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Stakišaitis D, Kapočius L, Kilimaitė E, Gečys D, Šlekienė L, Balnytė I, Palubinskienė J, Lesauskaitė V. Preclinical Study in Mouse Thymus and Thymocytes: Effects of Treatment with a Combination of Sodium Dichloroacetate and Sodium Valproate on Infectious Inflammation Pathways. Pharmaceutics 2023; 15:2715. [PMID: 38140056 PMCID: PMC10747708 DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics15122715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The research presents data from a preclinical study on the anti-inflammatory effects of a sodium dichloroacetate and sodium valproate combination (DCA-VPA). The 2-week treatment with a DCA 100 mg/kg/day and VPA 150 mg/kg/day combination solution in drinking water's effects on the thymus weight, its cortex/medulla ratio, Hassall's corpuscles (HCs) number in the thymus medulla, and the expression of inflammatory and immune-response-related genes in thymocytes of male Balb/c mice were studied. Two groups of mice aged 6-7 weeks were investigated: a control (n = 12) and a DCA-VPA-treated group (n = 12). The treatment did not affect the body weight gain (p > 0.05), the thymus weight (p > 0.05), the cortical/medulla ratio (p > 0.05), or the number of HCs (p > 0.05). Treatment significantly increased the Slc5a8 gene expression by 2.1-fold (p < 0.05). Gene sequence analysis revealed a significant effect on the expression of inflammation-related genes in thymocytes by significantly altering the expression of several genes related to the cytokine activity pathway, the inflammatory response pathway, and the Il17 signaling pathway in thymocytes. Data suggest that DCA-VPA exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the inflammatory mechanisms in the mouse thymocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatas Stakišaitis
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
- Laboratory of Molecular Oncology, National Cancer Institute, 08660 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Linas Kapočius
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Evelina Kilimaitė
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Dovydas Gečys
- Laboratory of Molecular Cardiology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Sukileliu Ave., 50161 Kaunas, Lithuania;
| | - Lina Šlekienė
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Ingrida Balnytė
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Jolita Palubinskienė
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Medical Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania; (L.K.); (L.Š.); (I.B.); (J.P.)
| | - Vaiva Lesauskaitė
- Laboratory of Molecular Cardiology, Institute of Cardiology, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Sukileliu Ave., 50161 Kaunas, Lithuania;
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2
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Simioni C, Conti I, Varano G, Brenna C, Costanzi E, Neri LM. The Complexity of the Tumor Microenvironment and Its Role in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: Implications for Therapies. Front Oncol 2021; 11:673506. [PMID: 34026651 PMCID: PMC8131840 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.673506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The microenvironment that surrounds a tumor, in addition to the tumor itself, plays an important role in the onset of resistance to molecularly targeted therapies. Cancer cells and their microenvironment interact closely between them by means of a molecular communication that mutually influences their biological characteristics and behavior. Leukemia cells regulate the recruitment, activation and program of the cells of the surrounding microenvironment, including those of the immune system. Studies on the interactions between the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) cells have opened a scenario of potential therapeutic targets which include cytokines and their receptors, signal transduction networks, and hypoxia-related proteins. Hypoxia also enhances the formation of new blood vessels, and several studies show how angiogenesis could have a key role in the pathogenesis of ALL. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying tumor-microenvironment communication and angiogenesis could contribute to the early diagnosis of leukemia and to personalized molecular therapies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Innovative Multi-Disciplinary Approaches for Precision Studies in Leukemia edited by Sandra Marmiroli (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy) and Xu Huang (University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom).
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Simioni
- Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) - Electron Microscopy Center, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Ilaria Conti
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Gabriele Varano
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Cinzia Brenna
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Eva Costanzi
- Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Luca M Neri
- Laboratory for Technologies of Advanced Therapies (LTTA) - Electron Microscopy Center, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,Department of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
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3
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Pérez AR, de Meis J, Rodriguez-Galan MC, Savino W. The Thymus in Chagas Disease: Molecular Interactions Involved in Abnormal T-Cell Migration and Differentiation. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1838. [PMID: 32983098 PMCID: PMC7492291 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Chagas disease, caused by the protozoan parasite T. cruzi, is a prevalent parasitic disease in Latin America. Presently, it is spreading around the world by human migration, thus representing a new global health issue. Chronically infected individuals reveal a dissimilar disease progression: while nearly 60% remain without apparent disease for life, 30% develop life-threatening pathologies, such as chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) or megaviscerae. Inflammation driven by parasite persistence seems to be involved in the pathophysiology of the disease. However, there is also evidence of the occurrence of autoimmune events, mainly caused by molecular mimicry and bystander activation. In experimental models of disease, is well-established that T. cruzi infects the thymus and causes locally profound structural and functional alterations. The hallmark is a massive loss of CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP) thymocytes, mainly triggered by increased levels of glucocorticoids, although other mechanisms seem to act simultaneously. Thymic epithelial cells (TEC) exhibited an increase in extracellular matrix deposition, which are related to thymocyte migratory alterations. Moreover, medullary TEC showed a decreased expression of AIRE and altered expression of microRNAs, which might be linked to a disrupted negative selection of the T-cell repertoire. Also, almost all stages of thymocyte development are altered, including an abnormal output of CD4−CD8− double negative (DN) and DP immature and mature cells, many of them carrying prohibited TCR-Vβ segments. Evidence has shown that DN and DP cells with an activated phenotype can be tracked in the blood of humans with chronic Chagas disease and also in the secondary lymphoid organs and heart of infected mice, raising new questions about the relevance of these populations in the pathogenesis of Chagas disease and their possible link with thymic alterations and an immunoendocrine imbalance. Here, we discuss diverse molecular mechanisms underlying thymic abnormalities occurring during T. cruzi infection and their link with CCC, which may contribute to the design of innovative strategies to control Chagas disease pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Rosa Pérez
- Instituto de Inmunología Clínica y Experimental de Rosario, CONICET-Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina.,Centro de Investigación y Producción de Reactivos Biológicos, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Rosario, Argentina
| | - Juliana de Meis
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | | | - Wilson Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.,Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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4
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Alanio C, Barreira da Silva R, Michonneau D, Bousso P, Ingersoll MA, Albert ML. CXCR3/CXCL10 Axis Shapes Tissue Distribution of Memory Phenotype CD8 + T Cells in Nonimmunized Mice. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2017; 200:139-146. [PMID: 29187588 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The preimmune repertoire consists of mature T lymphocytes that have not yet been stimulated in the periphery. Memory phenotype (MP) cells have been reported as part of the preimmune repertoire (i.e., T cells bearing memory markers despite lack of engagement with cognate Ag); however, little is known about their trafficking and function. In this study, we hypothesized that MP cells, naive to TCR stimulation, constitute a transient population that traffics to tissues during development. Using mutant and transgenic animals with a monospecific TCR, we discovered increased numbers of MP CD8+ T cells circulating in nonimmunized Cxcr3-/- and Cxcl10-/- mice compared with wild-type animals. Phenotypic differences included decreased numbers of preimmune MP Ag-specific T cells in the skin and thymus and a distinct pattern of activation upon TCR engagement. Our results show for the first time, to our knowledge, an important role for CXCR3 and CXCL10 in the tissue distribution of preimmune MP cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile Alanio
- Laboratory of Dendritic Cell Immunology, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.,Inserm U1223, 75015 Paris, France.,Center for Translational Research, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | | | - David Michonneau
- Inserm U1223, 75015 Paris, France.,Laboratory of Dynamics of Immune Responses, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Philippe Bousso
- Inserm U1223, 75015 Paris, France.,Laboratory of Dynamics of Immune Responses, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Molly A Ingersoll
- Laboratory of Dendritic Cell Immunology, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France.,Inserm U1223, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Matthew L Albert
- Laboratory of Dendritic Cell Immunology, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France; .,Inserm U1223, 75015 Paris, France.,Department of Cancer Immunology, Genentech, South San Francisco, CA 94080; and
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5
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Cron MA, Maillard S, Villegas J, Truffault F, Sudres M, Dragin N, Berrih-Aknin S, Le Panse R. Thymus involvement in early-onset myasthenia gravis. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2017; 1412:137-145. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mélanie A. Cron
- INSERM U974; Paris France
- UPMC Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
- AIM; Institut de myologie; Paris France
| | - Solène Maillard
- INSERM U974; Paris France
- UPMC Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
- AIM; Institut de myologie; Paris France
| | - José Villegas
- INSERM U974; Paris France
- UPMC Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
- AIM; Institut de myologie; Paris France
| | - Frédérique Truffault
- INSERM U974; Paris France
- UPMC Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
- AIM; Institut de myologie; Paris France
| | - Muriel Sudres
- INSERM U974; Paris France
- UPMC Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
- AIM; Institut de myologie; Paris France
| | - Nadine Dragin
- INSERM U974; Paris France
- UPMC Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
- AIM; Institut de myologie; Paris France
| | - Sonia Berrih-Aknin
- INSERM U974; Paris France
- UPMC Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
- AIM; Institut de myologie; Paris France
| | - Rozen Le Panse
- INSERM U974; Paris France
- UPMC Sorbonne Universités; Paris France
- AIM; Institut de myologie; Paris France
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6
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Losada-Barragán M, Umaña-Pérez A, Cuervo-Escobar S, Berbert LR, Porrozzi R, Morgado FN, Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Savino W, Sánchez-Gómez M, Cuervo P. Protein malnutrition promotes dysregulation of molecules involved in T cell migration in the thymus of mice infected with Leishmania infantum. Sci Rep 2017; 7:45991. [PMID: 28397794 PMCID: PMC5387407 DOI: 10.1038/srep45991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein malnutrition, the most deleterious cause of malnutrition in developing countries, has been considered a primary risk factor for the development of clinical visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Protein malnutrition and infection with Leishmania infantum leads to lymphoid tissue disorganization, including changes in cellularity and lymphocyte subpopulations in the thymus and spleen. Here we report that protein malnutrition modifies thymic chemotactic factors by diminishing the CCL5, CXCL12, IGF1, CXCL9 and CXCL10 protein levels in infected animals. Nevertheless, T cells preserve their migratory capability, as they were able to migrate ex vivo in response to chemotactic stimuli, indicating that malnutrition may compromise the thymic microenvironment and alter in vivo thymocyte migration. Decrease in chemotactic factors protein levels was accompanied by an early increase in the parasite load of the spleen. These results suggest that the precondition of malnutrition is affecting the cell-mediated immune response to L. infantum by altering T cell migration and interfering with the capacity of protein-deprived animals to control parasite spreading and proliferation. Our data provide evidence for a disturbance of T lymphocyte migration involving both central and peripheral T-cells, which likely contribute to the pathophysiology of VL that occurs in malnourished individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Losada-Barragán
