Abstract
When Staphylococcus aureus penetrates the epidermis and reaches the dermis, polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMLs) accumulate and an abscess is formed. However, the molecular mechanisms that orchestrate initiation and termination of inflammation in skin infection are incompletely understood. In human myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88) deficiency, staphylococcal skin and soft tissue infections are a leading and potentially life-threatening problem. In this study, we found that MyD88-dependent sensing of S. aureus by dermal macrophages (Mϕ) contributes to both timely escalation and termination of PML-mediated inflammation in a mouse model of staphylococcal skin infection. Mϕs were key to recruit PML within hours in response to staphylococci, irrespective of bacterial viability. In contrast with bone marrow-derived Mϕs, dermal Mϕs did not require UNC-93B or TLR2 for activation. Moreover, PMLs, once recruited, were highly activated in an MyD88-independent fashion, yet failed to clear the infection if Mϕs were missing or functionally impaired. In normal mice, clearance of the infection and contraction of the PML infiltrate were accompanied by expansion of resident Mϕs in a CCR2-dependent fashion. Thus, whereas monocytes were dispensable for the early immune response to staphylococci, they contributed to Mϕ renewal after the infection was overcome. Taken together, MyD88-dependent sensing of staphylococci by resident dermal Mϕs is key for a rapid and balanced immune response, and PMLs are dependent on intact Mϕ for full function. Renewal of resident Mϕs requires both local control of bacteria and inflammatory monocytes entering the skin.