CD28 Deficiency Enhances Type I IFN Production by Murine Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells.

Type I IFNs (IFN-I) are key innate mediators that create a profound antiviral state and orchestrate the activation of almost all immune cells. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are the most powerful IFN-I-producing cells and play important roles during viral infections, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. By comparing gene expression profiles of murine pDCs and conventional DCs, we found that CD28, a prototypic T cell stimulatory receptor, was highly expressed in pDCs. Strikingly, CD28 acted as a negative regulator of pDC IFN-I production upon TLR stimulation but did not affect pDC survival or maturation. Importantly, cell-intrinsic CD28 expression restrained pDC (and systemic) IFN-I production during in vivo RNA and DNA viral infections, limiting antiviral responses and enhancing viral growth early after exposure. Finally, CD28 also downregulated IFN-I response upon skin injury. Our study identified a new pDC regulatory mechanism by which the same CD28 molecule that promotes stimulation in most cells that express it is co-opted to negatively regulate pDC IFN-I production and limit innate responses.

The female lower genital tract is a privileged compartment with IL-10 producing dendritic cells and poor Th1 immunity following Chlamydia trachomatis infection.

While a primary genital tract infection with C. trachomatis stimulates partial-protection against re-infection, it may also result in severe inflammation and tissue destruction. Here we have dissected whether functional compartments exist in the genital tract that restrict Th1-mediated protective immunity. Apart from the Th1-subset, little is known about the role of other CD4(+) T cell subsets in response to a genital tract chlamydial infection. Therefore, we investigated CD4(+) T cell subset differentiation in the genital tract using RT-PCR for expression of critical transcription factors and cytokines in the upper (UGT) and lower genital tract (LGT) of female C57BL/6 mice in response to C. trachomatis serovar D infection. We found that the Th1 subset dominated the UGT, as IFN-γ and T-bet mRNA expression were high, while GATA-3 was low following genital infection with C. trachomatis serovar D. By contrast, IL-10 and GATA-3 mRNA dominated the LGT, suggesting the presence of Th2 cells. These functional compartments also attracted regulatory T cells (Tregs) differently as increased FoxP3 mRNA expression was seen primarily in the UGT. Although IL-17A mRNA was somewhat up-regulated in the LGT, no significant change in RORγ-t mRNA expression was observed, suggesting no involvement of Th17 cells. The dichotomy between the LGT and UGT was maintained during infection by IL-10 because in IL-10-deficient mice the distinction between the two compartments was completely lost and a dramatic shift to the predominance of Th1 cells in the LGT occurred. Unexpectedly, the major source of IL-10 was CD11c(+) CD11b(+) DC, probably creating an anti-inflammatory privileged site in the LGT.

Early cellular responses to Salmonella infection: dendritic cells, monocytes, and more.

SUMMARY: Dendritic cells (DCs), monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils are myeloid-derived phagocytes critical to controlling bacterial infections, and these cells have complementary functions to ensure host survival. Recent data have shed light on the dynamics and function of myeloid cells at the early stage of infection. In particular, murine infection models with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium have been useful for understanding the host response required to develop immunity to systemic salmonellosis. This review summarizes the early cellular responses in the intestinal lymphoid tissues to Salmonella and discusses Peyer's patch-dependent and -independent penetration of bacteria through the intestinal epithelium. Once Salmonella accesses host tissue, phagocytes respond by recruitment, redistribution, and activation in intestinal tissues. Recruited monocytes are specialized in controlling bacterial replication by producing anti-microbial molecules but are poor antigen-presenting cells. In contrast, DCs undergo maturation by direct (bacteria-mediated) and indirect (cytokine-mediated) pathways in vivo to optimize their antigen presentation capacity, and directly matured DCs have unique mechanisms to ensure T-cell stimulation. Toll-like receptor signaling is critical to DC maturation and myeloid cell recruitment during Salmonella infection, and the role of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88)-dependent and MyD88-independent pathways as well as proinflammatory cytokines and type 1 interferons in these processes are discussed.

MyD88 and interferon-alpha/beta are differentially required for dendritic cell maturation but dispensable for development of protective memory against Listeria.

