Down-Regulation of TLR9 Expression Affects the Maturation and Function of Murine Bone Marrow-Derived Dendritic Cells Induced by CpG

Toll-like receptor 9 （TLR9） is expressed intracellularly by dendritic cells （DCs） and specifically recognizes unmethylated CpG motif. Recognition of TLR9 to CpG DNA can induce DC maturation followed by the subsequent immune responses. Here, RNA interference （RNAi） was used to identify the effect of CpG DNA signaling on DC function. The results showed that transfection of DCs with siRNA specific for TLR9 gene significantly down-regulated TLR9 expression. Immature DCs transfected with TLR9 siRNA did not differentiate into mature DCs with exposure to CpG. TLR9 siRNA-treated DCs expressed low levels of MHC II and CD40 without reducing endocytosis. Furthermore, TLR9 siRNA-transfected DCs exhibited a decreased allostimulatory capacity in a lymphocyte proliferation assay and attenuated Thl responses by decreasing IL-12p70 production. Our findings indicate that siRNA in silencing TLR9 gene in DCs may offer a potential tool to study the TLR9-CpG pathway.     

TLR9-/- and TLR9+/+ mice display similar immune responses to a DNA vaccine

Plasmid DNA continues to attract interest as a potential vaccine-delivery vehicle. However, the mechanisms whereby immune responses are elicited by plasmids are not fully understood. Although there have been suggestions regarding the importance of CpG motifs in plasmid immunogenicity, the molecular mechanisms by which CpG motifs enhance immune responses to DNA vaccines are not well understood. As Toll-like receptor 9-deficient (TLR9-/-) mice fail to respond to the adjuvant effects of CpG oligonucleotides, we used these mice to determine the effect of CpG motifs in plasmids used for DNA immunization. In the study described below, we report that DNA immunization was as effective in eliciting antigen-specific antibody and at stimulating antigen-specific interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma)-secreting cells in TLR9-/- mice as in TLR9+/+ mice. This study illustrates that DNA vaccines elicit immune responses by multiple mechanisms and demonstrates that TLR9 is not essential for the induction of immune responses following DNA immunization.     

CpG motif-independent activation of TLR9 upon endosomal translocation of "natural" phosphodiester DNA

Endosomally translocated host (self) DNA activates Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), while extracellular self-DNA does not. This inconsistency reflects poor endosomal DNA translocation but also implies that host DNA contains DNA sequences that function as ligands for TLR9. Herein we report that contrary to phosphorothioate (PS)-stabilized oligonucleotides (ODN), "natural" phosphodiester (PD) ODN lacking CpG motifs activate TLR9. CpG motif-independent TLR9 activation of Flt3-L-induced dendritic cells (DC) was dependent on enforced endosomal translocation and triggered upregulation of CD40 and CD69 as well as production of IL-6 and IFN-alpha. Binding studies utilizing surface plasmon resonance technology (Biacore) revealed low TLR9 binding to single-stranded (ss) PD-ODN lacking CpG motifs. At higher concentrations their TLR9 binding activity compared well with TLR9 binding of canonical ss PD CpG-ODN. These results imply that both the chemical modification of the DNA backbone as well as the amount of endosomally translocated DNA represent determining factors that allow CpG motif-independent activation of TLR9 by ss PD-DNA.     

Competition by inhibitory oligonucleotides prevents binding of CpG to C‐terminal TLR9

