Activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells and B cells with two structurally different Toll-like receptor 7 agonists.

Synthetic Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 agonists have been suggested as immune modulators in a range of conditions. In contrast, self-derived TLR7 activators, such as RNA-containing immune complexes (RNA-IC), can contribute to autoimmune diseases due to endogenous immune activation. The exact difference in immune cell response between synthetic and endogenous TLR7 triggers is only partly known. An understanding of these differences could aid in the development of new therapeutic agents and provide insights into autoimmune disease mechanisms. We therefore compared the stimulatory capacity of two TLR7 agonists, RNA-IC and a synthetic small molecule DSR-6434, on blood leucocytes, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and B cells from healthy individuals. IFN-α, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF levels were measured by immunoassays, and gene expression in pDCs was analysed by an expression array. DSR-6434 triggered 20-fold lower levels of IFN-α by pDCs, but higher production of IL-6, IL-8 and TNF, compared to RNA-IC. Furthermore, IFN-α and TNF production were increased with exogenous IFN-α2b priming, whereas IL-8 synthesis by B cells was reduced for both stimuli. Cocultivation of pDCs and B cells increased the RNA-IC-stimulated IFN-α and TNF levels, while only IL-6 production was enhanced in the DSR-6434-stimulated cocultures. When comparing pDCs stimulated with RNA-IC and DSR-6434, twelve genes were differentially expressed (log2 fold change >2, adjusted P-value <.05). In conclusion, RNA-IC, which mimics an endogenous TLR7 stimulator, and the synthetic TLR7 agonist DSR-6434 trigger distinct inflammatory profiles in immune cells. This demonstrates the importance of using relevant stimuli when targeting the TLR7 pathway for therapeutic purposes.

IFN-α production by plasmacytoid dendritic cell associations with polymorphisms in gene loci related to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

The type I interferon (IFN) system is persistently activated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and many other systemic autoimmune diseases. Studies have shown an association between SLE and several gene variants within the type I IFN system. We investigated whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with SLE and other autoimmune diseases affect the IFN-α production in healthy individuals. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), B cells and NK cells were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy individuals and stimulated with RNA-containing immune complexes (ICs), herpes simplex virus (HSV) or the oligonucleotide ODN2216. IFN-α production by pDCs alone or in cocultures with B or NK cells was measured by an immunoassay. All donors were genotyped with the 200K ImmunoChip, and a 5 bp CGGGG length polymorphism in the IFN regulatory factor 5 gene (IRF5) was genotyped by PCR. We found associations between IFN-α production and 18-86 SNPs (P ≤ 0.001), depending on the combination of the stimulated cell types. However, only three of these associated SNPs were shared between the cell-type combinations. Several SNPs showed novel associations to the type I IFN system among all the associated SNPs, whereas some loci have been described earlier for their association with SLE. Furthermore, we found that the SLE-risk variant of the IRF5 CGGGG-indel was associated with lower IFN-α production. We conclude that the genetic variants affecting the IFN-α production highlight the intricate regulation of the type I IFN system and the importance of understanding the mechanisms behind the dysregulated type I IFN system in SLE.

Allele-specific transcription factor binding to common and rare variants associated with disease and gene expression.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a large number of disease-associated SNPs, but in few cases the functional variant and the gene it controls have been identified. To systematically identify candidate regulatory variants, we sequenced ENCODE cell lines and used public ChIP-seq data to look for transcription factors binding preferentially to one allele. We found 9962 candidate regulatory SNPs, of which 16 % were rare and showed evidence of larger functional effect than common ones. Functionally rare variants may explain divergent GWAS results between populations and are candidates for a partial explanation of the missing heritability. The majority of allele-specific variants (96 %) were specific to a cell type. Furthermore, by examining GWAS loci we found >400 allele-specific candidate SNPs, 141 of which were highly relevant in our cell types. Functionally validated SNPs support identification of an SNP in SYNGR1 which may expose to the risk of rheumatoid arthritis and primary biliary cirrhosis, as well as an SNP in the last intron of COG6 exposing to the risk of psoriasis. We propose that by repeating the ChIP-seq experiments of 20 selected transcription factors in three to ten people, the most common polymorphisms can be interrogated for allele-specific binding. Our strategy may help to remove the current bottleneck in functional annotation of the genome.

