title: Erythrocytes deliver Tat to interferon-gamma-treated human dendritic cells for efficient initiation of specific type 1 immune responses in vitro.
abstract: Dendritic cells (DC) can represent an important target for vaccine development against viral infections. Here, we studied whether interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) could improve the functions of DC and analyzed human red blood cells (RBC) as a delivery system for Tat protein. Monocyte-derived DC were cultured in human serum and matured with monocyte-conditioned medium (MCM) in the presence or not of IFN-gamma. Tat was conjugated to RBC (RBC-Tat) through avidin-biotin bridges. Stimulation of DC with IFN-gamma increased the release of interleukin (IL)-12 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha and inhibited the production of IL-10. Moreover, IFN-gamma-treated DC up-regulated the release of CXCL10 (IP-10) markedly and reduced the secretion of CCL17 TARC significantly, attracting preferentially T-helper (Th)1 and Th2 cells, respectively. DC internalized RBC-Tat efficiently. Compared with DC pulsed with soluble Tat, DC incubated with RBC-Tat elicited specific CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses at a much lower antigen dose. DC matured in the presence of MCM were more effective than immature DC in inducing T-cell proliferation and IFN-gamma release. Finally, immature and mature DC exposed to IFN-gamma were better stimulators of allogeneic T cells and induced a higher IFN-gamma production from Tat-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In conclusion, erythrocytes appear an effective tool for antigen delivery into DC, and IFN-gamma could be used advantageously for augmenting the ability of DC to induce type 1 immune responses.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata, IRCCS, Rome, Italy. s.corinti@idi.it
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Corinti
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chiarantini
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dominici
authors.forename: Maria Elena
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Laguardia
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.forename: Giampiero
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Girolomoni
mesh_terms: D018925:Chemokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D018925:Chemokines; D016207:Cytokines; D015696:Gene Products, tat; D054322:tat Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; D007371:Interferon-gamma