Cutting edge: Plasmacytoid dendritic cells induce IL-10 production in T cells via the Delta-like-4/Notch axis

J Immunol. 2010 Jan 15;184(2):550-4. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.0903152. Epub 2009 Dec 11.

Abstract

Proinflammatory Th1 cells can produce large amounts of the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10, thereby facilitating the self-limitation of inflammatory responses. Recently, we identified the Notch pathway as a main regulator of IL-10 production by Th1 cells. In this study, we show that plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), by means of their unique high-level expression of the Notch ligand Delta-like (Dll)-4, activate the Notch receptor on T cells to induce robust IL-10 production in vitro and in vivo. pDCs display a distinct pattern of Notch ligands compared with conventional dendritic cells, marked by the constitutive expression of Dll-4, the only Notch ligand to induce IL-10 expression in vivo, and Dll-1, while at the same time lacking the expression of Jagged. We provide a new mechanism for IL-10 induction by pDCs underlining the importance of the Dll-4/Notch axis in the regulation of inflammatory T cell responses.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Animals
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Inflammation
  • Inflammation Mediators / metabolism
  • Interleukin-10 / biosynthesis*
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / metabolism*
  • Ligands
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Receptors, Notch / metabolism*
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism*

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Calcium-Binding Proteins
  • DLL4 protein, mouse
  • Inflammation Mediators
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Ligands
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Receptors, Notch
  • Interleukin-10