IL-12 secretion by Langerhans cells stimulated with Candida skin test reagent is mediated by dectin-1 in some healthy individuals.

OBJECTIVE

Our group and others have shown that serial intra-lesional injections of common warts with skin testing reagents such as Candida, mumps and Trichophyton are effective in regressing injected and non-injected warts. Anti-HPV T-cell responses appear to be induced. The goal of this study was to understand the mechanisms of how Candida skin testing reagent enhances immune responses.

METHODS

The following immunological features were studied to understand how Candida induces immune responses in healthy subjects: (1) proliferative capacity of T-cells upon exposure to Candida through monocyte-derived human Langerhans cells (LCs) measured using alamarBlue, (2) cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p40, IL-23Ap19, IFN-γ, and TNF- expression upon Candida stimulation of LCs by quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR and cytokine secretion by ELISA, (3) expression of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) known to associate with Candida albicans (DC-SIGN, dectin-1, dectin-2, galectin-3, mincle, mannose receptor, Toll-like receptors 1, 2, 4, 6, and 9) on LCs by qRT-PCR, (4) role of dectin-1 in IL-12 production by antibody blocking, and (5) induction of Th1, Th2, and/or Th17 responses by intracellular cytokine staining of CD4 cells exposed to Candida pulsed LCs for IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-17A.

RESULTS

T-cell proliferation upon stimulation with Candida-pulsed LCs was significantly higher compared to proliferation in the absence of Candida (p=0.004). The most frequently expressed cytokine in stimulated LCs was IL-12p40 mRNA, and IL-12p40 and IL-12p70 were also detected at protein levels. All other cytokine mRNAs examined were detected in the following order of decreasing frequency: IL23Ap19, IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-10. LCs expressed all PRRs examined. Anti-dectin-1 inhibited IL-12p40 mRNA production upon Candida stimulation of LCs from some healthy subjects. IFN-γ secretion was increased and IL-4 secretion was decreased in CD4 cells of a few healthy subjects, but IL-17A was essentially unchanged upon Candida treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Proliferation of T-cells in a substantial majority of healthy subjects can be demonstrated with Candida stimulation. We show Th1 promotion and dectin-1 stimulation of LCs as potential mechanisms in some healthy subjects.