TLR9 recognizes unmethylated CpG‐containing DNA commonly found in bacteria. Synthetic oligonucleotides containing CpG‐motifs (CpG ODNs) recapitulate the activation of TLR9 by microbial DNA, whereas inversion of the CG dinucleotide within the CpG motif to GC (GpC ODNs) renders such ODNs inactive. This difference cannot be attributed to binding of ODNs to the full‐length TLR9 ectodomain, as both CpG and GpC ODNs bind comparably. Activation of murine TLR9 requires cleavage into an active C‐terminal fragment, which binds CpG robustly. We therefore compared the ability of CpG and GpC ODNs to bind to full‐length and C‐terminal TLR9, and their impact on the cleavage of TLR9. We found that CpG binds better to C‐terminal TLR9 when compared with GpC, despite comparably low binding of both ODNs to full‐length TLR9. Neither CpG nor GpC ODNs affected TLR9 cleavage in murine RAW 264.7 cells stably expressing TLR9‐Myc. Inhibitory ODNs (IN‐ODNs) block TLR9 signaling, but how they do so remains unclear. We show here that inhibitory ODNs do not impede TLR9 cleavage but bind to C‐terminal TLR9 preferentially, and thereby compete for CpG ODN binding both in RAW cells and in TLR9‐deficient cells transduced with TLR9‐Myc. Ligand binding to C‐terminal fragment thus determines the outcome of activation through TLR9.     

TLR9 in Health and Disease

Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is specialized for the recognition of pathogenic nucleic acids. TLR9 is expressed in intracellular compartments where it responds specifically to pathogen DNA. Several factors contribute to the ability of TLR9 to discriminate between self and foreign DNA. Regulatory mechanisms of the innate and adaptive immune system exist that balance the immune responses mediated by TLR9. Short synthetic CpG oligodeoxynucleotides are used to induce controlled and directed TLR9-dependent stimulation and are effective immune modulators in preclinical and clinical studies. This review will summarize the interplay between TLR9-dependent opposing stimulatory and regulatory effects in innate and adaptive immunity.     

DNA and its cationic lipid complexes induce CpG motif-dependent activation of murine dendritic cells

Unmethylated CpG motifs in bacterial DNA, but not in vertebrate DNA, are known to trigger an inflammatory response of antigen-presenting cells (APC). In this study, we investigated the cytokine release from murine dendritic cells (DC) by the addition of various types of DNA in the free or complexed form with cationic lipids. Naked plasmid DNA and Escherichia coli DNA with immunostimulatory unmethylated CpG motifs induced pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion from granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-cultured bone marrow-derived DC and the DC cell-line, DC2.4 cells, though vertebrate calf thymus DNA (CT DNA) with less CpG motifs did not. These characteristics differed from mouse peritoneal resident macrophages that do not respond to any naked DNA. The amount of cytokines released from the DC was significantly increased by complex formation with cationic lipids when CpG-motif positive DNAs were used. Unlike murine macrophages or Flt-3 L cultured DC, GM-CSF DC did not release inflammatory cytokines in response to the addition of CT DNA/cationic lipid complex, suggesting that the activation is completely dependent on CpG motifs. Taken together, the results of the present study demonstrate that murine DC produce pro-inflammatory cytokines upon stimulation with CpG-containing DNAs and the responses are enhanced by cationic lipids. These results also suggest that DC are the major cells that respond to naked CpG DNA in vivo, although both DC and macrophages will release inflammatory cytokines after the administration of a DNA/cationic lipid complex.     

Rab7负向调控巨噬细胞中CpG诱导的细胞因子的表达

目的:研究Rab7过表达及失活突变(Rab7T22N)对CpG刺激的RAW264.7巨噬细胞中分泌细胞因子的影响。方法:采用RT-PCR和Real-time PCR检测RAW264.7细胞中Rab7在CpG刺激下表达模式。将Rab7真核表达质粒及失活突变质粒Rab7T22N通过脂质体法转染RAW264.7细胞,G418稳定筛选,Western法鉴定表达效果。用CpG刺激稳定表达Rab7的RAW264.7细胞系,RT-PCR和Real-time PCR检测细胞因子IL-6、IL-1β、IFN-β的表达量变化。结果:CpG刺激RAW264.7后,Rab7 mRNA表达水平逐渐增高,在8小时达到高峰,表达增高近4倍。Rab7过表达后,CpG刺激后产生的IL-6、IL-1β、IFN-β显著降低。巨噬细胞中Rab7失活突变后,在CpG刺激后IL-6、IL-1β、IFN-β的表达又显著增加。结论:CpG促进RAW264.7巨噬细胞中Rab7 mRNA的表达,Rab7抑制了CpG刺激的巨噬细胞中IL-6、IL-1β、IFN-β的表达,该抑制作用的发挥与其酶活性的GTP结合有关。该研究为进一步阐明Rab7在CpG/TLR9信号通路中的作用奠定了基础。     