Activated T cells enhance interferon-α production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells stimulated with RNA-containing immune complexes.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an ongoing interferon-α (IFN-α) production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). We investigated whether T cells can promote IFN-α production by pDCs. METHODS: Human pDCs were stimulated with immune complexes (ICs) containing U1 small nuclear ribonucleic proteins particles and SLE-IgG (RNA-IC) in the presence of T cells or T cell supernatants. T cells were activated by anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies or in a mixed leucocyte reaction. IFN-α and other cytokines were determined in culture supernatants or patient sera with immunoassays. The effect of interleukin (IL) 3 and granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on pDCs was examined by the use of antibodies, and the expression of CD80/CD86 was determined using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Activated T cells and supernatants from activated T cells increased IFN-α production by >20-fold. The stimulatory effect of T cell supernatants was reduced after depletion of GM-CSF (81%) or by blocking the GM-CSF receptor (55%-81%). Supernatant from activated T cells, furthermore, increased the frequency of CD80 and CD86 expressing pDCs stimulated with RNA-IC from 6% to 35% (p<0.05) and from 10% to 26% (p<0.01), respectively. Activated SLE T cells enhanced IFN-α production to the same extent as T cells from healthy individuals and a subset of patients with SLE had increased serum levels of GM-CSF. CONCLUSIONS: Activated T cells enhance IFN-α production by RNA-IC stimulated pDCs via GM-CSF and induce pDC maturation. Given the increased serum levels of GM-CSF in a subset of patients with SLE, these findings suggest that activated T cells may upregulate type I IFN production in SLE.

Genome-wide profiling of target genes for the systemic lupus erythematosus-associated transcription factors IRF5 and STAT4.

BACKGROUND: The transcription factors interferon regulatory factor 5 (IRF5) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 4 (STAT4) are encoded by two of the strongest susceptibility genes for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the target genes and functional roles of IRF5 and STAT4 in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). METHODS: Chromatin immunoprecipitation-sequencing (ChIP-seq) was performed in PBMCs stimulated to activate IRF5 and STAT4. The expression of the target genes of IRF5 and STAT4 was investigated in a publicly available dataset generated from PBMCs from patients with SLE and healthy controls. The genomic regions bound by the transcription complexes mediated by IRF5 and STAT4 were examined for transcription factor binding motifs and SLE-associated sequence variants. RESULTS: More than 7000 target genes for IRF5 and STAT4 were identified in stimulated PBMCs. These genes were enriched to functional pathways in the type I interferon system, and have key roles in the inflammatory response. The expression patterns of the target genes were characteristic for patients with SLE. The transcription factors high mobility group-I/Y, specificity protein 1, and paired box 4 may function cooperatively with IRF5 and STAT4 in transcriptional regulation. Eight of the target regions for IRF5 and STAT4 contain SLE-associated sequence variants. CONCLUSIONS: By participating in transcription complex with other co-factors, IRF5 and STAT4 harbour the potential of regulating a large number of target genes, which may contribute to their strong association with SLE.

B lymphocytes enhance interferon-α production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells.

