The orphan nuclear receptor NR4A3 is involved in the function of dendritic cells

NR4A3/NOR1 belongs to the NR4A subfamily of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily, which is activated in a ligandindependent manner. To examine the role of NR4A3 in gene expression of dendritic cells (DCs), we introduced NR4A3 small interfering RNA (siRNA) into bone marrow-derived DCs and determined the expression levels of mRNA and proteins of cytokines, cell surface molecules, NF-kB signaling-related proteins, and transcription factors. The expression level of NR4A3 was markedly upregulated by TLR-mediated stimulation in DCs. NR4A3 knockdown significantly suppressed LPS, CpG, or poly(I:C)-mediated upregulation of CD80, CD86, IL-10, IL-6, and IL-12. Proliferation and IL-2 production levels of T cells cocultured with NR4A3 knocked-down DCs were significantly lower than that of T cells cocultured with control DCs. Furthermore, the expression of IKKb, IRF4, and IRF8 was significantly decreased in NR4A3 siRNA-introduced bone marrow-derived DCs. The knockdown experiments using siRNAs for IKKb, IRF4, and/or IRF8 indicated that LPS-induced upregulation of IL-10 and IL-6 was reduced in IKKb knocked-down cells, and that the upregulation of IL-12 was suppressed by the knockdown of IRF4 and IRF8. Taken together, these results indicate that NR4A3 is involved in TLR-mediated activation and gene expression of DCs.