Estrogen Receptor Signaling Promotes Dendritic Cell Differentiation by Increasing Expression of the Transcription Factor IRF4
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From www.bloodjournal.org by guest on March 23, 2015. For personal use only. HEMATOPOIESIS AND STEM CELLS Estrogen receptor signaling promotes dendritic cell differentiation by increasing expression of the transcription factor IRF4 Esther Carreras,1 Sean Turner,1 Mark Barton Frank,1,2 Nicholas Knowlton,1,2 Jeanette Osban,1,2 Michael Centola,1 Chae Gyu Park,3 Amie Simmons,4 Jose´Alberola-Ila,4 and Susan Kovats1 1Arthritis & Immunology Program, and 2Microarray Research Facility, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City; 3Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY; and 4Immunobiology & Cancer Program, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City During inflammation, elevated granulo- tors (MPs). We now have identified inter- the estradiol/ER␣-dependent DC popula- cyte macrophage–colony-stimulating fac- feron regulatory factor 4 (IRF4), a tran- tion, indicating that an elevated amount tor (GM-CSF) directs the development of scription factor induced by GM-CSF and of IRF4 protein substitutes for ER␣ signal- new dendritic cells (DCs). This pathway is critical for CD11b؉ DC development in ing. Thus at an early stage in the MP influenced by environmental factors, and vivo, as a target of ER␣ signaling during response to GM-CSF, ER␣ signaling in- we previously showed that physiologic this process. In MPs, ER␣ potentiates and duces an elevated amount of IRF4, which levels of estradiol, acting through estro- sustains GM-CSF induction of IRF4. Fur- leads to a developmental program under- .gen receptor alpha (ER␣), promote the thermore, retroviral delivery of the Irf4 lying CD11b؉ DC differentiation. (Blood (GM-CSF–mediated differentiation of a cDNA to undifferentiated ER␣؊/؊ bone 2010;115:238-246 CD11b؉ DC subset from myeloid progeni- marrow cells restored the development of Introduction Dendritic cell (DC) subsets in vivo are distinguished based on several transcription factors, including Irf4, to be crucial for location, surface markers, function, and migratory capacity, and development of specific DC subsets found in lymphoid organs.3 whether they are present in steady-state conditions or develop as a For example, mice deficient in relB, PU.1, or interferon regulatory consequence of inflammation.1 In non–lymphoid tissues such as factor 4 (IRF4) lack splenic CD11bhi CD8␣Ϫ CD4ϩ DCs, whereas dermis and lung, 2 major populations of CD11cϩ MHCIIϩ DCs mice deficient in IRF8 lack splenic CD8␣ϩ CD4Ϫ CD11bϪ DCs have been identified as CD11bhi CD103Ϫ and CD11blo CD103ϩ and plasmacytoid DCs. IRF4 also is necessary for the development ϩ Ϫ Langerin or .2,3 These interstitial DCs derive from monocytes or of MHC class IIϩ DCs during GM-CSF–mediated differentiation blood-borne precursors that seed tissue, while a distinct population from murine bone marrow (BM) or human monocytes in vitro.8-10 of epidermal Langerinϩ DCs (LCs) are replenished slowly from Less is known about transcription factor requirements for tissue local self-renewing precursors. The cytokines that mediate the DCs, and factors directing the development of recently defined development of interstitial DCs during homeostasis are not defined, interstitial CD11bϩ or CD103ϩ Langerinϩ DCs have not been and may include Flt3 ligand or micro amounts of granulocyte reported. Analyses of IRF4Ϫ/Ϫ mice did not include assessments of macrophage–colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) or M-CSF tissue DCs.8,9 present in non–lymphoid tissue.3 During inflammation, DC differ- Transcription factor dosage is often important in cell fate entiation from Gr-1hi monocytes is largely mediated by elevated specification. Relevant to our study, quantitatively different levels amounts of GM-CSF.4 This GM-CSF–driven pathway is elevated of IRF4 protein alter B-cell differentiation pathways.11 IRF4 acts in infection and autoimmune disease and leads to the appearance of alone or dimerizes with PU.1 or Spi-B to mediate transcription.12 de novo DC populations in lymphoid organs and tissues.1,5 In Quantitative differences in PU.1 in hematopoietic progenitors also culture models, GM-CSF mediates CD11bϩ DC differentiation lead to alternate myeloid or lymphoid fates.13,14 Thus, IRF4 and from monocytes and myeloid progenitors (MPs), and a subset of PU.1 act as dosage-sensitive regulators to instruct distinct cell the CD11bint DCs express Langerin.6,7 However, it remains unclear differentiation programs, and therefore, factors (eg, hormones or how these DCs relate to Langerinϩ epidermal LCs or populations other transcription factors15,16) that regulate IRF4 expression are of CD11bϩ or Langerinϩ interstitial DCs. likely to alter IRF4-mediated developmental pathways. The lineage fate of hematopoietic progenitor cells is determined Environmental stimuli can influence DC differentiation, and we by ordered expression of transcription factors and receptor tyrosine previously have defined a role for estrogen receptor (ER) signaling kinases such as Flt3, yet the molecular steps involved in the in DC development.17 ERs are ligand-dependent transcription development of specific DC subtypes from common precursors, factors that regulate gene expression by forming complexes with including myeloid and lymphoid progenitors, pro-DCs, and mono- chromatin-modifying coregulators.18 Immune cells and their pro- cytes, are not completely defined. Genetic analyses have identified genitors express ERs, suggesting that ER-mediated responses to Submitted August 4, 2009; accepted October 7, 2009. Prepublished online as payment. Therefore, and solely to indicate this fact, this article is hereby Blood First Edition paper, October 30, 2009; DOI 10.1182/blood-2009-08- marked ‘‘advertisement’’ in accordance with 18 USC section 1734. 