Cutting edge: B and T lymphocyte attenuator signaling on NKT cells inhibits cytokine release and tissue injury in early immune responses.

The role of coinhibition in an immune response is thought to be critical for the contraction of an adaptive immune response in its waning phases. We present evidence that B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) coinhibitory signaling is required to temper early inflammation. Using an in vivo Con A challenge model of acute hepatitis, we observed reduced survival and increased early serum cytokine secretion in BTLA(-/-) mice as compared with wild-type mice. In vitro, liver mononuclear cells from BTLA(-/-) mice are hyperresponsive to anti-CD3, Con A, and alpha-galactosylceramide stimulation and secrete higher levels of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, IL-2, and IL-4. We found this was in part due to negative regulation of NKT cells by BTLA, as early cytokine inhibition from whole liver mononuclear cells or purified NKT cells depends upon BTLA signaling. Overall, our data demonstrate that coinhibition is active in early immune responses through BTLA regulation of NKT cells.

B and T lymphocyte attenuator tempers early infection immunity.

Coinhibitory pathways are thought to act in later stages of an adaptive immune response, but whether coinhibition contributes to early innate immunity is unclear. We show that engagement of the newly discovered coinhibitory receptor B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) by herpesvirus entry mediator (HVEM) is critical for negatively regulating early host immunity against intracellular bacteria. Both HVEM(-/-) and BTLA(-/-), but not LIGHT(-/-), mice are more resistant to listeriosis compared with wild-type mice, and blockade of the BTLA pathway promotes, while engagement inhibits, early bacterial clearance. Differences in bacterial clearance were seen as early as 1 day postinfection, implicating the initial innate response. Therefore, innate cell function in BTLA(-/-) mice was studied. We show that innate cells from BTLA(-/-) mice secrete significantly more proinflammatory cytokines upon stimulation with heat-killed Listeria. These results provide the first evidence that a coinhibitory pathway plays a critical role in regulating early host innate immunity against infection.

Allergic inflammation is initiated by IL-33-dependent crosstalk between mast cells and basophils.

IgE-primed mast cells in peripheral tissues, including the skin, lung, and intestine, are key initiators of allergen-triggered edema and inflammation. Particularly in severe forms of allergy, this inflammation becomes strongly neutrophil dominated, and yet how mast cells coordinate this type of response is unknown. We and others have reported that activated mast cells--a hematopoietic cell type--can produce IL-33, a cytokine known to participate in allergic responses but generally considered as being of epithelial origin and driving Type 2 immune responses (e.g., ILC2 and eosinophil activation). Using models of skin anaphylaxis, our data reveal that mast cell-derived IL-33 also initiates neutrophilic inflammation. We demonstrate a cellular crosstalk mechanism whereby activated mast cells crosstalk to IL-33 receptor-bearing basophils, driving these basophils to adopt a unique response signature rich in neutrophil-associated molecules. We further establish that basophil expression of CXCL1 is necessary for IgE-driven neutrophilic inflammation. Our findings thus unearth a new mechanism by which mast cells initiate local inflammation after antigen triggering and might explain the complex inflammatory phenotypes observed in severe allergic diseases. Moreover, our findings (i) establish a functional link from IL-33 to neutrophilic inflammation that extends IL-33-mediated biology well beyond that of Type 2 immunity, and (ii) demonstrate the functional importance of hematopoietic cell-derived IL-33 in allergic pathogenesis.

Immune sensitization in the skin is enhanced by antigen-independent effects of IgE on mast cells.

Contact sensitivity responses require both effective immune sensitization following cutaneous exposure to chemical haptens and antigen-specific elicitation of inflammation upon subsequent hapten challenge. We have observed that that antigen-independent effects of immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies promote immune sensitization to haptens in the skin. Contact sensitivity is markedly impaired in IgE-/- mice but can be restored by either transfer of sensitized cells from wild-type mice or administration of hapten-irrelevant IgE before sensitization. Moreover, IgE-/- mice exhibit impairment in the emigration of dendritic cells from the epidermis after hapten exposure. Monomeric IgE has been reported to influence mast cell function. We observe diminished contact sensitivity in mice lacking FcepsilonRI or mast cells, and mRNA for several mast cell-associated genes is reduced in IgE-/- vs. wild-type skin after hapten exposure. We propose that levels of IgE normally present in mice favour immune sensitization via antigen-independent effects on mast cells.

Immune sensitization in the skin is enhanced by antigen-independent effects of IgE.

Contact sensitivity responses require both effective immune sensitization following cutaneous exposure to chemical haptens and antigen-specific elicitation of inflammation upon subsequent hapten challenge. We report that antigen-independent effects of IgE antibodies can promote immune sensitization to haptens in the skin. Contact sensitivity was markedly impaired in IgE(-/-) mice but was restored by either transfer of sensitized cells from wild-type mice or administration of hapten-irrelevant IgE before sensitization. Moreover, IgE(-/-) mice exhibited impairment in the reduction of dendritic cell numbers in the epidermis after hapten exposure. Monomeric IgE has been reported to influence mast cell function. We observed diminished contact sensitivity in mice lacking FcepsilonRI or mast cells, and mRNA for several mast cell-associated genes was reduced in IgE(-/-) versus wild-type skin after hapten exposure. We speculate that levels of IgE normally present in mice favor immune sensitization via antigen-independent but FcepsilonRI-dependent effects on mast cells.