OBJECTIVE: The type I interferon (IFN) system and B cells are activated in many autoimmune diseases, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The IFNα produced by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDCs) stimulates several B cell functions, including autoantibody production. However, not much is known about how B cells influence PDC function. The aim of this study was to investigate the regulatory effect of B cells on IFNα production by PDCs. METHODS: PDCs and B cells isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy blood donors were stimulated with RNA-containing immune complexes (ICs) consisting of U1 small nuclear RNP and SLE IgG, herpes simplex virus, or oligonucleotide (ODN) 2216, alone or in cocultures. IFNα, several other cytokines, and PDC- or B cell-associated surface molecules were analyzed using immunoassays or flow cytometry. RESULTS: B cells enhanced IFNα production by PDCs up to 47-fold, and the effect was most pronounced for PDCs stimulated with RNA-containing ICs. Anti-CD31 antibody reduced RNA-containing IC-induced IFNα production by 80% but had no effect on IFNα production when ODN 2216 was used as an inducer. Supernatants from ODN 2216-stimulated B cells promoted IFNα production by PDCs, while supernatants from RNA-containing IC-stimulated B cells did not. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that a novel function of B cells is enhancement of type I IFN production by PDCs. Because B cells are activated by type I IFN, this PDC-B cell cross-talk might be of fundamental importance in the etiopathogenesis of SLE and contribute to long-term immune activation in SLE and other systemic rheumatic diseases.

IFN-α production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells stimulated with RNA-containing immune complexes is promoted by NK cells via MIP-1ß and LFA-1.

Several systemic autoimmune diseases display a prominent IFN signature. This is caused by a continuous IFN-α production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which are activated by immune complexes (ICs) containing nucleic acid. The IFN-α production by pDCs stimulated with RNA-containing IC (RNA-IC) consisting of anti-RNP autoantibodies and U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles was recently shown to be inhibited by monocytes, but enhanced by NK cells. The inhibitory effect of monocytes was mediated by TNF-α, PGE(2), and reactive oxygen species, but the mechanisms for the NK cell-mediated increase in IFN-α production remained unclear. In this study, we investigated the mechanisms whereby NK cells increase the RNA-IC-induced IFN-α production by pDCs. Furthermore, NK cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were evaluated for their capacity to promote IFN-α production. We found that CD56(dim) NK cells could increase IFN-α production >1000-fold after RNA-IC activation, whereas CD56(bright) NK cells required costimulation by IL-12 and IL-18 to promote IFN-α production. NK cells produced MIP-1α, MIP-1ß, RANTES, IFN-γ, and TNF-α via RNA-IC-mediated FcγRIIIA activation. The IFN-α production in pDCs was promoted by NK cells via MIP-1ß secretion and LFA-mediated cell-cell contact. Moreover, NK cells from SLE patients displayed a reduced capacity to promote the RNA-IC-induced IFN-α production, which could be restored by exogenous IL-12 and IL-18. Thus, different molecular mechanisms can mediate the NK cell-dependent increase in IFN-α production by RNA-IC-stimulated pDCs, and our study suggests that the possibility to therapeutically target the NK-pDC axis in IFN-α-driven autoimmune diseases such as SLE should be investigated.

Cytokine production by activated plasmacytoid dendritic cells and natural killer cells is suppressed by an IRAK4 inhibitor.

BACKGROUND: In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), immune complexes (ICs) containing self-derived nucleic acids trigger the synthesis of proinflammatory cytokines by immune cells. We asked how an interleukin (IL)-1 receptor-associated kinase 4 small molecule inhibitor (IRAK4i) affects RNA-IC-induced cytokine production compared with hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). METHODS: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and natural killer (NK) cells were isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of healthy individuals. PBMCs from SLE patients and healthy individuals were depleted of monocytes. Cells were stimulated with RNA-containing IC (RNA-IC) in the presence or absence of IRAK4i I92 or HCQ, and cytokines were measured by immunoassay or flow cytometry. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on RNA-IC-stimulated pDCs from healthy individuals to assess the effect of IRAK4i and HCQ. RESULTS: In healthy individuals, RNA-IC induced interferon (IFN)-α, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6, IL-8, IFN-γ, macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)1-α, and MIP1-ß production in pDC and NK cell cocultures. IFN-α production was selective for pDCs, whereas both pDCs and NK cells produced TNF-α. IRAK4i reduced the pDC and NK cell-derived cytokine production by 74-95%. HCQ interfered with cytokine production in pDCs but not in NK cells. In monocyte-depleted PBMCs, IRAK4i blocked cytokine production more efficiently than HCQ. Following RNA-IC activation of pDCs, 975 differentially expressed genes were observed (false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05), with many connected to cytokine pathways, cell regulation, and apoptosis. IRAK4i altered the expression of a larger number of RNA-IC-induced genes than did HCQ (492 versus 65 genes). CONCLUSIONS: The IRAK4i I92 exhibits a broader inhibitory effect than HCQ on proinflammatory pathways triggered by RNA-IC, suggesting IRAK4 inhibition as a therapeutic option in SLE.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells and RNA-containing immune complexes drive expansion of peripheral B cell subsets with an SLE-like phenotype.

