Double-Stranded RNA Acts as a Strong Danger Signal in Human Myeloid Leukemia Cells Leading to Increased Immunogenicity.

Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 5203-5203
Author(s):  
Zwi N. Berneman ◽  
Evelien L.J.M. Smits ◽  
Peter Ponsaerts ◽  
Nathalie Cools ◽  
Ann L.R. Van de Velde ◽  
...  

Abstract Leukemic cells exert immunosuppressive effects that interfere with dendritic cell function and hamper effective anti-leukemic immune responses. Recently, Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) was characterized in dendritic cells as an intracellular double-stranded (ds)RNA receptor which is triggered by viral infection or incubation with the synthetic dsRNA analogue polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid [poly(I:C)], leading to maturation and activation of dendritic cells. Until now, little was known on the expression of TLR3 in leukemic cells and their responsiveness to dsRNA treatment. We assessed TLR3 expression in primary and transformed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and hypothesized that the immunogenicity of AML cells could be improved by treatment with the synthetic TLR3 agonist poly(I:C), thereby mimicking viral infection of these leukemic cells. In view of this hypothesis, we electroporated or pulsed transformed and primary AML cells with poly(I:C) and analyzed the effect of poly(I:C) loading on TLR3 expression, costimulatory molecules, cytokine production and allogeneic T cell response. We also assessed the uptake of poly(I:C)-loaded leukemic cells by immature dendritic cells and the subsequent effect on dendritic cell activation and maturation status. We observed that primary and transformed AML cells respond to poly(I:C) electroporation by upregulation of TLR3 expression, apoptosis, elevated levels of costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 and by production of type I interferons (IFN). Furthermore, poly(I:C)-electroporated AML cells induced interferon-gamma production by allogeneic T cells. Upon phagocytosis of poly(I:C)-electroporated AML cells, dendritic cells showed an increased expression of maturation markers and marked production of proinflammatory cytokines. In contrast, this set of immune effects was absent or suboptimal when AML cells were passively pulsed with poly(I:C), indicating the superiority of transfection over pulsing with poly(I:C). These results demonstrate that poly(I:C) electroporation is a promising novel strategy to increase the immunogenicity of AML cells.

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbin Xiao ◽  
Alexander Chan ◽  
Michael R Waarts ◽  
Tanmay Mishra ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
...  

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are the principal natural type I interferon producing dendritic cells. Neoplastic expansion of pDCs and pDC precursors leads to blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) and clonal expansion of mature pDCs has been described in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). The role of pDC expansion in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is poorly studied. Here we characterize AML patients with pDC expansion (pDC-AML), which we observe in approximately 5% of AML. pDC-AML often possess cross-lineage antigen expression and have adverse risk stratification with poor outcome. RUNX1 mutations are the most common somatic alterations in pDC-AML (>70%) and are much more common than in AML without pDC expansion and BPDCN. We demonstrate that pDCs are clonally related to, and originate from, leukemic blasts in pDC-AML. We further demonstrate that leukemic blasts from RUNX1-mutated AML upregulate a pDC transcriptional program, poising the cells towards pDC differentiation and expansion. Finally, tagraxofusp, a targeted therapy directed to CD123, reduces leukemic burden and eliminates pDCs in a patient-derived xenograft model. In conclusion, pDC-AML is characterized by a high frequency of RUNX1 mutations and increased expression of a pDC transcriptional program. CD123 targeting represents a potential treatment approach for pDC-AML.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (12) ◽  
pp. 7544-7557 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharmila S. Pejawar ◽  
Griffith D. Parks ◽  
Martha A. Alexander-Miller

