A Role for CD154, the CD40 Ligand, in Granulomatous Inflammation

Mediators Inflamm. 2017:2017:2982879. doi: 10.1155/2017/2982879. Epub 2017 Jul 12.

Abstract

Granulomatous inflammation is a distinctive form of chronic inflammation in which predominant cells include macrophages, epithelioid cells, and multinucleated giant cells. Mechanisms regulating granulomatous inflammation remain ill-understood. CD154, the ligand of CD40, is a key mediator of inflammation. CD154 confers a proinflammatory phenotype to macrophages and controls several macrophagic functions. Here, we studied the contribution of CD154 in a mouse model of toxic liver injury with carbon tetrachloride and a model of absorbable suture graft. In both models, granulomas are triggered in response to endogenous persistent liver calcified necrotic lesions or by grafted sutures. CD154-deficient mice showed delayed clearance of carbon tetrachloride-induced liver calcified necrotic lesions and impaired progression of suture-induced granuloma. In vitro, CD154 stimulated phagocytosis of opsonized erythrocytes by macrophages, suggesting a potential mechanism for the altered granulomatous inflammation in CD154KO mice. These results suggest that CD154 may contribute to the natural history of granulomatous inflammation.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CD40 Ligand / immunology
  • CD40 Ligand / metabolism*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Giant Cells / metabolism
  • Granuloma / immunology
  • Granuloma / metabolism*
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Inflammation / immunology
  • Inflammation / metabolism*
  • Macrophages / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction / physiology

Substances

  • CD40 Ligand