title: Cytokine induced expression of programmed death ligands in human neutrophils.
abstract: Recent evidence indicates that human neutrophils can serve as non-professional antigen presenting cells (APC). Although expression of MHC class II and co-stimulatory molecules on human neutrophils is limited, these molecules can be significantly induced following in vitro exposure to the cytokines IFNgamma and GM-CSF. Since professional APCs such as dendritic cells express both co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory molecules for activation and regulation of adaptive immunity, we determined whether cytokines induce increased expression of specific co-signaling molecules on human neutrophils. We report here that circulating human neutrophils express co-inhibitory molecules such as immunoglobulin-like transcript (ILT) 4 and 5, and also comparatively low and highly variable levels of ILT2 and ILT3, but the expression of these ILTs was not significantly changed by cytokine treatment. In contrast, we demonstrate for the first time that human peripheral blood neutrophils, although do not express the co-inhibitory molecule, programmed death ligand (PD-L) 1 on their surface, can express this molecule at moderate levels following cytokine exposure. Although moderate PD-L1 levels on healthy volunteers' neutrophils were not inhibitory to T cells, our findings do not exclude a possible robust increase in neutrophil PD-L1 expression in pathological conditions with immunosuppressive functions. These results suggest a possible immunoregulatory role for human neutrophils in adaptive immunity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Avenue, Rochester, NY 14642, USA. paul_bankey@urmc.rochester.edu
authors.forename: Paul E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Bankey
authors.forename: Sanjib
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zucchiatti
authors.forename: Mita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De
authors.forename: Rami W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Sleem
authors.forename: Chuen-Fu L
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Carol L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Miller-Graziano
authors.forename: Asit K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: De
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000494:pharmacology; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000276:immunology*; D017209:Apoptosis; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D000075362:Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-like Receptor B1; D008024:Ligands; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D011485:Protein Binding / Q000187:drug effects; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000276:immunology; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D015703:Antigens, CD; D060890:B7-H1 Antigen; C423236:CD274 protein, human; D016207:Cytokines; C105299:LILRB1 protein, human; C491341:LILRB2 protein, human; C107907:LILRB4 protein, human; D000075362:Leukocyte Immunoglobulin-like Receptor B1; D008024:Ligands; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic