Mécanismes cellulaires et moléculaires des fonctions tolérogèniques et immunogéniques des cellules dendritiques dans les réponses auto-immunes

The contribution of DCs in the initiation and progression of autoimmune diseases is well established. Several studies have reported that phenotypic and functional abnormalities of DCs, in Non Obese Diabetic (NOD), contribute to spontaneous type 1 diabetes (T1D) development. DCs are among the first cells that infiltrate the pancreatic islets, produce excessive amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and contribute to the activation of T effector cells (Teff). This increased ability of DCs to activate Teff is regulated by several intracellular signaling pathways. STAT5 is among the critical transcription factors in the regulation of genes associated with the development, maturation and functions of DCs. The predisposition to T1D in NOD is determined by several regions of susceptibility to diabetes (idd1-20). Interestingly, the Stat5b gene is located in the idd4 susceptibility region in NOD mice suggesting its involvement in the development of diabetes. Recent studies have identified a dysfunction in the Jak-Stat5 signaling pathway in NOD mice, including the presence of a mutation (L327M) at the DNA-binding domain of Stat5b which alters its binding to DNA. Furthermore, previous studies from our laboratory have shown that the GM-CSF- or TSLP-conditioned DCs, which activate the Jak-Stat5 signaling pathway, is a potential pathway for immunotherapy in NOD mice. These data suggest a central role for Stat5b in the regulation of tolerogenic functions of the immune cells. Here, we generated a transgenic NOD mouse model (NOD.CD11cStat5b-CA) that constitutively express the active form of STAT5B from the C57BL/6 mouse specifically in DCs. Our results showed that these transgenic mice are completely protected against autoimmune diabetes. This long-term diabetes protection is associated with the acquisition of tolerogenic functions by Stat5b-CA.DCs, that exhibit a mature tolerogenic phenotype, overexpression of immunoregulatory molecules (PD-L1 and PD-L2) and produce anti-inflammatory cytokines (TGF-β) and a significantly decrease their production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-12p70, TNF-α and IL-23). Moreover, we have highlighted the role of STAT5B in the upregulation of IRF4 and also the involvement of the STAT5B/ EZH2 complex in downregulation of IRF8. This differential regulation of the Irf4 and Irf8 genes expression is accompanied by promoting the development of CD11c+CD11b+ DC subset. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the tolerogenic Stat5b-CA.DCs were able to restore and maintain peripheral immune tolerance to autoantigens, which is associated with their high ability to induce conversion and expansion Tregs and to promote Th2 and Tc2 immune deviation. We also demonstrated that a single intravenous injection of Stat5-CA.DCs (splenic or bone marrow derived dendritic cells) or Tregs from transgenic mice NOD.CD11cStat5b-CA halted ongoing diabetes in recipient NOD mice. Thus, our study provides clear evidence that the correction of the Jak-Stat5b signaling pathway defect in DC of NOD mice induces long-term protection against diabetes suggesting that signaling pathway can be a potential therapeutic target not only in the context of type 1 diabetes but also in other autoimmune diseases.

Keyphrases: NOD, Stat5b, Type 1 diabetes, Autoimmunity, Dendritic cells, Immune tolerance, Regulatory T lymphocytes, Immunotherapy