BACKGROUND: Hyperactive B cells and a continuous interferon (IFN)-α production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) play a key role in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We asked whether the interaction between B cells and pDCs stimulated with RNA-containing immune complexes affects peripheral B cell subsets. METHODS: B cells and pDCs were isolated from blood of healthy individuals and stimulated with immune complexes consisting of SLE-IgG and U1snRNP (RNA-IC). Expression of cell surface molecules as well as IL-6 and IL-10 production were determined by flow cytometry and immunoassays. Gene expression profiles were determined by a NanoString nCounter expression array. RESULTS: We found a remarkable increase of double negative CD27-IgD- B cells, from 7% within fresh CD19+ B cells to 37% in the RNA-IC-stimulated co-cultures of B cells and pDCs, comparable to the frequency of double negative B cells in SLE patients. Gene expression analysis of the double negative CD27-IgD- and the CD27+IgD- memory B cells revealed that twenty-one genes were differentially expressed between the two B cell subsets (≥ 2-fold, p<0.001). The, IL21R, IL4R, CCL4, CCL3, CD83 and the IKAROS Family Zinc Finger 2 (IKZ2) showed higher expression in the double negative CD27-IgD- B cells. CONCLUSION: The interactions between B cells and pDCs together with RNA-containing IC led to an expansion of B cells with similar phenotype as seen in SLE, suggesting that the pDC-B cell crosstalk contributes to the autoimmune feed-forward loop in SLE.

Coronary heart disease in systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with interferon regulatory factor-8 gene variants.

BACKGROUND: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have increased morbidity and mortality in coronary heart disease (CHD). We asked whether there was a genetic influence on CHD in systemic lupus erythematosus. METHODS AND RESULTS: The association between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and CHD in 2 populations of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus was assessed. Patients were genotyped on a custom 12k Illumina Array. The allele frequencies were compared between patients with (n=66) and without (n=509) CHD. We found 61 SNPs with an association (P<0.01) to CHD, with the strongest association for 3 SNPs located in the interferon regulatory factor-8 (IRF8) gene. Comparison of the allele frequencies of these 61 SNPs in patients with (n=27) and without (n=212) CHD in the second study population revealed that 2 SNPs, rs925994 and rs10514610 in IRF8 (linkage disequilibrium, r²=0.84), were associated with CHD in both study populations. Meta-analysis of the SNP rs925994 gave an odds ratio of 3.6 (2.1-6.3), P value 1.9×10⁻6. The identified IRF8 allele remained as a risk factor for CHD after adjustment for traditional CHD risk factors. The IRF8 risk allele was associated with the presence of carotid plaques (P<0.001) and increased intima-media thickness (P=0.01). By electrophoretic mobility shift assays, we show weaker binding of protein to the risk allele of the highly linked SNP rs11117415, and by flow cytometry, a reduced frequency of circulating B cells was detected in patients with the IRF8 risk allele. CONCLUSIONS: There is a considerable genetic component for CHD in systemic lupus erythematosus, with IRF8 as a strong susceptibility locus.