Toll样受体-9的研究进展

Toll样受体-9(Toll-like receptor 9,TLR9)是哺乳动物TLRs家族中一员,作为细胞表面的天然模式识别受体,主要参与免疫刺激序列(CpG序列)激活免疫细胞的信号传导,从而在天然抗感染免疫及联系天然免疫和获得性免疫中发挥重要作用。通过对TLR9-CpG作用通路的研究,将促进天然免疫机制研究的进一步深入,有利于解决诸如:CpG佐剂、DNA疫苗、CpG抗感染、抑制肿瘤、预防过敏反应等实际应用过程中存在的问题。     

Endocytosis‐free DNA sensing by cell surface TLR9 in neutrophils: Rapid defense with autoimmune risks

TLR9 senses microbial DNA, but may also respond to self‐DNA. To prevent the initiation of innate immune responses to self‐DNA, TLR9 is thought to sense microbial DNA in endolysosomes, and not at the cell surface. A report by Lindau et al. in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology [Eur. J. Immunol. 2013. 43: 2101–2113] shows that TLR9 is expressed on the surface of human and mouse neutrophils and, furthermore, shows that cell surface TLR9, instead of endosomal TLR9, senses DNA in neutrophils. These findings demonstrate that DNA sensing by TLR9 in neutrophils is quite distinct from that in DCs or macrophages. The unique DNA sensing by cell surface TLR9 in neutrophils may reflect their role in inducing rapid inflammation by degranulation with a minimal role in engulfing microbial products for antigen presentation.     

CpG DNA induces cyclooxygenase-2 expression and prostaglandin production

Unmethylated CpG motifs found in bacterial DNA are potent activators of the innate and acquired immune systems, and rapidly induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines. We hypothesized that CpG DNA may also elicit the production of prostaglandins (PG), which are central lipid mediators of the immune and inflammatory response. To test our hypothesis, we stimulated murine spleen cells and RAW 264.7 murine macrophage cells with CpG DNA and assessed the effects on the PG synthesis pathway. Compared to control, DNA-containing CpG motifs induced >5-fold increase in PGE (2) production and rapidly up-regulated cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) at both the mRNA and protein level. CpG DNA was an extremely strong inducer of COX-2 as concentrations as low as 3 ng/ml induced COX-2 protein expression. The CpG DNA-induced PGE (2) down-regulated the immune response elicited by CpG. Blockade of PGE (2) production with selective COX-2 inhibitors or neutralizing anti-PGE (2) antibody markedly enhanced IFN-gamma secretion in vitro from CpG DNA-stimulated spleen cells. Moreover, selective COX-2 inhibition increased CpG DNA-induced IFN-gamma secretion in vivo. Inhibition of COX-2 also increased CpG DNA-induced lytic activity of NK cells. Taken together, these data indicate that DNA containing CpG motifs is a potent inducer of COX-2 and PGE (2) production. CpG-induced PG may subsequently down-regulate the immune and inflammatory responses elicited by the CpG DNA.     

干扰盐皮质激素受体基因对RAW 264.7细胞增殖和凋亡的影响

 目的：应用RNA干扰技术沉默小鼠RAW 264.7巨噬细胞盐皮质激素受体(MR)基因,建立稳定干扰细胞株,并观察其对细胞增殖和凋亡的影响。方法：针对MR基因设计合成重组MR shRNA质粒,脂质体法转染质粒至RAW 264.7细胞,经G418筛选后获得稳定表达细胞株。细胞分为3组：野生型(WT)组、阴性对照（NC）组和干扰（shMR）组。荧光显微镜下观察确定细胞的转染效率;实时定量PCR法检测细胞中MR mRNA的表达;CCK-8方法检测细胞增殖活性;流式细胞术分析细胞周期分布和凋亡情况。结果：(1) MR shRNA能明显抑制RAW 264.7细胞的MR基因表达,抑制率70%以上。(2) 从第3 d开始,shMR组细胞的生长速度明显低于NC和WT组（P<0.05）,说明MR shRNA能明显抑制细胞增殖。(3) WT、NC和shMR组的增殖指数分别为(37.2±0.5)%、(37.5±1.6)%和(31.0±1.3)%,shMR组的细胞周期出现改变,S期和G₂/M期比例明显下降,增殖指数下降（P<0.05）。(4) WT、NC和shMR组的细胞凋亡率分别为(2.18±0.36)%、(6.65±0.81)%和(7.70±1.34)%,shMR组略高于NC组,但二者的差异无统计学意义（P>0.05）。结论：本研究成功构建了稳定干扰MR基因表达的RAW 264.7细胞株,MR shRNA能够明显抑制RAW 264.7细胞增殖,但对其凋亡无明显影响。     