Signalling pathways mediated by MyD88 are important for sensing Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands and directing an immune response. However, the influence of MyD88-derived cytokines and interferon (IFN)-alpha/beta, the latter being made by both MyD88-dependent and -independent pathways, in phenotypic and functional dendritic cell (DC) maturation during infection is poorly understood. Here we investigate the contribution of MyD88-dependent and -independent pathways to DC maturation, CD8 T-cell activation and the generation of protective memory against Listeria monocytogenes. We show that neither MyD88 deficiency alone nor MyD88/IFN-alphabetaR double deficiency alters Listeria-induced costimulatory molecule up-regulation on DCs in vivo. In contrast, DCs from infected IFN-alphabetaR(-/-) mice had higher CD80 and CD86 expression than wild-type DCs. We then examined the function of DCs matured in infected knockout mice. We found that DCs from Listeria-infected MyD88(-/-) and MyD88(-/-) IFN-alphabetaR(-/-) mice induced little or no IFN-gamma by CD8 T cells, respectively. In contrast, DCs from infected IFN-alphabetaR(-/-) mice had a greater capacity to induce IFN-gamma compared with DCs from infected wild-type mice. When the CD8 T-cell memory response was analysed, infected MyD88(-/-) and MyD88(-/- )IFN-alphabetaR(-/-) mice were found to have fewer bacteria-specific memory CD8 T cells than wild-type mice. However, the fraction of bacteria-specific CD8 T cells making IFN-gamma was similar in all mouse strains, and MyD88(-/-) and MyD88(-/- )IFN-alphabetaR(-/-) mice survived lethal challenge. Together the data suggest an inhibitory effect of IFN-alpha/beta on functional DC maturation during Listeria infection and reveal overlapping roles of MyD88-induced cytokines and IFN-alpha/beta in DC maturation and protective anti-Listeria immunity.

MyD88 and IFN-alphabeta differentially control maturation of bystander but not Salmonella-associated dendritic cells or CD11cintCD11b+ cells during infection.

The interface between dendritic cells (DCs) and T cells is critical to elicit effective immunity against pathogens. The maturation state of DCs determines the quality of the interaction and governs the type of response. DCs can be matured directly through activating Toll-like receptors (TLRs) or indirectly by cytokines. We explore the role of the TLR adaptor MyD88 on DC maturation during Salmonella infection. Using Salmonella expressing GFP, we also examine the phenotype and function of bacteria-associated DCs matured in the absence of bacteria-mediated TLR signalling. MyD88 was required for upregulation of CD80 on DCs during infection, whereas CD86 and CD40 were upregulated independently of MyD88, although requiring a higher bacterial burden in the MLN. MyD88-independent upregulation was mediated by IFN-alphabeta produced during infection. In infected MyD88(-/-)IFN-alphabetaR(-/-) mice, which lack most bacteria-driven TLR signalling, indirect DC maturation was abolished. In contrast, DCs containing Salmonella upregulated co-stimulatory molecules independently of MyD88 and IFN-alphabeta, revealing a pathway of phenotypic maturation active in infected DCs. However, despite high co-stimulatory molecule expression, Salmonella-containing DCs from MyD88(-/-) or MyD88(-/-)IFN-alphabetaR(-/-) mice had a compromised capacity to activate T cells. Thus, bacterial stimulation of TLRs influences DC function at multiple levels that modulates their capacity to direct antibacterial immunity.

Gut microbiota dependent anti-tumor immunity restricts melanoma growth in Rnf5-/- mice.

Accumulating evidence points to an important role for the gut microbiome in anti-tumor immunity. Here, we show that altered intestinal microbiota contributes to anti-tumor immunity, limiting tumor expansion. Mice lacking the ubiquitin ligase RNF5 exhibit attenuated activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) components, which coincides with increased expression of inflammasome components, recruitment and activation of dendritic cells and reduced expression of antimicrobial peptides in intestinal epithelial cells. Reduced UPR expression is also seen in murine and human melanoma tumor specimens that responded to immune checkpoint therapy. Co-housing of Rnf5-/- and WT mice abolishes the anti-tumor immunity and tumor inhibition phenotype, whereas transfer of 11 bacterial strains, including B. rodentium, enriched in Rnf5-/- mice, establishes anti-tumor immunity and restricts melanoma growth in germ-free WT mice. Altered UPR signaling, exemplified in Rnf5-/- mice, coincides with altered gut microbiota composition and anti-tumor immunity to control melanoma growth.

Regulation of S100A8 Stability by RNF5 in Intestinal Epithelial Cells Determines Intestinal Inflammation and Severity of Colitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is prevalent, but the mechanisms underlying disease development remain elusive. We identify a role for the E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF5 in IBD. Intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) express a high level of RNF5, while the colon of Rnf5-/- mice exhibits activated dendritic cells and intrinsic inflammation. Rnf5-/- mice exhibit severe acute colitis following dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) treatment. S100A8 is identified as an RNF5 substrate, resulting in S100A8 ubiquitination and proteasomal-dependent degradation that is attenuated upon inflammatory stimuli. Loss of RNF5 from IECs leads to enhanced S100A8 secretion, which induces mucosal CD4+ T cells, resulting in Th1 pro-inflammatory responses. Administration of S100A8-neutralizing antibodies to DSS-treated Rnf5-/- mice attenuates acute colitis development and increases survival. An inverse correlation between RNF5 and S100A8 protein expression in IECs of IBD patients coincides with disease severity. Collectively, RNF5-mediated regulation of S100A8 stability in IECs is required for the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis.

