The atypical chemokine receptor D6 contributes to the development of experimental colitis

Proinflammatory CC chemokines control leukocyte recruitment and function during inflammation by engaging chemokine receptors expressed on circulating leukocytes. The D6 chemokine receptor can bind several of these chemokines, but appears unable to couple to signal transduction pathways or direct cell migration. Instead, D6 has been proposed to act as a chemokine scavenger, removing proinflammatory chemokines to dampen leukocyte responses. In this study, we have examined the role of D6 in the colon using the dextran sodium sulfate-induced model of colitis. We show that D6 is expressed in the resting colon, predominantly by stromal cells and B cells, and is up-regulated during colitis. Unexpectedly, D6-deficient mice showed reduced susceptibility to colitis and had less pronounced clinical symptoms associated with this model. D6 deletion had no impact on the level of proinflammatory CC chemokines released from cultured colon explants, or on the balance of leukocyte subsets recruited to the inflamed colon. However, late in colitis, inflamed D6-deficient colons showed enhanced production of several proinflammatory cytokines, including IFN-γ and IL-17A, and there was a marked increase in IL-17A-secreting γδ T cells in the lamina propria. Moreover, Ab-mediated neutralization of IL-17A worsened the clinical symptoms of colitis at these later stages of the response in D6-deficient, but not wild-type, mice. Thus, D6 can contribute to the development of colitis by regulating IL-17A secretion by γδ T cells in the inflamed colon

M-CSF induces the expression of a membrane-bound form of IL-18 in a subset of human monocytes differentiating in vitro toward macrophages

none8IL-18 is a proinflammatory cytokine belonging to the "IL-1 family" that has been shown to play a prominent role in the induction of type 1 immune responses. Here, we show that M-CSFinduces the expression of a membrane-bound form of IL-18 (mIL-18) in a subset of human blood monocytes differentiating toward macrophages. While monocytes, DC, and GM-CSF-treated monocytes did not express mIL-18, its expression was detected in approximately 30-40% of M-CSF-primed macrophages differentiating from both CD16(-) and CD16(+) monocytes. Treatment with the caspase-1 inhibitor significantly reduced mIL-18 expression suggesting the requirement of an assembled inflammasome for IL-18 surface expression. Polarization toward M2 did not modify mIL-18 expression. On the contrary, LPS stimulation of both M0 and M2 (mIL-18(+) ) macrophages induced shedding of mIL-18, which was likely mediated by the activation of cellular protease(s). Importantly, the soluble form IL-18 (sIL-18) induced in autologous resting NK cells both the expression of CCR7 and the production of high amounts of IFN-γ, which was virtually abrogated by Ab-mediated neutralization of sIL-18. Overall our data shed new light on the cells and mechanisms leading to the release of sIL-18, the major IFN-γ-inducing factor in both physiological and pathological immune responsesnoneBellora F; Castriconi R; Doni A; Cantoni C; Moretta L; Mantovani A; Moretta A; Bottino C.Bellora, Francesca; Castriconi, Roberta; Doni, A; Cantoni, Claudia; Moretta, Alessandro; Mantovani, A; Moretta, Lorenzo; Bottino, Cristin