Evasion immunologischer Funktionen von Dendritischen Zellen durch Yersinia enterocolitica im Mausinfektionsmodell
Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse
Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial in promoting immune responses against pathogens. Mouse DCs consist of different subpopulations but their role in immunity to pathogens and immune evasion is largely unclear. The enteric pathogen Yersinia enterocolitica (Ye) was shown to evade DC functions in bone marrow-derived DCs in vitro inhibiting antigen uptake and degradation, maturation and subsequently T-cell activation. However, it is controversial whether and, if so, which virulence factors of Ye (e.g. Yops) contribute to immune evasion of DCs in vivo. Using an experimental mouse infection model and a β-lactamase reporter system to track Yop injection into host cells we demonstrate here for the first time that distinct DC subpopulations are affected by Ye infection in vivo in terms of antigen uptake and degradation, cytokine production, and T-cell proliferation. Moreover, upon Ye infection the number of splenic CD8α+ and CD4+ DCs was reduced by 50% and 90%, respectively. The decreased number of DC subsets, which was dependent on TLR4 and TRIF signaling, was the result of increased cell death together with a faster proliferation of CD8α+ and CD4+ DCs and suppressed de novo DC generation. These data combined with results reported from infection with e.g. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Salmonella typhimurium, or Escherichia coli suggest that the response of DCs to bacterial infections is manifold, reflecting the diversity of DC subpopulations, pathogenicity factors, and life styles of the pathogens.
