RESUMEN
Th2-type inflammation spontaneously shown in Bcl6-knockout (KO) mice is mainly caused by bone marrow (BM)-derived nonlymphoid cells. However, the function of dendritic cells (DCs) in Bcl6-KO mice has not been reported. We show in this article that the numbers of CD4(+) conventional DCs (cDCs) and CD8α(+) cDCs, but not of plasmacytoid DCs, were markedly reduced in the spleen of Bcl6-KO mice. Generation of cDCs from DC progenitors in BM cells was perturbed in the spleen of irradiated wild-type (WT) mice transferred with Bcl6-KO BM cells, indicating an intrinsic effect of Bcl6 in cDC precursors. Although cDC precursors were developed in a Bcl6-KO BM culture with Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand, the cDC precursors were more apoptotic than WT ones. Also p53, one of the molecular targets of Bcl6, was overexpressed in the precursors. The addition of a p53 inhibitor to Bcl6-KO BM culture protected apoptosis, suggesting that Bcl6 is required by cDC precursors for survival by controlling p53 expression. Furthermore, large numbers of T1/ST2(+) Th2 cells were naturally developed in the spleen of Bcl6-KO mice. Th2 skewing was accelerated in the culture of WT CD4 T cells stimulated with Ags and LPS-activated Bcl6-KO BM-derived DCs, which produced more IL-6 and less IL-12 than did WT DCs; the addition of anti-IL-6 Abs to the culture partially abrogated the Th2 skewing. These results suggest that Bcl6 is required in cDC precursors for survival and in activated DCs for modulating the cytokine profile.
Asunto(s)
Antígenos CD4/biosíntesis , Antígenos CD8/biosíntesis , Diferenciación Celular/inmunología , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/fisiología , Células Dendríticas/inmunología , Animales , Células de la Médula Ósea/inmunología , Células de la Médula Ósea/patología , Células de la Médula Ósea/efectos de la radiación , Antígenos CD4/efectos de la radiación , Antígenos CD8/efectos de la radiación , Diferenciación Celular/genética , Diferenciación Celular/efectos de la radiación , Células Cultivadas , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/deficiencia , Proteínas de Unión al ADN/efectos de la radiación , Células Dendríticas/efectos de la radiación , Células Dendríticas/trasplante , Linfopenia/genética , Linfopenia/inmunología , Linfopenia/patología , Ratones , Ratones Endogámicos BALB C , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Ratones Noqueados , Ratones Transgénicos , Proteínas Proto-Oncogénicas c-bcl-6 , Bazo/inmunología , Bazo/patología , Bazo/efectos de la radiaciónRESUMEN
Bcl6, a sequence-specific transcriptional repressor, is important for generation and maintenance of memory CD8(+) T cells. Although memory CD8(+) T cells are generated from effector CD8(+) T cells, a role for Bcl6 in effector CD8(+) T cells is largely unknown. We show here that Bcl6 expression was transiently induced in activated CD8(+) T cells and continuously up-regulated in effector CD8(+) T cells. The amount of granzyme B mRNA among effector molecules produced by effector CD8(+) T cells inversely correlated with the amount of Bcl6 mRNA in CD8(+) T cells. Overexpression of Bcl6 in CD8(+) T cells resulted in lower killing activity at their effector phase, supporting the reduction of granzyme B expression in effector CD8(+) T cells by Bcl6. We identified a putative Bcl6-binding DNA sequence in the promoter region of the granzyme B gene. Binding of Bcl6 to the Bcl6-binding sequence was detected in naive CD8(+) T cells but not in activated CD8(+) T cells by chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Furthermore, the Bcl6-binding sequence was required for Bcl6 to repress the luciferase reporter gene expression controlled by the granzyme B promoter. Thus, the granzyme B gene is a molecular target of Bcl6 in effector CD8(+) T cells.