Comparison of CD4⁺CD25^hiFoxP3⁺ Treg Induction by pIL-10-Transfected Dendritic Cells in Different Mouse Strains

Tolerogenic dendritic cells (tolDCs) and T-regulatory cells (Tregs) are involved in maintaining tolerance to self-antigens and foreign antigens. The cells are used as therapeutic tools for inducing tolerance to transplanted organs or tissues. We investigated the possibility of inducing Tregs in splenocyte cultures using DCs transfected with a DNA construct encoding mouse interleukin-10 (DCpIL-10). DCs were derived from bone marrow cells in the presence of rmGM-CSF and rmIL-4 and electroporated with a plasmid encoding mouse IL-10. Furthermore, DCpIL-10 was cocultured with syngeneic splenocytes. The CD4⁺CD25^hiFoxP3⁺ Treg frequency, IL-10 expression, and inhibition of the mixed lymphocyte reaction were evaluated. C57Bl/6 and CBA mice differ in their initial frequency of CD4⁺CD25^hiFoxP3⁺ Tregs and baseline IL-10 production. Also, the effectiveness of CD4⁺CD25^hiFoxP3⁺ Treg upregulation by tolDCpIL-10 was different. In this study, DCpIL-10 from C57Bl/6 mice induced CD4⁺CD25^hiFoxP3⁺ Tregs in syngenic splenocytes, which was accompanied by an increase in the IL-10 production and a decrease in the proliferation of splenocytes in response to the alloantigen. DCpIL-10 may be used to induce CD4⁺CD25^hiFoxP3⁺ Tregs and the regulatory potential of splenocytes.