Reagents
Antibodies (Abs) of c-Maf (Clone#: E-7, Cat#: sc-518062), ubiquitin (P4D1, sc-8017), CD19 (B-1, sc-390244, AF488) and IL-10 (3C12C12, sc-32815, AF546), CD14 (H-4, sc-515785, AF594), F4/80 (D-11, sc-365340, AF648), MHC II (7-1H, sc-13556, AF680), CD5 (UCH-T2, sc-1180, AF700), CD1d (G-12, sc-373858, AF790), CD3 (PC3/188A, sc-20047, AF488), CD4 (MT310, sc-19641, AF546), CD25 (C-9, sc-393326, AF648), LAG3 (D-8, sc-514993, AF488) and CD49b (C-9, sc-74466, AF546) were purchased from Santa Cruz Biotech (Santa Cruz, CA). Ovalbumin, collagenase IV, and DNase I were purchased from Sigma Aldrich (St. Louis, MO). CpG-ODN 1826 (TCCATGACGTTCCTGACGTT), ELISA kits of IL-5, IL-4, IL-13, IL-10, Mcpt1, EPX, and ovalbumin (OVA)-specific IgE were purchased from Dakewe BioMart (Shenzhen, China). OVA, GM-CSF, phorbol myristate acetate, ionomycin, collagenase IV, were purchased from Sigma Aldrich (St. Louis., MO). Reagents and materials for Western blotting, RT-qPCR, immunoprecipitation (IP), and chromatin IP (ChIP) were purchased from Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA). Neutralizing anti-IL-10 Ab (JES5-2A5, ab189392) was purchased from abcam (Cambridge, MA).
Mice
Male BALB/c mice (6-8-week-old) were purchased from Guangdong Experimental Animal Center (Fushan, China). Mice were maintained in a pathogen-free facility with access to food and water freely. The experiments were carried out in accordance with the ARRIVE guidelines. The Animal Ethics Committee at Shenzhen University reviewed and approved the animal experimental protocol (Approve#: 2022085).
Establishment of a murine FA model
A murine FA model was established based on the established procedures [11]. Briefly, mice received subcutaneous injections of OVA (100 µg/mouse in 0.1 ml alum) on day 1 and day 7, respectively. Mice were then gavage-fed with OVA (1 mg/mouse in 0.3 ml saline) daily from day 9 to day 14. On day 15, mice were orally challenged with OVA (50 mg/mouse in 0.3 ml saline).
Assessment of the FA response
The core temperature was recorded from each mouse 30 min after the oral challenge. Mice with diarrhea were counted during 3 h after the challenge. Mice were then sacrificed by cervical dislocation. A jejunum segment (15 cm) was excised. The intestinal cavity was rinsed with 1 ml PBS, which was retrieved and used as the gut lavage fluid (GLF) for other experiments. The amounts of eosinophil peroxidase (EPX), mouse mast cell protease-1 (Mcpt1), IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, and OVA-specific IgE in GLF were determined by ELISA with commercial reagent kits following the manufacturer’s instruction.
Preparation of lamina propria mononuclear cells (LPMCs)
After the sacrifice, the small intestine was removed from the mice and opened longitudinally. The intestine was cut into segments about 5 cm in size, rinsed with PBS to wash out the contents in the intestinal cavity. The samples were incubated with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid disodium salt (EDTA, 0.02%) for 5 min, and rinsed with PBS again. The tissues were cut into small pieces and incubated with the enzyme cocktail of 1 mg/ml collagenase IV and 2500 U/ml DNase I in complete RPMI1640 medium containing 2% fetal bovine serum (FBS) for 30 min at 37°C with mild agitation. Single cells were filtered through a cell strainer (100 µm first, then 70 µm). LPMCs were isolated from the single cells by the Percoll gradient density centrifugation.
Cell culture
Cells were cultured in RPMI1640 medium supplemented with L-glutamine (2 mM), streptomycin (0.1 mg/ml), penicillin (100 U/ml), and fetal calf serum (10%). The Trypan blue exclusion assay showed that the cell viability was over 99%.
Flow cytometry (FCM)
The surface markers of cells were stained using surface staining procedures. Briefly, live cells were stained with Abs of interest (labeled with proper fluorochromes; diluted to 1 µg/ml) or isotype IgG for 30 min at 4°C. Cells were washed with FCM buffer (phosphate-buffered saline, PBS, containing 1% bovine serum albumin) three times, and analyzed with a flow cytometer (BD FACSCanto II). To stain the intracellular molecules, cells were fixed with 1% paraformaldehyde (containing 0.05% Triton X-100 to increase the membrane permeability) for 1 h. After washing with PBS, cells were processed using the surface staining procedures. The data were processed with a software package, Flowjo (TreeStar Inc., Ashland, OR), with the data obtained from the isotype IgG staining as gating references.
