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CCR5 provides a signal for microbial induced production of IL-12 by CD8 alpha+ dendritic cells
J Aliberti1, C Reis e Sousa, M Schito
1Immunobiology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. jaliberti@niaid.nih.gov
Abstract:
The activation of dendritic cells (DC) to produce interleukin 12 (IL-12) is thought to be a key step in the initiation of cell-mediated immunity to intracellular pathogens. Here we show that ligation of the C-C chemokine receptor (CCR) 5 can provide a major signal for the induction of IL-12 synthesis by the CD8 alpha+ subset of DC and that this pathway is important in establishing interferon gamma-dependent resistance to the protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii. These findings support the concept that the early induction of chemokines by invading pathogens is a critical step not only for the recruitment of DC but also for the determination of their subsequent immunologic function.