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Unit of Biology of Immune Regulations, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France; and
World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Neonatal Vaccinology, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| Abstract |
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| Introduction |
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| Materials and Methods |
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BALB/c mice, originally obtained from CER Janvier (Le Genest St. Isle, France), were bred and housed onsite. Periodic screening showed the colony to be free of commonly occurring infectious agents. Breeding cages were checked daily for new births, and the day of birth was recorded as the day the litter was found. Pups were weaned, and males and females were separated at 3 wk of age. Neonatal animals were defined as those 7 days old, and adult mice used in this study were 810 wk old.
Peptide and detoxified recombinant adenylate cyclase
The synthetic peptide p118126 (RPQASGVYM) carrying the 118126 sequence from the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) nucleoprotein corresponding to a class I and class II H-2d-restricted epitope (10, 11) was purchased from Neosystem (Strasbourg, France). This peptide was tested for the presence of endotoxin using a chromogenic test (Limulus amebocyte lysate test; BioWhittaker, Fontenay-sous-Bois, France), and no endotoxin was detected.
The detoxified adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis (CyaA-E5) and the CyaA-E5 bearing the LCMV epitope (CyaA-E5-LCMV) were gifts from D. Ladant (Pasteur Institute, Paris, France). Their production and purification have been previously described (12).
Culture medium and cell line
Complete medium (CM) consisted of RPMI 1640 containing L-alanyl-L-glutamine dipeptide supplemented with 10% FCS, 5 x 10-5 M 2-ME, and antibiotics (penicillin, 100 U/ml, and streptomycin, 100 µg/ml).
The MV1H7 T cell hybridoma specific for the H-2d-restricted 118126 LCMV epitope was generated in the laboratory as previously described (13).
DC purification
DC were purified from spleens of 7-day-old or 8- to 10-wk-old mice by positive selection according to CD11c expression using Automacs (Miltenyi Biotec, Bergisch Gladbach, Germany), following the manufacturers procedure. The purity of the two fractions was checked by flow cytometry on a FACSCalibur or FACScan (BD Biosciences, San Jose, CA), using a PE-conjugated anti-CD11c (HL3 clone; BD PharMingen, San Diego, CA) for labeling. The purity of the fraction was usually >97%.
Flow cytometry analysis
Cells were washed in PBS supplemented with 1% BSA and 0.1% NaN3, incubated with anti-CD32/CD16 (2.4G2 clone; BD PharMingen) to avoid nonspecific staining, and labeled for 30 min at 4°C with the following Abs purchased from PharMingen: PE- or APC-conjugated anti-CD11c mAb (HL3 clone); PerCP-conjugated anti-CD3 mAb (17A2); PE-conjugated anti-CD4 mAb (RM4-5); FITC-conjugated anti-CD8 (53-6.7); PE-conjugated anti-CD45R/B220 mAb (RA3-6B2); FITC-conjugated anti-CD40 mAb (3/23); FITC-conjugated anti-CD80 mAb (16-10A1); FITC-conjugated anti-CD86 mAb (GL1), FITC-conjugated anti-I-Ad mAb (AMS-32.1). As negative controls, cells were stained with corresponding isotype-matched control mAbs. Acquisition was performed on a FACSCalibur flow cytometer, and analysis was done with CellQuest (BD Biosciences).
LPS maturation
Purified DC from spleens of 7-day-old and 8-wk-old BALB/c mice were cultured in CM containing 10 µg/ml LPS from Escherichia coli (Sigma-Aldrich, Steinheim, Germany) during 6 h. Expression of maturation markers CD40, CD80, CD86, and MHC class II molecules was assessed by flow cytometry analysis before and after LPS stimulation. DC maturation was also assessed by the lost of endocytic capacity (see below).
Ag uptake assay
Freshly purified DC (immature DC) from spleens of 7-day-old and 8-wk-old BALB/c mice were incubated 1 h at 4°C or 37°C in CM containing 1 mg/ml FITC-dextran (40 kDa; Sigma-Aldrich). After two washes in PBS supplemented with 1% BSA and 0.1% NaN3, cells were stained with PE-conjugated anti-CD11c mAb, and then FITC-dextran endocytosis by DC was assessed by flow cytometry analysis on gated CD11c+ cells. The same experiment was also performed on purified DC after overnight culture in the presence of 10 µg/ml LPS (mature DC).
