Biology subjects

Benoist, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Benoist, T..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

A TAK1-Driven NLRP1 Inflammasome Pathway Revealed by Phosphatase-Targeting Environmental Toxins

Human NLRP1 is highly sensitive to phosphorylation-dependent activation, indicating a need for tight phosphatase control to prevent excessive inflammasome activity. In this study, we identified the phosphatases PP1 and PP2A as negative regulators of the NLRP1 inflammasome in human keratinocytes. Accordingly, exposure to the environmental toxins Dinophysistoxin, Okadaic acid, and Cantharidin, which inhibit PP1 and PP2A, triggered NLRP1 inflammasome activation. Notably, this toxin-induced activation process relied on hyperactivation of the MAP3 kinase TAK1. Mechanistically, both TAK1 and its downstream effectors p38 kinases phosphorylated and activated the NLRP1 inflammasome. Further studies underscored that TAK1 also contributed to the NLRP1 inflammasome activation during double-stranded RNA stimulation and viral infection. Finally, human native skins exposed to environmental toxins underlined the role of the PP1/PP2A-regulated TAK1/p38 axis in the development of skin dermatitis. Thus, these findings reveal a novel pathway of phosphorylation-driven NLRP1 activation and expand our understanding of its regulation in epithelial immunity. One Sentence SummaryPP1/PP2A phosphatases restrict TAK1-driven NLRP1 inflammasome response. O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=146 HEIGHT=200 SRC="FIGDIR/small/701233v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (24K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@128de37org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@151fbdorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@d6b98aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@12f419d_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG O_FLOATNOGraphical abstractC_FLOATNO Schematic representation of the phosphorylation-driven hNLRP1 inflammasome response upon exposure to environmental toxins and to dsRNA/viral infection. C_FIG

immunology↗

bioRxiv2025

Dual human lung models reveal compartment-specific activity of anti-tuberculosis drugs and host-directed therapies

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global health challenge that requires new therapeutic strategies to improve drug efficacy, shorten treatment duration, prevent drug resistance, and limit Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) persistence. Here, we established complementary in vitro human lung models integrating alveolar macrophage-like (AML) cells and airway air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures to evaluate standard-of-care antibiotics, host-directed therapies, and virulence-targeting agents. AMLs recapitulated key morphological, transcriptional, and functional features of primary alveolar macrophages, including a CD16+ immunoregulatory phenotype highly permissive to Mtb infection. In parallel, ALI cultures maintained epithelial barrier integrity and secretory functions, allowing apical Mtb infection, drug penetration analysis, and inflammatory profiling. Benchmarking of standard-of-care antibiotics revealed compartment-specific activity: isoniazid, rifampicin, and moxifloxacin were effective in both systems, while pyrazinamide was active only in AMLs. Anti-inflammatory host-directed therapies such as ibuprofen and doramapimod selectively reduced cytokine production without affecting bacterial load. Together, this dual-platform system offers a physiologically relevant and scalable model to assess antimicrobial efficacy and host modulation across distinct pulmonary niches, bridging the gap between conventional macrophage assays and the complex human lung.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2025

Neutrophil myeloperoxidase as a functional biomarker for RSV severity: implications for in vitro therapeutic screening.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of severe lower respiratory tract infections in infants, yet effective therapeutics are lacking. The aim of this study is to develop an in vitro model that recapitulates key clinical outcomes in infants with RSV bronchiolitis to help accelerate the discovery of effective therapeutics. Neutrophil activation and influx into the airways are hallmarks of severe RSV infection, but these responses are difficult to quantify in clinical trials. Here we profile peripheral blood-derived neutrophils from infants with RSV admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and identify myeloperoxidase (MPO) as a key indicator of disease severity when compared to age matched controls. To mechanistically model this response, we established a paediatric airway epithelial air-liquid interface (ALI) system incorporating an endothelial layer and primary neutrophils to recapitulate the tissue microenvironment at the blood-airway barrier. Following RSV infection, neutrophil migration and activation were assessed using flow cytometry. The inclusion of an endothelial layer enhanced physiological relevance and more accurately replicated in vivo MPO responses. We then evaluated two antiviral candidates (remdesivir (RDV) and RSV604) to assess their ability to modulate neutrophil activation. While both compounds reduced viral load at 24 hours post-infection, only RSV604 attenuated MPO expression. These findings establish MPO as both a biomarker of RSV disease severity and a functional readout of therapeutic efficacy and demonstrate that targeting neutrophildriven inflammatory pathways may be critical for reducing pathology in infant RSV infection. Take home messageAntiviral drug discovery should include neutrophil MPO reduction as a readout of therapeutic efficacy. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=147 SRC="FIGDIR/small/682115v2_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (52K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@170058corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@17c344corg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@14d79baorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@172ac3c_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

immunology↗

bioRxiv2023

Lung viral infection modelling in a bioengineered whole-organ

Lung infections are one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and this situation has been exacerbated by the emergence of COVID-19. Pre-clinical modelling of viral infections has relied on cell cultures that lack 3D structure and the context of lung extracellular matrices. Here, we propose a bioreactor-based, whole-organ lung model of viral infection. The bioreactor takes advantage of an automated system to achieve efficient decellularization of a whole rat lung, and recellularization of the scaffold using primary human bronchial cells. Automatization allowed for the dynamic culture of airway epithelial cells in a breathing-mimicking setup that led to an even distribution of lung epithelial cells throughout the distal regions. In the sealed bioreactor system, we demonstrate proof-of-concept for viral infection with the engineered lung by infecting primary human airway epithelial cells. Moreover, to assess the possibility of drug screening in this model, we demonstrate the efficacy of the broad-spectrum antiviral Remdesivir. This whole-organ scale lung infection model represents a step towards modelling viral infection of human cells in a 3D context, providing a powerful tool to investigate the mechanisms of the early stages of pathogenic infections and the development of effective treatment strategies for respiratory diseases.

bioengineering↗