginning 2 week prior to cSiO challenge, prevented inflammation and autoimmune flaring in this novel model.

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Occupational exposure to crystalline silica (cSiO) is etiologically associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) and other autoimmune diseases. cSiO's autoimmune effects in humans can be mimicked chronically in female lupus-prone NZBWF1 mice following repeated exposure to the particle. However, the immediate and short-term effects of cSiO in this widely used model of autoimmune disease are not well-understood.

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Airway exposure of lupus-prone NZBWF1 mice to crystalline silica (cSiO), a known trigger of human autoimmune disease, elicits sterile inflammation and alveolar macrophage death in the lung that, in turn, induces early autoimmune onset and accelerates lupus progression to fatal glomerulonephritis. Dietary supplementation with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), markedly ameliorates cSiO-triggered pulmonary, systemic, and renal manifestations of lupus. Here, we tested the hypothesis that DHA influences both cSiO-induced death and efferocytotic clearance of resultant cell corpses using three murine macrophage models: (i) primary alveolar macrophages (AM) isolated from NZBWF1 mice; (ii) self-renewing AM-like Max Planck Institute (MPI) cells isolated from fetuses of C57BL/6 mice, and (iii) RAW 264.

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Lupus is a systemic autoimmune disease typified by uncontrolled inflammation, disruption of immune tolerance, and intermittent flaring - events triggerable by environmental factors. Preclinical and clinical studies reveal that consumption of the marine ω-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) might be used as a precision nutrition intervention to lessen lupus symptoms. The anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving effects of ω-3 HUFAs are inextricably linked to their presence in membrane phospholipids.

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Inhalation of crystalline silica (cSiO) in the workplace is etiologically linked to lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Exposing lupus-prone NZBWF1 mice to respirable cSiO unleashes a vicious cycle of inflammation and cell death in the lung that triggers interferon-regulated gene expression, ectopic lymphoid structure (ELS) development, elevation of local and systemic autoantibodies (AAbs), and glomerulonephritis. However, cSiO-induced inflammation and onset of autoimmunity can be prevented by inclusion of the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) into the diet of these mice.

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Lupus is a debilitating multi-organ autoimmune disease clinically typified by periods of flare and remission. Exposing lupus-prone female NZBWF1 mice to crystalline silica (cSiO2), a known human autoimmune trigger, mimics flaring by inducing interferon-related gene (IRG) expression, inflammation, ectopic lymphoid structure (ELS) development, and autoantibody production in the lung that collectively accelerate glomerulonephritis. cSiO2-triggered flaring in this model can be prevented by supplementing mouse diet with the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

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Exposure of lupus-prone female NZBWF1 mice to respirable crystalline silica (cSiO), a known human autoimmune trigger, initiates loss of tolerance, rapid progression of autoimmunity, and early onset of glomerulonephritis. We have previously demonstrated that dietary supplementation with the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) suppresses autoimmune pathogenesis and nephritis in this unique model of lupus flaring. In this report, we utilized tissues from prior studies to test the hypothesis that DHA consumption interferes with upregulation of critical genes associated with cSiO-triggered murine lupus.

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Two environmental factors, crystalline silica (cSiO), a toxic airborne particle encountered occupationally, and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a dietary omega-3 highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA), have the potential to influence the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus). Using the NZBWF1 mouse, which spontaneously develops lupus, we found that intranasal exposure to cSiO significantly decreases latency and promotes rapid progression of the disease. Specifically, cSiO induces the development of ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) containing germinal centers in the lungs that yield vigorous and diverse autoantibody responses locally and systemically.

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Occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica (cSiO) has been etiologically linked to human autoimmunity. Intranasal instillation with cSiO triggers profuse inflammation in the lung and onset of autoimmunity in lupus-prone mice; however, dietary supplementation with the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) abrogates these responses. Inflammasome activation, IL-1 cytokine release, and death in alveolar macrophages following cSiO exposure are early and critical events that likely contribute to triggering premature autoimmune pathogenesis by this particle.

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Ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) consist of B-cell and T-cell aggregates that are initiated in inflamed tissues outside of secondary lymphoid organs. When organized within follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks, ELS contain functional germinal centers that can yield autoantibody-secreting plasma cells and promote autoimmune disease. Intranasal instillation of lupus-prone mice with crystalline silica (cSiO), a respirable particle linked to human lupus, triggers ELS formation in the lung, systemic autoantibodies, and early onset of glomerulonephritis.

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