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Introduction
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Several factors may determine whether encounter of antigen in a primary response will lead to the clonal expansion of specific antigen receptor–expressing lymphocytes and their differentiation into specific memory effector cells (for review see references 1 and 2). Soluble foreign antigen usually leads to a transient clonal expansion of antigen-specific T cells, followed by the deletion and/or functional inactivation of the cells (for review see references 1 and 2). In some cases, soluble antigen can lead to subsequent unresponsiveness to an immunizing regimen of antigen in adjuvant (for review see references 1 and 2). It has been suggested that the dose and form of antigen, the route of administration of antigen, the delivery of appropriate costimulatory signals, and the genetic background of the host may determine whether an antigen primes for an appropriate memory effector response (for review see references 1–3).
Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain the abortive immune response initiated by soluble antigen, including deletion or anergy (for review see references 1 and 2). In addition, soluble antigen does not lead to activation of the innate immune response to produce inflammatory mediators as induced by infectious organisms or adjuvants, such as CFA (containing mycobacteria) or LPS (endotoxin) required for effective priming of Th1 responses 45. Alternatively, soluble antigen intraperitoneally 367 has been proposed to result in a Th1
Th2 switch, with abrogation of cell-mediated immune Th1 responses, characterized by CD4+ T cell proliferation, IL-2 and IFN-
production, and switching to IgG2a. Under such circumstances, Th2 responses with IL-4 production and IgE remained intact or were elevated 367. However, other reports of soluble antigen–induced tolerance have not been interpreted as a Th1
Th2 switch, as IL-4–producing CD4+ T cells could not be detected 8. A mechanism for regulation of organ-specific autoimmune pathology has also been suggested to result from a switch of a cell-mediated Th1-type response to a Th2 response 9. However, recent studies suggest that active tolerance to self- and gut antigens may not be so simple and that other regulatory cells may exist that produce TGF-β and/or, in some cases, IL-10 1011121314.
IL-10 inhibits the production of Th1-specific cytokines by its effects on the APC and downregulates inflammatory cytokines such as IL-12 1516, as well as the expression of costimulators 17 and class II MHC 18. Most importantly, IL-10 has been shown to inhibit the maturation of dendritic cells (DCs), which are the principle APCs involved in the initiation of an immune response 19. There is evidence that IL-10 plays an important role in mucosal immune regulation as well as preventing more generalized immunopathologies. Mice with a targeted disruption of the IL-10 gene (IL-10–/– mice) developed enterocolitis 20 and showed increased sensitivity to LPS-induced shock 21. In addition, IL-10–/– mice showed enhanced disease as compared with wild-type mice when experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis was induced by MOG35–55 in CFA 22, suggesting a role for IL-10 in protection from the development of autoimmunity.
In this study, we investigate whether neutralization of IL-10 allows exogenous soluble peptide or protein antigens to prime for Th1 effector responses. We show that neutralizing endogenous IL-10 with an anti–IL-10R mAb can render soluble peptide or protein antigen immunogenic for Th1 recall responses, provided that there is LPS present to activate the innate immune response.
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Materials and Methods
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Animals.
Mice transgenic for the DO11.10
/β TCR 23 on a BALB/c genetic background were identified at age 4–6 wk by staining peripheral blood leukocytes with the anti-TCR clonotype-specific mAb KJ1-26, as previously described by Kearney et al. 24. These mice were heterozygous for the TCR
and β transgenes. Mice transgenic for the DO11.10
/β TCR were backcrossed on a RAG-deficient (RAG–/–) BALB/c background. Female nontransgenic BALB/c mice between 8 and 10 wk old were purchased from Taconic Farms, Inc.
Culture Medium, Antigens, Antibodies, and other Reagents.
cRPMI 1640 (BioWhittaker) supplemented with 10% FCS (Hyclone), 2-ME (0.05 mM; GIBCO BRL), L-glutamine (1 mM), penicillin (100 U/ml), streptomycin (100 µg/ml), Hepes buffer (10 mM), and sodium pyruvate (1 mM) was used as culture medium.
The antigenic OVA peptide (OVA) from chicken ovalbumin (OVA323–339) was synthesized free of endotoxin (Biosynthesis, Inc.). OVA was purchased from Calbiochem (28 EU/mg of endotoxin/LPS).
Anti–IL-10R mAb was provided by K. Moore (DNAX, Palo Alto, CA; reference 25), and an isotype-matched control was supplied by J. Abrams (DNAX). mAbs used for flow cytometric analysis included anti–mouse CD4–Cy5, L-selectin–PE (PharMingen), and anticlonotype mAb for transgenic DO11.10 TCR, KJ1-26 26. Additional anticytokine mAbs for immunoassay and flow cytometry, including anti–mouse IL-10 and IFN-
reagents, were purified as previously described 27.
Adoptive Transfer and Immunization.