236935. The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge © 2010 by The American Society of Hematology 238 BLOOD, 14 JANUARY 2010 ⅐ VOLUME 115, NUMBER 2 From www.bloodjournal.org by guest on March 23, 2015. For personal use only. BLOOD, 14 JANUARY 2010 ⅐ VOLUME 115, NUMBER 2 ER SIGNALING INCREASES IRF4 EXPRESSION 239 circulating 17--estradiol (E2) regulate cellular differentiation and driven DC differentiation cultures, or DC populations in BM were analyzed function. Indeed, elevated E2 levels decrease lymphopoiesis in directly ex vivo by flow cytometry. vivo by depleting primitive hematopoietic progenitors.19 E2 and ER␣ promote murine and human DC differentiation mediated by Microarrays 20-22 GM-CSF. We demonstrated that E2 specifically promotes the MPs were incubated with 1nM E2 or vehicle for variable time periods ϩ GM-CSF–mediated differentiation of murine CD11c CD11bint between 0 and 72 hours. Biotinylated amplified RNA was produced from Ϫ ϩ Ϫ Ly6C Langerin or DCs, a population that may represent in vivo 175 ng of total RNA per sample using an Illumina TotalPrep RNA populations of tissue or inflammatory DCs.7 Estradiol acting via Amplification Kit (Ambion). Amplified RNA was hybridized overnight at ER␣, but not ER, was required for the development of this 58°C to Sentrix Mouse-6 Expression BeadChips Version 1.1 (Illumina). CD11bint Ly6CϪ DC population from highly purified MPs (LinϪ These arrays contain 50-mer oligonucleotides coupled to beads that are c-kithi sca-1Ϫ IL-7R␣Ϫ flt3ϩ),17 but the molecular mechanism of mounted on glass slides. Each bead has an approximately 20- to 30-fold ER␣ action was unknown. redundancy. Microarrays were washed under high stringency, labeled with streptavidin-Cy3, and scanned using an Illumina BeadStation 500 scanner. We now report that E2/ER␣ signaling increases Irf4 mRNA and Ϫ To gain statistical power, gene expression response over time was protein expression in differentiating MPs and CD11c precursors, parameterized through a “mixed model”25 according to the following int Ϫ and promotes the development of the CD11c Ly6C DC subset equation: Normalized Fluorescent Units ϭ␣*Time ϩ1*Trx ϩ expressing the highest levels of IRF4. Enforced expression of Irf4 2*Trx*Time, where ␣, 1, 2 are beta coefficients, Trx is Estrogen and Ϫ Ϫ cDNA in differentiating ER␣ / BM cells restored the develop- No Estrogen, and Time is in hours. The Trx*Time interaction P values were ment of the E2/ER␣-dependent CD11bint Ly6CϪ DC population, adjusted with a False Discovery Rate (FDR).26 An FDR of 10% was indicating that sufficiently high levels of IRF4 alleviate the considered statistically significant. A first order autoregressive covariance requirement for ER␣ signaling during GM-CSF–mediated DC matrix was used to account for the correlation structure inherent in the differentiation. Thus, an elevated amount of cellular IRF4 expres- longitudinal measurements of gene expression. All mixed model analysis sion, which can be induced by E2/ER␣ signaling, is required for was performed in the SAS system Version 9.1.3. CD11bϩ and Langerinϩ DC differentiation mediated by GM-CSF. qPCR RNA and cDNA were generated and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase– polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was done as described.17 Relative Methods expression of genes was determined using the ⌬⌬Ct method with normaliza- tion to Gapdh expression, which does not change with E2 stimulation. Mice Specific primer sequences were: sense Gapdh 5Ј AGGTCGGTGTGAACG- Female C57BL/6 mice (CD45.2ϩ) and congenic CD45.1ϩ C57BL/6 mice GATTTG 3Ј, antisense Gapdh 5Ј TGTAGACCATGTAGTTGAGGTCA 3Ј; (8 to 12 weeks old) were purchased from the NCI Animal Production sense Irf4 5Ј GCCCAACAAGCTAGAAAG 3Ј, antisense Irf4 5Ј TCTCT- Program. ER␣-deficient (B6.129-Esr1tm1KskN10) mice from JAX were bred GAGGGTCTGGAAACT 3Ј; sense Irf8 5Ј GTTTACCGAATTGTC- at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation. The Oklahoma Medical CCCGAG 3Ј, antisense Irf8 5Ј CTCCTCTTGGTCATACCCATGTA 3Ј; Research Foundation Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Sense Pu.1 5Ј ATGTTACAGGCGTGCAAAATGG 3Ј, antisense Pu.1 5Ј approved the studies. TGATCGCTATGGCTTTCTCCA 3Ј. Id2 primers (sequences proprietary) were obtained from QIAGEN. GM-CSF–mediated DC differentiation Retrovirus-mediated gene delivery The GM-CSF–driven culture model for DC differentiation, in which E2 17 The Irf4 cDNA was cloned from murine DCs and inserted in front of the levels or ER signaling are manipulated, was used as described.