ABSTRACT Dendritic cells are the most potent antigen-presenting cell for priming naive T cells. Optimal activation of T cells requires that dendritic cells undergo a process of maturation resulting in the increased expression of costimulatory molecules, such as CD40, CD86, and CD80, and the production of cytokines. In this study we analyzed the effect of infection of dendritic cells obtained from two strains of mice, BALB/c and C57BL/6, with the paramyxovirus simian virus 5 (SV5). Our results show that C57BL/6 bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDC) are much more permissive to infection with SV5 at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 10 PFU/cell compared to BALB/c BMDC, as determined by the production of viral proteins and progeny. However, infection of BALB/c BMDC with a higher MOI of 50 PFU/cell resulted in a productive infection with the production of significant amounts of viral proteins and progeny. Regardless of the permissivity to infection, both BALB/c and C57BL/6 BMDC efficiently upregulated CD40 and CD86. However, CD80 upregulation correlated with the level of expression of viral proteins and the production of viral progeny. While secreted alpha/beta interferon was required for increased expression of all three molecules, optimal CD80 expression was dependent on an additional signal provided by a productive viral infection. These findings provide evidence that the signals controlling the expression of costimulatory molecules following viral infection are distinct. Further, they suggest that the amount of virus encountered and/or the permissivity of a dendritic cell to infection can alter the resulting maturation phenotype and functional capacity of the infected dendritic cell.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenbin Xiao ◽  
Alexander Chan ◽  
Michael R. Waarts ◽  
Tanmay Mishra ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
...  

AbstractPlasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are the principal natural type I interferon producing dendritic cells. Neoplastic expansion of pDCs and pDC precursors leads to blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) and clonal expansion of mature pDCs has been described in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). The role of pDC expansion in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is poorly studied. Here we characterize AML patients with pDC expansion (pDC-AML), which we observe in approximately 5% of AML. pDC-AML often possess crosslineage antigen expression and have adverse risk stratification with poor outcome. RUNX1 mutations are the most common somatic alterations in pDC-AML (>70%) and are much more common than in AML without PDC expansion. We demonstrate that pDCs are clonally related to, and originate from, leukemic blasts in pDC-AML. We further demonstrate that leukemic blasts from RUNX1-mutated AML upregulate a pDC transcriptional program, poising the cells towards pDC differentiation and expansion. Finally, tagraxofusp, a targeted therapy directed to CD123, reduces leukemic burden and eliminates pDCs in a patient-derived xenograft model. In conclusion, pDC-AML is characterized by a high frequency of RUNX1 mutations and increased expression of a pDC transcriptional program. CD123 targeting represents a potential treatment approach for pDC-AML.


2007 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 196-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Jung ◽  
Hiroki Kato ◽  
Yutaro Kumagai ◽  
Himanshu Kumar ◽  
Taro Kawai ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTToll-like receptors (TLRs) and retinoic acid-inducible gene I-like helicases (RLHs) are two major machineries recognizing RNA virus infection of innate immune cells. Intracellular signaling for TLRs and RLHs is mediated by their cytoplasmic adaptors, i.e., MyD88 or TRIF and IPS-1, respectively. In the present study, we investigated the contributions of TLRs and RLHs to the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) response by using lymphocytoid choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) as a model virus. The generation of virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes was critically dependent on MyD88 but not on IPS-1. Type I interferons (IFNs) are known to be important for the development of the CTL response to LCMV infection. Serum levels of type I IFNs and proinflammatory cytokines were mainly dependent on the presence of MyD88, although IPS-1−/−mice showed a decrease in IFN-α levels but not in IFN-β and proinflammatory cytokine levels. Analysis ofIfna6+/GFPreporter mice revealed that plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DCs) are the major source of IFN-α in LCMV infection. MyD88−/−mice were highly susceptible to LCMV infection in vivo. These results suggest that recognition of LCMV by plasmacytoid DCs via TLRs is responsible for the production of type I IFNs in vivo. Furthermore, the activation of a MyD88-dependent innate mechanism induces a CTL response, which eventually leads to virus elimination.


