Elevated Inflammatory Response in Caveolin-1-deficient Mice with Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection Is Mediated by STAT3 Protein and Nuclear Factor κB (NF-κB)

Caveolin-1 (Cav-1), an important composition protein within the flask-shaped membrane invaginations termed caveolae, may play a role in host defense against infections. However, the phenotype in Pseudomonas aeruginosa-infected cav1 knock-out (KO) mice is still unresolved, and the mechanism involved is almost entirely unknown. Using a respiratory infection model, we confirmed a crucial role played by Cav-1 in host defense against this pathogen because Cav-1 KO mice showed increased mortality, severe lung injury, and systemic dissemination as compared with wild-type (WT) littermates. In addition, cav1 KO mice exhibited elevated inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha, and IL-12a), decreased phagocytic ability of macrophages, and increased superoxide release in the lung, liver, and kidney. We further studied relevant cellular signaling processes and found that STAT3 and NF-kappa B are markedly activated. Our data revealed that the Cav-1/STAT3/NF-kappa B axis is responsible for a dysregulated cytokine response, which contributes to increased mortality and disease progression. Moreover, down-regulating Cav-1 in cell culture with a dominant negative strategy demonstrated that STAT3 activation was essential for the translocation of NF-kappa B into the nucleus, confirming the observations from cav1 KO mice. Collectively, our studies indicate that Cav-1 is critical for inflammatory responses regulating the STAT3/NF-kappa B pathway and thereby impacting P. aeruginosa infection.