In Vitro Suppression of CD4+ T-Cell Responses by Murine and Human Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells.

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are myeloid precursors of macrophages, dendritic cells, and neutrophils with a prominent role in the regulation of immune responses in cancer, infection, and autoimmunity. Herein, we describe a protocol for the isolation of murine and human MDSCs and the assessment of their ability to suppress CD4+ T-cell responses in vitro.

Neutrophil extracellular traps exacerbate Th1-mediated autoimmune responses in rheumatoid arthritis by promoting DC maturation.

Aberrant formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) is a key feature in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and plays a pivotal role in disease pathogenesis. However, the mechanism through which NETs shape the autoimmune response in RA remains elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that inhibition of peptidylarginine deiminases activity in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mouse model significantly reduces NET formation, attenuates clinical disease activity, and prevents joint destruction. Importantly, peptidylarginine deiminase 4 blocking markedly reduces the frequency of collagen-specific IFN-γ-producing T helper 1 (Th1) cells in the draining lymph nodes of immunized mice. Exposure of dendritic cells (DCs) to CIA-derived NETs induces DC maturation characterized by significant upregulation of costimulatory molecules, as well as elevated secretion of IL-6. Moreover, CIA-NET-treated DCs promote the induction of antigen-specific Th1 cells in vitro. Finally, NETs from RA patients show an increased potential to induce the maturation of DCs from healthy individuals, corroborating the findings obtained in CIA mouse model. Collectively, our findings delineate an important role of NETs in the induction and expansion of Th1 pathogenic cells in CIA through maturation of DCs and reveal a novel role of NETs in shaping the RA-autoimmune response that could be exploited therapeutically.

Elimination of Granulocytic Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Lupus-Prone Mice Linked to Reactive Oxygen Species-Dependent Extracellular Trap Formation.

OBJECTIVE: Emerging evidence supports a crucial role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the regulation of autoimmune diseases. However, their role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains unknown. This study sought to address the role of MDSCs in the pathogenesis of SLE. METHODS: MDSCs from (NZB × NZW)F1 lupus-prone mice were assessed for phenotype by flow cytometry, and the function of MDSCs was analyzed by in vitro T cell proliferation assay and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Extracellular trap (ET) formation was evaluated by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by Ly-6G+ cells was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis. RESULTS: Expansion of MDSCs was impaired and the function of MDSCs was defective in the lymphoid organs of (NZB × NZW)F1 lupus-prone mice with established disease, in which involvement of predominantly the granulocytic MDSC (G-MDSC) cell subset was observed. More specifically, the results showed that increased elimination of G-MDSCs, driven by the inflammatory milieu of lupus, could be attributed to ET formation, and that cytokines, such as interferon-α (IFNα), IFNγ, and interleukin-6, play a role in this process. Induction of ET release by G-MDSCs was mediated by the production of ROS, since inhibition of ROS generation significantly reduced ET release. CONCLUSION: Collectively, the results of this study reveal that elimination of a crucial regulatory immune cell subset is a feature of the SLE microenvironment. These findings provide new insights into the pathogenetic mechanisms of the disease.