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Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation drives polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cell response and efficiently attenuates experimental Sjögren’s syndrome

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 19, pages 1361–1372 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) comprise heterogeneous myeloid cell populations with immunosuppressive capacity that contribute to immune regulation and tolerance induction. We previously reported impaired MDSC function in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS) and mice with experimental SS (ESS). However, the molecular mechanisms underlying MDSC dysfunction remain largely unclear. In this study, we first found that aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) was highly expressed by human and murine polymorphonuclear MDSCs (PMN-MDSCs). Indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a natural AhR ligand produced from dietary tryptophan, significantly promoted PMN-MDSC differentiation and suppressive function on CD4+ T cells. In contrast, feeding a tryptophan-free diet resulted in a decreased PMN-MDSC response, a phenotype that could be reversed by IPA supplementation. The functional importance of PMN-MDSCs was demonstrated in ESS mice by using a cell-depletion approach. Notably, AhR expression was reduced in PMN-MDSCs during ESS development, while AhR antagonism resulted in exacerbated ESS pathology and dysregulated T effector cells, which could be phenocopied by a tryptophan-free diet. Interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4), a repressive transcription factor, was upregulated in PMN-MDSCs during ESS progression. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that IRF4 could bind to the promoter region of AhR, while IRF4 deficiency markedly enhanced AhR-mediated PMN-MDSC responses. Furthermore, dietary supplementation with IPA markedly ameliorated salivary glandular pathology in ESS mice with restored MDSC immunosuppressive function. Together, our results identify a novel function of AhR in modulating the PMN-MDSC response and demonstrate the therapeutic potential of targeting AhR for the treatment of pSS.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Chongqing International Institute for Immunology (2020YJC10), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (82071817, 81971542, and 82171771), the Hong Kong Research Grants Council General Research Fund (17113319 and 27111820) and Theme-Based Research Scheme (T12-703/19 R), the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program (YCYJ20210324114602008) and the Centre for Oncology and Immunology under the Health@InnoHK Initiative of the Innovation and Technology Commission, Hong Kong, China.

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Yanxia Wei, Na Peng.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Yanxia Wei, Chong Deng, Yuan Tang, Fan Xiao, Yingbo Zhou & Liwei Lu

  2. Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China

    Yanxia Wei

  3. Department of Rheumatology, the Second People’s Hospital, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, China

    Na Peng

  4. Centre for Oncology and Immunology, Hong Kong Science Park, Hong Kong, China

    Chong Deng & Liwei Lu

  5. Department of Rheumatology, Shanghai Ninth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Futao Zhao

  6. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Affiliated Hospital and Institute of Medical Immunology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China

    Jie Tian & Ke Rui

  7. School of Chinese Medicine and Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Sulan Yu, Yacun Chen & Xiang Lin

  8. Department of Rheumatology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Yu Xue & Hejian Zou

  9. Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, China

    Xiaomei Li

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Wei, Y., Peng, N., Deng, C. et al. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation drives polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cell response and efficiently attenuates experimental Sjögren’s syndrome. Cell Mol Immunol 19, 1361–1372 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41423-022-00943-5

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