ISSN:
1365-2222
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Background The proteolytic activity of the house dust mite allergen Der p 1 has recently been shown to bias Th cell subset development in favour of Th2. Apart from its direct effect on T cells, it is conceivable that the proteolytic activity of Der p 1 may induce the generation of dendritic cells (DCs) that favour a Th2 response.Objective To study the effect of the proteolytic activity of Der p 1 on DC functions; namely cell surface phenotype, IL-12 production and ability to favour a Th2 response.Methods We have generated immature DCs from peripheral blood monocytes, matured them with LPS in the presence of either proteolytically active or inactive Der p 1 and compared their functions using flow cytometric analysis.Results Here we demonstrate for the first time that DCs that have been matured in the presence of proteolytically active Der p 1 produce significantly less IL-12, compared to DCs that have been matured in the presence of proteolytically inactive Der p 1. The suppression of IL-12 production was due to the cleavage of CD40 by the proteolytic activity of Der p 1, hence rendering the DCs less responsive to stimulation through the CD40L-CD40 pathway. Furthermore, we demonstrate that DCs that have been matured in the presence of proteolytically active Der p 1 induce the production of significantly less IFN-γ and more IL-4 by CD4 T cells, compared to DCs that have been matured in the presence of proteolytically inactive Der p 1.Conclusions Collectively, our data provide compelling evidence for the role of the proteolytic activity of Der p 1 in directing DCs to induce Th2 subset development.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2745.2002.01504.x
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