Abstract
Group B streptococci, a major cause of sepsis, induce inflammatory cytokines in strict dependence on bacterial ssRNA and the host molecules MyD88 and UNC-93B. In this study, we show that NO plays an important role in Group B streptococci-induced transcriptional activation of cytokine genes. Phagocytosis induced NO in a MyD88-dependent fashion. In turn, NO propagated the acidification of phagosomes and the processing of phagosomal bacterial nucleic acids and was required for potent transcriptional activation of cytokine genes by streptococci. This NO-dependent amplification loop has important mechanistic implications for the anti-streptococcal macrophage response and sepsis pathogenesis.