RNA is an Adjuvanticity Mediator for the Lipid-Based Mucosal Adjuvant, Endocine

Nasal vaccination has the potential to elicit systemic and mucosal immunity against pathogens. However, split and subunit vaccines lack potency at stimulating mucosal immunity, and an adjuvant is indispensable for eliciting potent mucosal immune response to nasal vaccines. Endocine, a lipid-based mucosal adjuvant, potentiates both systemic and mucosal immune responses. Although Endocine has shown efficacy and tolerability in animal and clinical studies, its mechanism of action remains unknown. It has been reported recently that endogenous danger signals are essential for the effects of some adjuvants such as alum or MF59. However, the contribution of danger signals to the adjuvanticity of Endocine has not been explored. Here, we show that RNA is likely to be an important mediator for the adjuvanticity of Endocine. Administration of Endocine generated nucleic acids release, and activated dendritic cells (DCs) in draining lymph nodes in vivo. These results suggest the possibility that Endocine indirectly activates DCs via damage-associated molecular patterns. Moreover, the adjuvanticity of Endocine disappeared in mice lacking TANK-binding kinase 1 (Tbk1), which is a downstream molecule of nucleic acid sensing signal pathway. Furthermore, co-administration of RNase A reduced the adjuvanticity of Endocine. These data suggest that RNA is important for the adjuvanticity of Endocine.