Specialized role of migratory dendritic cells in peripheral tolerance induction

Harnessing DCs for immunotherapies in vivo requires the elucidation of the physiological role of distinct DC populations. Migratory DCs traffic from peripheral tissues to draining lymph nodes charged with tissue self antigens. We hypothesized that these DC populations have a specialized role in the maintenance of peripheral tolerance, specifically, to generate suppressive Foxp3+ Tregs. To examine the differential capacity of migratory DCs versus blood-derived lymphoid-resident DCs for Treg generation in vivo, we targeted a self antigen, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein, using antibodies against cell surface receptors differentially expressed in these DC populations. Using this approach together with mouse models that lack specific DC populations, we found that migratory DCs have a superior ability to generate Tregs in vivo, which in turn drastically improve the outcome of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. These results provide a rationale for the development of novel therapies targeting migratory DCs for the treatment of autoimmune diseases

Atf5 As A Regulator Of A Mammalian Mitochondrial Unfolded Protein Response

Mitochondrial dysfunction is pervasive in human pathologies such as neurodegeneration, diabetes, cancer and pathogen infections as well as during normal aging. Cells sense and respond to mitochondrial stress or dysfunction by activating a protective transcriptional program known as the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), which includes genes that promote mitochondrial protein homeostasis and the regeneration of metabolically defective organelles (Nargund, Pellegrino et al. 2012, Nargund, Fiorese et al. 2015). Work in C. elegans has shown that the UPRmt is regulated by the transcription factor ATFS-1, which is regulated by organelle partitioning. Normally, ATFS-1 accumulates within mitochondria, but during respiratory chain dysfunction, high levels of ROS or mitochondrial protein folding stress, a percentage of ATFS-1 accumulates in the cytosol and traffics to the nucleus where it activates the UPRmt (Nargund, Pellegrino et al. 2012). While similar transcriptional responses have been described in mammals (Zhao, Wang et al. 2002, Wu, Williams et al. 2014), how the UPRmt is regulated remains unclear. Here, we describe a mammalian transcription factor, ATF5, which is regulated similarly to ATFS-1 and induces a similar transcriptional response. ATF5 expression can rescue UPRmt signaling in atfs-1-deficient worms requiring the same UPRmt promoter element identified in C. elegans. Furthermore, mammalian cells require ATF5 to maintain mitochondrial activity during mitochondrial stress and to promote organelle recovery. Combined, these data suggest that regulation of the UPRmt is conserved from worms to mammals

Integrating the UPRmt into the mitochondrial maintenance network

Mitochondrial function is central to many different processes in the cell, from oxidative phosphorylation to the synthesis of iron-sulfur clusters. Therefore, mitochondrial dysfunction underlies a diverse array of diseases, from neurodegenerative diseases to cancer. Stress can be communicated to the cytosol and nucleus from the mitochondria through many different signals, and in response the cell can effect everything from transcriptional to post-transcriptional responses to protect the mitochondrial network. How these responses are coordinated have only recently begun to be understood. In this review, we explore how the cell maintains mitochondrial function, focusing on the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), a transcriptional response that can activate a wide array of programs to repair and restore mitochondrial function

Integrating the UPRmt into the mitochondrial maintenance network

Mitochondrial function is central to many different processes in the cell, from oxidative phosphorylation to the synthesis of iron-sulfur clusters. Therefore, mitochondrial dysfunction underlies a diverse array of diseases, from neurodegenerative diseases to cancer. Stress can be communicated to the cytosol and nucleus from the mitochondria through many different signals, and in response the cell can effect everything from transcriptional to post-transcriptional responses to protect the mitochondrial network. How these responses are coordinated have only recently begun to be understood. In this review, we explore how the cell maintains mitochondrial function, focusing on the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), a transcriptional response that can activate a wide array of programs to repair and restore mitochondrial function

The Transcription Factor ATF5 Mediates a Mammalian Mitochondrial UPR

Mitochondrial dysfunction is pervasive in human pathologies such as neurodegeneration, diabetes, cancer, and pathogen infections as well as during normal aging. Cells sense and respond to mitochondrial dysfunction by activating a protective transcriptional program known as the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR(mt)), which includes genes that promote mitochondrial protein homeostasis and the recovery of defective organelles [1, 2]. Work in Caenorhabditis elegans has shown that the UPR(mt) is regulated by the transcription factor ATFS-1, which is regulated by organelle partitioning. Normally, ATFS-1 accumulates within mitochondria, but during respiratory chain dysfunction, high levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), or mitochondrial protein folding stress, a percentage of ATFS-1 accumulates in the cytosol and traffics to the nucleus where it activates the UPR(mt) [2]. While similar transcriptional responses have been described in mammals [3, 4], how the UPR(mt) is regulated remains unclear. Here, we describe a mammalian transcription factor, ATF5, which is regulated similarly to ATFS-1 and induces a similar transcriptional response. ATF5 expression can rescue UPR(mt) signaling in atfs-1-deficient worms requiring the same UPR(mt) promoter element identified in C. elegans. Furthermore, mammalian cells require ATF5 to maintain mitochondrial activity during mitochondrial stress and promote organelle recovery. Combined, these data suggest that regulation of the UPR(mt) is conserved from worms to mammals

Mitochondrial UPR-regulated innate immunity provides resistance to pathogen infection

Metazoans identify and eliminate bacterial pathogens in microbe-rich environments such as the intestinal lumen, however the mechanisms are unclear. Potentially, host cells employ intracellular surveillance or stress response programs to detect pathogens that target monitored cellular activities to initiate innate immune responses1–3. Mitochondrial function is evaluated by monitoring mitochondrial protein import efficiency of the transcription factor ATFS-1, which mediates the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt). During mitochondrial stress, import is impaired4 allowing ATFS-1 to traffic to the nucleus where it mediates a transcriptional response to re-establish mitochondrial homeostasis5. Here, we examined the role of ATFS-1 during pathogen exposure because in addition to mitochondrial protective genes, ATFS-1 induced innate immune genes during mitochondrial stress that included a secreted lysozyme and anti-microbial peptides. Exposure to the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa caused mitochondrial dysfunction and activation of the UPRmt. Animals lacking atfs-1 were susceptible to P. aeruginosa, while hyper-activation of ATFS-1 and the UPRmt improved clearance of P. aeruginosa from the intestine and prolonged C. elegans survival largely independent of known innate immune pathways6,7. We propose that ATFS-1 import efficiency and the UPRmt is a means to detect pathogens that target mitochondria and initiate a protective innate immune response