Increased BCMA expression in lupus marks activated B cells,and BCMA receptor engagement enhances the response to TLR9 stimulation

B lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) and APRoliferation inducing ligand (APRIL) are members of the TNF superfamily that regulate B-cell survival and autoreactivity. To further understand the significance of elevated BLyS and APRIL in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), we examined the expression profiles of their receptors (B-cell-activating factor (BAFF)-R, transmembrane activator and calcium modulator and cyclophilin ligand interactor, and B cell maturation antigen (BCMA)) on B-cell subsets in SLE and also investigated the differential expression and function of BCMA in TLR9-induced B-cell activation. While BAFF-R expression on SLE B cells was significantly lower compared to healthy control B cells (p = 0.003), BCMA expression was substantially higher on SLE B cells (p = 0.038), especially on memory cells and plasmablasts. BCMA⁺ cells had higher CD19 and CD86 expression, indicating a greater degree of activation in both healthy and lupus patients. CpG stimulation increased BCMA expression on B cells and induced the proliferation and maturation of BCMA⁺ B cells. A BCMA agonistic antibody also enhanced CpG-induced proliferation, activation, and IgG secretion by B cells in both healthy controls and lupus patients. Furthermore, the agonistic BCMA antibody co-stimulated auto-antibody production by CpG-stimulated lupus B cells in vitro. Signaling through BCMA enhances B cell activation following exposure to TLR9 agonists, and increased expression in SLE may contribute to the production of IgG autoantibodies.     

Plasmacytoid dendritic cell precursors/type I interferon-producing cells sense viral infection by Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and TLR9

Plasmacytoid dendritic cell (pDC) precursors, also called type I IFN (//)-producing cells (IPCs), are the key effectors in the innate immune system because of their extraordinary capacity to produce type I IFNs against microbial infection, particularly viral infection. In contrast to myeloid DCs, human pDC/IPCs selectively express Toll-like receptor (TLR) 7 and TLR9 within the endosomal compartment. These receptors are specifically designed to recognize the nucleoside-based products derived from RNA viruses and DNA viruses. Therefore, this expression profile potentially enables pDC/IPCs to sense a variety of viruses. Stimulation of TLR7 or TLR9 leads to type I IFN responses through the MyD88 pathway. Thus, pDC/IPCs may play a central role in host defense against viral infection through the TLR7 and TLR9 system.     

干扰P2X_7R基因对RAW264.7细胞增殖和吞噬的影响

目的:应用RNA干扰技术抑制小鼠巨噬细胞RAW264.7细胞P2X7受体(P2X7R)基因的表达,建立稳定干扰细胞株,并观察其对细胞增殖和凋亡的影响。方法:用脂质体法将P2X7R shRNA重组质粒转染至RAW264.7细胞,经G418筛选后获得稳定干扰细胞株。细胞分为野生型(WT)组、阴性对照(NC)组和干扰(sh P2X7R)组。Real-time PCR法检测细胞中P2X7R mRNA的表达,Western blot检测细胞中P2X7R蛋白的表达;CCK-8方法检测细胞生长活性,5-乙炔基-2’-脱氧尿苷(5-ethynyl-2’-deoxyuridine,Ed U)掺入实验检测细胞增殖活性;流式细胞术分析细胞周期的分布和吞噬情况。结果:P2X7R shRNA能明显抑制RAW264.7细胞的P2X7R mRNA和蛋白的表达,抑制率在80%以上。48 h后,sh P2X7R组细胞的生长速度明显高于NC组和WT组(P0.05),增殖期细胞比例明显升高(P0.05),说明下调P2X7R基因能明显促进细胞增殖。sh P2X7R组的细胞周期出现改变,S期和G2/M期的比例明显上升,增殖指数增高(P0.05)。sh P2X7R组的细胞吞噬活性明显高于NC组(P0.05)。结论:本研究成功构建了稳定干扰P2X7R基因表达的小鼠巨噬细胞株RAW264.7,sh P2X7R能够明显促进RAW264.7细胞的增殖,改变了细胞的吞噬活性。     

