Differential immune responses and hematopoiesis in mice deficient for Ly49Q, a plasmacytoid dendritic cell receptor

Abstract

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are members of the innate immune system and are particularly important in anti-viral immunity since they are the most potent producers of type I interferon (IFN). The objective of this research project is to analyze the phenotype of knockout mice for Ly49Q, a cell surface receptor expressed on pDCs. In vivo, KO mice with PGK-Neor insertion control early murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection better, but no difference could be detected in mice with recombined LoxP sites. Thus, we observed differential immune response in KO mice with the PGK-Neor insertion and recombined LoxP sites. In mice with PGK-Neor insertion, we found enhanced hematopoiesis of some populations of the myeloid lineage and lower activation of pDCs following treatment with particular Toll-like receptors (TLR) ligands, which translates into diminished T cell stimulatory capacity. This suggests a role for Ly49Q in regulating hematopoiesis and pDC activation potential