Characterization of lysosomal acid lipase in Ly6G+ and CD11c+ myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

Lysosomal acid lipase (LAL) is a key enzyme in the metabolic pathway of neutral lipids, whose deficiency (LAL-D) induces the differentiation of myeloid lineage cells into myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which promotes tumor growth and metastasis. This protocol provides detailed procedures for assessment of various LAL biochemical and physiological activities in Ly6G+ and CD11c+ MDSCs, including isolation of Ly6G+ and CD11c+ cells from the bone marrow and blood of mice, assays of LAL-D-induced cellular metabolic and mitochondrial activities, assessment of LAL-D-induced pathogenic immunosuppressive activity and tumor stimulatory activity. Pharmacological inhibition of the LAL activity was also described in both murine myeloid cells and human white blood cells.

Human seminal plasma stimulates the migration of CD11c+ mononuclear phagocytes to the apical side of the colonic epithelium without altering the junctional complexes in an ex vivo human intestinal model.

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV) transmission mostly occurs through the genital and intestinal mucosae. Although HIV-1 transmission has been extensively investigated, gaps remain in understanding the initial steps of HIV entry through the colonic mucosa. We previously showed that HIV can selectively trigger mononuclear phagocytes (MNP) to migrate within colonic epithelial cells to sample virions. Mucosal exposure to human seminal plasma (HSP), rich in pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, may as well induce alterations of the colonic mucosa and recruit immune cells, hence, affecting pathogen sampling and transmission. Methods: Here, we studied the role of HSP on the paracellular intestinal permeability by analyzing the distribution of two proteins known to play a key role in controlling the intestinal barrier integrity, namely the tight junctions-associated junctional adhesion molecule (JAM-A) and the adherents junction associated protein E-cadherin (E-CAD), by immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy. Also, we evaluated if HSP promotes the recruitment of MNP cells, specifically, the CD11c and CD64 positive MNPs, to the apical side of the human colonic mucosa. At this scope, HSP of HIV-infected and uninfected individuals with known fertility status was tested for cytokines, chemokines and growth factors concentration and used in an ex vivo polarized colonic tissue culture system to mimic as closely as possible the physiological process. Results: HSP showed statistically significant differences in cytokines and chemokines concentrations between the three groups of donors, i.e. HIV infected, or uninfected fertile or randomly identified. Nevertheless, we showed that in the ex vivo tissue culture HSP in general, neither affected the morphological structure of the colonic mucosa nor modulated the paracellular intestinal permeability. Interestingly, CD11c+ MNP cells migrated to the apical surface of the colonic epithelium regardless, if incubated with HIV-infected or -uninfected HSPs, while CD64+ MNP cells, did not change their distribution within the colonic mucosa. Discussion: In conclusion, even if HSP did not perturb the integrity of the human colonic mucosa, it affected the migration of a specific subset of MNPs that express CD11c towards the apical side of the colonic mucosa, which in turn may be involved in pathogen sampling.

Suppressive effects of Ixodes persulcatus sialostatin L2 against Borrelia miyamotoi-stimulated immunity.

Borrelia miyamotoi infection is an emerging tick-borne disease that causes hard tick-borne relapsing fever. B. miyamotoi is transmitted through the bite of ticks, including Ixodes persulcatus. Although accumulating evidence suggests that tick salivary proteins enhance the infectivity of other tick-borne pathogens, the association of B. miyamotoi with tick-derived proteins remains unknown. In this study, the effect of I. persulcatus sialostatin L2 (Ip-sL2), a tick-derived cystatin, on specific immunity to B. miyamotoi was preliminarily investigated in vitro. Mice were immunized with heat-killed B. miyamotoi and in vitro analyses of the splenocytes of the immunized mice indicated that the expression levels of the activation markers of CD11c+ and CD3+ cells were significantly upregulated by B. miyamotoi stimulation. Spleen cells from B. miyamotoi-immunized mice were used to determine whether Ip-sL2 regulates murine immune responses against B. miyamotoi. Treatment with Ip-sL2 in vitro inhibited the activation of CD11c+ and CD3+ cells as well as inflammatory cytokine production by cultured splenocytes. These findings show that Ip-sL2 has modulatory effects on murine immune responses to B. miyamotoi. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify in the future whether Ip-sL2 is involved in the enhanced infectivity of B. miyamotoi.

CD11c+ Cells Are Gatekeepers for Lymphocyte Trafficking to Infiltrated Islets During Type 1 Diabetes.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a T cell mediated autoimmune disease that affects more than 19 million people with incidence increasing rapidly worldwide. For T cells to effectively drive T1D, they must first traffic to the islets and extravasate through the islet vasculature. Understanding the cues that lead to T cell entry into inflamed islets is important because diagnosed T1D patients already have established immune infiltration of their islets. Here we show that CD11c+ cells are a key mediator of T cell trafficking to infiltrated islets in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. Using intravital 2-photon islet imaging we show that T cell extravasation into the islets is an extended process, with T cells arresting in the islet vasculature in close proximity to perivascular CD11c+ cells. Antigen is not required for T cell trafficking to infiltrated islets, but T cell chemokine receptor signaling is necessary. Using RNAseq, we show that islet CD11c+ cells express over 20 different chemokines that bind chemokine receptors expressed on islet T cells. One highly expressed chemokine-receptor pair is CXCL16-CXCR6. However, NOD. CXCR6-/- mice progressed normally to T1D and CXCR6 deficient T cells trafficked normally to the islets. Even with CXCR3 and CXCR6 dual deficiency, T cells trafficked to infiltrated islets. These data reinforce that chemokine receptor signaling is highly redundant for T cell trafficking to inflamed islets. Importantly, depletion of CD11c+ cells strongly inhibited T cell trafficking to infiltrated islets of NOD mice. We suggest that targeted depletion of CD11c+ cells associated with the islet vasculature may yield a therapeutic target to inhibit T cell trafficking to inflamed islets to prevent progression of T1D.