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Adriana Umaña-Pérez
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Ciencias, Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Sergio Cuervo-Escobar
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Ciencias, Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Luiz Ricardo Berbert
- Laboratório de Pesquisas sobre o Timo, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Renato Porrozzi
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Fernanda N Morgado
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | | | - Wilson Savino
- Laboratório de Pesquisas sobre o Timo, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil
| | - Myriam Sánchez-Gómez
- Departamento de Química, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogotá, Facultad de Ciencias, Grupo de Investigación en Hormonas, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Patricia Cuervo
- Laboratório de Pesquisas em Leishmaniose, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
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7
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Julián MT, Alonso N, Colobran R, Sánchez A, Miñarro A, Pujol-Autonell I, Carrascal J, Rodríguez-Fernández S, Ampudia RM, Vives-Pi M, Puig-Domingo M. CD26/DPPIV inhibition alters the expression of immune response-related genes in the thymi of NOD mice. Mol Cell Endocrinol 2016; 426:101-12. [PMID: 26911933 DOI: 10.1016/j.mce.2016.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2015] [Revised: 02/15/2016] [Accepted: 02/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The transmembrane glycoprotein CD26 or dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) is a multifunctional protein. In immune system, CD26 plays a role in T-cell function and is also involved in thymic maturation and emigration patterns. In preclinical studies, treatment with DPPIV inhibitors reduces insulitis and delays or even reverses the new -onset of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. However, the specific mechanisms involved in these effects remain unknown. The aim of the present study was to investigate how DPPIV inhibition modifies the expression of genes in the thymus of NOD mice by microarray analysis. Changes in the gene expression of β-cell autoantigens and Aire in thymic epithelial cells (TECs) were also evaluated by using qRT-PCR. A DPPIV inhibitor, MK626, was orally administered in the diet for 4 and 6 weeks starting at 6-8 weeks of age. Thymic glands from treated and control mice were obtained for each study checkpoint. Thymus transcriptome analysis revealed that 58 genes were significantly over-expressed in MK626-treated mice after 6 weeks of treatment. Changes in gene expression in the thymus were confined mainly to the immune system, including innate immunity, chemotaxis, antigen presentation and immunoregulation. Most of the genes are implicated in central tolerance mechanisms through several pathways. No differences were observed in the expression of Aire and β-cell autoantigens in TECs. In the current study, we demonstrate that treatment with the DPPIV inhibitor MK626 in NOD mice alters the expression of the immune response-related genes in the thymus, especially those related to immunological central tolerance, and may contribute to the prevention of T1D.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Teresa Julián
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute and Hospital, 08916, Badalona, Spain; Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Núria Alonso
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute and Hospital, 08916, Badalona, Spain; Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Roger Colobran
- Immunology Division, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, 08035, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alex Sánchez
- Statistics Department, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain; Statistics and Bioinformatics Unit, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), 08035, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antoni Miñarro
- Statistics Department, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irma Pujol-Autonell
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jorge Carrascal
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Silvia Rodríguez-Fernández
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rosa María Ampudia
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Vives-Pi
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute, 08916, Badalona, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Manel Puig-Domingo
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute and Hospital, 08916, Badalona, Spain; Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain; CIBER of Rare Diseases (CIBERER), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), 28029, Madrid, Spain.
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8
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Halkias J, Melichar HJ, Taylor KT, Robey EA. Tracking migration during human T cell development. Cell Mol Life Sci 2014; 71:3101-17. [PMID: 24682469 PMCID: PMC11113765 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-014-1607-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2013] [Revised: 02/21/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2014] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Specialized microenvironments within the thymus are comprised of unique cell types with distinct roles in directing the development of a diverse, functional, and self-tolerant T cell repertoire. As they differentiate, thymocytes transit through a number of developmental intermediates that are associated with unique localization and migration patterns. For example, during one particular developmental transition, immature thymocytes more than double in speed as they become mature T cells that are among the fastest cells in the body. This transition is associated with dramatic changes in the expression of chemokine receptors and their antagonists, cell adhesion molecules, and cytoskeletal components to direct the maturing thymocyte population from the cortex to medulla. Here we discuss the dynamic changes in behavior that occur throughout thymocyte development, and provide an overview of the cell-intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that regulate human thymocyte migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Halkias
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 142 Life Sciences Addition, #3200, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3200, USA,
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9
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Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Brignier AC, Asnafi V, Baleydier F, Messias CV, Lepelletier Y, Bedjaoui N, Renand A, Smaniotto S, Canioni D, Milpied P, Balabanian K, Bousso P, Leprêtre S, Bertrand Y, Dombret H, Ifrah N, Dardenne M, Macintyre E, Savino W, Hermine O. Semaphorin 3F and neuropilin-2 control the migration of human T-cell precursors. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103405. [PMID: 25068647 PMCID: PMC4113369 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2014] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Neuropilins and semaphorins are known as modulators of axon guidance, angiogenesis, and organogenesis in the developing nervous system, but have been recently evidenced as also playing a role in the immune system. Here we describe the expression and role of semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F) and its receptor neuropilin-2 (NRP2) in human T cell precursors. NRP2 and SEMA3F are expressed in the human thymus, in both lymphoid and non-lymphoid compartments. SEMA3F have a repulsive effect on thymocyte migration and inhibited CXCL12- and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P)-induced thymocyte migration by inhibiting cytoskeleton reorganization prior to stimuli. Moreover, NRP2 and SEMA3F are expressed in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma primary cells. In these tumor cells, SEMA3F also blocks their migration induced by CXCL12 and S1P. Our data show that SEMA3F and NRP2 are further regulators of human thymocyte migration in physiological and pathological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniella Arêas Mendes-da-Cruz
- CNRS UMR8147, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
- Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- * E-mail: (DAMC); (OH)
| | - Anne Colette Brignier
- CNRS UMR8147, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
- Department of Clinical Hematology, Necker Children's Hospital, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), Paris, France
| | - Vahid Asnafi
- Laboratory of Oncohematology, AP-HP, Necker Children's Hospital, INSERM U1151, Paris, France
| | - Frederic Baleydier
- Laboratory of Oncohematology, AP-HP, Necker Children's Hospital, INSERM U1151, Paris, France
| | | | - Yves Lepelletier
- CNRS UMR8147, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
- INSERM U1163, CNRS ERL 8254, Laboratory of cellular and molecular basis of hematological disorders and their therapeutic implications, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
| | - Nawel Bedjaoui
- Laboratory of Oncohematology, AP-HP, Necker Children's Hospital, INSERM U1151, Paris, France
| | - Amedée Renand
- CNRS UMR8147, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
| | - Salete Smaniotto
- Department of Morphology, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Danielle Canioni
- Laboratory of Oncohematology, AP-HP, Necker Children's Hospital, INSERM U1151, Paris, France
- Department of Morphology, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Yves Bertrand
- Service of Pediatric Hematology, Hôpital Debrousse, Lyon, France
| | - Hervé Dombret
- University Paris 7, Hôpital Saint-Louis, AP-HP, and Institut Universitaire d'Hématologie EA3518, Paris, France
| | - Norbert Ifrah
- Pôle de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur l'Université Nantes Angers Le Mans, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Angers, Service des Maladies du Sang and INSERM U892, Angers, France
| | | | - Elizabeth Macintyre
- Laboratory of Oncohematology, AP-HP, Necker Children's Hospital, INSERM U1151, Paris, France
| | - Wilson Savino
- Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Olivier Hermine
- CNRS UMR8147, Paris Descartes University, Paris, France
- Laboratory of Oncohematology, AP-HP, Necker Children's Hospital, INSERM U1151, Paris, France
- INSERM U1163, CNRS ERL 8254, Laboratory of cellular and molecular basis of hematological disorders and their therapeutic implications, Imagine Institute, Paris, France
- * E-mail: (DAMC); (OH)
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10
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Modified interferon-α subtypes production and chemokine networks in the thymus during acute simian immunodeficiency virus infection, impact on thymopoiesis. AIDS 2014; 28:1101-13. [PMID: 24614087 DOI: 10.1097/qad.0000000000000249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Thymus dysfunction characterizes human/simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infections and contributes to physiopathology. However, both the mechanisms involved in thymic dysfunction and its precise timing remain unknown. We here analyzed thymic function during acute SIV infection in rhesus macaques. DESIGN AND METHODS Rhesus macaques were intravenously infected with SIVmac251 and bled every 2/3 days or necropsied at different early time points postinfection. Naive T-cell counts were followed by flow cytometry and their T-cell receptor excision circle content evaluated by qPCR. Thymic chemokines were quantified by reverse transcription-qPCR and localized by in-situ hybridization in thymuses collected at necropsy. Thymic interferon alpha (IFN-α) subtype production was quantified by reverse transcription-qPCR combined to heteroduplex tracking assay. The effect of thymic IFN-α subtypes was tested on sorted triple negative thymocytes cultured on OP9-hDL1 cells. RESULTS A reduced intrathymic proliferation history characterizes T cells produced during the first weeks of infection. Moreover, we evidenced a profound alteration of both chemokines and IFN-α subtypes transcriptional patterns in SIV-infected thymuses. Finally, we showed that IFN-α subtypes produced in the infected thymuses inhibit thymocyte proliferation, still preserving their differentiation capacity. CONCLUSION Thymopoiesis is deeply impacted from the first days of SIV infection. Reduced thymocyte proliferation - a time-consuming process - together with modified chemokine networks is consistent with thymocyte differentiation speed-up. This may transiently enhance thymic output, thus increasing naive T-cell counts and diversity and the immune competence of the host. Nonetheless, long-lasting modification of thymic physiology may lead to thymic exhaustion, as observed in late primary HIV infection.
