NK cells modulate the lung dendritic cell-mediated Th1/Th17 immunity during intracellular bacterial infection

The impact of the interaction between NK cells and lung dendritic cells (LDCs) on the outcome of respiratory infections is poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the effect and mechanism of NK cells on the function of LDCs during intracellular bacterial lung infection of Chlamydia muridarum in mice. We found that the naive mice receiving LDCs from C. muridarum-infected NK-cell-depleted mice (NK-LDCs) showed more serious body weight loss, bacterial burden, and pathology upon chlamydial challenge when compared with the recipients of LDCs from infected sham-treated mice (NK+LDCs). Cytokine analysis of the local tissues of the former compared with the latter exhibited lower levels of Th1 (IFN-γ) and Th17 (IL-17), but higher levels of Th2 (IL-4), cytokines. Consistently, NK-LDCs were less efficient in directing C. muridarum-specific Th1 and Th17 responses than NK+LDCs when cocultured with CD4(+) T cells. In NK cell/LDC coculture experiments, the blockade of NKG2D receptor reduced the production of IL-12p70, IL-6, and IL-23 by LDCs. The neutralization of IFN-γ in the culture decreased the production of IL-12p70 by LDCs, whereas the blockade of TNF-α resulted in diminished IL-6 production. Our findings demonstrate that NK cells modulate LDC function to elicit Th1/Th17 immunity during intracellular bacterial infection.