Aquaporin-9-expressing neutrophils are required for the establishment of contact hypersensitivity

Aquaporin-9 (AQP9), a water/glycerol channel protein, is expressed in several immune cells including neutrophils; however, its role in immune response remains unknown. Here we show the involvement of AQP9 in hapten-induced contact hypersensitivity (CHS), as a murine model of skin allergic contact dermatitis, using AQP9 knockout (AQP9(−/−)) mice. First, the CHS response to hapten dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB) was impaired in AQP9(−/−) mice compared with wild-type (WT) mice. Adoptive transfer of sensitized AQP9(−/−) draining lymph node (dLN) cells into WT recipients resulted in a reduced CHS response, indicating impaired sensitization in AQP9(−/−) mice. Second, administration of WT neutrophils into AQP9(−/−) mice during sensitization rescued the impaired CHS response. Neutrophil recruitment to dLNs upon hapten application was attenuated by AQP9 deficiency. Coincidentally, AQP9(−/−) neutrophils showed a reduced CC-chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) ligand-induced migration efficacy, which was attributed to the attenuated recruitment of neutrophils to dLNs. Furthermore, we found that neutrophil deficiency, observed in AQP9(−/−) or neutrophil-depleted mice, decreased IL-17A production by dLN cells, which might be responsible for T cell activation during a subsequent CHS response. Taken together, these findings suggest that AQP9 is required for the development of sensitization during cutaneous acquired immune responses via regulating neutrophil function.