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Cordiglieri C, Marolda R, Franzi S, Cappelletti C, Giardina C, Motta T, Baggi F, Bernasconi P, Mantegazza R, Cavalcante P. Innate immunity in myasthenia gravis thymus: pathogenic effects of Toll-like receptor 4 signaling on autoimmunity. J Autoimmun 2014; 52:74-89. [PMID: 24397961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaut.2013.12.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2013] [Accepted: 12/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The thymus is the main site of immune sensitization to AChR in myasthenia gravis (MG). In our previous studies we demonstrated that Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 is over-expressed in MG thymuses, suggesting its involvement in altering the thymic microenvironment and favoring autosensitization and autoimmunity maintenance processes, via an effect on local chemokine/cytokine network. Here, we investigated whether TLR4 signaling may favor abnormal cell recruitment in MG thymus via CCL17 and CCL22, two chemokines known to dictate immune cell trafficking in inflamed organs by binding CCR4. We also investigated whether TLR4 activation may contribute to immunodysregulation, via the production of Th17-related cytokines, known to alter effector T cell (Teff)/regulatory T cell (Treg) balance. We found that CCL17, CCL22 and CCR4 were expressed at higher levels in MG compared to normal thymuses. The two chemokines were mainly detected around medullary Hassall's corpuscles (HCs), co-localizing with TLR4(+) thymic epithelial cells (TECs) and CCR4(+) dendritic cells (DCs), that were present in higher number in MG thymuses compared to controls. TLR4 stimulation in MG TECs increased CCL17 and CCL22 expression and induced the production of Th17-related cytokines. Then, to study the effect of TLR4-stimulated TECs on immune cell interactions and Teff activation, we generated an in-vitro imaging model by co-culturing CD4(+) Th1/Th17 AChR-specific T cells, naïve CD4(+)CD25(+) Tregs, DCs and TECs from Lewis rats. We observed that TLR4 stimulation led to a more pronounced Teff activatory status, suggesting that TLR4 signaling in MG thymic milieu may affect cell-to-cell interactions, favoring autoreactive T-cell activation. Altogether our findings suggest a role for TLR4 signaling in driving DC recruitment in MG thymus via CCL17 and CCL22, and in generating an inflammatory response that might compromise Treg function, favoring autoreactive T-cell pathogenic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Cordiglieri
- Neurology IV Unit, Neurological Institute 'Carlo Besta', Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Roberta Marolda
- Neurology IV Unit, Neurological Institute 'Carlo Besta', Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Sara Franzi
- Neurology IV Unit, Neurological Institute 'Carlo Besta', Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Cristina Cappelletti
- Neurology IV Unit, Neurological Institute 'Carlo Besta', Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Carmelo Giardina
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Azienda Ospedaliera Bolognini Seriate, Via Paterno 21, 24068 Seriate Bergamo, Italy.
| | - Teresio Motta
- Department of Pathological Anatomy, Azienda Ospedaliera Bolognini Seriate, Via Paterno 21, 24068 Seriate Bergamo, Italy.
| | - Fulvio Baggi
- Neurology IV Unit, Neurological Institute 'Carlo Besta', Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Pia Bernasconi
- Neurology IV Unit, Neurological Institute 'Carlo Besta', Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Renato Mantegazza
- Neurology IV Unit, Neurological Institute 'Carlo Besta', Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.
| | - Paola Cavalcante
- Neurology IV Unit, Neurological Institute 'Carlo Besta', Via Celoria 11, 20133 Milan, Italy.
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12
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Halkias J, Melichar HJ, Taylor KT, Ross JO, Yen B, Cooper SB, Winoto A, Robey EA. Opposing chemokine gradients control human thymocyte migration in situ. J Clin Invest 2013; 123:2131-42. [PMID: 23585474 DOI: 10.1172/jci67175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2012] [Accepted: 02/15/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ordered migration of thymocytes from the cortex to the medulla is critical for the appropriate selection of the mature T cell repertoire. Most studies of thymocyte migration rely on mouse models, but we know relatively little about how human thymocytes find their appropriate anatomical niches within the thymus. Moreover, the signals that retain CD4+CD8+ double-positive (DP) thymocytes in the cortex and prevent them from entering the medulla prior to positive selection have not been identified in mice or humans. Here, we examined the intrathymic migration of human thymocytes in both mouse and human thymic stroma and found that human thymocyte subsets localized appropriately to the cortex on mouse thymic stroma and that MHC-dependent interactions between human thymocytes and mouse stroma could maintain the activation and motility of DP cells. We also showed that CXCR4 was required to retain human DP thymocytes in the cortex, whereas CCR7 promoted migration of mature human thymocytes to the medulla. Thus, 2 opposing chemokine gradients control the migration of thymocytes from the cortex to the medulla. These findings point to significant interspecies conservation in thymocyte-stroma interactions and provide the first evidence that chemokines not only attract mature thymocytes to the medulla, but also play an active role in retaining DP thymocytes in the cortex prior to positive selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Halkias
- Division of Immunology and Pathogenesis, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720-3200, USA
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13
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Morales-Tirado V, Luszczek W, van der Merwe M, Pillai A. Regulatory immunotherapy in bone marrow transplantation. ScientificWorldJournal 2012; 11:2620-34. [PMID: 22262950 PMCID: PMC3254014 DOI: 10.1100/2011/768948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2011] [Accepted: 10/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Every year individuals receive hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) to eradicate malignant and nonmalignant disease. The immunobiology of allotransplantation is an area of ongoing discovery, from the recipient's conditioning treatment prior to the transplant to the donor cell populations responsible for engraftment, graft-versus-host disease, and graft-versus-tumor effect. In this review, we focus on donor-type immunoregulatory T cells, namely, natural killer T cells (NKT) and regulatory T cells (Treg), and their current and potential roles in tolerance induction after allogeneic HSCT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa Morales-Tirado
- Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
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14
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Smaniotto S, Martins-Neto AA, Dardenne M, Savino W. Growth hormone is a modulator of lymphocyte migration. Neuroimmunomodulation 2011; 18:309-13. [PMID: 21952682 DOI: 10.1159/000329497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell migration is crucial for intrathymic T cell differentiation and export of mature T lymphocytes to the peripheral lymphoid organs. The intrinsic regulation of T cell migration, mediated by adhesion molecules and chemokines, can be influenced by a number of endogenous factors, such as hormones, as for instance growth hormone (GH). Laminin deposition was enhanced in GH-treated mice and in GH-transgenic animals, compared with corresponding controls, and thymocyte adhesion to laminin was increased by in vivo GH treatment. An enhancing effect was also observed ex vivo in relation to the number of migrating cells in laminin-coated transwell chambers. Additionally, we found that the chemokine CXCL12, in conjunction with laminin, further enhanced the migration of thymocytes previously exposed to high concentrations of GH in vivo. Moreover, an increase in CXCL12 production has been detected in the thymus of GH-transgenic mice as well as in primary thymic epithelial cell cultures derived from these animals, as compared to age-matched wild-type counterparts. In keeping with these data, in vivo experiments showed that GH favors the trafficking of naive CD4+CD8- recent thymic emigrants to the peripheral lymph nodes. In addition, we found that migration of lymphocytes from mesenteric lymph nodes of GH-transgenic mice, triggered by the chemokine CXCL12, in conjunction with laminin or fibronectin, was enhanced, when compared to lymphocytes from control mice. Since GH-based therapy has been used in human and experimental infectious diseases, this hormone can be envisioned as an additional therapeutic tool in situations in which increasing lymphocyte numbers and migration are required for correcting a given pathological state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salete Smaniotto
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Brazil.
