The molecular, functional and phylogenetic characterization of PGE2 receptors reveals their different roles in the immune response of the teleost fish gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.)

Prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) plays an important role in immune activities in teleost fish, including seabream. However, receptors involved in PGE₂ signaling, as well as the pathways activated downstream, are largely unknown. In this study, one ortholog of mammalian PTGER1, PTGER3 and PTGER4, and two of PTGER2 (Ptger2a and Ptger2b) were identified and characterized in gilthead seabream. In silico analysis showed that all these receptors possessed the organization domain of G protein-coupled receptors, with the exception of Ptger2b. The corresponding in vivo studies revealed that they were expressed in all the tissues examined, the highest mRNA levels of ptger1 and ptger3 being observed in the spleen and of ptger2a and ptger4 in the blood. Bacterial infection induced higher mRNA levels of ptger2a, ptger3 and ptger4 in peritoneal exudate (the site of bacterial injection). In addition, head kidney acidophilic granulocytes and macrophages displayed different ptger1, ptger2a, ptger3 and ptger4 expression profiles. Furthermore, in macrophages the expression of the receptors was weakly affected by stimulation with bacterial DNA or with PGE₂, while in acidophilic granulocytes stimulation resulted in the upregulation of ptger2a and ptger4. Taken together, these results suggest different roles for seabream PGE₂ receptors in the regulation of the immune responses.

Dendritic cell-based graft tolerance

It has recently been demonstrated that mouse and human dendritic cells (DCs) can produce IL-2 after activation. However the role of the IL2/IL2R pathway in DC functions has not yet been fully elucidated. The results presented in this study provide several new insights into the role of this pathway in DCs. We report that stimulation of human monocyte-derived DCs with LPS strongly upregulated CD25 (α chain of the IL2R) expression. In additon, by using a humanized monoclonal antibody against CD25, we demonstrated that the IL2 signalling in DC upregulated both IL-12 and γIFN production but decreased IL10 synthesis. We also found that LPS-matured DCs produced IL2. Taken together, these results suggest that IL-2 actively contributes to the DC activation through an autocrine pathway. Furthermore, our results indicate that the IL2 pathway in DC is involved in the development of T-helper priming ability and in the upregulation of surface markers characteristic of a “mature” phenotype. This study therefore provide new molecular clues regarding the split between these two phenomena and unravel new mechanisms of action of anti-CD25 monoclonal antibodies that may contribute to their action in several human immunological disorders such as autoimmune diseases and acute allograft rejection.