The XC chemokine receptor 1 is a conserved selective marker of mammalian cells homologous to mouse CD8α+ dendritic cells

Human BDCA3+ dendritic cells (DCs) were suggested to be homologous to mouse CD8α+ DCs. We demonstrate that human BDCA3+ DCs are more efficient than their BDCA1+ counterparts or plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) in cross-presenting antigen and activating CD8+ T cells, which is similar to mouse CD8α+ DCs as compared with CD11b+ DCs or pDCs, although with more moderate differences between human DC subsets. Yet, no specific marker was known to be shared between homologous DC subsets across species. We found that XC chemokine receptor 1 (XCR1) is specifically expressed and active in mouse CD8α+, human BDCA3+, and sheep CD26+ DCs and is conserved across species. The mRNA encoding the XCR1 ligand chemokine (C motif) ligand 1 (XCL1) is selectively expressed in natural killer (NK) and CD8+ T lymphocytes at steady-state and is enhanced upon activation. Moreover, the Xcl1 mRNA is selectively expressed at high levels in central memory compared with naive CD8+ T lymphocytes. Finally, XCR1−/− mice have decreased early CD8+ T cell responses to Listeria monocytogenes infection, which is associated with higher bacterial loads early in infection. Therefore, XCR1 constitutes the first conserved specific marker for cell subsets homologous to mouse CD8α+ DCs in higher vertebrates and promotes their ability to activate early CD8+ T cell defenses against an intracellular pathogenic bacteria

Toxoplasma gondii and the protective immune response : effectors of protection following dentritic cell vaccination : pathways activated by T. gondii

Toxoplasma gondii, protozoaire à l’origine de la toxoplasmose, cause de nombreux avortements ou malformations fœtales, chez l’homme et l’animal. Aucun vaccin n’étant disponible, le développement d’approches vaccinales efficaces est d’actualité. L’immunisation de souris CBA/J avec des cellules dendritiques pulsées avec de l’extrait de T. gondii induit une réponse immunitaire Th1 spécifique du parasite et une protection significative. La déplétion in vivo des LTCD4+ ou CD8+, suite à un challenge par des kystes de T. gondii, nous a permis de décrire les rôles décisif des LTCD8+ et accessoire des LTCD4+ dans la protection des souris chroniquement infectées. Nous avons également étudié deux voies de signalisation intracellulaires induites par la reconnaissance du toxoplasme. Nous avons décrit le rôle délétère de l’IL-17R dans la réponse inflammatoire chez la souris C57BL/6 ainsi que le caractère essentiel de MyD88 dans la survie et la protection de souris BALB/c infectées chroniquement.Toxoplasma gondii, an obligate intracellular protozoan, is the etiologic agent of toxoplasmosis, responsible for numerous abortions or fetal malformations, both in humans and animals. No vaccine is available so the design of efficient vaccine strategies is a topical question. Immunization of CBA/J mice with T. gondii extract-pulsed dendritic cells induces a parasite-specific Th1 immune response and a significant protection. In vivo depletion of CD4+ or CD8+ T lymphocytes following a challenge with T. gondii cysts, allowed us to establish the main effector role of CD8+ T cells and the secondary role of CD4+ T cells in the protection of mice chronically infected. We next studied two intracellular signaling pathways induced following the parasite recognition. We described a deleterious role of IL-17R in the inflammatory response in C57BL/6 mice and the crucial role of MyD88 in the survival and the protection of BALB/c mice chronically infected with T. gondii

How aging compromises antiviral defenses: a role for imbalanced innate cytokine production.

International audienceAging causes enhanced susceptibility to viral infections. Stout-Delgado et al. (2009) report increased IL-17A production but reduced type I interferon levels in old mice infected by herpes viruses. This imbalance between proinflammatory and antiviral innate cytokine responses causes immunopathology and compromises virus control, which together lead to death by liver failure

Toxoplasma dondii et réponse immunitaire protectrice (- Effecteurs de protection lors d'une vaccination par des cellules dendritiques)

TOURS-Bibl.électronique (372610011) / SudocSudocFranceF

The immunobiology of the mammalian epididymis: the black box is now open!