Synergy between CD40 and MyD88 Does Not Influence Host Survival to Salmonella Infection.

Previous studies using purified toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands plus agonistic anti-CD40 antibodies showed that TLRs and CD40 can act synergistically on dendritic cells (DCs) to optimize T cell activation and Th1 differentiation. However, a synergistic effect of TLRs and CD40 during bacterial infection is not known. Here, we show that mice lacking the TLR adaptor MyD88 alone, or lacking both MyD88 and CD40 [double knockout (DKO) mice], are compromised in survival to Salmonella infection but have intact recruitment of neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes as well as unaltered abundance of DC subsets and DC activation in infected tissues. In contrast to infected wildtype and CD40(-/-) mice, both MyD88(-/-) mice and DKO mice lack detectable serum IFN-γ and have elevated IL-10. A synergistic effect of TLRs and CD40 was revealed in co-culture experiments where OT-II T cell proliferation was compromised when DKO DCs were pulsed with OVA protein and OVA323-339 peptide, but not with heat-killed Salmonella expressing OVA (HKSOVA), relative to MyD88(-/-) DCs. By contrast, MyD88(-/-) or DKO DCs pulsed with any of the antigens had a similar ability to induce IFN-γ that was lower than WT or CD40(-/-) DCs. DKO DCs pulsed with HKSOVA, but not with OVA or OVA323-339, had increased IL-10 relative to MyD88(-/-) DCs. Finally, HKSOVA-pulsed MyD88(-/-) and DKO DCs had similar and low induction of NFκB-dependent and -independent genes upon co-culture with OT-II cells. Overall, our data revealed that synergistic effects of CD40 and MyD88 do not influence host survival to Salmonella infection or serum levels of IFN-γ or IL-10. However, synergistic effects of MyD88 and CD40 may be apparent on some (IL-10 production) but not all (OT-II proliferation and IFN-γ production) DC functions and depend on the complexity of the antigen. Indeed, synergistic effects observed using purified ligands and well-defined antigens may not necessarily apply when complex antigens, such as live bacteria, challenge the immune system.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells mature independently of MyD88 and IFN-αßR in response to Listeria and stimulate CD8 T cells.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are a subpopulation of dendritic cells specialized in the production of IFN-α/ß, particularly during viral infections. In this way pDCs directly impact antiviral immunity and influence T cell activation. However, despite their role as modulators of the immune response, their function as antigen-presenting cells (APCs) remains poorly understood. Indeed, their capacity as APCs during bacterial infections is unexplored. Here we investigate the importance of MyD88 and IFN-α/ß in upregulating costimulatory molecules on pDCs during Listeria infection and their impact on activation of naïve CD8 T cells. We show that pDCs efficiently upregulate CD80 and CD86 during systemic Listeria infection, yet express lower levels of these molecules than conventional dendritic cells (cDCs). Furthermore, pDCs are able to stimulate CD8 T cell proliferation and IFN-γ production, although less efficiently than cDCs. Despite these differences, the influence of MyD88 and IFN-α/ß on CD80 and CD86 expression on pDCs and cDCs is similar. Thus, our data show for the first time the potential of pDCs to activate CD8 T cells in response to a bacterial infection.

Differential expansion, activation and effector functions of conventional and plasmacytoid dendritic cells in mouse tissues transiently infected with Listeria monocytogenes.

Dendritic cells (DC) are crucial in generating immunity to infection. Here we characterize changes in DC in terms of number, activation and effector functions, focusing on conventional DC (cDC) and plasmacytoid DC (pDC), in Listeria-infected mice. Kinetic studies showed a subset- and tissue-specific expansion of cDC and upregulation of CD80 and CD86 on splenic and mesenteric lymph node (MLN) cDC after intragastric infection. Expansion of pDC was more prolonged than cDC, and pDC upregulated CD86 and MHC-II, but not CD80, in both the spleen and MLN. cDC were an important source of IL-12 but not TNF-alpha during infection, while pDC made neither of these cytokines. Instead other CD11c(int) cells produced these cytokines. Using five-colour flow cytometry and double intracellular cytokine staining, we detected phenotypically similar CD11c(int)CD11b(+)Gr1(+) cells with distinct capacities to produce TNF-alpha/IL-12 or TNF-alpha/iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) in Listeria-infected tissues. IL-12p70 was also produced by sorted CD11c(hi) and CD11c(int)CD11b(+)Gr1(+) cells. Furthermore, production of TNF-alpha, iNOS and IL-12 was differentially dependent on cellular localization of the bacteria. Cytosol-restricted bacteria induced TNF-alpha and iNOS-producing cells, albeit at lower frequency than wild-type bacteria. In contrast, IL-12 was induced only with wild-type bacteria. These data provide new insight into the relative abundance and function of distinct CD11c-expressing populations during the early stage of Listeria infection.