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15
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Le Panse R, Bismuth J, Cizeron-Clairac G, Weiss JM, Cufi P, Dartevelle P, De Rosbo NK, Berrih-Aknin S. Thymic remodeling associated with hyperplasia in myasthenia gravis. Autoimmunity 2010; 43:401-12. [DOI: 10.3109/08916930903563491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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16
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Berrih-Aknin S, Ruhlmann N, Bismuth J, Cizeron-Clairac G, Zelman E, Shachar I, Dartevelle P, de Rosbo NK, Le Panse R. CCL21 overexpressed on lymphatic vessels drives thymic hyperplasia in myasthenia. Ann Neurol 2009; 66:521-31. [DOI: 10.1002/ana.21628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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17
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Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Lepelletier Y, Brignier AC, Smaniotto S, Renand A, Milpied P, Dardenne M, Hermine O, Savino W. Neuropilins, semaphorins, and their role in thymocyte development. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2009; 1153:20-8. [PMID: 19236324 DOI: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2008.03980.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Some molecules described in the nervous system are also expressed in cells involved in the control of the immune response, suggesting they have a role as common mechanisms between neuroendocrine and immune systems. In this review, we focus on the expression and role of neuropilins (NPs) and their soluble ligands class 3 semaphorins in thymus physiology, particularly migration of developing thymocytes. We also discuss the concept of multivectorial thymocyte migration, including semaphorins, as a new individual cell migration vector.
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18
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Requirement of Galphai in thymic homing and early T cell development. Mol Immunol 2008; 45:3401-10. [PMID: 18501427 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2008.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2008] [Revised: 04/03/2008] [Accepted: 04/06/2008] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Demonstration of thymic homing dependent on Galphai proteins is one of the keys to determine whether thymic entrance of blood-borne progenitors is a highly selective process. The present study provides compelling evidence of an indispensable role for Galphai proteins in this process. Absence of either Galphai2 or Galphai3 significantly abrogated thymic homing, with an effect of Galphai3 being greater than that of Galphai2. Pertussis toxin treatment that blocks both Galphai2 and Galphai3 almost completely blocked thymic seeding in the thymus. Null mutation of Galphai3 also hindered bone marrow cell development and thus reduced production of pre-thymic progenitors. In contrast, Galphai2 exhibited a more prominent role than Galphai3 in guidance of CD4-CD8--double negative (DN) 1 cell migration and early thymic differentiation. The Galphai-deficiency-induced defects might be compensated for in part via augmented function of thymic stromal cells so that a nearly normal output of mature T cells could be maintained in these Galphai-deficient mice. These studies underscore the importance of Galphai in regulating thymic homing and pre-thymic and early thymocyte differentiation.
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19
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Ribeiro-Carvalho MM, Lima-Quaresma KRF, Mouço T, Carvalho VF, Mello-Coelho V, Savino W. Triiodothyronine modulates thymocyte migration. Scand J Immunol 2007; 66:17-25. [PMID: 17587342 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2007.01928.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Triiodothyronine (T(3)) exerts several effects on thymus physiology. In this sense, T(3) is known to stimulate thymic microenvironmental cells to enhance the production of extracellular matrix (ECM) moieties, which are relevant in thymocyte migration. Here, we further investigated the in vivo influence of T(3) on ECM production, as well as on ECM-related T-cell migration events. For this, BALB/c mice were subjected to two protocols of T(3) treatment: long-term (30 days) i.p. daily T(3) injections or short-term (16 h) after a single T(3) intrathymic injection. These two treatments did promote an enhancement in the expression of fibronectin and laminin, in both cortex and medullary regions of the thymic lobules. As revealed by the long-term treatment, the expression of ECM protein receptors, including VLA-4, VLA-5 and VLA-6, was also increased in thymocyte subsets issued from T(3)-treated mice. We further used thymic nurse cells (TNC) as an in vitro system to study the ECM-related migration of immature thymocytes in the context of thymic epithelial cells. Even a single intrathymic injection of T(3) resulted in an increase in the ex vivo exit of thymocytes from TNC lymphoepithelial complexes. Accordingly, when we evaluated thymocyte migration in transwell chambers pre-coated with ECM proteins, we found an increase in the numbers of migrating cells, when thymocytes were derived from T(3)-treated mice. Overall, our data show that in vivo intrathymic short-term i.p. long-term T(3) treatments are able to modulate thymocyte migration, probably via ECM-mediated interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M M Ribeiro-Carvalho
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilMiguelote Viana Central Laboratory, Niterói, BrazilLaboratory of Inflammation, Department of Physiology and Pharmacodynamics, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Department of Histology and Embryology, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - K R F Lima-Quaresma
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilMiguelote Viana Central Laboratory, Niterói, BrazilLaboratory of Inflammation, Department of Physiology and Pharmacodynamics, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Department of Histology and Embryology, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - T Mouço
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilMiguelote Viana Central Laboratory, Niterói, BrazilLaboratory of Inflammation, Department of Physiology and Pharmacodynamics, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Department of Histology and Embryology, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - V F Carvalho
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilMiguelote Viana Central Laboratory, Niterói, BrazilLaboratory of Inflammation, Department of Physiology and Pharmacodynamics, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Department of Histology and Embryology, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - V Mello-Coelho
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilMiguelote Viana Central Laboratory, Niterói, BrazilLaboratory of Inflammation, Department of Physiology and Pharmacodynamics, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Department of Histology and Embryology, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - W Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilMiguelote Viana Central Laboratory, Niterói, BrazilLaboratory of Inflammation, Department of Physiology and Pharmacodynamics, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;Department of Histology and Embryology, Biomedical Sciences Institute, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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20
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Lepelletier Y, Smaniotto S, Hadj-Slimane R, Villa-Verde DMS, Nogueira AC, Dardenne M, Hermine O, Savino W. Control of human thymocyte migration by Neuropilin-1/Semaphorin-3A-mediated interactions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2007; 104:5545-50. [PMID: 17369353 PMCID: PMC1838472 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0700705104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
It is largely established that molecules first discovered in the nervous system are also found in the immune system. Neuropilin-1 (NP-1) was initially identified to mediate semaphorin-induced chemorepulsion during brain development and is also involved in peripheral T cell/dendritic cell interactions. Herein, we studied NP-1 during T cell development in the human thymus. NP-1 is expressed in both cortex and medulla of thymic lobules, being found in distinct CD4/CD8-defined thymocyte subsets. NP-1 is also found in thymic epithelial cells (TEC) in situ and in vitro, and is recruited at the site of TEC-thymocyte contact. Moreover, NP-1 was rapidly up-regulated during thymocyte stimulation by T cell receptor (TCR) and IL-7 or after adhesion to TEC. Semaphorin-3A (Sema-3A), a natural ligand of NP-1, is also present in human thymus, both in TEC and thymocytes, being up-regulated in thymocytes after TCR engagement. Functionally, Sema-3A decreases the adhesion capacity of NP-1(+) thymocytes and induces their migration by a repulsive effect. In conclusion, we show here that NP-1/Sema-3A-mediated interactions participate in the control of human thymocyte development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yves Lepelletier
- *Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 8147, Université René Descartes Paris V, Hôpital Necker, 75743 Paris, France
| | - Salete Smaniotto
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Department of Morphology, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, 57072-970, Maceió, Brazil
| | - Réda Hadj-Slimane
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale Unité 648, Université Paris V René Descartes, 45 Rue des Saints Pères, 75006 Paris, France; and
- TRAGEX Pharma, Tour Reflets, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Déa Maria Serra Villa-Verde
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Ana Cristina Nogueira
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Mireille Dardenne
- *Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 8147, Université René Descartes Paris V, Hôpital Necker, 75743 Paris, France
| | - Olivier Hermine
- *Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Unité Mixte de Recherche 8147, Université René Descartes Paris V, Hôpital Necker, 75743 Paris, France
| | - Wilson Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- To whom correspondence should be addressed at:
Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Avenue Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. E-mail:
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Savino W, Villa-Verde DMS, Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Silva-Monteiro E, Perez AR, Aoki MDP, Bottasso O, Guiñazú N, Silva-Barbosa SD, Gea S. Cytokines and cell adhesion receptors in the regulation of immunity to Trypanosoma cruzi. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 2007; 18:107-24. [PMID: 17339126 DOI: 10.1016/j.cytogfr.2007.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Pathophysiology of Chagas' disease is not completely defined, although innate and adaptative immune responses are crucial. In acute infection some parasite antigens can activate macrophages, and this may result in pro-inflammatory cytokine production, nitric oxide synthesis, and consequent control of parasitemia and mortality. Cell-mediated immunity in Trypanosoma cruzi infection is also modulated by cytokines, but in addition to parasite-specific responses, autoimmunity can be also triggered. Importantly, cytokines may also play a role in the cell-mediated immunity of infected subjects. Finally, leukocyte influx towards target tissues is regulated by cytokines, chemokines, and extracellular matrix components which may represent potential therapeutic targets in infected patients. Here we will discuss recent findings on the role of cytokines, chemokines and extracellular matrix components in the regulation of innate and adaptive immunity during T. cruzi infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Savino
- Laboratory of Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ave. Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Abstract
The T cell branch of the immune system can respond to a virtually infinite variety of exogenous antigens, thus including the possibility of self-antigen recognition and dangerous autoimmune reactions. Therefore, regulatory mechanisms operate both during ontogeny within the thymus and after birth in the periphery. The control of self-reactive T cells occurs through a process of negative selection that results in apoptosis of T cells showing high affinity for self-peptides expressed at the thymic level by means of promiscuous gene expression. Self-reactive T cells escaped to negative selection are controlled in the periphery by other regulatory mechanisms, the most important being natural Foxp3+ T regulatory (Treg) cells. Regulation is also required to control excessive effector T cell responses against exogenous antigens, when they become dangerous for the body. Three types of effector T cells have been recognized: T helper 1 (Th1) cells, which are protective against intracellular bacteria; Th2 cells, which play some role in the protection against nematodes, but are responsible for allergic reactions; Th17 cells, which are probably effective in the protection against extracellular bacteria, but also play a role in the amplification of autoimmune disorders. Abnormal or excessive Th effector responses are regulated by different mechanisms. Redirection or immune deviation of Th1- or Th2-dominated responses is provided by cytokines [interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) vs. interleukin-4 (IL-4)] produced by the same cell types and by the CXCR3-binding chemokines CXCL4 and CXCL10. Moreover, both Th1 and Th2 responses can be suppressed by adaptive Treg cells through contact-dependent mechanisms and/or the production of IL-10 and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). Finally, TGF-beta1 can promote the development of both Th17 effector and adaptive Treg cells, while the contemporaneous production of IL-6 contributes to the development of Th17 cells, but inhibits Treg cells. The development of Th17 cells is also down-regulated by IL-4 produced by Th2 cells and by IFN-gamma produced by Th1 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Romagnani
- Center of Excellence for Research, Transfer, and High Education DENOTHE, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
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23
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Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Silva JS, Cotta-de-Almeida V, Savino W. Altered thymocyte migration during experimental acute Trypanosoma cruzi infection: combined role of fibronectin and the chemokines CXCL12 and CCL4. Eur J Immunol 2006; 36:1486-93. [PMID: 16637021 DOI: 10.1002/eji.200535629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
We previously showed migration disturbances in the thymus during experimental infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. These changes were related to the enhanced expression of extracellular matrix ligands and receptors, leading to the escape of immature cells to the periphery. Here, we analyzed the expression and role of selected chemokines (CXCL12 and CCL4) and their receptors (CXCR4 and CCR5) in regulating thymocyte migration in conjunction with extracellular matrix during acute T. cruzi infection. We found increased chemokine deposition in the thymus of infected mice when compared to controls, accompanied by enhanced co-localization with fibronectin as well as up-regulated surface expression of CXCR4 and CCR5 in thymocytes. We also noticed altered thymocyte migration towards the chemokines analyzed. Such an enhancement was even more prominent when fibronectin was added as a haptotatic stimulus in combination with a given chemokine. Our findings suggest that thymocyte migration results from a combined action of chemokines and extracellular matrix (ECM), which can be altered during pathological conditions such as T. cruzi infection, and may be at the origin of the changes in the T cell repertoire seen in this pathological process.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Movement/immunology
- Chagas Disease/immunology
- Chagas Disease/parasitology
- Chemokine CCL4
- Chemokine CXCL12
- Chemokines, CC/biosynthesis
- Chemokines, CC/genetics
- Chemokines, CC/immunology
- Chemokines, CXC/biosynthesis
- Chemokines, CXC/genetics
- Chemokines, CXC/immunology
- Extracellular Matrix/immunology
- Extracellular Matrix/parasitology
- Fibronectins/immunology
- Immunohistochemistry
- Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins/biosynthesis
- Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins/genetics
- Macrophage Inflammatory Proteins/immunology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- Receptors, CCR5/biosynthesis
- Receptors, CCR5/genetics
- Receptors, CCR5/immunology
- Receptors, CXCR4/biosynthesis
- Receptors, CXCR4/genetics
- Receptors, CXCR4/immunology
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- T-Lymphocytes/cytology
- T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- T-Lymphocytes/parasitology
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/immunology
- Thymus Gland/parasitology
- Trypanosoma cruzi/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniella Arêas Mendes-da-Cruz
- Laboratory of Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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24
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Abstract
Infectious disease immunology has largely focused on the effector immune response, changes in the blood and peripheral lymphoid organs of infected individuals, and vaccine development. Studies of the thymus in infected individuals have been neglected, although this is progressively changing. The thymus is a primary lymphoid organ, able to generate mature T cells that eventually colonize secondary lymphoid organs, and is therefore essential for peripheral T cell renewal. Recent data show that normal thymocyte development and export can be altered as a result of an infectious disease. One common feature is the severe atrophy of the infected organ, mainly due to the apoptosis-related depletion of immature CD4+CD8+ thymocytes. Additionally, thymocyte proliferation is frequently diminished. The microenvironmental compartment of the thymus is also affected, particularly in acute infectious diseases, with a densification of the epithelial network and an increase in the deposition of extracellular matrix. In the murine model of Chagas disease, intrathymic chemokine production is also enhanced, and thymocytes from Trypanosoma cruzi-infected mice exhibit greater numbers of cell migration-related receptors for chemokines and extracellular matrix, as well as increased migratory responses to the corresponding ligands. This profile is correlated with the appearance of potentially autoreactive thymus-derived immature CD4+CD8+ T cells in peripheral organs of infected animals. A variety of infectious agents—including viruses, protozoa, and fungi—invade the thymus, raising the hypothesis of the generation of central immunological tolerance for at least some of the infectious agent-derived antigens. It seems clear that the thymus is targeted in a variety of infections, and that such targeting may have consequences on the behavior of peripheral T lymphocytes. In this context, thymus-centered immunotherapeutic approaches potentially represent a new tool for the treatment of severe infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Inserm-Fiocruz Associated Laboratory of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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25
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Goldschneider I. Cyclical mobilization and gated importation of thymocyte progenitors in the adult mouse: evidence for a thymus-bone marrow feedback loop. Immunol Rev 2006; 209:58-75. [PMID: 16448534 DOI: 10.1111/j.0105-2896.2006.00354.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
It has recently been observed, as in the fetal thymus, that the importation of hematogenous thymocyte progenitors by the adult thymus is a gated phenomenon, whereby saturating numbers of progenitors periodically enter the thymus and occupy a finite number of intrathymic niches. In addition, the mobilization of thymocyte progenitors from the bone marrow appears to be a cyclical process that coincides temporally with the periods of thymic receptivity (open gate). It is proposed that these events are coordinated by a thymus-bone marrow feedback loop in which a wave of developing triple negative (CD3- CD4- CD8-) thymocytes interacts with stromal cells in the stratified regions of the thymus cortex to sequentially induce the release of diffusible cytokines that regulate the production, mobilization, and recruitment of thymocyte progenitors. The likely components of this feedback loop are described here, as are the properties of the intrathymic vascular gates and niches for thymocyte progenitors. The cyclical production and release of thymocyte progenitors from the bone marrow is placed in the context of a general phenomenon of oscillatory feedback regulation involving all lymphohemopoietic cell lineages. Lastly, the question of whether the gated (as opposed to the continuous) entry of thymocyte progenitors is essential for normal thymocytopoiesis in adult life is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irving Goldschneider
- Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT 06030, USA.