2007 ◽  
Vol 81 (18) ◽  
pp. 9778-9789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet L. Weslow-Schmidt ◽  
Nancy A. Jewell ◽  
Sara E. Mertz ◽  
J. Pedro Simas ◽  
Joan E. Durbin ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The respiratory tract is a major mucosal site for microorganism entry into the body, and type I interferon (IFN) and dendritic cells constitute a first line of defense against viral infections. We have analyzed the interaction between a model DNA virus, plasmacytoid dendritic cells, and type I IFN during lung infection of mice. Our data show that murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (γHV68) inhibits type I IFN secretion by dendritic cells and that plasmacytoid dendritic cells are necessary for conventional dendritic cell maturation in response to γHV68. Following γHV68 intranasal inoculation, the local and systemic IFN-α/β response is below detectable levels, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells are activated and recruited into the lung with a tissue distribution that differs from that of conventional dendritic cells. Our results suggest that plasmacytoid dendritic cells and type I IFN have important but independent roles during the early response to a respiratory γHV68 infection. γHV68 infection inhibits type I IFN production by dendritic cells and is a poor inducer of IFN-α/β in vivo, which may serve as an immune evasion strategy.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulino Barragan-Iglesias ◽  
Úrzula Franco-Enzástiga ◽  
Vivekanand Jeevakumar ◽  
Andi Wangzhou ◽  
Vinicio Granados-Soto ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTOne of the first signs of viral infection is body-wide aches and pain. While this type of pain usually subsides, at the extreme, viral infections can induce painful neuropathies that can last for decades. Neither of these types of pain sensitization are well understood. A key part of the response to viral infection is production of interferons (IFNs), which then activate their specific receptors (IFNRs) resulting in downstream activation of cellular signaling and a variety of physiological responses. We sought to understand how type I IFNs (IFN-α and IFN-β) might act directly on nociceptors in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) to cause pain sensitization. We demonstrate that type I IFNRs are expressed in small/medium DRG neurons and that their activation produces neuronal hyper-excitability and mechanical pain in mice. Type I IFNs stimulate JAK/STAT signaling in DRG neurons but this does not apparently result in PKR-eIF2α activation that normally induces an anti-viral response by limiting mRNA translation. Rather, type I interferons stimulate MNK-mediated eIF4E phosphorylation in DRG neurons to promote pain hypersensitivity. Endogenous release of type I IFNs with the double stranded RNA mimetic poly(I:C) likewise produces pain hypersensitivity that is blunted in mice lacking MNK-eIF4E signaling. Our findings reveal mechanisms through which type I IFNs cause nociceptor sensitization with implications for understanding how viral infections promote pain and can lead to neuropathies.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTIt is increasingly understood that pathogens interact with nociceptors to alert organisms to infection as well as to mount early host defenses. While specific mechanisms have been discovered for diverse bacteria and fungal pathogens, mechanisms engaged by viruses have remained elusive. Here we show that type 1 interferons, one of the first mediators produced by viral infection, act directly on nociceptors to produce pain sensitization. Type I interferons act via a specific signaling pathway (MNK-eIF4E signaling) that is known to produce nociceptor sensitization in inflammatory and neuropathic pain conditions. Our work reveals a mechanism through which viral infections cause heightened pain sensitivity


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 2811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Corsetti ◽  
Gabriella Ruocco ◽  
Serena Ruggieri ◽  
Claudio Gasperini ◽  
Luca Battistini ◽  
...  

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. The cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown but there are several evidences that associate the genetic basis of the disease with environmental causes. An important association between viral infection and development of MS is clearly demonstrated. Viruses have a strong impact on innate immune cells. In particular, myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), are able to respond to viruses and to activate the adaptive immune response. Methods: In this study we mimic viral infection using synthetic single-strand RNA, Resiquimod, and we compared the response of both DC subsets derived from healthy donors and MS patients by characterizing the expression of costimulatory molecules on the DC surface. Results: We found that pDCs from MS patients express higher levels of OX40-L, HLA-DR, and CD86 than healthy donors. Moreover, we found that blood cells from MS patients and healthy donors upon Resiquimod-stimulation are enriched in a subpopulation of pDCs, characterized by a high amount of costimulatory molecules. Conclusion: Overall, these results indicate that activation of pDCs is enhanced in MS, likely due to a latent viral infection, and that costimulatory molecules expressed on pDCs could mediate a protective response against the viral trigger of autoimmunity.


Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Deltreggia Benites ◽  
Marisa Claudia Alvarez ◽  
Sara Teresinha Olalla Saad

Dendritic cells play a fundamental role in the antitumor immunity cycle, and the loss of their antigen-presenting function is a recognized mechanism of tumor evasion. We have recently demonstrated the effect of exosomes extracted from serum of patients with acute myeloid leukemia as important inducers of dendritic cell immunotolerance, and several other works have recently demonstrated the effects of these nanoparticles on immunity to other tumor types as well. The aim of this review was to highlight the recent findings on the effects of tumor exosomes on dendritic cell functions, the mechanisms by which they can lead to tumor evasion, and their manipulation as a possible strategy in cancer treatment.


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