Staphylococcus aureus Lung Infection Results in Down-Regulation of Surfactant Protein-A Mainly Caused by Pro-Inflammatory Macrophages

Abstract

Pneumonia is the leading cause of hospitalization worldwide. Besides viruses, bacterial co-infections dramatically exacerbate infection. In general, surfactant protein-A (SP-A) represents a first line of immune defense. In this study, we analyzed whether influenza A virus (IAV) and/or <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> (<i>S. aureus</i>) infections affect SP-A expression. To closely reflect the situation in the lung, we used a human alveolus-on-a-chip model and a murine pneumonia model. Our results show that <i>S. aureus</i> can reduce extracellular levels of SP-A, most likely attributed to bacterial proteases. Mono-epithelial cell culture experiments reveal that the expression of SP-A is not directly affected by IAV or <i>S. aureus</i>. Yet, the mRNA expression of SP-A is strongly down-regulated by TNF-α, which is highly produced by professional phagocytes in response to bacterial infection. By using the human alveolus-on-a-chip model, we show that the down-regulation of SP-A is strongly dependent on macrophages. In a murine model of pneumonia, we can confirm that <i>S. aureus</i> decreases SP-A levels in vivo. These findings indicate that (I) complex interactions of epithelial and immune cells induce down-regulation of SP-A expression and (II) bacterial mono- and super-infections reduce SP-A expression in the lung, which might contribute to a severe outcome of bacterial pneumonia.