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26
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Abstract
Immunological tolerance is a complex series of mechanisms that impair the immune system to mount responses against self antigens. Central tolerance occurs when immature lymphocytes encounter self antigens in the primary lymphoid organs, and consequently they die or become unreactive. Peripheral tolerance occurs when mature lymphocytes, escaped from negative selection during ontogeny, encounter self antigens in secondary lymphoid organs and undergo anergy, deletion or suppression. A heterogeneous family of T regulatory cells has recently been identified, which have been found to play an important role in suppressing immune responses against self. Failure or breakdown of immunological tolerance results in autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases. Such events are related to both genetic and environmental factors, the latter being mainly represented by infections. Infectious agents can indeed promote autoimmune responses either by inducing tissue inflammation and therefore an unintended bystander activation of autoreactive T cells, or by promoting T cell responses to microbial epitopes that cross react against self peptides.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Romagnani
- Department of Internal Medicine, Excellence Centre Denothe, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
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27
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Zubkova I, Mostowski H, Zaitseva M. Up-Regulation of IL-7, Stromal-Derived Factor-1α, Thymus-Expressed Chemokine, and Secondary Lymphoid Tissue Chemokine Gene Expression in the Stromal Cells in Response to Thymocyte Depletion: Implication for Thymus Reconstitution. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2005; 175:2321-30. [PMID: 16081802 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.175.4.2321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Three in vivo adult mouse models were established to study which signals are required to restore the postnatal thymus. Single administration of dexamethasone, estradiol, or exposure to sublethal dose of gamma irradiation served as prototype thymus-ablating therapies. In all models, transient thymic atrophy was manifested due to the loss of the predominant portion of CD4- CD8- double negative and CD4+ CD8+ double positive thymocytes and was followed by a complete regeneration of the thymuses. Acute atrophy/regeneration was observed in the dexamethasone and irradiation models; in the estradiol-treated animals, slow kinetics of atrophy and regeneration was observed. Importantly, in both acute and chronic models, high levels of IL-7 mRNA were detected in the thymuses isolated from mice during maximum atrophy. In addition, chemokine gene array analysis of involuted thymuses revealed high levels of mRNA expression of stromal-derived factor-1alpha (SDF-1alpha), thymus-expressed chemokine (TECK), and secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC) but not of other chemokines. The levels of IL-7, SDF-1alpha, TECK, and SLC mRNA inversely correlated with the kinetics of regeneration. RT-PCR analysis of stromal cells purified from involuted thymuses confirmed increased IL-7, SDF-1alpha, and SLC gene expression in MHC class II+ CD45- epithelial cells and increased IL-7 and TECK gene expression in class II+ CD45+ CD11c+ dendritic cells. Thus, our data showed for the first time that expression of IL-7, SDF-1alpha, TECK, and SLC mRNA is induced in the thymic stroma during T cell depletion and may play an important role in the reconstitution of the adult thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iryna Zubkova
- Division of Viral Products, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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28
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Smaniotto S, de Mello-Coelho V, Villa-Verde DMS, Pléau JM, Postel-Vinay MC, Dardenne M, Savino W. Growth hormone modulates thymocyte development in vivo through a combined action of laminin and CXC chemokine ligand 12. Endocrinology 2005; 146:3005-17. [PMID: 15802502 DOI: 10.1210/en.2004-0709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Previous evidence indicates that GH modulates thymic cell migration. In this study we approached this issue in vivo, studying thymocyte migration in GH transgenic animals and in normal mice treated intrathymically with GH. Extracellular matrix and chemokines are involved in thymocyte migration. In this respect, thymocyte adhesion to laminin was higher in GH-treated animals than controls, and the numbers of migrating cells in laminin-coated Transwells was higher in GH-transgenic and GH-injected mice. Additionally, CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12)-driven migration was higher in GH-Tg and GH-treated animals compared with controls. Interestingly, although CXCR4 expression on thymocytes did not change in GH-Tg mice, the CXCL12 intrathymic contents were higher. We found that CXCL12, in conjunction with laminin, would additionally enhance the migration of thymocytes previously exposed to high concentrations of GH in vivo. Lastly, there was an augmentation of recent thymic emigrants in lymph nodes from GH-Tg and GH-injected animals. In conclusion, enhanced thymocyte migration in GH transgenic mice as well as GH-injected mice results at least partially from a combined action of laminin and CXCL12. Considering that GH is presently being used as an adjuvant therapeutic agent in immunodeficiencies, including AIDS, the concepts defined herein provide important background knowledge for future GH-based immune interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salete Smaniotto
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale/Fiocruz Associate Laboratory of Immunology, Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, 21045-900 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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29
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Rodriguez-Galán MC, Bream JH, Farr A, Young HA. Synergistic effect of IL-2, IL-12, and IL-18 on thymocyte apoptosis and Th1/Th2 cytokine expression. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2005; 174:2796-804. [PMID: 15728489 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.174.5.2796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
In the periphery, IL-18 synergistically induces the expression of the Th1 cytokine IFN-gamma in the presence of IL-12 and the Th2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-13 in the presence of IL-2. Although the expression of these cytokines has been described in the thymus, their role in thymic development and function remains uncertain. We report here that freshly isolated thymocytes from C57BL/6 and BALB/c mice stimulated in vitro with IL-2-plus-IL-18 or IL-12-plus-IL-18 produce large amounts of IFN-gamma and IL-13. Analysis of the thymic subsets, CD4(-)CD8(-) (DN), CD4(+)CD8(+), CD4(+)CD8(-), and CD4(-)CD8(+) revealed that IL-18 in combination with IL-2 or IL-12 induces IFN-gamma and IL-13 preferentially from DN cells. Moreover, DN2 and DN3 thymocytes contained more IFN-gamma(+) cells than cells in the later stage of maturation. Additionally, IL-18 in combination with IL-2 induces CCR4 (Th2-associated) and CCR5 (Th1-associated) gene expression. In contrast, IL-18-plus-IL-12 specifically induced CCR5 expression. The IL-2-plus-IL-18 or IL-12-plus-IL-18 effect on IFN-gamma and IL-13 expression is dependent on Stat4 and NF-kappaB but independent of Stat6, T-bet, or NFAT. Furthermore, IL-12-plus-IL-18 induces significant thymocyte apoptosis when expressed in vivo or in vitro, and this effect is exacerbated in the absence of IFN-gamma. IL-12-plus-IL-18-stimulated thymocytes can also induce IA-IE expression on cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells in an IFN-gamma-dependent manner. Thus, the combination of IL-2, IL-12, and IL-18 can induce phenotypic and functional changes in thymocytes that may alter migration, differentiation, and cell death of immature T cells inside the thymus and potentially affect the Th1/Th2 bias in peripheral immune compartments.
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MESH Headings
- Adjuvants, Immunologic/pharmacology
- Animals
- Apoptosis/immunology
- Cell Differentiation/immunology
- Cells, Cultured
- Cytokines/biosynthesis
- Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic
- Drug Combinations
- Interferon-gamma/biosynthesis
- Interferon-gamma/physiology
- Interleukin-12/pharmacology
- Interleukin-13/biosynthesis
- Interleukin-18/pharmacology
- Interleukin-2/pharmacology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred BALB C
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Receptors, CCR4
- Receptors, CCR5/biosynthesis
- Receptors, Chemokine/biosynthesis
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/cytology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism
- Th1 Cells/cytology
- Th1 Cells/immunology
- Th1 Cells/metabolism
- Th2 Cells/cytology
- Th2 Cells/immunology
- Th2 Cells/metabolism
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/immunology
- Thymus Gland/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cecilia Rodriguez-Galán
- Laboratory of Experimental Immunology, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, MD 21702, USA
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30
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Dooley J, Erickson M, Roelink H, Farr AG. Nude thymic rudiment lacking functional foxn1 resembles respiratory epithelium. Dev Dyn 2005; 233:1605-12. [PMID: 15986478 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.20495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The epithelial compartment of the thymus arises from endoderm of the 3rd pharyngeal pouch. As it moves from a cervical to a mediastinal position during development, this epithelium becomes populated by lymphoid progenitor cells from the blood and begins to support their differentiation along the T cell lineage. Productive differentiation of thymic epithelium is strictly dependent on the foxn1 transcription factor, as evidenced by the lack of functional thymic tissue in nude mice that carry a spontaneous loss-of-function mutation of foxn1. Evaluation of the thymic rudiment epithelium from nude mice revealed phenotypic properties and tissue organization that was strongly reminiscent of respiratory epithelium. These data suggest that foxn1 may be involved in directing lineage choices of multi-potential progenitor epithelial cells rather than simply affecting the terminal differentiation program of epithelial cells specified to a thymic fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Dooley
- Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195-7420, USA
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31
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Savino W, Smaniotto S, Dardenne M. Hematopoiesis. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2005; 567:167-85. [PMID: 16370140 DOI: 10.1007/0-387-26274-1_7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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32
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Fahy OL, Townley SL, Coates NJ, Clark-Lewis I, McColl SR. Control of Salmonella dissemination in vivo by macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3alpha/CCL20. J Transl Med 2004; 84:1501-11. [PMID: 15448707 DOI: 10.1038/labinvest.3700176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