IL-4Rα-expressing CD11c+ cells contribute to driving optimal cellular responses during Schistosoma mansoni infection in mice.

Development of IL-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Rα)-dependent cellular immunity regulates host protection against acute schistosomiasis. In this study, we investigated the importance of IL-4Rα-expressing CD11c+ cells in driving the development of optimal cellular responses to Schistosoma mansoni infection by using CD11ccre IL-4Rα-/lox BALB/c mice, which lacked IL-4Rα expression on dendritic cells and alveolar macrophages. Abrogation of IL-4Rα expression on CD11c+ cells affected activation of CD4+ T cells, resulting in reduced numbers of effector CD4+ T cells and impaired production of Th1 and Th2 cytokines by CD4+ T cells ex vivo. However, secretion of both type 1 and type 2 Ab isotypes was unchanged in infected CD11c-specific IL-4Rα-deficient mice compared to littermate controls. Together, these data demonstrate that IL-4Rα-expressing CD11c+ cells play an important role in maintaining cellular immunity during schistosomiasis in mice.

Rab32-related antimicrobial pathway is involved in the progression of dextran sodium sulfate-induced colitis.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a multifactorial disease involving defective immune responses against invasive microbiota. Genes associated with innate immune responses to microbes have been highlighted in the pathogenesis of IBD. To determine the role of Rab32 in the pathogenesis of IBD, we administered dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) to CD11c+ cell-specific Rab32 knockout (CD11c-Cre+Rab32f/f) mice to induce colitis. Rab32 deficiency in CD11c+ cells resulted in more severe disease progression and increased mortality. Histopathological analysis showed extensive damage to the colon mucosa in DSS-treated CD11c-Cre+Rab32f/f mice, including more severe damage to the epithelial layer and crypts, as well as more inflammatory cell infiltration. The pro-inflammatory cytokines IL1A, IL1B, IL6, and CSF3 and chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL2 were significantly increased, and the frequency of CD11b+Ly6G+ neutrophils was higher in CD11c-Cre+Rab32f/f colitis mice. Furthermore, CD11c+ cells deficient for Rab32 exhibited a significant increase in bacterial translocation in inflamed colon tissue. The present data demonstrate that Rab32 knockout in CD11c+ cells aggravates the development of DSS-induced colitis and suggest that the Rab32-related antimicrobial pathway is involved in the pathogenesis of IBD.

Depletion of CD11c+ Cells Does Not Influence Outcomes in Mice Subjected to Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion.

OBJECTIVE: While it has been shown that different T-cell subsets have a detrimental role in the acute phase of ischemic stroke, data on the impact of dendritic cells (DC) are missing. Classic DC can be characterized by the cluster of differentiation (CD)11c surface antigen. METHODS: In this study, we depleted CD11c+ cells by using a CD11c-diphtheria toxin (DTX) receptor mouse strain that allows selective depletion of CD11c+ cells by DTX injection. For stroke induction, we used the model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) and analyzed stroke volume and functional outcome on days 1 and 3 as well as expression of prototypical pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines on day 1 after tMCAO. Three different protocols for CD11c+ cell depletion, tMCAO duration, and readout time point were applied. RESULTS: Injection of DTX (5 or 100 ng/g) reliably depleted CD11c+ cells without influencing the fractions of other immune cell subsets. CD11c+ cell depletion had no impact on stroke volume, but mice with a longer DTX pretreatment performed worse than those with vehicle treatment. CD11c+ cell depletion led to a decrease in cortical interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-6 messenger ribonucleic acid levels. CONCLUSIONS: We show, for the first time, that CD11c+ cell depletion does not influence stroke volume in a mouse model of focal cerebral ischemia. Nevertheless, given the unspecificity of the CD11c surface antigen for DC, mouse models that allow a more selective depletion of DC are needed to investigate the role of DC in stroke pathophysiology.

Renal-infiltrating CD11c+ cells are pathogenic in murine lupus nephritis through promoting CD4+ T cell responses.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a major manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), causing morbidity and mortality in 40-60% of SLE patients. The pathogenic mechanisms of LN are not completely understood. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of various immune cell populations in lupus nephritic kidneys of both SLE patients and lupus-prone mice. These cells may play important pathogenic or regulatory roles in situ to promote or sustain LN. Here, using lupus-prone mouse models, we showed the pathogenic role of a kidney-infiltrating CD11c+ myeloid cell population in LN. These CD11c+ cells accumulated in the kidneys of lupus-prone mice as LN progressed. Surface markers of this population suggest their dendritic cell identity and differentiation from lymphocyte antigen 6 complex (Ly6C)low mature monocytes. The cytokine/chemokine profile of these renal-infiltrating CD11c+ cells suggests their roles in promoting LN, which was confirmed further in a loss-of-function in-vivo study by using an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) strategy targeting CX3 CR1, a chemokine receptor expressed highly on these CD11c+ cells. However, CX3 CR1 was dispensable for the homing of CD11c+ cells into lupus nephritic kidneys. Finally, we found that these CD11c+ cells co-localized with infiltrating T cells in the kidney. Using an ex- vivo co-culture system, we showed that renal-infiltrating CD11c+ cells promoted the survival, proliferation and interferon-γ production of renal-infiltrating CD4+ T cells, suggesting a T cell-dependent mechanism by which these CD11c+ cells promote LN. Together, our results identify a pathogenic kidney-infiltrating CD11c+ cell population promoting LN progression, which could be a new therapeutic target for the treatment of LN.