The cystine/glutamate antiporter regulates indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase protein levels and enzymatic activity in human dendritic cells.

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the tryptophan-catabolizing pathway and a key regulator of peripheral immune tolerance. As the suppressive effects of IDO are predominantly mediated by dendritic cells (DCs) and IDO-competent DCs promote long-term immunologic tolerance, a detailed understanding of how IDO expression and activity is regulated in these cells is central to the rational design of therapies to induce robust immune tolerance. We previously reported that the cystine/glutamate antiporter modulates the functional expression of IDO in human monocyte-derived DCs. Specifically, we showed that blocking antiporter uptake of cystine significantly increased both IDO mRNA and IDO enzymatic activity and that this correlated with impaired DC presentation of exogenous antigen to T cells via MHC class II and the cross-presentation pathway. The antiporter regulates intracellular and extracellular redox by transporting cystine into the cell in exchange for glutamate. Intracellular cystine is reduced to cysteine to support biosynthesis of the major cellular antioxidant glutathione and cysteine is exported from the cell where it functions as an extracellular antioxidant. Here we show that antiporter control of IDO expression in DCs is reversible, independent of interferon-γ, regulated by redox, and requires active protein synthesis. These findings highlight a role for antiporter regulation of cellular redox as a critical control point for modulating IDO expression and activity in DCs. Thus, systemic disease and aging, processes that perturb redox homeostasis, may adversely affect immunity by promoting the generation of IDO-competent DCs.