While chemokines are clearly important in the generation of protective immunity, the role of individual chemokines in the control of bacterial infection is still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the role of macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-3alpha/CCL20, a chemokine that attracts activated T and B lymphocytes and immature dendritic cells, in host responses to bacterial infection. CCL20 production was induced in subcutaneous tissue in the BALB/c mouse in response to Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus and zymosan, with S. enteritidis being the most potent. S. enteritidis induced CCL20 production in the spleen following either oral administration or injection into the peritoneal cavity. In contrast, no increase was observed in the Peyer's patches. In this model, following intraperitoneal injection, dose-dependent colonization of the spleen and Peyer's patches by S. enteritidis, expression of IFNgamma and IL-4, and production of antibodies against the S. enteritidis surface antigen SefA were observed. Prior treatment with neutralizing antibodies against CCL20 enhanced bacterial dissemination to the spleen and Peyer's patches and strongly biased the IFNgamma/IL-4 ratio towards a type 2 profile in the spleen, while the humoral response was unaffected. In contrast, treatment with neutralizing anti-MIP-1alpha/CCL3 antibodies enhanced the bacterial burden in the Peyer's patches but not in the spleen, had no significant effect on the cytokine ratio, but significantly inhibited anti-SefA production. Together, these results demonstrate an important role for CCL20 in the control of bacterial infection and more specifically in the regulation of cell-mediated immunity against intracellular bacteria such as S. enteritidis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier L Fahy
- School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
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33
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Abstract
The thymus has been viewed as the main site of tolerance induction to self-antigens that are specifically expressed by thymic cells and abundant blood-borne self-antigens, whereas tolerance to tissue-restricted self-antigens has been ascribed to extrathymic (peripheral) tolerance mechanisms. However, the phenomenon of promiscuous expression of tissue-restricted self-antigens by medullary thymic epithelial cells has led to a reassessment of the role of central T-cell tolerance in preventing organ-specific autoimmunity. Recent evidence indicates that both genetic and epigenetic mechanisms account for this unorthodox mode of gene expression. As we discuss here, these new insights have implications for our understanding of self-tolerance in humans, its breakdown in autoimmune diseases and the significance of this tolerance mode in vertebrate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Kyewski
- Tumour Immunology Programme, Division of Developmental Immunology, German Cancer Research Centre, Im Neuenheimer Feld 280, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
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34
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Abstract
The surge in interest in chemokines is explained by the recognition that numerous aspects of immunity are intimately related to leukocyte traffic. Chemokines are leukocyte attractants but also contribute to immune processes that do not directly involve leukocyte migration. Recent progress is most evident in the areas of lymphocyte development, immune response initiation and immune pathology. Important observations have also been reported on chemokine-receptor interactions, signal transduction and cellular responses. New insights into the role of chemokines in leukocyte attraction and relocation will be discussed, with emphasis on the distinct levels of leukocyte migration control that ultimately determine the performance of our immune defense system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernhard Moser
- Theodor-Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Freiestrasse 1, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
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35
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Savino W, Mendes-Da-Cruz DA, Smaniotto S, Silva-Monteiro E, Villa-Verde DMS. Molecular mechanisms governing thymocyte migration: combined role of chemokines and extracellular matrix. J Leukoc Biol 2004; 75:951-61. [PMID: 15020651 DOI: 10.1189/jlb.1003455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Cell migration is crucial for thymocyte differentiation, and the cellular interactions involved now begin to be unraveled, with chemokines, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, and their corresponding receptors being relevant in such oriented movement of thymocytes. This notion derives from in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experimental data, including those obtained in genetically engineered and spontaneous mutant mice. Thymic microenvironmental cells produce both groups of molecules, whereas developing thymocytes express chemokine and ECM receptors. It is important that although chemokines and ECM proteins can drive thymocyte migration per se, a combined role of these molecules likely concurs for the resulting migration patterns of thymocytes in their various differentiation stages. In this respect, among ECM moieties, there are proteins with opposing functions, such as laminin or fibronectin versus galectin-3, which promote, respectively, adhesion and de-adhesion of thymocytes to the thymic microenvironment. How chemokines and ECM are produced and degraded remains to be more clearly defined. Nevertheless, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) likely play a role in the intrathymic ECM breakdown. It is interesting that these molecules also degrade chemokines. Thus, the physiological migration of thymocytes should be conceived as a resulting vector of multiple, simultaneous, or sequential stimuli, involving chemokines, adhesive, and de-adhesive ECM proteins. Moreover, these interactions may be physiologically regulated in situ by matrix MMPs and are influenced by hormones. Accordingly, one can predict that pathological changes in any of these loops may result in abnormal thymocyte migration. This actually occurs in the murine infection by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. In this model, the abnormal release of immature thymocytes to peripheral lymphoid organs is correlated with the higher migratory response to ECM and chemokines. Lastly, the fine dissection of the mechanisms governing thymocyte migration will provide new clues for designing therapeutic strategies targeting developing T cells. The most important function of the thymus is to generate T lymphocytes, which once leaving the organ, are able to colonize specific regions of peripheral lymphoid organs, the T cell zones, where they can mount and regulate cell-mediated, immune responses. This intrathymic T cell differentiation is a complex sequence of biological events, comprising cell proliferation, differential membrane protein expression, gene rearrangements, massive programmed cell death, and cell migration. In this review, we will focus on the mechanisms involved in controlling the migration of thymocytes, from the entrance of cell precursors into the organ to the exit of mature T cells toward peripheral lymphoid organs. Nevertheless, to better comprehend this issue, it appeared worthwhile to briefly comment on some key aspects of thymocyte differentiation and the tissue context in which it takes place, the thymic microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Savino
- Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ave. Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, 21045-900-Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
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36
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Revilla C, Rodríguez-Carreño MP, Alvarez B, Chamorro S, Alonso LM, Ezquerra A, Alonso F, Domínguez J. 2E3, a new marker that selectively identifies porcine CD4+ naive T cells. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2004; 28:239-250. [PMID: 14642890 DOI: 10.1016/s0145-305x(03)00137-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
We describe a novel antigen recognized by mAb 2E3 selectively expressed in the periphery by a subset of porcine CD4+ T cells. Both, CD4+CD8alpha- and CD4+CD8alphalow T cell subpopulations express this antigen. CD4+2E3+ T cells show phenotypical and functional characteristics of nai;ve cells. The majority of them are CD29low, CD45RAhigh, CD49dlow, CD11alow, CD18low, and SLA-II-. After mitogen activation CD4+2E3+ T cells express high levels of IL-2 mRNA, but only traces of IFN-gamma or IL-4 mRNA. Indeed a minor percentage of cells stained positive for IFN-gamma when assessed by flow cytometry. Moreover, CD4+2E3+ T cells did not proliferate in response to the recall antigen lysozyme, although they did efficiently to the mitogen ConA. By contrast, CD4+2E3- T cells show phenotypical and functional characteristics of primed cells. They express markers associated to a memory phenotype, respond to the recall antigen lysozyme, and produce high amounts of IFN-gamma and IL-4.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antigen Presentation/immunology
- Antigens, CD/analysis
- Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte/analysis
- Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte/immunology
- Antigens, Surface/analysis
- Antigens, Surface/immunology
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/chemistry
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/drug effects
- CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology
- Concanavalin A/pharmacology
- Flow Cytometry
- Gene Expression/immunology
- Immunophenotyping
- Interferon-gamma/analysis
- Interferon-gamma/genetics
- Interleukin-2/genetics
- Interleukin-4/genetics
- Ionomycin/pharmacology
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/chemistry
- Leukocytes, Mononuclear/immunology
- Lymphocyte Activation/immunology
- Muramidase/immunology
- Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
- Swine
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/chemistry
- Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate/pharmacology
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- C Revilla
- Departamento de Biotecnología, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Ctra de la Coruña, km 7, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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37
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Efroni S, Harel D, Cohen IR. Toward rigorous comprehension of biological complexity: modeling, execution, and visualization of thymic T-cell maturation. Genome Res 2004; 13:2485-97. [PMID: 14597657 PMCID: PMC403768 DOI: 10.1101/gr.1215303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
One of the problems biologists face is a data set too large to comprehend in full. Experimenters generate data at an ever-growing pace, each from their own niche of interest. Current theories are each able, at best, to capture and model only a small part of the data. We aim to develop a general approach to modeling that will help broaden biological understanding. T-cell maturation in the thymus is a telling example of the accumulation of experimental data into a large disconnected data set. The thymus is responsible for the maturation of stem cells into mature T cells, and its complexity divides research into different fields, for example, cell migration, cell differentiation, histology, electron microscopy, biochemistry, molecular biology, and more. Each field forms its own viewpoint and its own set of data. In this study we present the results of a comprehensive integration of large parts of this data set. The integration is performed in a two-tiered visual manner. First, we use the visual language of Statecharts, which makes specification precise, legible, and executable on computers. We then set up a moving graphical interface that dynamically animates the cells, their receptors, the different gradients, and the interactions that constitute thymic maturation. This interface also provides a means for interacting with the simulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sol Efroni
- Computer Science Department, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
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38
