Heidi A. Schreiber

Expression of the zinc finger transcription factor zDC (Zbtb46, Btbd4) defines the classical dendritic cell lineage

The zinc finger transcription factor zDC is uniquely expressed by the cDC lineage among immune cells, and the insertion of diphtheria toxin receptor cDNA into the zDC locus allows specific ablation of the cDC lineage in mice.

An epigenetic silencing pathway controlling T helper 2 cell lineage commitment

During immune responses, naive CD4+ T cells differentiate into several T helper (TH) cell subsets under the control of lineage-specifying genes. These subsets (TH1, TH2 and TH17 cells and regulatory T cells) secrete distinct cytokines and are involved in protection against different types of infection. Epigenetic mechanisms are involved in the regulation of these developmental programs, and correlations have been drawn between the levels of particular epigenetic marks and the activity or silencing of specifying genes during differentiation. Nevertheless, the functional relevance of the epigenetic pathways involved in TH cell subset differentiation and commitment is still unclear. Here we explore the role of the SUV39H1–H3K9me3–HP1α silencing pathway in the control of TH2 lineage stability. This pathway involves the histone methylase SUV39H1, which participates in the trimethylation of histone H3 on lysine 9 (H3K9me3), a modification that provides binding sites for heterochromatin protein 1α (HP1α) and promotes transcriptional silencing. This pathway was initially associated with heterochromatin formation and maintenance but can also contribute to the regulation of euchromatic genes. We now propose that the SUV39H1–H3K9me3–HP1α pathway participates in maintaining the silencing of TH1 loci, ensuring TH2 lineage stability. In TH2 cells that are deficient in SUV39H1, the ratio between trimethylated and acetylated H3K9 is impaired, and the binding of HP1α at the promoters of silenced TH1 genes is reduced. Despite showing normal differentiation, both SUV39H1-deficient TH2 cells and HP1α-deficient TH2 cells, in contrast to wild-type cells, expressed TH1 genes when recultured under conditions that drive differentiation into TH1 cells. In a mouse model of TH2-driven allergic asthma, the chemical inhibition or loss of SUV39H1 skewed T-cell responses towards TH1 responses and decreased the lung pathology. These results establish a link between the SUV39H1–H3K9me3–HP1α pathway and the stability of TH2 cells, and they identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention in TH2-cell-mediated inflammatory diseases.

Intestinal monocytes and macrophages are required for T cell polarization in response to Citrobacter rodentium

Using a new mouse model, the specific deletion of monocytes and macrophages reveals that, although not required to initiate immunity to Citrobacter rodentium, they contribute to the adaptive response via IL-12 secretion to induced IFN-γ+ Th1 polarization.

Inflammatory Flt3l is essential to mobilize dendritic cells and for T cell responses during Plasmodium infection

Innate sensing mechanisms trigger a variety of humoral and cellular events that are essential to adaptive immune responses. Here we describe an innate sensing pathway triggered by Plasmodium infection that regulates dendritic cell homeostasis and adaptive immunity through Flt3 ligand (Flt3l) release. Plasmodium-induced Flt3l release in mice requires Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation and type I interferon (IFN) production. We found that type I IFN supports the upregulation of xanthine dehydrogenase, which metabolizes the xanthine accumulating in infected erythrocytes to uric acid. Uric acid crystals trigger mast cells to release soluble Flt3l from a pre-synthesized membrane-associated precursor. During infection, Flt3l preferentially stimulates expansion of the CD8-α+ dendritic cell subset or its BDCA3+ human dendritic cell equivalent and has a substantial impact on the magnitude of T cell activation, mostly in the CD8+ compartment. Our findings highlight a new mechanism that regulates dendritic cell homeostasis and T cell responses to infection.

Essential yet limited role for CCR2+ inflammatory monocytes during Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific T cell priming

Defense against infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is mediated by CD4 T cells. CCR2+ inflammatory monocytes (IMs) have been implicated in Mtb-specific CD4 T cell responses but their in vivo contribution remains unresolved. Herein, we show that transient ablation of IMs during infection prevents Mtb delivery to pulmonary lymph nodes, reducing CD4 T cell responses. Transfer of MHC class II-expressing IMs to MHC class II-deficient, monocyte-depleted recipients, while restoring Mtb transport to mLNs, does not enable Mtb-specific CD4 T cell priming. On the other hand, transfer of MHC class II-deficient IMs corrects CD4 T cell priming in monocyte-depleted, MHC class II-expressing mice. Specific depletion of classical DCs does not reduce Mtb delivery to pulmonary lymph nodes but markedly reduces CD4 T cell priming. Thus, although IMs acquire characteristics of DCs while delivering Mtb to lymph nodes, cDCs but not moDCs induce proliferation of Mtb-specific CD4 T cells. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01086.001