Torquetenovirus DNA drives proinflammatory cytokines production and secretion by immune cells via toll-like receptor 9

Active infection with torquetenovirus (TTV) has been associated with an increased severity of diseases in which inflammation plays a particularly important pathogenetic role. Here, we report that cloned DNA of a genogroup 4 TTV (ViPiSAL) is an activator of proinflammatory cytokine production by murine spleen cells and that the effect is mediated via toll-like receptor (TLR)9. The same DNA also increased the levels of proinflammatory cytokines induced by two well-characterized TLR9 stimulants. Finally, in silico analyses of the genomes of ViPiSAL and other TTVs revealed marked differences in the representation of CpG motifs known to be most effective at activating immune cells via TLR9. These findings demonstrate for the first time that at least one TTV isolate has the potential to stimulate and co-stimulate inflammatory responses.     

Toll-like receptor 9 binds single-stranded CpG-DNA in a sequence- and pH-dependent manner

Toll-like receptors (TLR) recognize bacterial and viral components, but direct interaction of receptor and ligand is unclear. Here, we demonstrate that TLR9 binds directly and sequence-specifically to single-stranded unmethylated CpG-DNA containing a phosphodiester backbone. TLR9-CpG-DNA interaction occurs at the acidic pH (6.5-5.0) found in endosomes and lysosomes. By sequence comparison we identified a potential CpG-DNA binding domain homologous to that described for methyl-CpG-DNA binding proteins. Amino acid substitutions in this region abrogated CpG-DNA binding and led to loss of NF-kappaB activation. Furthermore, chloroquine and quinacrine, therapeutic agents for autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, directly blocked TLR9-CpG-DNA interaction but not TLR2-Pam3Cys binding. Our results demonstrate direct binding of TLR9 to CpG-DNA and suggest that the therapeutic activity of chloroquine and quinacrine in autoimmune diseases may be due to its activity as a TLR9 antagonist and inhibitor of endosomal acidification.     

DNMT1 siRNA 稳定表达载体的构建及其沉默效率的评价

目的构建能在肝癌细胞系SMMC-7721中稳定表达的高效率DNMT1的RNA干扰载体。方法合成特异性干扰DNMT1的小分子干扰RNA(small interfering RNA，siRNA)分子，并与pSUPER—GFP载体连接。脂质体转染SMMC-7721细胞，并以G418筛选稳定表达细胞系。应用逆转录-聚合酶链反应和Western印迹方法对细胞系中DNMT1的RNA表达水平和蛋白表达水平进行了分析。应用甲基化聚合酶链反应方法分析该细胞系中甲基化的基因E-钙粘着蛋白的甲基化状态。结果转染DNMT1沉默载体的SMMC-7721细胞中DNMT1的mRNA表达量为对照载体pSUPER转染SMMC-7721细胞的43％，而前者中DNMT1蛋白表达水平小于后者的10％。DNMT1的siRNA沉默效率大于90％，所构建的DNMT1的siRNA有较高的沉默效率。DNMT1的表达抑制使E-钙粘着蛋白基因启动子区出现去甲基化。结论成功构建了能稳定表达的高效率DNMT1的RNA干扰载体，但目的基因沉默后其RNA表达水平与蛋白质表达水平表现不一致，评价siRNA干扰作用时应以目的基因相应蛋白质的表达水平为准。