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. 2010 May 1;184(9):4827-41.
doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.0901662. Epub 2010 Mar 24.

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species control T cell activation by regulating IL-2 and IL-4 expression: mechanism of ciprofloxacin-mediated immunosuppression

Marcin M Kaminski  1 , Sven W Sauer, Claus-Detlev Klemke, Dorothee Süss, Jürgen G Okun, Peter H Krammer, Karsten Gülow
Affiliations

Mitochondrial reactive oxygen species control T cell activation by regulating IL-2 and IL-4 expression: mechanism of ciprofloxacin-mediated immunosuppression

Marcin M Kaminski et al. J Immunol. .

Abstract

This article shows that T cell activation-induced expression of the cytokines IL-2 and -4 is determined by an oxidative signal originating from mitochondrial respiratory complex I. We also report that ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, exerts immunosuppressive effects on human T cells suppressing this novel mechanism. Sustained treatment of preactivated primary human T cells with ciprofloxacin results in a dose-dependent inhibition of TCR-induced generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and IL-2 and -4 expression. This is accompanied by the loss of mitochondrial DNA and a resulting decrease in activity of the complex I. Consequently, using a complex I inhibitor or small interfering RNA-mediated downregulation of the complex I chaperone NDUFAF1, we demonstrate that TCR-triggered ROS generation by complex I is indispensable for activation-induced IL-2 and -4 expression and secretion in resting and preactivated human T cells. This oxidative signal (H(2)O(2)) synergizes with Ca(2+) influx for IL-2/IL-4 expression and facilitates induction of the transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1. Moreover, using T cells isolated from patients with atopic dermatitis, we show that inhibition of complex I-mediated ROS generation blocks disease-associated spontaneous hyperexpression and TCR-induced expression of IL-4. Prolonged ciprofloxacin treatment of T cells from patients with atopic dermatitis also blocks activation-induced expression and secretion of IL-4. Thus, our work shows that the activation phenotype of T cells is controlled by a mitochondrial complex I-originated oxidative signal.

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