Plasmacytoid predendritic cells initiate psoriasis through interferon-α production

Psoriasis is one of the most common T cell–mediated autoimmune diseases in humans. Although a role for the innate immune system in driving the autoimmune T cell cascade has been proposed, its nature remains elusive. We show that plasmacytoid predendritic cells (PDCs), the natural interferon (IFN)-α–producing cells, infiltrate the skin of psoriatic patients and become activated to produce IFN-α early during disease formation. In a xenograft model of human psoriasis, we demonstrate that blocking IFN-α signaling or inhibiting the ability of PDCs to produce IFN-α prevented the T cell–dependent development of psoriasis. Furthermore, IFN-α reconstitution experiments demonstrated that PDC-derived IFN-α is essential to drive the development of psoriasis in vivo. These findings uncover a novel innate immune pathway for triggering a common human autoimmune disease and suggest that PDCs and PDC-derived IFN-α represent potential early targets for the treatment of psoriasis

Tri-trophic Plankton Models Revised: Importance of Space, Food Web Structure and Functional Response Parametrisation

Revealing mechanisms of efficient top-down control in eutrophic ecosystems remains a long term challenge in theoretical ecology. In this paper, we revisit the role of environmental heterogeneity, food web structure and shape of the predator functional response in persistence and stabilization of a planktonic system with high nutrient supply. We consider a 1D vertically resolved tri-trophic planktonic food web composed of a primary producer, an intermediate predator and a highly mobile top predator, such as a system of phytoplankton, microzooplankton and copepods. We explore the realistic scenario in which the top predator is omnivorous, i.e. when copepods can feed both on phytoplankton and microzooplankton. We show that the interplay between heterogeneity of the environment due to for instance, a light gradient in the water column, and trophic interaction between species can result in an efficient top-down control which would otherwise be impossible in the corresponding well-mixed system. We also find that allowing the top predator to feed on the primary producer may dramatically impede the coexistence of the three trophic levels, with only two levels generally surviving. The coexistence of all three trophic levels within a wide range of parameters becomes possible only when the top predator exhibits active food source switching behaviour. We also show the phenomenon of bistability in the considered tri-trophic food web: a small initial amount of the top predator should lead to its extinction whereas introduction of a supercritical initial amount will eventually result in establishment of the population. The demonstrated mechanism of top-down control seems to be rather generic and might be a good candidate to explain stability in some other non-planktonic tri-trophic ecosystems

The IL-33-PIN1-IRAK-M axis is critical for type 2 immunity in IL-33-induced allergic airway inflammation

Interleukin 33 (IL-33) is among the earliest-released cytokines in response to allergens that orchestrate type 2 immunity. The prolyl cis-trans isomerase PIN1 is known to induce cytokines for eosinophil survival and activation by stabilizing cytokines mRNAs, but the function of PIN1 in upstream signaling pathways in asthma is unknown. Here we show that interleukin receptor associated kinase M (IRAK-M) is a PIN1 target critical for IL-33 signaling in allergic asthma. NMR analysis and docking simulations suggest that PIN1 might regulate IRAK-M conformation and function in IL-33 signaling. Upon IL-33-induced airway inflammation, PIN1 is activated for binding with and isomerization of IRAK-M, resulting in IRAK-M nuclear translocation and induction of selected proinflammatory genes in dendritic cells. Thus, the IL-33-PIN1-IRAK-M is an axis critical for dendritic cell activation, type 2 immunity and IL-33 induced airway inflammation