title: Cutting Edge: IFN-β Expression in the Spleen Is Restricted to a Subpopulation of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Exhibiting a Specific Immune Modulatory Transcriptome Signature.
abstract: Type I IFNs are critical in initiating protective antiviral immune responses, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) represent a major source of these cytokines. We show that only few pDCs are capable of producing IFN-β after virus infection or CpG stimulation. Using IFNβ/YFP reporter mice, we identify these IFN-β-producing cells in the spleen as a CCR9(+)CD9(-) pDC subset that is localized exclusively within the T/B cell zones. IFN-β-producing pDCs exhibit a distinct transcriptome profile, with higher expression of genes encoding cytokines and chemokines, facilitating T cell recruitment and activation. These distinctive characteristics of IFN-β-producing pDCs are independent of the type I IFNR-mediated feedback loop. Furthermore, IFN-β-producing pDCs exhibit enhanced CCR7-dependent migratory properties in vitro. Additionally, they effectively recruit T cells in vivo in a peritoneal inflammation model. We define "professional type I IFN-producing cells" as a distinct subset of pDCs specialized in coordinating cellular immune responses.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
authors.forename: Regine J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Dress
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
authors.forename: Anja
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9706-4590
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dresing
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
authors.forename: Shafaqat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Center for Biological and Medical Research, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany;
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Deenen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Münster, 48149 Münster, Germany; and Cluster of Excellence EXC 1003, Cells in Motion, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alferink
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, University of Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany; stefanie.scheu@hhu.de.
authors.forename: Stefanie
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9707-8191
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scheu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D053633:Receptor, Interferon alpha-beta / Q000172:deficiency / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D053633:Receptor, Interferon alpha-beta; D016899:Interferon-beta