Naturally occurring regulatory dendritic cells regulate murine cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a limiting factor in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (alloHSCT) for the treatment of leukemia and other malignancies. Relative to the process that initiates and promotes cGVHD, the regulation is poorly understood. In this study, we examined the role of naturally occurring regulatory dendritic cells (DC(regs)) in murine major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-compatible and multiple minor histocompatibility antigen (miHAg)-incompatible model of cGVHD in alloHSCT. DC(regs) generated from bone marrow in vitro (BM-DC(regs)) exclusively expressed CD200 receptor 3 (CD200R3), which exerted a suppressive function in the Ag-specific CD4(+) T-cell response. CD49(+)CD200R3(+) cells showed similarities in phenotype and function to BM-DC(regs), which formally distinguishes them from other leukocytes, suggesting that they are the natural counterpart of BM-DC(regs). Treatment of the recipient mice after alloHSCT with the recipient-type CD49(+)CD200R3(+) cells as well as BM-DC(regs) protected against cGVHD, and the protection was associated with the generation of Ag-specific anergic CD4(+) T cells as well as CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (T(regs)) from donor-derived alloreactive CD4(+)CD25(-)Foxp3(-) T cells. In addition, the depletion of CD49(+)CD200R3(+) cells before alloHSCT enhanced the progression of cGVHD. In conclusion, CD49(+)CD200R3(+) cells act as naturally occurring DC(regs) to regulate the pathogenesis of cGVHD in alloHSCT mediated through the control of the transplanted alloreactive CD4(+) T cells.

Regulatory dendritic cells protect against allergic airway inflammation in a murine asthmatic model.

BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for the induction of immunity and tolerance. Despite an improved understanding of the DC-mediated control of T(H)1-biased immunity, little is known about how DCs regulate T(H)2-mediated immunity. OBJECTIVE: The effects of immunostimulatory mature DCs (maDCs) and regulatory DCs (DCregs) on T(H)2-driven allergic immunity involving IgE production were examined. METHODS: A murine model of airway hyperresponsiveness; the adoptive transfer of maDCs, DCregs, and T cells; and T-cell function were studied. RESULTS: Antigen-pulsed maDCs inhibited antigen-specific IgE production but enhanced the production of antigen-specific IgG1 and IgG2a. Analysis of Ifng-/- mice and Il21r-/- mice revealed that the inhibitory effect of antigen-pulsed maDCs on antigen-specific IgE production involved IL-21-producing T follicular helper cells but not IFN-gamma-producing T(H)1 cells. In contrast, antigen-pulsed DCregs impaired the production of antigen-specific IgE, IgG1, and IgG2a. In vivo blockade experiments showed that antigen-specific CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells mainly mediated the suppressive effect of antigen-pulsed DCregs on the production of antigen-specific IgE. Antigen-pulsed maDCs promoted airway inflammation, whereas antigen-pulsed DCregs markedly suppressed the pathogenesis. CONCLUSION: DCregs abolish T(H)2-mediated IgE production and allergic inflammation based on antigen-specific dominant tolerance, whereas maDCs exacerbate the pathogenesis despite inhibiting the IgE response through the activation of diverse types of T(H) cell responses.

Construction of an open-access database that integrates cross-reference information from the transcriptome and proteome of immune cells.

MOTIVATION: Although a huge amount of mammalian genomic data does become publicly available, there are still hurdles for biologists to overcome before such data can be fully exploited. One of the challenges for gaining biological insight from genomic data has been the inability to cross-reference transcriptomic and proteomic data using a single informational platform. To address this, we constructed an open-access database that enabled us to cross-reference transcriptomic and proteomic data obtained from immune cells. RESULTS: The database, named RefDIC (Reference genomics Database of Immune Cells), currently contains: (i) quantitative mRNA profiles for human and mouse immune cells/tissues obtained using Affymetrix GeneChip technology; (ii) quantitative protein profiles for mouse immune cells obtained using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) followed by image analysis and mass spectrometry and (iii) various visualization tools to cross-reference the mRNA and protein profiles of immune cells. RefDIC is the first open-access database for immunogenomics and serves as an important information-sharing platform, enabling a focused genomic approach in immunology. AVAILABILITY: All raw data and information can be accessed from http://refdic.rcai.riken.jp/. The microarray data is also available at http://cibex.nig.ac.jp/ under CIBEX accession no. CBX19, and http://www.ebi.ac.uk/pride/ under PRIDE accession numbers 2354-2378 and 2414.

Dendritic cells: nature and classification.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen (Ag)-presenting cells (APCs) characterized by a unique capacity to stimulate naive T cells and initiate primary immune responses. Recent studies suggest that DCs also play critical roles in the induction of central and peripheral immunological tolerance, regulate the types of T cell immune responses, and function as sentinels in innate immunity against microbes. The diverse functions of DCs in immune regulation depend on the heterogeneity of DC subsets and their functional plasticity. Here we review recent progress in our understanding of the nature and classification of DCs.

Regulatory dendritic cells protect against cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host disease mediated through CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells.

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (alloBMT). However, effective strategies for the treatment of cGVHD have not been established. In this study, we examined the therapeutic utility of modified dendritic cells (DCs) with a greater capacity to regulate immune responses than previously known tolerogenic DCs, regulatory DCs (DC(regs)), in the major histocompatibility complex-compatible, and multiple minor histocompatibility antigen-incompatible model of cGVHD in alloBMT. Treatment of the recipient mice after alloBMT with the recipient-type DC(regs) led to greater suppression of the incidence and severity of cutaneous cGVHD than rapamycin, whereas treatment with the recipient-type mature DCs promoted the pathogenesis. Analysis of the recipient mice suggested that the protective effect of the recipient-type DC(regs) involved the peripheral generation of alloreactive CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)regulatory T (T(R)) cells from donor-derived CD4(+)CD25(-)Foxp3(-) T cells. Thus, immunotherapy with DC(regs) is a promising strategy for the treatment of cGVHD in alloBMT mediated through the induction of a dominant tolerance involving CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T(R) cells.

Regulatory dendritic cells act as regulators of acute lethal systemic inflammatory response.

Bacterial infection triggers host inflammation through the activation of immune cells, leading to the elimination of bacteria. However, the regulatory mechanisms of the host inflammatory response remain unknown. Here we report that a subset of potent tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs), regulatory DCs (DC(regs)), control the systemic inflammatory response. Unlike normal DCs, which produced proinflammatory cytokines in response to bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), DC(regs) produced fewer proinflammatory cytokines and instead preferentially produced interleukin-10 (IL-10), and these events involved the expression of IkappaBNS and Bcl-3 as well as cyclic AMP (cAMP)-mediated activation of protein kinase A (PKA). In addition, DC(regs) not only suppressed LPS-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines in macrophages, but also reduced their serum levels in mice. Furthermore, DC(regs) protected mice against the lethality induced by experimental endotoxemia and bacterial peritonitis. The inhibitory effect of DC(regs) against inflammatory responses involved the production of IL-10. On the other hand, naturally existing tolerogenic DC subsets producing IL-10, CD11c(low)CD45RB(high) DCs, also suppressed LPS-induced host inflammatory responses. Thus, a subset of tolerogenic DCs act as potential regulators of the host inflammatory response, and they might have preventive and therapeutic potential for the treatment of systemic as well as local inflammatory diseases.