Modulation of cytokine expression in mouse dendritic cell clones

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Abstract
Dendritic cells (DC) play an essential role in the induction of primary immune responses; however, very little information is available on cytokine production by DC. Here we determined the cytokine gene expression profile of two immortalized DC clones, CB1 and D2SC/1, both generated from mouse spleen but differing in their activation requirements. Among the cytokines tested, only transforming growth factor‐β1 was transcribed constitutively, but its production was detected only in D2SC/1 cells after treatment with granulocyte/macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF). GM‐CSF also promoted transcription and synthesis of interleukin (IL)‐1β in CB1 cells that need pretreatment with GM‐CSF to present major histocompatibility complex class II‐restricted antigens efficiently in vitro. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) up‐regulated gene expression and induced release of tumor necrosis factor‐α in both DC clones. In addition, LPS induced transcription of IL‐1α and both gene expression and synthesis of IL‐1β in D2SC/1 cells. Interferon‐γ was ineffective in inducing cytokine gene expression, although it augmented the antigen‐presentation capacity of DC. IL‐4, IL‐10 and IL‐12 mRNA were not induced by any of the tested stimuli. The results suggest that DC have a limited cytokine gene expression pattern compared to macrophages and are heterogenous in some functional properties.

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