Project description:The function of human circulating proangiogenic cells (PACs) has been described extensively. However, little focus has been placed on understanding how these cells differ in their functions in the presence of microenvironments mimicking vascular inflammation. We hypothesized that exposure to proinflammatory cytokines or the oxLDL, an autoantigen abundant in advanced atherosclerotic plaques, converts PACs into immune-modulating/proinflammatory cells. Hence, we examined the effect of oxLDL and inflammatory stimuli on their phenotype by use of a functional genomics model based on secretome and whole genome transcriptome profiling. PACs obtained from culturing a PBMC fraction in angiogenic medium were primed with DC differentiation cytokines for 3 days and then exposed to proinflammatory cytokines or oxLDL for 2 days. Under these conditions, PACs converted into APCs (APCcy and APCox, respectively), expressed maturation markers CD80 and CD83, and showed an up-regulation of CD86. APCcy and APCox induced a robust T cell BrdU incorporation. Despite a similar ability to induce lymphocyte proliferation, APCcy and APCox differed for the secretory pathway and mRNA expression. Analysis of the differentially expressed genes identified 4 gene "clusters", showing reciprocal modulation in APCcy vs. APCox justifying, according to functional genomics analyses, a different putative function of the cells in antigen processing. Together, these data show that treatment with inflammatory cytokines or oxLDL converts human PAC phenotype and function into that of APCs with similar lymphocyte-activating ability but distinct maturation degree and paracrine functions. PBMC-derived PACs were committed with GM-CSF and IL-4 to a dendritic phenotype, and then exposed to proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β and TNF-α) or to the oxidized form of LDL (oxLDL). Functional assays and whole genome gene expression profiling were performed both on PACs (n=6) and or resulting cytokine- (APCcy, n=6) and oxLDL-induced APCs (APCox, n=6). RNA was reverse transcribed, labeled, and linearly amplified, and then hybridized to HumanHT-12 v.4 Expression BeadChip microarrays. To estimate technical variability, ≈20% of the samples (n=4) were hybridized in duplicate.
Project description:Immune evasion is an important hallmark of cancer ensured by diverse strategies, including immunosuppression and downregulation of antigen presentation. Here, to restore immunogenicity of cancer cells, we employed the minimal gene regulatory network of highly immunogenic type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1) to reprogram cancer cells into professional antigen presenting cells (APCs). We showed that enforced expression of PU.1, IRF8 and BATF3 (PIB) was sufficient to induce cDC1 phenotype in 33 cell lines derived from human and mouse hematological and solid tumors. PIB gradually modified the cancer cell transcriptional and epigenetic program imposing global antigen presentation and cDC1 gene signatures within 9 days. cDC1 reprogramming restored the expression of antigen presentation complexes as well as co-stimulatory molecules at the cell surface, leading to the presentation of endogenous antigens on MHC-I, and to CD8+ T cell mediated killing. Functionally, tumor- APCs acquired the ability to uptake and process exogenous proteins and dead cells, secreted inflammatory cytokines and cross-presented antigens to naïve CD8+ T cells. Importantly, tumor-APCs were efficiently generated at the single cell level from primary cancer cells of 7 solid tumors that presented antigens to memory and naïve T-cells, as well as to activated patient-specific intra-tumoral lymphocytes. Alongside antigen presentation, tumor-APCs harboring TP53, KRAS and PTEN mutations showed impaired tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Finally, using in vivo mouse models of melanoma, we showed that intra-tumoral injection of tumor-APCs promoted lymphoid infiltration, delayed tumor growth and increased survival. The anti-tumor immunity elicited by tumor-APCs was synergistic with immune checkpoint inhibitors enabling tumor eradication. Our approach combines cDC1’s antigen processing and presenting abilities with endogenous generation of tumor antigens and serves as a platform for the development of novel immunotherapies based on endowed antigen presentation in cancer cells.
Project description:The ability of dying cells to activate antigen presenting cells (APCs) is carefully controlled to avoid unwarranted inflammatory responses. Here we show that engulfed cells only containing cytosolic dsDNA species (viral or synthetic) or cyclic di-nucleotides (CDNs) are able to stimulate APCs, via extrinsic STING-signaling. HEK293 cells containing double strand DNA robustly induced the production of cytokines in macrophages that was dependent on extrinsic STING signaling within the macrophage.