Peptide presentation to T cell hybridoma
The stimulation of T cell hybridoma was monitored by IL-2 release in the culture supernatants in the presence of CD11c+ DC from spleens of 7-day-old or 8- to 10-wk-old BALB/c mice. Purified CD11c+ DC (2 x 104) were incubated with various Ag concentrations during 4 h at 37°C. In some experiments, various numbers of DC were incubated with a fixed concentration of Ag. After washing, 5 x 104 T cell hybridoma cells were cocultured in 96-well culture plates in the presence of DC. After 18 h, cultures were centrifuged, and cell-free supernatants were frozen for at least 2 h at -80°C. Then, 104 cells/well of the IL-2 dependent CTLL-2 cell line were cultured with 100 µl of these supernatants. After 48 h, [3H]thymidine (50 µCi/ml; ICN, Orsay, France) was added in the wells, and the cells were harvested 6 h later with an automated cell harvester (Skatron, Lier, Norway). Incorporated thymidine was detected by scintillation counting. In all experiment, each point was done in duplicate. Results are expressed as the mean cpm.
MLR assay
CD8+ T cells were purified from spleens of
adult BALB/c or C57BL/6 mice by positive selection according to CD8
expression using Automacs (Miltenyi Biotec), following the
manufacturers procedure. Then, 1 x 105
cells were cocultured with various numbers of
CD11c+ cells purified from spleens of 7-day-old
or 8-wk-old BALB/c mice. After 72 h,
[3H]thymidine (50 µCi/ml; ICN) was added to
the wells, and the cells were harvested 6 h later with an
automated cell harvester (Skatron). Incorporated thymidine was detected
by scintillation counting. In all experiments, each point was done in
duplicate. Results are expressed as the mean cpm.
Mouse immunization
Purified CD11c+ dendritic cells from spleens of 7-day-old or 8- 10-wk-old BALB/c mice were incubated for 1 h with or without 50 µM p118126 in Sfem Stem Span medium (StemCell, Meylan, France). After extensive washing, 2 x 105 cells were i.v. injected into 8- to 10-wk-old syngeneic mice.
In vitro cytotoxicity assay
Splenocytes from immunized mice were isolated 7 days after DC
injection and restimulated in vitro during 5 days with
p118126 (0.1 µg/ml) in the presence of
syngeneic irradiated naive spleen cells. The cytotoxic activity was
determined in a 5-h in vitro 51Cr release assay
as previously described (12). Briefly, P815 tumor cells
incubated with or without the p118126 peptide
(50 µM) were used as target cells. Various E:T ratios were used, and
all assays were performed in duplicate. 51Cr
release in each well was counted using a MicroBeta Trilux liquid
scintillation counter (Wallac, Turku, Finland). Percentage of specific
lysis was calculated as 100 x [(experimental release -
spontaneous release)/(maximal release - spontaneous release)].
Maximum release was obtained by adding 10% Triton X-100 to target
cells, and spontaneous release was determined with target cells
incubated without effector cells. Results are expressed as
% of
specific lysis (% of lysis in the presence of peptide - % lysis
in the absence of peptide).
| Results |
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It is well established that functional splenic DC in adult mice
express high levels of the CD11c marker. Thus, to analyze the function
of neonatal DC, CD11c+ splenocytes were isolated
by positive selection on MACS from spleens of 7-day-old BALB/c mice
using magnetic CD11c microbeads. The number of cells recovered was
compared with the number of DC isolated from adult BALB/c mice (Table I
); 12- to 50-fold less
CD11c+ cells were found into the spleen of
7-day-old mice as compared with spleen from adult mice. Indeed,
0.10.4 x 106 CD11c+
cells were recovered in their spleens, corresponding to 0.150.7% of
splenocytes, whereas 3.3% of cells expressed the CD11c molecule in the
spleen of adult mice. However, DC:T cell and DC:B cell ratios in the
spleens of 7-day-old and adult mice were quite similar. Expression of
costimulatory molecules and MHC molecules was also assessed on neonatal
CD11c+ cells and was compared with the expression
of these markers on adult DC (Fig. 1
).