The adoptive transfer was performed as previously described by Kearney et al. 24. In brief, a single spleen cell suspension from DO11.10 transgenic mice was injected intravenously into unmanipulated syngeneic BALB/c recipients such that 4–5 x 106 KJ1-26+CD4+ T cells were adoptively transferred. Mice were primed 2 d after adoptive transfer with either OVA323–339 (7 or 200 µg) or OVA (200 µg or 5 mg) subcutaneously at the base of the tail (similar trends were obtained with both doses of antigen but results are shown for higher doses, as higher numbers of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells were visualized). Mice were rechallenged subcutaneously 12 d after priming with OVA (100 µg) emulsified in CFA (Difco Labs.). Mice were analyzed at indicated time points after rechallenge. In some experiments, mice were injected intraperitoneally with anti–IL-10R (0.5 mg) mAb 25 weekly throughout the experiments, starting at the day of priming.
Preparation of T Cells and APCs.
CD4+ T cells were enriched by positive selection using MiniMACSTM separation columns (Miltenyi Biotec) to achieve 98% CD4+ T cells. Cells were then set up in culture at 2 x 105 per well and restimulated with OVA323–339 (1 µM) and irradiated syngeneic splenic APCs (5 x 105 per well). Supernatants were collected at 24 h for the measurement of IL-2 and at 48 h for the measurement of IFN-
, IL-4, and IL-10 by immunoassay 27.
Cytokine Assays.
IFN-
was detected using a two-site sandwich ELISA, with a lower limit of sensitivity of 100 pg/ml. The ELISA for IL-2 has been described previously 27, with a limit of sensitivity of 195 pg/ml.
OVA-specific Serum Isotype ELISAs.
For analysis of OVA-specific IgG1 and IgG2a, 96-well plates (Fisher Scientific) were coated with whole OVA (Sigma-Aldrich), 10 µg/ml in PBS. Plates were blocked with 20% FCS, and serum samples were added at appropriate dilutions. Samples were developed by sequential incubation with biotinylated IgG1 or IgG2a isotype–specific mAb (PharMingen), streptavidin–horseradish peroxidase (Caltag Labs.), and substrate (Kirkegaard & Perry Laboratories, Inc.). OVA-specific IgE and IgA isotype titers were determined as previously described 28. Plates were read at 450 nm and analyzed based on OVA-specific isotype standards. Data shown are OVA-specific isotype titers in nanograms per milliliter.
Removal of LPS.
To deplete the LPS (otherwise known as endotoxin) from the OVA protein antigen preparation (activity detected by limulus amebocyte assay; BioWhittaker), OVA at 10 mg/ml was adsorbed on a Detoxi-GelTM Endotoxin Removing Gel (Pierce Chemical Co.) according to the manufacturer's instructions to reduce endotoxin levels to below the level of 5 EU per 5 mg of protein.
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Results and Discussion
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Neutralization of IL-10 during Priming with Soluble OVA Protein but Not OVA323–339 Peptide Antigen Leads to the Development of a Th1 Effector Recall Response.
To determine whether neutralization of IL-10 could allow soluble peptide and protein antigen to prime for a Th1 effector immune response, BALB/c mice, which had been previously transferred with OVA-specific CD4+ T cells (KJ1-26+ CD4+) from DO11.10 mice, were primed subcutaneously with soluble OVA323–339 peptide or protein in the presence or absence of an IL-10R mAb 25. Mice were then rechallenged using OVA protein in CFA, and purified CD4+ T cells from lymph nodes were analyzed for their ability to produce enhanced levels of IFN-
as a result of appropriate priming. As previously shown 24, CD4+ T cells obtained from mice that had received soluble OVA323–339 before challenge produced significantly less IL-2 in vitro in response to OVA323–339 presented by irradiated APCs than CD4+ T cells obtained from mice that had received PBS (Fig. 1, top). This correlated with significantly reduced numbers of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells and reduced [3H]thymidine incorporation in vitro in response to specific antigen (data not shown). Immunizing mice with OVA323–339 peptide antigen in the presence of an anti–IL-10R mAb did not enhance the production of IL-2 (Fig. 1) nor the number of antigen-specific T cells and their [3H]thymidine incorporation (data not shown). Treatment with soluble OVA protein antigen before rechallenge with OVA in CFA led to a small but reproducible decrease in IL-2 production (<50% in more than three experiments; Fig. 1, top). A small reduction in the number of antigen-specific CD4+ T cells was observed and reduced [3H]thymidine incorporation in vitro in response to specific antigen (data not shown). The presence of a mAb directed against the IL-10R during priming with soluble protein (in contrast to peptide) antigen enhanced the levels of IL-2 produced by CD4+ T cells almost to the level produced by CD4+ T cells from mice that were pretreated with PBS before the OVA in CFA challenge. This increase could be accounted for completely by an increase in KJ1-26+CD4+ T cells, as on a per cell basis, IL-2 levels were identical in the presence or absence of anti–IL-10R mAb (Fig. 1, bottom).
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