Immunosuppression in early postnatal days induces persistent and allergen-specific immune tolerance to asthma in adult mice

PLoS One. 2015 Apr 10;10(4):e0122990. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0122990. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Bronchial asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory condition with high morbidity, and effective treatments for asthma are limited. Allergen-specific immunotherapy can only induce peripheral immune tolerance and is not sustainable. Exploring new therapeutic strategies is of great clinical importance. Recombinant adenovirus (rAdV) was used as a vector to make cells expressing cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4-immunoglobulin (CTLA4Ig) a soluble CTLA4 immunoglobulin fusion protein. Dendritic cells (DCs) were modified using the rAdVs together with allergens. Then these modified DCs were transplanted to mice before allergen sensitization. The persistence and specificity of immune tolerance were evaluated in mice challenged with asthma allergens at 3 and 7 months. DCs modified by CTLA4Ig showed increased IL-10 secretion, decreased IL-12 secretion, and T cell stimulation in vitro. Mice treated with these DCs in the early neonatal period developed tolerance against the allergens that were used to induce asthma in the adult stage. Asthma symptoms, lung damage, airway reactivity, and inflammatory response all improved. Humoral immunity indices showed that this therapeutic strategy strongly suppressed mice immune responses and was maintained for as long as 7 months. Furthermore, allergen cross-sensitization and challenge experiments demonstrated that this immune tolerance was allergen-specific. Treatment with CTLA4Ig modified DCs in the early neonatal period, inducing persistent and allergen-specific immune tolerance to asthma in adult mice. Our results suggest that it may be possible to develop a vaccine for asthma.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenoviridae / genetics
  • Allergens / immunology*
  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Asthma / immunology
  • Asthma / metabolism
  • Asthma / pathology*
  • Bone Marrow Cells / cytology
  • CTLA-4 Antigen / genetics
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Dendritic Cells / cytology
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology
  • Dendritic Cells / metabolism
  • Desensitization, Immunologic
  • Genetic Vectors / genetics
  • Genetic Vectors / metabolism
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Immune Tolerance*
  • Immunity, Humoral
  • Immunoglobulin E / blood
  • Interleukin-10 / blood
  • Interleukin-10 / metabolism
  • Interleukin-12 / blood
  • Interleukin-12 / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Ovalbumin / immunology
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics

Substances

  • Allergens
  • CTLA-4 Antigen
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Interleukin-10
  • Interleukin-12
  • Immunoglobulin E
  • Ovalbumin

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30600684 and 30901623). The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.