Targeting DEC-205DCIR2 dendritic cells promotes immunological tolerance in proteolipid protein-induced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

BACKGROUND

Dendritic cells (DC) induce adaptive responses against foreign antigens, and play an essential role in maintaining peripheral tolerance to self-antigens. Therefore they are involved in preventing fatal autoimmunity. Selective delivery of antigens to immature DC via the endocytic DEC-205 receptor on their surface promotes antigen-specific T cell tolerance, both by recessive and dominant mechanisms. We provide evidence that the induction of antigen-specific T cell tolerance is not a unique property of CD11cCD8DEC-205 DCs.

METHODS

We employed a fusion between αDCIR2 antibodies and the highly encephalitogenic peptide 139-151 of myelin-derived proteolipid protein (PLP), to target CD11c CD8 DCs with a DEC-205-DCIR2 phenotype in vivo, and to substantially improve clinical symptoms in the PLP-induced model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE).

RESULTS

Consistent with previous studies targeting other cell surface receptors, EAE protection mediated by αDCIR2-PLP fusion antibody (Ab) depended on an immature state of targeted DCIR2 DCs. The mechanism of αDCIR2-PLP mAb function included the deletion of IL-17- and IFN-γ-producing pathogenic T cells, as well as the enhancement of regulatory T (Treg) cell activity. In contrast to the effect of αDEC-205 fusion antibodies, which involves extrathymic induction of a Foxp3 Treg cell phenotype in naïve CD4Foxp3 T cells, treatment of animals with DCIR2 fusion antibodies resulted in antigen-specific activation and proliferative expansion of natural Foxp3 Treg cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These results suggest that multiple mechanisms can lead to the expansion of the Treg population, depending on the DC subset and receptor targeted.