Abstract
Elevated concentrations of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) are detected in pathologies characterized by chronic inflammation. Whether TNF-α plays a role in manipulating the host's immune system toward generating an immunosuppressive milieu, typical of ongoing chronic inflammation, is unclear. Here we showed that TNF-α exhibited a dual function during chronic inflammation: arresting differentiation of immature myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) primarily via the S100A8 and S100A9 inflammatory proteins and their corresponding receptor (RAGE) and augmenting MDSC suppressive activity. These functions led to in vivo T and NK cell dysfunction accompanied by T cell antigen receptor ζ chain downregulation. Furthermore, administration of etanercept (TNF-α antagonist) during early chronic inflammatory stages reduced MDSCs' suppressive activity and enhanced their maturation into dendritic cells and macrophages, resulting in the restoration of in vivo immune functions and recovery of ζ chain expression. Thus, TNF has a fundamental role in promoting an immunosuppressive environment generated during chronic inflammation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 541-554 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Immunity |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 21 Mar 2013 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Society of Research Associates of the Lautenberg Center, the Concern Foundation of Los Angeles, and the Harold B. Abramson Chair in Immunology. We thank I. Vaknin for his help and advice. This study was supported by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), the Israeli Ministry of Health, the Joint German-Israeli Research Program (DKFZ-MOST), the Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), the United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), and the Joseph and Matilda Melnick Funds.
