Involvement of LEK1 in Dendritic Cell Regulation of T Cell Immunity against Chlamydia

We investigated the hypothesis that the enhanced Ag-presenting function of IL-10-deficient dendritic cells (DCs) is related to specific immunoregulatory cytoskeletal molecules expressed when exposed to Ags. We analyzed the role of a prominent cytoskeletal protein, LEK1, in the immunoregulation of DC functions; specifically cytokine secretion, costimulatory molecule expression, and T cell activation against Chlamydia. Targeted knockdown of LEK1 expression using specific antisense oligonucleotides resulted in the rapid maturation of Chlamydia-exposed DCs as measured by FACS analysis of key activation markers (i.e., CD14, CD40, CD54, CD80, CD86, CD197, CD205, and MHC class II). The secretion of mostly Th1 cytokines and chemokines (IL-1a, IL-9, IL-12, MIP-1a, and GM-CSF but not IL-4 and IL-10) was also enhanced by blocking of LEK1. The function of LEK1 in DC regulation involves cytoskeletal changes, since the dynamics of expression of vimentin and actin, key proteins of the cellular cytoskeleton, were altered after exposure of LEK1 knockdown DCs to Chlamydia. Furthermore, targeted inhibition of LEK1 expression resulted in the enhancement of the immunostimulatory capacity of DCs for T cell activation against Chlamydia. Thus, LEK1 knockdown DCs activated immune T cells at least 10-fold over untreated DCs. These results suggest that the effect of IL-10 deficiency is mediated through LEK1-related events that lead to rapid maturation of DCs and acquisition of the capacity to activate an elevated T cell response. Targeted modulation of LEK1 expression provides a novel strategy for augmenting the immunostimulatory function of DCs for inducing an effective immunity against pathogens.