Autophagy-targeted DNA vaccine against Japanese encephalitis virus promotes dendritic cell function in BALB/c mice / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effects of autophagy-targeted DNA vaccine against Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) on the immune-related functions of dendritic cells (DCs) in BALB/c mice.Methods:Healthy female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into 5 groups and injected with pcDNA3.1(+ ) empty vector (negative control), pJME plasmid, recombinant pJME-LC3 plasmid muscle, sterile PBS (blank control group) and live attenuated JEV vaccine (positive control group), respectively. The mice were immunized three times with an interval of two weeks. Splenic DCs were isolated two weeks after the last immunization. Immunofluorescence assay was used to observe the expression of the recombinant plasmid in dendritic cells. Expression of major histocompatibility complex Ⅱ (MHC Ⅱ) on DCs and the uptake of FITC-Dextran by DCs were observed by flow cytometry. CCK8 assay was used to detect the effects of DCs on the proliferation of spleen mononuclear cells from allogeneic mice.Results:The expression of plasmid-encoded protein in the DCs of the pJME-LC3 group was significantly higher than that of the pJME, pJME-LC3+ 3-MA and pcDNA3.1(+ ) empty vector groups. The uptake of FITC-Dextran by DCs was significantly enhanced in the pJME-LC3 group than in the other groups ( P<0.05), and the expression of MHC Ⅱ moleculars on DCs was increased in the pJME-LC3 group as well ( P<0.05). The splenic DCs from the mice in the pJME-LC3 group had a stronger effect on the proliferation of spleen mononuclear cells from allogeneic mice that those from other groups ( P<0.05). Conclusions:The recombinant plasmid pJME-LC3 could promote the ability of mouse splenic DCs to present antigen and to stimulate lymphocyte proliferation after immunization, suggesting that the autophagy-targeted recombinant DNA vaccine against JEV could enhance immune responses by affecting the function of DCs in BALB/c mice.

Progress in autophagy-regulated immune cell differentiation / 中华微生物学和免疫学杂志

As a conservative lysosomal degradation pathway, autophagy possess various functions that have been well studied in the immune system. Regulatory effects of autophagy on the differentiation of immune cells have been gradually revealed. In order to investigate the specific mechanisms, it is very necessary to summarize the role of autophagy in the proliferation, development and differentiation of immune cells. Effects of autophagy on the functions and differentiation of immune cells have been summarized by introducing the selective degradation function of autophagy in some articles. This review focused on some classical immune cells and elucidated the important regulatory effects of autophagy and the nutrient signaling metabolic pathways involved in autophagy on immune cell differentiation.