Activated T cells enhance interferon- production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells stimulated with RNA-containing immune complexes

Abstract

Objectives Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) have an ongoing interferon- (IFN-) production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs). We investigated whether T cells can promote IFN- production by pDCs.Methods Human pDCs were stimulated with immune complexes (ICs) containing U1 small nuclear ribonucleic proteins particles and SLE-IgG (RNA-IC) in the presence of T cells or T cell supernatants. T cells were activated by anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies or in a mixed leucocyte reaction. IFN- and other cytokines were determined in culture supernatants or patient sera with immunoassays. The effect of interleukin (IL) 3 and granulocyte-macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) on pDCs was examined by the use of antibodies, and the expression of CD80/CD86 was determined using flow cytometry.Results Activated T cells and supernatants from activated T cells increased IFN- production by >20-fold. The stimulatory effect of T cell supernatants was reduced after depletion of GM-CSF (81%) or by blocking the GM-CSF receptor (55%-81%). Supernatant from activated T cells, furthermore, increased the frequency of CD80 and CD86 expressing pDCs stimulated with RNA-IC from 6% to 35% (p

Keywords

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; T Cells; Cytokines

Published in

Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
2016, volume: 75, number: 9, pages: 1728-1734
Publisher: BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP

SLU Authors

• Eloranta, Maija-Leena

  • Uppsala University

• Alm, Gunnar

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Clinical Medicine

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-208055

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/83105