Molecular basis for the potency of IL-10-deficient dendritic cells as a highly efficient APC system for activating Th1 response

Identification and targeting of novel immunobiological factors that regulate the induction of Th1 cells are crucial for designing effective vaccines against certain intracellular pathogens, including Chlamydia. IL-10-deficient dendritic cells (DC) are potent APCs and effective cellular vaccines that activate a high frequency of specific Th1 cells. To elucidate the molecular basis for the potency of the IL-10-deficient APC system, we tested the hypothesis that Chlamydia Ag-primed IL-10 knockout (IL-10KO) DC are quantitatively and qualitatively distinct in their metabolic characteristics relating to T cell activation. Using a combination of RT-PCR, two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and MALDI-TOF-based proteomics analyses, the transcriptional and translational activities of Chlamydia-pulsed DC from wild-type and IL-10KO mice were assessed. IL-10 deficiency caused early maturation and activation of pulsed DC (i.e., high CD11c, CD40, CD80, CD83, CD86, IL-1, IL-12, and the T cell-attracting chemokine CCL27/CTACK) and consequently an enhanced ability to process and present Ags for a rapid and robust T cell activation. Supporting comparative proteomics revealed further that IL-10 deficient DC possess specific immunobiological properties, e.g., the T cell-attracting chemokine CCL27/CTACK, calcium-dependent protein kinase, and the IL-1/IL-12 inducer, NKR-P1A (CD161), which differentiated them immunologically from wild-type DC that express molecules relating to anti-inflammatory, differentiative, and metabolic processes, e.g., the anti-IL-12 molecule peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-alpha and thymidine kinase. Collectively, these results provide a molecular basis for the high Th1-activating capacity of IL-10KO APC and may provide unique immunomodulation targets when designing vaccines against pathogens controlled by T cell immunity.