Inflammatory dendritic cells migrate in and out of transplanted chronic mycobacterial granulomas in mice

An estimated one-third of the worlds population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, although most affected individuals maintain a latent infection. This control is attributed to the formation of granulomas, cell masses largely comprising infected macrophages with T cells aggregated around them. Inflammatory DCs, characterized as CD11c+CD11b+Ly6C+, are also found in granulomas and are an essential component of the acute immune response to mycobacteria. However, their function during chronic infection is less well understood. Here, we report that CD11c+ cells dynamically traffic in and out of both acute and chronic granulomas induced by Mycobacterium bovis strain bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) in mice. By transplanting Mycobacterium-induced granulomas containing fluorescently labeled CD11c+ cells and bacteria into unlabeled mice, we were able to follow CD11c+ cell trafficking and T cell activation. We found that half of the CD11c+ cells in chronic granulomas were exchanged within 1 week. Compared with tissue-resident DC populations, CD11c+ cells migrating out of granuloma-containing tissue had an unexpected systemic dissemination pattern. Despite low antigen availability, systemic CD4+ T cell priming still occurred during chronic infection. These data demonstrate that surveillance of granulomatous tissue by CD11c+ cells is continuous and that these cells are distinct from tissue-resident DC populations and support T cell priming during both stages of Mycobacterium infection. This intense DC surveillance may also be a feature of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and other granuloma-associated diseases.

Dendritic Cells in Chronic Mycobacterial Granulomas Restrict Local Anti-Bacterial T Cell Response in a Murine Model

Background Mycobacterium-induced granulomas are the interface between bacteria and host immune response. During acute infection dendritic cells (DCs) are critical for mycobacterial dissemination and activation of protective T cells. However, their role during chronic infection in the granuloma is poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Findings We report that an inflammatory subset of murine DCs are present in granulomas induced by Mycobacteria bovis strain Bacillus Calmette-guerin (BCG), and both their location in granulomas and costimulatory molecule expression changes throughout infection. By flow cytometric analysis, we found that CD11c+ cells in chronic granulomas had lower expression of MHCII and co-stimulatory molecules CD40, CD80 and CD86, and higher expression of inhibitory molecules PD-L1 and PD-L2 compared to CD11c+ cells from acute granulomas. As a consequence of their phenotype, CD11c+ cells from chronic lesions were unable to support the reactivation of newly-recruited, antigen 85B-specific CD4+IFNγ+ T cells or induce an IFNγ response from naïve T cells in vivo and ex vivo. The mechanism of this inhibition involves the PD-1:PD-L signaling pathway, as ex vivo blockade of PD-L1 and PD-L2 restored the ability of isolated CD11c+ cells from chronic lesions to stimulate a protective IFNγ T cell response. Conclusions/Significance Our data suggest that DCs in chronic lesions may facilitate latent infection by down-regulating protective T cell responses, ultimately acting as a shield that promotes mycobacterium survival. This DC shield may explain why mycobacteria are adapted for long-term survival in granulomatous lesions.

Absence of MHC class II on cDCs results in microbial-dependent intestinal inflammation

Nussenzweig et al. use a novel mutant mouse lacking MHC class II expression on conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) to demonstrate the importance of cDCs in the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis.

Using carbon magnetic nanoparticles to target, track, and manipulate dendritic cells.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial in the initiation of immune responses and are primary targets in vaccination. Here, we describe fluorescent, carbon magnetic nanoparticles (CMNPs) within the 20-80 nm size range that are non-toxic and preferentially endocytosed by DCs. These attributes allow for DC tracing in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo, by both fluorescence and MRI. We show that CMNPs conjugated with an array of proteins are able to induce strong immune responses in mice. The addition of TLR ligand, CpG, to the CMNPs along with protein results in both T cell activation, but also a selective IFNgamma response. The magnetism afforded by the CMNPs facilitates a simple DC enrichment ex vivo by magnetic means from both secondary lymphoid organs, and sites of chronic inflammation. The magnetic and fluorescent properties of the CMNPs allow for visualization, recovery, and potentially the facilitation of directed DC migration. These particles may support more efficient immunization protocols or new diagnostic assays to characterize functionalities of DCs from patients.

Inducible targeting of cDCs and their subsets in vivo.

Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs) are essential immune cells linking the innate and adaptive immune system. cDC depletion in mice is an important method to study the function of these cells in vivo. Here we report an inducible in vivo system for cDC depletion in which excision of a loxP flanked Stop signal enables expression of the human diphtheria toxin receptor (DTR) under the control of Zbtb46 (zDC(lSlDTR)). cDCs can be specifically depleted by combining zDC(lSlDTR) mice with a Csf1r(Cre) driver line. In addition, we show that zDC(Cre) mice can be used to produce cDC specific conditional knockout mice (Irf8, Irf4, Notch2) which lack specific subsets of cDCs.