Plasmacytoid dendritic cells, Janus-faced sentinels: progesterone, guilty or innocent?

Immunotherapy
Yrjö T KonttinenGeorg Fuellen

Abstract

Evaluation of: Meier A, Chang JJ, Chan ES et al.: Sex differences in the Toll-like receptor-mediated responses of plasmacytoid dendritic cells to HIV-1. Nat. Med. 15, 955-959 (2009). Stimulation of Toll-like receptor (TLR)7 of plasmacytoid dendritic cells with ssRNA in internalized ribonucleic protein (RNP)-autoantibody complexes causes production of IFN-alpha and IFN signature in several female-dominant autoimmune diseases. This could relate to a gene-dose effect by the X chromosome or disturbances in the systemic endocrine and local intracrine sex steroid production. Meier et al. extend this paradigm to HIV-1-infected women. ssRNA, in oligoribonucleotides or aldrithiol-2-inactivated HIV-1, stimulated plasmacytoid dendritic cells via TLR7 to synthesize high concentrations of IFN-alpha. Women were disfavored and produced more IFN-alpha and subsequently CD38(high)CD8(+) lymphocytes upon similar viral loads in treatment-naive individuals. This predicts rapid progress to AIDS. There was a significant positive correlation between plasma progesterone concentrations and the percentage of responder plasmacytoid dendritic cells. TLR7-related pathways offer many potential targets for the treatment of viral and autoimmune diseases.

References

Feb 1, 2006·Arthritis and Rheumatism·Lars RönnblomGunnar V Alm
Feb 6, 2008·The Journal of Immunology : Official Journal of the American Association of Immunologists·Grant C HughesEdward A Clark
Mar 21, 2009·Journal of Autoimmunity·Raimo PöllänenYrjö T Konttinen
Jul 1, 2009·The Journal of Experimental Medicine·Wei CaoYong-Jun Liu

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

May 20, 2015·Nature Immunology·Paul J McLaren, Mary Carrington

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
transfection

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseases occur as a result of an attack by the immune system on the body’s own tissues resulting in damage and dysfunction. There are different types of autoimmune diseases, in which there is a complex and unknown interaction between genetics and the environment. Discover the latest research on autoimmune diseases here.

Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndromes

This feed focuses on a rare genetic condition called Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndromes, which are characterized by autoantibodies against multiple endocrine organs. This can lead to Type I Diabetes.