Despite the promise of RNA interference (RNAi) and its potential, e.g. for use in cancer therapy, several technical obstacles must first be overcome. The major hurdle of RNAi-based therapeutics is to deliver nucleic acids across the cell’s plasma membrane. This study demonstrates that exosome vesicles derived from humans can deliver short interfering RNA (siRNA) to human mononuclear blood cells. Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles of endocytic origin that are involved in cell-to-cell communication, i.e. antigen presentation, tolerance development and shuttle RNA (mainly mRNA and microRNA). Having tested different strategies, an optimized method (electroporation) was used to introduce siRNA into human exosomes of various origins. Plasma exosomes (exosomes from peripheral blood) were used as gene delivery vector (GDV) to transport exogenous siRNA to human blood cells. The vesicles effectively delivered the administered siRNA into monocytes and lymphocytes, causing selective gene silencing of mitogen-activated protein kinase 1. These data suggest that human exosomes can be used as a GDV to provide cells with heterologous nucleic acids such as therapeutic siRNAs.

The development of immunological tolerance to orally fed antigens depends on the sampling, processing and transportation events followed in the intestinal epithelium. We present here a description of a ''tolerosome'': a supra‐molecular, exosome‐like structure assembled in and released from the small intestinal epithelial cell. The tolerosome is a ≈ 40 nm large vesicular structure that carries MHC class II (MHC II) with bound antigenic peptides sampled from the gut lumen. Tolerosomes isolated from serum shortly after antigen feeding or from an in vitro pulsed intestinal epithelial cell line are fully capable of inducing antigen specific tolerance in naive recipient animals. Purified tolerosomes represent a structure by which fed antigens can be efficiently presented to the immune system. Removal of the tolerosomes from serum by ultracentrifugation or absorption of MHC II results in abrogated tolerance development.

Regulatory T cells (Treg) are crucial for the maintenance of tolerance to auto-antigens and harmless exogenous antigens. Here, we studied the role of the commensal microbiota for the development and function of Treg. CD4 + CD25 + T cells were obtained from peripheral lymph nodes (PLN) and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of germ-free (GF) and conventional (conv) NMRI mice and tested for phenotype and functional suppressive capacity. CD4 + CD25 + T cells from GF mice showed a lower relative gene expression of fork head box p3 gene (Foxp3) and were not as potent suppressors in vitro as CD4 + CD25 + T cells from conv animals. Intracellular staining for Foxp3 and CTLA-4 revealed proportional and regional differences in putative Treg subsets between conv and GF mice. Fewer of the CD4 + CD25 + T cells in GF MLN expressed Foxp3 and CTLA-4, while the expression of these markers was similar amongst the CD4 + CD25 + T cells in PLN of conv and GF mice. The largest difference between conv and GF Treg was observed in the liver draining celiac lymph node, where GF mice had fewer putative Treg as compared to conv mice. We propose that the presence of a microbial flora favors the development of a fully functional Treg population. IntroductionRegulatory T cells down-regulate unwanted and exaggerated immune reactions to auto-antigens as well as innocuous environmental antigens. Different subsets of Treg have been defined. Natural CD4 + CD25 + Treg are positively selected for tissue-specific self-Ag in the thymus and exert their suppressive effect by cell-cell contact-dependent mechanisms [1]. Deficiency in the Treg population or neonatal thymectomy result in multiorgan autoimmune diseases [2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. Treg are characterized by a dense surface expression of CD25 (the a-chain of the IL-2-receptor), glucocorticoidinduced TNF receptor (GITR) and intracellular CTLA-4, however, these markers may be present on activated T cells. CD4 + CD25 + Tregs appear to be unique in transcribing the fork head box p3 gene (Foxp3) transcription factor [6,9], which enable their identification either with PCR are or newly developed mAb to the Foxp3 protein. Lack of a functional Foxp3 gene result in the severe autoimmune syndrome IPEX (immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, X-linked syndrome), characterized by organ-specific autoimmunity, colitis and high IgE levels [10,11]. Mice with spontaneous or induced mutations in the Foxp3 gene that impair Foxp3 expression fail to develop CD4 + CD25 + Treg and exhibit a syndrome similar to IPEX [5,6].Other subsets of Treg are induced in the periphery and are referred to as Th3 [12][13][14] and Tr1 cells [15][16][17][18][19] can also generate Treg. This implies that the state of the APC and the local cytokine milieu, e.g. in the normal gut where both IL-10 and TGF-b are abundant, can determine the outcome of an immune reaction, and that Treg are induced under these circumstances.The aim of this study was to investigate the phenotype and functionality of CD4 + CD25 + Treg from germ-free (GF) ...

The newborn's immune system grows fast from a small size at birth by exposure primarily to the intestinal microflora normally obtained from the mother at and after birth. While building up its immune system, the infant is supported by the transplacental IgG antibodies, which also contain anti-idiotypic antibodies, possibly also actively priming the offspring. The second mode of transfer of immunity occurs via the milk. Numerous major protective components, including secretory IgA (SIgA) antibodies and lactoferrin, are present. The breastfed infant is better protected against numerous common infections than the non-breastfed. Breastfeeding also seems to actively stimulate the infant's immune system by anti-idiotypes, uptake of milk lymphocytes, cytokines, etc. Therefore, the breastfed child continues to be better protected against various infections for some years. Vaccine responses are also often enhanced in breastfed infants. Long-lasting protection against certain immunological diseases such as allergies and celiac disease is also noted.

Galectin-3, a beta-galactoside binding, endogenous lectin, takes part in various inflammatory events and is produced in substantial amounts at inflammatory foci. We investigated whether extracellular galectin-3 could participate in the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic neutrophils by macrophages, a process of crucial importance for termination of acute inflammation. Using human leukocytes, we show that exogenously added galectin-3 increased the uptake of apoptotic neutrophils by monocyte-derived macrophages (MDM). Both the proportion of MDM that engulfed apoptotic prey and the number of apoptotic neutrophils that each MDM engulfed were enhanced in the presence of galectin-3. The effect was lactose-inhibitable and required galectin-3 affinity for N-acetyllactosamine, a saccharide typically found on cell surface glycoproteins, since a mutant lacking this activity was without effect. The enhanced uptake relied on the presence of galectin-3 during the cellular interaction and was paralleled by lectin binding to apoptotic cells as well as MDM in a lactose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that galectin-3 functions as a bridging molecule between phagocyte and apoptotic prey, acting as an opsonin. The process of clearance, whereby apoptotic neutrophils are removed by macrophages, is crucial for the resolution of acute inflammation and our data imply that the increased levels of galectin-3 often found at inflammatory sites could potently affect this process.