Split activity of interleukin-10 on antigen capture and antigen presentation by human dendritic cells: Definition of a maturative step

Human CD1(+)CD14(-) dendritic cells (DC) can be derived from CD14(+) monocytes using granulocyte/monocyte colony-stimulating factor and interleukin (IL)-4. We have previously shown that IL-10 pre-treatment of such DC significantly inhibited their antigen-presenting capacity to CD4(+) T cell clones. In this study, we further analyze how IL-10 influences antigen presentation. We first investigated whether IL-10 could alter the early stage of antigen presentation, the capture of antigen. This can be mediated by mannose receptor (MR)mediated endocytosis and by fluid-phase uptake through macropinocytosis. IL-10-treated DC showed an enhancement of both mechanisms of antigen capture, as indicated by the increase of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran uptake through MR and lucifer yellow uptake. However, IL-10-treated DC, irradiated or glutaraldehyde-fixed, were less efficient than untreated DC in stimulating mixed leukocyte reaction as well as in inducing the activation of peptide-specific T cell clones, indicating that IL-10 achieves its effects mainly by modifying the cell surface phenotype of DC. HLA class I and II, as well as intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)-1, lymphocyte function-associated antigen-3, B7-1, B7-2 and ICAM-3 expression were either significantly increased or essentially unchanged, and the ability to bind the epitope recognized by the T cell clones was also unaffected regardless of IL-10 treatment. Our study also indicates that as-yet unidentified accessory molecules may play an essential role in T cell activation. Thus, the IL-10-treated DC possess an increased capacity to capture antigen, with a concomitant decreased stimulatory activity. Our study suggests that IL-10-treated DC have the characteristics of highly immature DC (high capture ability, low stimulatory potency) and may represent an early maturative step of human DC of monocytic origin.