Bispecific antibodies tethering innate receptors induce human tolerant-dendritic cells and regulatory T cells

There is an urgent need for alternative therapies targeting human dendritic cells (DCs) that could reverse inflammatory syndromes in many autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and organ transplantations. Here, we describe a bispecific antibody (bsAb) strategy tethering two pathogen-recognition receptors at the surface of human DCs. This cross-linking switches DCs into a tolerant profile able to induce regulatory T-cell differentiation. The bsAbs, not parental Abs, induced interleukin 10 and transforming growth factor β1 secretion in monocyte-derived DCs and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. In addition, they induced interleukin 10 secretion by synovial fluid cells in rheumatoid arthritis and gout patients. This concept of bsAb-induced tethering of surface pathogen-recognition receptors switching cell properties opens a new therapeutic avenue for controlling inflammation and restoring immune tolerance.

Osteopontin promotes age-related adipose tissue remodeling through senescence-associated macrophage dysfunction

Adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) play an important role in obesity and inflammation, and they accumulate in adipose tissue (AT) with aging. Furthermore, increased ATM senescence has been shown in obesity-related AT remodeling and dysfunction. However, ATM senescence and its role are unclear in age-related AT dysfunction. Here, we show that ATMs (a) acquire a senescence-like phenotype during chronological aging; (b) display a global decline of basic macrophage functions such as efferocytosis, an essential process to preserve AT homeostasis by clearing dysfunctional or apoptotic cells; and (c) promote AT remodeling and dysfunction. Importantly, we uncover a major role for the age-associated accumulation of osteopontin (OPN) in these processes in visceral AT. Consistently, loss or pharmacologic inhibition of OPN and bone marrow transplantation of OPN-/- mice attenuate the ATM senescence-like phenotype, preserve efferocytosis, and finally restore healthy AT homeostasis in the context of aging. Collectively, our findings implicate pharmacologic OPN inhibition as a viable treatment modality to counter ATM senescence-mediated AT remodeling and dysfunction during aging.

High extracellular sodium chloride concentrations induce resistance to LPS signal in human dendritic cells

Recent evidence showed that in response to elevated sodium dietary intakes, many body tissues retain Na⁺ ions for long periods of time and can reach concentrations up to 200 mM. This could modulate the immune system and be responsible for several diseases. However, studies brought contrasted results and the effects of external sodium on human dendritic cell (DC) responses to danger signals remain largely unknown. Considering their central role in triggering T cell response, we tested how NaCl-enriched medium influences human DCs properties. We found that DCs submitted to high extracellular Na⁺ concentrations up to 200 mM remain viable and maintain the expression of specific DC markers, however, their maturation, chemotaxis toward CCL19, production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and ROS in response to LPS were also partially inhibited. In line with these results, the T-cell allostimulatory capacity of DCs was also inhibited. Finally, our data indicate that high NaCl concentrations triggered the phosphorylation of SGK1 and ERK1/2 kinases. These results raised the possibility that the previously reported pro-inflammatory effects of high NaCl concentrations on T cells might be counterbalanced by a downregulation of DC activation.

Tethering Innate Surface Receptors on Dendritic Cells: A New Avenue for Immune Tolerance Induction?

Dendritic cells (DCs) play a key role in immunity and are highly potent at presenting antigens and orienting the immune response. Depending on the environmental signals, DCs could turn the immune response toward immunity or immune tolerance. Several subsets of DCs have been described, with each expressing various surface receptors and all participating in DC-associated immune functions according to their specific skills. DC subsets could also contribute to the vicious circle of inflammation in immune diseases and establishment of immune tolerance in cancer. They appear to be appropriate targets in the control of inflammatory diseases or regulation of autoimmune responses. For all these reasons, in situ DC targeting with therapeutic antibodies seems to be a suitable way of modulating the entire immune system. At present, the field of antibody-based therapies has mainly been developed in oncology, but it is undergoing remarkable expansion thanks to a wide variety of antibody formats and their related functions. Moreover, current knowledge of DC biology may open new avenues for targeting and modulating the different DC subsets. Based on an update of pathogen recognition receptor expression profiles in human DC subsets, this review evaluates the possibility of inducing tolerant DCs using antibody-based therapeutic agents.

Granzyme B-activated p53 interacts with Bcl-2 to promote cytotoxic lymphocyte-mediated apoptosis

Granzyme B (GzmB) plays a major role in CTLs and NK cell-mediated elimination of virus-infected cells and tumors. Human GzmB preferentially induces target cell apoptosis by cleaving the proapoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bid, which, together with Bax, induces mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization. We previously showed that GzmB also induces a rapid accumulation of the tumor-suppressor protein p53 within target cells, which seems to be involved in GzmB-induced apoptosis. In this article, we show that GzmB-activated p53 accumulates on target cell mitochondria and interacts with Bcl-2. This interaction prevents Bcl-2 inhibitory effect on both Bax and GzmB-truncated Bid, and promotes GzmB-induced mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization. Consequently, blocking p53-Bcl-2 interaction decreases GzmB-induced Bax activation, cytochrome c release from mitochondria, and subsequent effector caspases activation leading to a decreased sensitivity of target cells to both GzmB and CTL/NK-mediated cell death. Together, our results define p53 as a new important player in the GzmB apoptotic signaling pathway and in CTL/NK-induced apoptosis.