Granzyme B Produced by Human Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Suppresses T Cell Expansion.

Abstract 2674

Poster Board II-650

Human plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) play a central role in regulating adaptive T cell responses in the course of neoplastic, viral and autoimmune disorders. In several of these diseases, elevated extracellular levels of the serine protease granzyme B (GrB) are observed. We found that human pDC can be an abundant source of GrB based on FACS analysis, ELISpot, ELISA, Sensizyme, Western immunoblotting, RT-PCR, and fluorescence microscopy. GrB is actively secreted by pDCs and reaches maximal levels up to two logs higher than those produced by classical GrB producers such as CTL or NK cells. However, pDC GrB production is not accompanied by perforin secretion. Spinning disk confocal microscopy revealed that GrB+ pDC bind to and transfer active GrB to T cells. Importantly, this GrB transfer induces a suppression of T cell proliferation in a GrB-dependent, perforin-independent manner, a process reminiscent of regulatory T cells. GrB expression in pDC is regulated on a transcriptional level by JAK1, STAT3 and STAT5. IL-3 and IL-10 enhance GrB production by pDCs while GrB production is inhibited by toll-like-receptor agonists and CD40 ligand. These findings suggest that GrB production by pDCs is involved in the complex interactions between pDC and T cells and that GrB-secreting pDC may play a regulatory role related to anti-tumor immunity, anti-viral immune responses, and autoimmune processes.