Both neonatal and adult DC expressed similar levels of CD40, CD80,
CD86, and MHC class II molecules, indicating that expression of the
main molecules involved in DC-T cell interaction at the surface of
neonatal CD11c+ DC was not affected.
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DC represent a heterogeneous population of cells. Immature DC are
characterized by an efficient capacity to capture Ag but a low
efficiency to stimulate naive T cells. After Ag capture and activation
by microbial or inflammatory stimuli, DC mature and acquire the ability
to stimulate naive T cells. DC maturation is characterized by
up-regulation of expression of costimulatory and MHC molecules at the
surface of DC (7). Thus, to determine the ability of
neonatal DC to mature, purified CD11c+
splenocytes from 7-day-old BALB/c mice were stimulated 6 h in
vitro with LPS. The level of expression of CD40, CD80, CD86, and
I-Ab molecules was determined by FACS analysis
and compared with the expression level of these markers before
stimulation. Fig. 2
shows that LPS
induced a marked increase in the surface expression of CD40, CD80, and
CD86 markers with the same efficiency than adult
CD11c+ cells. Furthermore, a high increase of MHC
class II expression was observed for both neonatal and adult
CD11c+ cells after LPS stimulation although this
increase cannot be compared between these two populations due to very
high levels of expression. Altogether, these results clearly show the
full maturation potential of neonatal DC.
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Immature DC are very efficient in Ag capture using several
pathways and DC maturation process is associated with a loss of
endocytic and phagocytic capacities (7). To compare the Ag
uptake capacity between neonatal and adult DC, the endocytic activity
of these cells was assessed by determining the internalization of
FITC-conjugated dextran by immature and mature purified DC from spleens
of 7-day-old and 8-wk-old BALB/c mice. Freshly purified DC were
incubated for 1 h at 37°C with FITC-dextran; then its
internalization was assessed by flow cytometry on gated
CD11c+ cells. As controls, purified DC were
incubated at 4°C to block endocytosis (Fig. 3
). Immature neonatal and adult DC show
similar efficacy in the uptake of FITC-dextran, demonstrating the
efficient endocytic capacity of neonatal DC. As expected, after
maturation following LPS stimulation, both neonatal and adult DC lose
their endocytic capacity as shown by the similar profile obtained after
incubation at 4°C and 37°C for both DC populations. These results
clearly show the capacity of neonate DC to take up Ag and confirm the
ability of these cells to mature after LPS stimulation.
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The ability of neonatal DC to present Ag was assessed by their
capacity to stimulate the MV1H7 CD8+ T cell
hybridoma, specific for the Ld-restricted epitope
118126 from the nucleoprotein of LCMV. Purified
CD11c+ splenocytes from 7-day-old BALB/c mice
were loaded with various concentrations of the
p118126 synthetic peptide. These cells were
used as APC to stimulate the MV1H7 hybridoma, and the amount of IL-2
secreted into culture supernatant was determined (Fig. 4
A). Neonatal DC stimulated
this MHC class I-restricted hybridoma with the same efficiency as that
of adult DC because both DC populations induce similar productions of
IL-2. No stimulation was observed with the
CD11c- population, indicating that, as for
adult, this population does not contribute to Ag presentation. The
efficacy of neonate DC in presenting Ag was confirmed by the comparison
of the numbers of DC necessary to stimulate hybridoma, because this
experiment demonstrated that neonate DC were slightly more efficient
than adult DC (Fig. 4
B). Furthermore, the ability of
neonatal DC to process Ag was assessed using a recombinant detoxified
adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis bearing the same
Ld-restricted LCMV epitope (CyaA-E5-LCMV). We
have previously shown that the presentation of a
CD8+ T cell epitope inserted into CyaA-E5 by APC
is strictly dependent on the cytosolic MHC class I pathway of
processing (14). Fig. 4
C shows that the LCMV
epitope is efficiently processed by neonatal DC and presented to the
cell surface in association with MHC class I molecules, because these
