Comparing costimulatory potential, Girard et al. exposed human PBMCs containing CLEC9A+ cDC1s, CD1c+ cDC2s, and monocytes to IFNβ in vitro. IFNβ induced GITRL on cDC2s and monocytes, but not on cDC1s. Transcriptomic analysis of cDC2s found distinct subsets indicating DC2s, which expressed maturation markers, and DC3s, which expressed genes overlapping with both cDC2s and monocytes. DC2s, DC3s, and monocytes shared an IFN-response gene signature, but with the highest GITR upregulation and unique expression of costimulatory and maturation molecules in DC3s. DC2/3 maturation was dependent on NFκB signaling.

Contributed by Alex Najibi

ABSTRACT: Human mononuclear phagocytes comprise specialized subsets of dendritic cells (DCs) and monocytes, but how these subsets individually regulate expression of the molecular signals involved in T cell costimulation is incompletely understood. Here, we used multiparameter flow cytometry and CITE-sequencing to investigate the cell type-specific responses of human peripheral blood DC and monocyte subsets to type I interferons (IFN-I), focusing on differential regulation of costimulatory molecules. We report that IFN-β drives the maturation of the recently identified human CD1c+ CD5- DC3 subset into cells with higher GITRL and lower CD86 expression compared with other conventional DC subsets. Transcriptomic analysis confirmed that DC3s have an intermediate phenotype between that of CD1c+ CD5+ DC2s and CD14+ monocytes, characterized by high expression of MHCII, Fc receptors, and components of the phagocyte NADPH oxidase. IFN-β induced a shared core response in human DC and monocyte subsets as well as subset-specific responses, including differential expression of costimulatory molecules. Gene regulatory network analysis suggests that upon IFN-β stimulation NFKB1 drives DC3s to acquire a maturation program shared with DC2s. Accordingly, inhibition of NF-κB activation prevented the acquisition of a mature phenotype by DC3s upon IFN-β exposure. Collectively, this study provides insight into the cell type-specific response of human DC and monocyte subsets to IFN-I and highlights the distinct costimulatory potential of DC3s.

Author Info: (1) Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada. (2) Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

Author Info: (1) Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada. (2) Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 1A8, Canada. tania.watts@utoronto.ca