Isolation of immune cells by FCM cell sorting
Single cells were prepared, and labeled with fluorochrome-labeled Abs. Cell types of interested (detailed in figures) were isolated by FCM cell sorting. The purity of isolated cells was assessed by FCM. It was over 95%.
preparation of bone marrow derived dendritic cells (BMDCs)
The femurs bones were excised from naïve mice. The bone marrows were flushed out by saline. A red blood lysis kit was used to lyse red blood cells. Bone marrow cells were cultured in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF, 20 ng/ml) for 8 days. The non-adherent cells were collected, and used as BMDCs [12].
Methylation-Specific PCR Assay
DNA was extracted from purified DCs and treated with sodium bisulfate using the CpGenome DNA modification kit (Intergen, Purchase, NY). The modified DNA was analyzed by PCR as follows. Sense and antisense primer sequences for methylated and unmethylated Tert promoter (methylated: and ccccaaccaaattcaataattacta; unmethylated: aggatagatttttttgtttgttattt and ccccaaccaaattcaataattacta; both are 165 bp). PCR was performed using specific primers in 25 ml of a mixture containing 1× PCR buffer, 0.5 mM concentration of each primer, 0.5 mM dNTP, 1 U of Taq polymerase.
Real-time quantitative RT-PCR (RT-qPCR)
TRIzol reagents were used to extract RNA samples from cells harvested from relevant experiments. cDNA was generated with a reverse transcription kit following the manufacturer’s instructions. The cDNA samples were amplified in a qPCR device (Bio-Rad CFX96) with a SYBR Green Master Mix kit. The primers used in the present study include Tert (actcagcaacctccagccta and catattggcactctgcatgg), Maf (aaggaggaggtgatccgact and tctcctgcttgaggtggtct), Il10 (ccaagccttatcggaaatga and ttttcacaggggagaaatcg), and Actb (agccatgtacgtagccatcc and ctctcagctgtggtggtgaa). The results were processed using the formula of 2-∆∆Ct against the results of the housekeeping gene Actb, and presented as relative expression (RE).
Western blotting
Cells from relevant experiments were used to prepare protein extracts, which were fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and transferred onto a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. The membrane was incubated with 5% skim milk for 30 min to block the non-specific binding, followed by incubated with primary Abs (Ab types are detailed in figures; diluted to 200 ng/ml) and second Abs (labeled with horseradish peroxidase; diluted to 20 ng/ml). After each incubation, the membrane was washed three times with Tris-buffered saline (containing 0.05% Tween 20; TBST). Enhanced chemiluminescence was used to develop immunoblots on the membrane and they were photographed using an imaging device (UVP, Cambridge, UK).
Immunoprecipitation (IP)
Protein G agarose beads were used to precleared protein complexes in protein samples for 2 h. After centrifugation, the beads were discarded. After overnight incubation with Abs of interest or isotype IgG, the samples were then incubated with protein G agarose beads for 2 h. After centrifugation, the beads were collected. Western blotting was used to analyze proteins on the beads.
Chromatin IP (ChIP)
Cells were fixed with 1% formalin for 15 min, lysed with a lysing buffer, and sonicated to shear the DNA into small pieces. The samples were then processed using IP procedures. The protein-DNA on the beads was eluted with an eluting buffer and analyzed by qPCR in the presence of the Tert promoter primers. The results are presented as a fold change compared to the input.
Enforced expression of Tert in BMDCs
Tert expression plasmids were constructed by a biotech company (Shanghai Sangon Biotech, Shanghai, China), and transfected into BMDCs with lipofectamine following the manufacturer’s instructions. The recombinant TERT protein in BMDCs was assessed by Western blotting 48 h after the transfection.
Assessment the immune tolerogenic function of DC
CD1d+CD5+ DCs were isolated from LPMCs, and CD3+CD4+CD25⁻ T cells were isolated from the naïve mouse spleen by FCM cell sorting. The DCs and T cells were cocultured at a ratio of 1:5 in the presence of non-specific cell activators [phorbol myristate acetate (PMA, 50 ng/ml) and ionomycin (100 ng/ml)]. The induction of Tr1 cells was assessed by FCM three days later.
Allergen specific immunotherapy (AIT)
Following published procedures [13], FA mice were treated with oral AIT or/and CpG (100 µg/mouse). Briefly, OVA was gavage-fed with doses of 1 mg (days 1 and 2), 2 mg (days 3 and 4), 3 mg (days 5–7), 4 mg (days 8 and 9), and 5 mg (days 10–14). Control mice were treated with PBS. Oral challenge with OVA was conducted one day after the last treatment of AIT. FA response was assessed for each mouse.
Statistics
Student's t-test was used to determine the difference between two groups. ANOVA + Bonferroni test was performed for multiple comparisons. Correlation between groups was carried out using the Pearson correlation coefficient test. p < 0.05 was set as a significant criterion.