GM-CSF increases cross-presentation and CD103 expression by mouse CD8+ spleen dendritic cells

✍ Scribed by Yifan Zhan; Emma M. Carrington; Annemarie van Nieuwenhuijze; Sammy Bedoui; Shirley Seah; Yuekang Xu; Nancy Wang; Justine D. Mintern; Jose A. Villadangos; Ian P. Wicks; Andrew M. Lew

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2011
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 553 KB
• Volume: 41
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0014-2980
• DOI: 10.1002/eji.201141540

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Resident CD8^+^ DCs perform several functions, including cross‐presenting antigen and rapidly engulfing the Gram‐positive intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. Little is known about how these functions of CD8^+^ DCs are modulated. Here, we show that granulocyte‐macrophage CSF (GM‐CSF), a cytokine that exists at low levels at steady state but is elevated during infection and inflammation, enhances cross‐presentation and rapid uptake of L. monocytogenes by resident CD8^+^ DCs. This previously unrecognized functional enhancement of CD8^+^ DCs by GM‐CSF was independent of promoting DC survival in vitro. Enhancement of these functions by GM‐CSF was also marked by CD103 expression on CD8^+^ DCs that was strongly regulated by GM‐CSF. Our findings not only identify GM‐CSF as a key molecule regulating CD8^+^ DC function, but also as a factor responsible for functional heterogeneity of CD8^+^ DCs that is at least substantially demarcated by CD103 expression.