Commensal bacteria that colonize mammalian barrier surfaces are reported to influence T helper type 2 (TH2) cytokine–dependent inflammation and susceptibility to allergic disease, although the mechanisms that underlie these observations are poorly understood. In this report, we identify that deliberate alteration of commensal bacterial populations via oral antibiotic treatment resulted in elevated serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, increased steady–state circulating basophil populations, and exaggerated basophil–mediated TH2 cell responses and allergic inflammation. Elevated serum IgE levels correlated with increased circulating basophil populations in mice and subjects with hyperimmunoglobulinemia E syndrome. Furthermore, B cell–intrinsic expression of MyD88 was required to limit serum IgE levels and circulating basophil populations in mice. Commensal–derived signals were found to influence basophil development by limiting proliferation of bone marrow–resident precursor populations. Collectively, these results identify a previously unrecognized pathway through which commensal–derived signals influence basophil hematopoiesis and susceptibility to TH2 cytokine–dependent inflammation and allergic disease.
While T cells respond directly to toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, TLR-signaling pathways in T cells are poorly characterized. Here we demonstrate in CD4(+) T cells that CpG DNA directly enhances proliferation, prevents anergy, and augments humoral responses to a T cell-dependent antigen by a Myeloid differentiation primary-response protein 88 (MyD88) and Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3 kinase)-dependent pathway. PI-3 kinase activation required a putative Src-homology domain (SH2) binding motif in the MyD88 Toll-Like or IL-1 Receptor (TIR) domain. Reconstitution of MyD88-deficient primary T cells with a MyD88 transgene mutated in this motif abrogated association of PI-3 kinase with MyD88, phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) and Glycogen Synthetase Kinase-3 (GSK-3), and interleukin-2 (IL-2) production. The MyD88 death domain, on the other hand, was required for NF-kB activation and survival. These studies identify a MyD88-dependent PI-3 kinase-signaling pathway in T cells that differentiates CpG DNA-mediated proliferation from survival and is required for an in vivo T cell-dependent immune response.
As T cells alone are both necessary and sufficient for the rejection of virtually all allogeneic tissues, much of transplantation immunology has focused on cells of the adaptive immune system. During the past decade, advances in our understanding of innate responses to pathogen-associated molecules have spurred a “rediscovery” of innate immunity. Fueled by this, an increasing body of literature has emerged in which the role of the innate immune system in allograft rejection and tolerance has been examined more closely. This review will give an overview of recent studies and emerging concepts of how the cellular components of the innate immune system participate in the immune response to solid organ transplantation. These important studies highlight the complex interplay between diverse cells of the immune response and provide the basis for optimal strategies of tolerance induction.
During acute lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection, CD8 T cells rapidly expand and differentiate into effectors that are required for viral clearance. The accumulation of activated T cells is greatly reduced in mice lacking the adaptor molecule MyD88. Although MyD88 has generally been considered to indirectly regulate adaptive immune responses by controlling inflammatory cytokine production and Ag presentation in innate immune cells, in this study, we identify an unappreciated cell-intrinsic role for MyD88 in LCMV-specific CD8 T cells. Using reciprocal adoptive transfer models and bone marrow chimeras, we show that Myd88−/− CD8 T cells are defective in their clonal expansion in response to LCMV infection, independent of their environment. Furthermore, we show that while MyD88 is dispensable for initial activation and division of LCMV-specific CD8 T cells during the early stages of viral infection, MyD88-dependent signals are critical for supporting their survival and sustained accumulation.
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