Project description:Analysis of lung CD11c+ antigen presenting cells (APCs) isolated from wildtype or Mir22-/- mice exposed to nanoparticulate carbon black (nCB) for one month. MiR-22 plays important roles in nCB induced experimental emphysema through regulating APC activation. Results provide insight into the biological role and target genes of miR-22. Smoking-related emphysema is a chronic inflammatory disease driven by T helper 17 (TH17) cells through molecular mechanisms that remain obscure. Here we have explored the role of microRNA-22 (miR-22) in emphysema. MiR-22 was upregulated in lung myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) of smokers with emphysema and antigen-presenting cells (APCs) of mice exposed to smoke or nanoparticulate carbon black (nCB) through a mechanism involving NF-kappaB. MiR-22-deficient mice, but not wild-type, showed attenuated TH17 responses and failed to develop emphysema after exposure to either smoke or nCB. We further show that miR-22 controls APC activation and TH17 responses through activation of AP-1 transcription factor complexes and histone deacetylase (HDAC) 4. Thus, miR-22 is a critical regulator of both emphysema and TH17 responses. Lung APCs were isolated from PBS (reference groups) or nCB exposed wildtype or Mir22-/- mice, total four groups. There were three replicates in each group.
Project description:Oral tolerance prevents pathological inflammatory responses towards innocuous foreign antigens via peripheral regulatory T cells (pTreg cells). However, whether a particular subset of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) is required during dietary antigen exposure to instruct naïve CD4+ T cells to differentiate into pTreg cells has not been defined. Using myeloid lineage-specific APC depletion in mice, we found that monocyte-derived APCs are dispensable, while classical dendritic cells (cDCs) are critical for pTreg cell induction and oral tolerance. CD11b¬â cDCs from the gut-draining lymph nodes efficiently induced pTreg cells, and conversely, loss of IRF8-dependent CD11bâ cDCs impaired their polarization, although oral tolerance remained intact. These data reveal the hierarchy of cDC subsets in pTreg cell induction and their redundancy during oral tolerance development. Four dendritic cell subpopulations from mouse mesenteric lymphnodes were sorted and compared in their gene expression profile
Project description:HDAC11 regulates IL-10 expression and overexpression of HDAC11 in antigen presenting cells (APCs) leads to a pro-inflammatory phenotype. Conversely, loss of HDAC11 leads to upregulation of IL-10 and immune tolerance. HDAC11 overexpression is also associated with inflammatory diseases including multiple sclerosis. Hence we wished to determine the inflammatory mediators regulated by HDAC11. We used microarray to determine gene expression profile of macrophages from WT and HDAC11 knockout mice. Thioglycollate induced-peritoneal macrophages obtained from WT and HDAC11 knockout mice were used for total RNA extraction to determine changes in gene expression levels in macrophages from WT and HDAC11 knockout mice.
Project description:Oral tolerance prevents pathological inflammatory responses towards innocuous foreign antigens via peripheral regulatory T cells (pTreg cells). However, whether a particular subset of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) is required during dietary antigen exposure to instruct naïve CD4+ T cells to differentiate into pTreg cells has not been defined. Using myeloid lineage-specific APC depletion in mice, we found that monocyte-derived APCs are dispensable, while classical dendritic cells (cDCs) are critical for pTreg cell induction and oral tolerance. CD11b¬â?? cDCs from the gut-draining lymph nodes efficiently induced pTreg cells, and conversely, loss of IRF8-dependent CD11bâ?? cDCs impaired their polarization, although oral tolerance remained intact. These data reveal the hierarchy of cDC subsets in pTreg cell induction and their redundancy during oral tolerance development. Sorted naïve CD45.1 OT-II CD4 T cells were co-cultured with four dendritic cell subpopulations sorted from mouse mesenteric lymphnodes. 24h later OT-II cells were sorted again and compared in their gene expression profile.
Project description:Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease mediated by a complex interaction between the autoreactive lymphocytes and the effector myeloid cells within the central nervous system (CNS). In a murine model of MS, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), Ly6Chi monocytes migrate into the CNS and further differentiate into antigen-presenting cells (APCs) during disease progression. Currently, there is no information about gene signatures that can distinguish between monocytes and the monocyte-derived APCs. We developed a surface marker-based strategy to distinguish between these two cell types during the stage of EAE when the clinical symptoms were most severe, and performed transcriptome analysis to compare their gene expression. We report here that the inflammatory CNS environment substantially alters gene expression of monocytes, compared to the monocyte differentiation process within CNS. Monocytes in the CNS express genes that encode proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, and their expression is mostly maintained when the cells differentiate. Moreover, monocyte-derived APCs express surface markers associated with both dendritic cells and macrophages, and have a significant up-regulation of genes that are critical for antigen presentation. Furthermore, we identified Ccl17, Ccl22, and Ccr7 as signature genes for monocyte-derived APCs but not the Ly6Chi monocytes. These findings may shed light on identifying molecular signals that control monocyte differentiation and functions during EAE.
Project description:P25 is the major T cell epitope for Ag85B and enables them to induce P25-specific CD4+ Th1 cells. We used microarrays to examine the gene expression of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) stimulated with P25 and P25-specific CD4+ T cells. Splenic APCs from WT mice were cultured with P25 or medium in the presence of P25 TCR CD4+ T cells. After overnight culture, these APCs were enriched and total RNA was prepared using RNeasy (QIAGEN) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Mixed total RNA from three independent experiments was used for microarray analysis.