International audienceSpermatozoa represent an immunologic challenge for the mammalian males. They are produced long after the establishment of the immune library of the individual and harbor specific spermatic antigens that are found nowhere else in other organs, tissues and cells. Consequently, spermatozoa are somehow "foreign" to the male adaptive immune system. In order not to elicit autoimmune responses that would be detrimental for male fertility, spermatozoa should be either physically separated from the adaptive immune response and/or, the immune system challenged by spermatic antigens must be efficiently silenced. Within the mammalian male genital tract it becomes more and more obvious that a range of strategies are at stake to ensure that the immune-stranger spermatozoa do not constitute an immunological issue. In this review the focus will be on the immune status of the epididymis tubule, in which spermatozoa that have left the testes will mature for approximately 2 weeks and may be stored for prolonged period of time. How the epididymal immune environment compares to that of the testis and what are the immune regulatory processes at work in the epididymal compartment will only be briefly described. Instead, this review will focus on recent data that highlight epididymal immune regulatory actors that partly explain/illustrate the rather complicated, fragile but nevertheless robust immune environment of the epididymis

The epididymal immune balance: a key to preserving male fertility

International audienc

Functional activation of T cells by dendritic cells and macrophages exposed to the intracellular parasite <em>Neospora</em> <em>caninum</em>

International audienc

Differential expression and localisation of TGF-β isoforms and receptors in the murine epididymis

International audienceTestes produce spermatozoa that transit through and are stored in the epididymis where they acquire their fertilising capacities. Spermatozoa appear in the genital tract at puberty, long after the immune system was trained to self-antigens. As a consequence, this organ has to set strategies to tolerate sperm antigens to avoid autoimmune responses that would specifically target and destroy them. A recent study pointed the Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-β) signalling in the dendritic cells as a crucial mechanism for epididymal tolerance to spermatozoa. In the mouse, TGF-β exists under three isoforms, and three distinct receptors have been described. Using RT-qPCR, immunohistochemistry and ELISA techniques, we investigated the expression and spatial distribution of the epididymal TGF-β isoforms and of their receptors in young and adult mice. We showed that both ligands and receptors were produced by immune and non-immune cells in the epididymis, whatever the age mice have. These data bring new clues as to the mechanisms of peripheral tolerance to sperm cells in the murine epididymis and raise potential other implications of the cytokine isoforms

Identification of Arvicola terrestris scherman Sperm Antigens for Immune Contraceptive Purposes

International audienceThe cyclical proliferation of the wild fossorial rodent Arvicola terrestris scherman (ATS) is critical in mid-mountain ecosystems of several European countries. Our goal is to develop an immunocontraceptive vaccine to control their fertility, as a sustainable alternative to chemical poisons currently used. Indeed, these chemicals cause the death of ATS predators and animals sharing their ecosystem, and current laws progressively limit their use, making the development of a targeted vaccination strategy an interesting and efficient alternative. In order to identify species-specific sperm antigens, male and female ATS received subcutaneous injections of whole ATS spermatozoa to elicit an immune response. The analysis of the immune sera led to the identification of 120 immunogenic proteins of sperm cells. Of these, 15 were strictly sperm-specific and located in different regions of the male gamete. Some of these antigens are proteins involved in molecular events essential to the reproductive process, such as sperm-egg interaction, acrosomal reaction, or sperm motility. This approach not only identified a panel of immunogenic proteins from ATS sperm cells, but also demonstrated that some of these proteins trigger an immune response in both male and female ATS. These spermatic antigens are good candidates for the development of a contraceptive vaccine

Natural Killer Cell Sensing of Infected Cells Compensates for MyD88 Deficiency but Not IFN-I Activity in Resistance to Mouse Cytomegalovirus

International audienceIn mice, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) and natural killer (NK) cells both contribute to resistance to systemic infections with herpes viruses including mouse Cytomegalovirus (MCMV). pDCs are the major source of type I IFN (IFN-I) during MCMV infection. This response requires pDC-intrinsic MyD88-dependent signaling by Toll-Like Receptors 7 and 9. Provided that they express appropriate recognition receptors such as Ly49H, NK cells can directly sense and kill MCMV-infected cells. The loss of any one of these responses increases susceptibility to infection. However, the relative importance of these antiviral immune responses and how they are related remain unclear. In humans, while IFN-I responses are essential, MyD88 is dispensable for antiviral immunity. Hence, a higher redundancy has been proposed in the mechanisms promoting protective immune responses against systemic infections by herpes viruses during natural infections in humans. It has been assumed, but not proven, that mice fail to mount protective MyD88-independent IFN-I responses. In humans, the mechanism that compensates MyD88 deficiency has not been elucidated. To address these issues, we compared resistance to MCMV infection and immune responses between mouse strains deficient for MyD88, the IFN-I receptor and/or Ly49H. We show that selective depletion of pDC or genetic deficiencies for MyD88 or TLR9 drastically decreased production of IFN-I, but not the protective antiviral responses. Moreover, MyD88, but not IFN-I receptor, deficiency could largely be compensated by Ly49H-mediated antiviral NK cell responses. Thus, contrary to the current dogma but consistent with the situation in humans, we conclude that, in mice, in our experimental settings, MyD88 is redundant for IFN-I responses and overall defense against a systemic herpes virus infection. Moreover, we identified direct NK cell sensing of infected cells as one mechanism able to compensate for MyD88 deficiency in mice. Similar mechanisms likely contribute to protect MyD88- or IRAK4-deficient patients from viral infections