Inducible heat shock protein 70 reduces T cell responses and stimulatory capacity of monocyte-derived dendritic cells

J Biol Chem. 2012 Apr 6;287(15):12387-94. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.307579. Epub 2012 Feb 13.

Abstract

Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) has gained a lot of attention in the past decade due to its potential immunoregulatory functions. Some of the described proinflammatory functions of Hsp70 became controversial as they were based on recombinant Hsp70 proteins specimens, which were later shown to be endotoxin-contaminated. In this study we used low endotoxin inducible Hsp70 (also known as Hsp72, HSPA1A), and we observed that after a 24-h incubation of monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells (mo-iDCs) with 20 μg/ml of low endotoxin Hsp70, their ability to stimulate allogenic T cells was reduced. Interestingly, low endotoxin Hsp70 also significantly reduced T cell responses when they were simulated with either IL-2 or phytohemagglutinin, therefore showing that Hsp70 could alter T cell responses independently from its effect on mo-iDCs. We also reported a greater response of Hsp70 treatment when activated versus nonactivated T cells were used. This effect of Hsp70 was similar for all tested populations of T cells that included CD3(+), CD4(+), or CD8(+). Taken together, our observations strongly suggest that Hsp70 might dampen, rather than provoke, T cell-mediated inflammatory reactions in many clinical conditions where up-regulation of Hsp70 is observed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / metabolism
  • Adjuvants, Immunologic / physiology*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Shape / drug effects
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Dendritic Cells / drug effects
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Dendritic Cells / metabolism
  • Endotoxins / pharmacology
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / metabolism
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Interleukin-2 / pharmacology
  • Interleukin-2 / physiology
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Phytohemagglutinins / pharmacology
  • T-Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism

Substances

  • Adjuvants, Immunologic
  • Endotoxins
  • HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins
  • HSPA1A protein, human
  • IL2 protein, human
  • Interleukin-2
  • Phytohemagglutinins