cells preincubated with CyaA-E5-LCMV stimulated specifically IL-2
production by the hybridoma MV1H7. These results indicate that neonatal
DC are able to efficiently process this Ag, although in that case they
appear 35 times less efficient than adult DC. As observed when the
synthetic peptide p118126 is used as Ag, the
CD11c- population was not able to present the
LCMV epitope after incubation with CyaA-E5-LCMV. Finally, the
stimulatory capacity of the H-2d neonatal DC was
assessed by assaying the numbers of DC capable of stimulating
allogeneic H-2b CD8+ T
cells. As shown in Fig. 5
, neonatal DC
appear more efficient in induction of proliferation of allogeneic
CD8+ T cells than do adult DC. Indeed, a higher
proliferation of T cells was observed using similar numbers of neonatal
DC as compared with adult DC. No proliferation was observed with
syngeneic CD8+ T cells, indicating the
specificity of allogeneic response. Altogether, these results
demonstrate the ability of neonatal DC to efficiently process and
present Ag and stimulate T cells.
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Finally, the ability of neonatal DC to activate naive T cells and
to induce in vivo-specific CTL responses was determined. Because it was
previously shown that DC reach the spleen after i.v. injection
(15), induction of CTL responses by neonatal DC was
assessed in the spleen after i.v. immunization with peptide-pulsed DC.
Freshly purified CD11c+ splenocytes from
7-day-old and 8-wk-old BALB/c mice were pulsed with
p118126. Then, 23 x
105 DC were injected i.v. to adult syngeneic
mice. Seven days after the injection, splenocytes from immunized mice
were stimulated in vitro with p118126. Five
days later, CTL activity was assessed by 51Cr
release assay using H-2d P815 target cells pulsed
or not with the same peptide. As shown in Fig. 6
, neonatal DC loaded with
p118126 and injected into adult mice induced
peptide-specific CTL responses comparable to the ones induced by adult
DC, although a heterogeneity in CTL activity was observed between the
different mice tested. The low CTL responses observed after injection
of neonatal and adult mice unloaded DC demonstrated the specificity of
the CTL responses induced by peptide-pulsed DC. These results clearly
demonstrate that in vitro pulsed neonatal DC are able to induce in
vivo-specific CTL responses and thus are able to prime naive
CD8+ T cells in vivo.
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| Discussion |
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Altogether, our results indicate that the weak Th1/CTL immune responses observed in neonates cannot be explained by an intrinsic defect in nature and quality of Ag presentation by APC, at least for the CD8+ T cell responses. This limitation is also unlikely to be due to the reduced number of DC found in neonatal spleens, because the DC:T cell ratio was 0.1 as compared with 0.08 in adult spleens, suggesting that their representation is sufficient for APC-T cell interactions to take place. It has been suggested that the lack of CTL induction in neonate could be due to the biased Th2 response observed in neonates (1), and the contribution of neonatal DC to this preferential polarization remains to be determined. We previously showed that both Th and CTL responses are induced in adult mice immunized with DC loaded with p118126 which contains both H-2d class I and class II epitopes (22). The comparable LCMV-specific CTL responses induced by either neonatal or adult DC do suggest that the Th response induced by p118126-pulsed neonatal DC does not negatively affect the CTL response. Thus, this demonstration of the full potential capacity of neonatal murine DC to induce strong CTL responses in vivo makes them an attractive target for vaccination strategies to induce protective immunity in early life.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Gilles Dadaglio, Unit of Biology of Immune Regulation, Institut Pasteur, 28 Rue du Dr. Roux, 75724 Paris Cedex 15, France. E-mail address: gdadag{at}pasteur.fr ![]()
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: DC, dendritic cells; LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; CyaA-E5, detoxified adenylate cyclase from Bordetella pertussis. CM, complete medium. ![]()
Received for publication August 21, 2001. Accepted for publication December 31, 2001.
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