Lack of functional P-selectin ligand exacerbates Salmonella serovar typhimurium infection

The selectin family of adhesion molecules mediates the recruitment of immune cells to the site of inflammation, which is critical for host survival of infection. To characterize the role of selectins in host defense against Salmonella Typhimurium infection, wild-type (WT) mice and mice lacking P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), P-, E-, or L-selectin, or the glycosyltransferase C2GlcNAcT-I (core 2) were infected using a Salmonella acute gastroenteritis model. Mice were monitored for survival and assessed for intestinal inflammation at 1 and 4 days postinfection. Infected mice lacking core 2, PSGL-1, or P-selectin showed a more pronounced morbidity and a significantly higher mortality rate associated with higher bacterial load and proinflammatory cytokine production, including that of TNF-alpha, MCP-1, and IL-6, from the colons at 4 days postinfection as compared with WT control. Surprisingly, at 1 day postinfection, more severe inflammation and higher neutrophil infiltration were observed in the ceca of mice lacking core 2, PSGL-1, or P-selectin compared with WT control. Enhanced levels of alpha(4)beta(7)(+) and MAdCAM-1(+) cells were observed in the ceca of infected mice lacking core 2, PSGL-1, or P-selectin. Neutrophil recruitment, cecal inflammation, and mortality rates were dramatically reduced in infected P-selectin knockout mice receiving blocking mAb to alpha(4)beta(7) integrin, indicating that this alternative adhesion molecule may attempt to compensate for the loss of selectins in neutrophil recruitment. These results demonstrate a definitive phenotypic abnormality in mice lacking core 2, PSGL-1, or P-selectin, suggesting that the interaction of functional PSGL-1 with P-selectin is an important process in host defense against Salmonella infection.