CUTTING EDGE: DOCK8 regulates a subset of DC which is critical for the development of EAE

• Published in: The Journal of immunology (1950) 2021-10, Vol.207 (10), p.2417-2422
• Main Authors: Weliwitigoda, Asanga, Palle, Pushpalatha, Gessner, Melissa, Hubbard, Nicholas W., Oukka, Mohamed, Bettelli, Estelle
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0022-1767; 1550-6606
• DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2001294

Dedicator of cytokinesis (DOCK) 8 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor with essential role in cytoskeletal rearrangement, cell migration and survival of various immune cells. Interestingly, DOCK8 deficient mice are resistant to the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). To understand if EAE resistance in these mice results from an alteration in dendritic cell (DC) functions, we generated mice with conditional deletion of DOCK8 in DCs and observed attenuated EAE in these mice compared to control mice. Additionally, we demonstrated that DOCK8 is important for the existence of splenic conventional DC2 and lymph node migratory DCs, and further established that migratory DC, rather than resident DC, are essential for the generation and proliferation of pathogenic T cell populations upon immunization with myelin antigen in adjuvant. Therefore, our data suggests that limiting migratory DCs through DOCK8 deletion and possibly other mechanisms could limit the development of central nervous system (CNS) autoimmunity.