No abstract

After cecal ligation and puncture, mice lacking the phosphatidylserine receptor CD300a on mast cells show more neutrophil recruitment to the peritoneal cavity, improved bacterial clearance, and extended survival.

Epithelial tissues continually undergo apoptosis. Commensal organisms that inhabit the epithelium influence tissue homeostasis, in which regulatory T cells (Treg cells) have a central role. However, the physiological importance of epithelial cell apoptosis and how the number of Treg cells is regulated are both incompletely understood. Here we found that apoptotic epithelial cells negatively regulated the commensal-stimulated proliferation of Treg cells. Gut commensals stimulated CX3CR1(+)CD103(-)CD11b(+) dendritic cells (DCs) to produce interferon-β (IFN-β), which augmented the proliferation of Treg cells in the intestine. Conversely, phosphatidylserine exposed on apoptotic epithelial cells suppressed IFN-β production by the DCs via inhibitory signaling mediated by the cell-surface glycoprotein CD300a and thus suppressed Treg cell proliferation. Our findings reveal a regulatory role for apoptotic epithelial cells in maintaining the number of Treg cell and tissue homeostasis.

Marginal zone (MZ) B cells produce a first wave of antibodies for protection from blood-borne pathogens. However, the role of MZ B cells in inflammatory responses has not been elucidated. Here we show that MZ B cells produce pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), and exacerbate systemic inflammatory responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). After intravenous injection of LPS or E. coli, mice deficient in MZ B cells or IL-6 only in MZ B cells have attenuated systemic inflammatory responses and prolonged survival compared with wild-type mice. LPS directly stimulates MZ B cells via Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and MyD88 pathways for IL-6 production. Furthermore, TLR4 requires physical and functional association with Fcα/μR (CD351) for its oligomer formation, NF-κB signalling and IL-6 production from MZ B cells; this association is responsible for systemic inflammatory responses and endotoxic shock. These results reveal a pro-inflammatory role of MZ B cells in endotoxic shock.

Isolation of splenic macrophage subpopulations using an enzyme cocktail

Human and mouse B cells lacking functional DAP12 are hyperresponsive, and DAP12 works with MAIR-II (CD300d) to negatively regulate B cell activity.

The myeloid-associated Ig-like receptor family (CD300) consists of nine activating or inhibitory cell surface receptors preferentially expressed on myeloid cells and are encoded by the genes in a small cluster on mouse chromosome 11. One of the receptors, CD300LF (MAIR-V), has a long cytoplasmic tail containing two consensus ITIMs and an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based switching motif, suggesting that CD300LF regulates the activation of myeloid cells. However, the functional characteristics of this receptor are still incompletely understood. In this study, we demonstrate that cross-linking CD300LF with anti-CD300LF mAb induced cell death in peritoneal macrophages as well as in several transfectants expressing CD300LF. CD300LF-mediated cell death was dependent on the cytoplasmic region but did not require an ITIM or immunoreceptor tyrosine-based switching motif. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a loss of blebs from the surface of the dead cells mediated by CD300LF, a morphological feature similar to that observed in apoptotic cells. However, CD300LF-mediated cell death was not inhibited by a caspase inhibitor, N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone, or autophagy inhibitors, 3-methyladenine or N-acetyl-l-cystein. Moreover, the splicing isoform of a transcription factor, X-box binding protein-1, which is produced in dead cells as a response to endoplasmic reticulum stress, was not detected. Together, these results indicate that CD300LF mediates caspase and endoplasmic reticulum stress-independent cell death by a novel mechanism.

Aluminum salt (alum) has been widely used for vaccinations as an adjuvant. Alum not only enhances immunogenicity but also induces Th2 cell immune responses. However, the mechanisms of how alum enhances Th2 cell immune responses have been controversial. In an experimental allergic airway inflammation model, in which alum in conjunction with OVA Ag was i.p. injected for immunization, we found that apoptotic cells and inflammatory dendritic cells (iDC) expressing CD300a, an inhibitory immunoreceptor for phosphatidylserine (PS), significantly increased in number in the peritoneal cavity after the immunization. In contrast, apoptotic cells and iDCs were scarcely observed in the peritoneal cavity after injection of OVA alone. In CD300a-deficient mice, eosinophil infiltration in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, serum IgE levels, and airway hyperreactivity were significantly decreased after immunization with alum plus OVA compared with wild-type mice. In vitro, iDCs purified from CD300a-deficient mice after the immunization induced significantly less IL-4 production from OT-II naive CD4+ T cells after coculture with OVA Ag. CD300a expressed on iDCs bound PS on apoptotic cells in the peritoneal cavity after injection of OVA plus alum. Blocking CD300a interaction with PS by injection of a neutralizing anti-CD300a Ab resulted in inhibition of the development of allergic airway inflammation. These results suggest that CD300a is involved in alum-induced Th2 skewing.