The local and systemic production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and its actions in phagocytes lead to immunosuppressive conditions. PGE2 is produced at high levels during inflammation, and its suppressive effects are caused by the ligation of the E prostanoid receptors EP2 and EP4, which results in the production of cyclic AMP. However, PGE2 also exhibits immunostimulatory properties due to binding to EP3, which results in decreased cAMP levels. The various guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) that are coupled to the different EP receptors account for the pleiotropic roles of PGE2 in different disease states. Here, we discuss the production of PGE2 and the actions of this prostanoid in phagocytes from different tissues, the relative contribution of PGE2 to the modulation of innate immune responses, and the novel therapeutic opportunities that can be used to control inflammatory responses.

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T helper (Th) cell subsets develop in response to multiple activating signals, including the cytokine environment. IL-9-secreting T cells develop in response to the combination of IL-4 and TGF-β, though they clearly require other cytokine signals, leading to the activation of transcription factors including STAT5. In Th17 cells, there is a molecular antagonism of STAT5 with STAT3 signaling, though whether this paradigm exists in other Th subsets is not clear. In this report, we demonstrate that STAT3 attenuates the ability of STAT5 to promote the development of IL-9-secreting T cells. We demonstrate that production of IL-9 is increased in the absence of STAT3, and cytokines that result in a sustained activation of STAT3, including IL-6, have the greatest potency in repressing IL-9 production in a STAT3-dependent manner. Increased IL-9 production in the absence of STAT3 correlates with increased endogenous IL-2 production and STAT5 activation, and blocking IL-2 responses eliminates the difference in IL-9 production between wild type and STAT3-deficient T cells. Moreover, transduction of developing Th9 cells with a constitutively active STAT5 eliminates the ability of IL-6 to reduce IL-9 production. Thus, STAT3 functions as a negative regulator of IL-9 production through attenuation of STAT5 activation and function.

Inflammatory responses are terminated by the clearance of dead cells, a process termed efferocytosis. A consequence of efferocytosis is the synthesis of the antiinflammatory mediators TGF-β, PGE, and IL-10; however, the efferocytosis of infected cells favors Th17 responses by eliciting the synthesis of TGF-β, IL-6, and IL-23. Recently, we showed that the efferocytosis of apoptotic -infected macrophages by dendritic cells triggers PGE production in addition to pro-Th17 cytokine expression. We therefore examined the role of PGE during Th17 differentiation and intestinal pathology. The efferocytosis of apoptotic -infected cells by dendritic cells promoted high levels of PGE, which impaired IL-1R expression via the EP4-PKA pathway in T cells and consequently inhibited Th17 differentiation. The outcome of murine intestinal infection was dependent on the EP4 receptor. Infected mice treated with EP4 antagonist showed enhanced intestinal defense against compared with infected mice treated with vehicle control. Those results suggest that EP4 signaling during infectious colitis could be targeted as a way to enhance Th17 immunity and host defense.