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Characterization of myeloid suppressor cell activity in experimental leishmaniasis

Antragsteller Professor Dr. Uwe Ritter
Fachliche Zuordnung Immunologie
Förderung Förderung von 2010 bis 2014
Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 188763720
 
Erstellungsjahr 2015

Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse

It is obvious that myeloid cell subsets are crucial for the modulation of the adaptive and innate immune response against intracellular pathogens such as Leishmania major parasites. Based on the overlapping expression of molecules that were commonly used to classify myeloid cells, it becomes difficult to denominate those cell types precisely. Of note, most of these markers used for myeloid cell identification are expressed on a broad range of myeloid cells, and should therefore be handled with care if used for sub typing of myeloid cells. In my point of view it cannot be excluded that the subsets that were denominated as myeloid suppressor cells (MDSCs) might not be classical "subsets" but rather represent myeloid cells in a transient maturation stage expressing different genes, in response to the surrounding environment. Nevertheless we started to characterize the function of MDSCs subsets in experimental leishmaniasis. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) represent a heterogeneous population of CD11b+ cells. According to the surface molecules Ly6G and Ly6C (where Ly6G and Ly6C are lymphocyte antigen 6, locus G and C, respectively), MDSCs are further divided into monocytic (Mo-MDSCs, CD11b+ /Ly6Chigh/Ly6G) and polymorphonucleated suppressor cells (PMN-MDSCs, CD11b+ /Ly6C'nt/Ly6G+). Most published manuscripts focus on the suppressive role of MDSCs in cancer, whereas their impact on adaptive immunity against obligatory intracellular parasites is not well understood. Furthermore, it is not clear how the genetic background of mice influences MDSC functionality. Therefore, we implemented an experimental model of leishmaniasis, and analyzed MDSC maturation and the impact of MDSCs on the parasite-specific T-cell responses in resistant C57BL/6 and susceptible BALB/c mice. This experimental setup demonstrated the impaired ability of BALB/c mice to produce Mo-MDSCs when compared with C57BL/6 mice. This phenotype is detectable after subcutaneous infection with parasites and is specifically represented by a reduced accumulation of Mo-MDSCs at the site of infection in BALB/c mice. Moreover, infected C57BL/6-derived MDSCs were able to suppress Leishmania-specific CD4+-cell proliferation, whereas BALB/c-derived MDSCs harbouring parasites lost this suppressive function. In conclusion, we demonstrate that (i) genetic background defines MDSC differentiation; and (ii) Leishmania major parasites are able to modulate the suppressive effect of MDSCs in a strain-dependent manner.

Projektbezogene Publikationen (Auswahl)

 
 

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