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Hannestad J, Monjil DF, Díaz-Esnal B, Cobo J, Vega JA. Age-dependent changes in the nervous and endocrine control of the thymus. Microsc Res Tech 2004; 63:94-101. [PMID: 14722906 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.20014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The immune system, especially the thymus, undergoes age-related modifications leading to structural and functional changes in the lymphoid organs and immunocompetent cells. Nevertheless, the consequences of thymic involution in the peripheral pool of T-cells are still a matter of controversy. The control of the thymic function is very complex and involves intrathymic signals, the autonomic nervous system, and the endocrine system. Both thymocytes and thymic stromal cells express receptors for a wide range of hormones, as well as for neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, thus affecting thymocytes maturation. This review summarizes the age-dependent variations in the extrathymic components of the thymic microenvironment, i.e., vegetative nerves and hormones, and the possible effects of those changes in the immune function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas Hannestad
- Department of Psychiatry, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA
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39
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Abstract
The recent advances in molecular biology and genetics, as well as the progress of in vitro techniques, have provided a more coherent image of the thymic function on the molecular level. But they have shifted the attention away from studies on the cellular level, which are necessary to clarify the biological roles of different cell types of the thymic microenvironment. The structure and function of the normal thymus depend on mutual interactions between thymocytes and nonlymphocyte cells. In this review a detailed description of morphological and phenotypic features of both maturing thymocytes and nonlymphocyte cells is given. The recent genetic and biochemical data are presented in conjunction with cytological results to enlighten the thymus cell-cell interactions during thymopoiesis and organization of thymic microstructure. Special emphasis is put on the experimental approaches, which may be used to study the interactions between thymocytes and nonlymphocyte cells in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Novica M Milićević
- Institute of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Beograd, YU-11000 Beograd, Serbia and Montenegro
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40
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Vega JA, García-Suárez O, Germanà A. Vertebrate thymus and the neurotrophin system. INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF CYTOLOGY 2004; 237:155-204. [PMID: 15380668 DOI: 10.1016/s0074-7696(04)37004-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
An immunomodulary role has been proposed for growth factors included in the family of neurotrophins. This is supported by the presence of both neurotrophins and neurotrophin receptors in the immune organs and some immunocompetent cells, the in vitro and in vivo effects of the neurotrophins on the immune cells, and the structural changes of lymphoid organs in mice deficient in neurotrophins and their receptors. The current data strongly indicate that neurotrophins regulate the biology of thymic stromal cells and T cells, including survival, and are involved in the thymic organogenesis. This review compiles the available data about the occurrence and distribution of neurotrophins and their signaling receptors (Trk proteins and p75(NTR)) in the vertebrate thymus and the possible contribution of these molecules to the thymic microenvironment and, therefore, to the T cells differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- José A Vega
- Departamento de Morfología y Biología Celular Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain
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41
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Savino W, Ayres Martins S, Neves-dos-Santos S, Smaniotto S, Ocampo JSP, Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Terra-Granado E, Kusmenok O, Villa-Verde DMS. Thymocyte migration: an affair of multiple cellular interactions? Braz J Med Biol Res 2003; 36:1015-25. [PMID: 12886455 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2003000800007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell migration is a crucial event in the general process of thymocyte differentiation. The cellular interactions involved in the control of this migration are beginning to be defined. At least chemokines and extracellular matrix proteins appear to be part of the game. Cells of the thymic microenvironment produce these two groups of molecules, whereas developing thymocytes express the corresponding receptors. Moreover, although chemokines and extracellular matrix can drive thymocyte migration per se, a combined role for these molecules appears to contribute to the resulting migration patterns of thymocytes in their various stages of differentiation. The dynamics of chemokine and extracellular matrix production and degradation is not yet well understood. However, matrix metalloproteinases are likely to play a role in the breakdown of intrathymic extracellular matrix contents. Thus, the physiological migration of thymocytes should be envisioned as a resulting vector of multiple, simultaneous and/or sequential stimuli involving chemokines, adhesive and de-adhesive extracellular matrix proteins, as well as matrix metalloproteinases. Accordingly, it is conceivable that any pathological change in any of these loops may result in the alteration of normal thymocyte migration. This seems to be the case in murine infection by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas' disease. A better knowledge of the physiological mechanisms governing thymocyte migration will provide new clues for designing therapeutic strategies targeting developing T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Savino
- Laboratório de Pesquisa sobre Timo, Departamento de Imunologia, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
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42
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Chemokines are members of the largest group of chemotactic cytokines, and were the first shown to be able to engage specific subpopulations of inflammatory cells. Accordingly, our expanding knowledge in chemokine biology has enlarged our understanding of inflammatory cell interactions, lymphopoesis, specificity of cell recruitment, and a variety of human diseases. This review covers recent developments on chemokines in renal diseases. RECENT FINDINGS Intrinsic renal cells are capable of chemokine expression in vitro and in vivo, and the involved induction pathways are becoming increasingly defined. Differential chemokine expression during the time course of disease, followed by an infiltration of cells expressing the corresponding receptors has been described in animal models. Therapeutic efficacy of chemokine blockade has been demonstrated in a variety of disease models, including progressive interstitial fibrosis. Chemokine receptors are differentially expressed and localized to specific parenchymal compartments in human renal diseases, as revealed by studies of renal biopsies, and some functional roles of specific chemokine/receptor interactions can be deduced through the correlation of patterns of expression, genetic variations and disease courses. SUMMARY Chemokines play an important role in renal inflammation. Although the treatment of patients with renal diseases using chemokine receptor blocking agents has not yet reached clinical practice, a recent body of data indicates that human renal disease might be amenable to such approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephan Segerer
- Nephrological Center, Medical Policlinic, University of Munich, Munich, Germany
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43
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Jin C, Fu WX, Xie LP, Qian XP, Chen WF. SDF-1alpha production is negatively regulated by mouse estrogen enhanced transcript in a mouse thymus epithelial cell line. Cell Immunol 2003; 223:26-34. [PMID: 12914755 DOI: 10.1016/s0008-8749(03)00152-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
SDF-1/CXCR4 plays an important role in promoting survival, expansion, and differentiation of T cell progenitors. The present study investigates the mechanism by which estrogen inhibits SDF-1alpha expression in mouse thymus. Mouse estrogen enhanced transcript (mEET) is endogenously expressed in a mouse thymus epithelial cell line 1 (MTEC1). In MTEC1 cells that express the transfected sense mEET, the SDF-1alpha transcription and its chemotactic activity were profoundly inhibited. Conversely, in MTEC1 that express the transfected anti-sense mEET, the SDF-1alpha transcription and its chemotactic activity were substantially augmented. Moreover, we disclosed that mEET inhibited the production of SDF-1alpha by its suppression of NF-kappaB translocation into nucleus. Using a combinatorial induction of doxycycline (Dox) and 17beta-estradiol (E2) on the sense and anti-sense mEET transfectants, it was demonstrated that an increase of mEET expression enhanced E2-induced inhibition of SDF-1alpha production, while a blockade of mEET expression alleviated E2-induced inhibition of SDF-1alpha production. In conclusion, the E2-imposed suppression of SDF-1alpha production is partly mediated by mEET involved signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Jin
- Department of Immunology, Peking University Health Science Centre, Beijing 100083, China
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44
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Ara T, Itoi M, Kawabata K, Egawa T, Tokoyoda K, Sugiyama T, Fujii N, Amagai T, Nagasawa T. A role of CXC chemokine ligand 12/stromal cell-derived factor-1/pre-B cell growth stimulating factor and its receptor CXCR4 in fetal and adult T cell development in vivo. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2003; 170:4649-55. [PMID: 12707343 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.170.9.4649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The functions of a chemokine CXC chemokine ligand (CXCL) 12/stromal cell-derived factor-1/pre-B cell growth stimulating factor and its physiologic receptor CXCR4 in T cell development are controversial. In this study, we have genetically further characterized their roles in fetal and adult T cell development using mutant and chimeric mice. In CXCL12(-/-) or CXCR4(-/-) embryos on a C57BL/6 background, accumulation of T cell progenitors in the outer mesenchymal layer of the thymus anlage during initial colonization of the fetal thymus was comparable with that seen in wild-type embryos. However, the expansion of CD3(-)CD4(-)CD8(-) triple-negative T cell precursors at the CD44(-)CD25(+) and CD44(-)CD25(-) stages, and CD4(+)CD8(+) double-positive thymocytes was affected during embryogenesis in these mutants. In radiation chimeras competitively repopulated with CXCR4(-/-) fetal liver cells, the reduction in donor-derived thymocytes compared with wild-type chimeras was much more severe than the reduction in donor-derived myeloid lineage cells in bone marrow. Triple negative CD44(+)CD25(+) T cell precursors exhibited survival response to CXCL12 in the presence of stem cell factor as well as migratory response to CXCL12. Thus, it may be that CXCL12 and CXCR4 are involved in the expansion of T cell precursors in both fetal and adult thymus in vivo. Finally, enforced expression of bcl-2 did not rescue impaired T cell development in CXCR4(-/-) embryos or impaired reconstitution of CXCR4(-/-) thymocytes in competitively repopulated mice, suggesting that defects in T cell development caused by CXCR4 mutation are not caused by reduced expression of bcl-2.
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MESH Headings
- Aging/genetics
- Aging/immunology
- Animals
- B-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology
- B-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism
- B-Lymphocyte Subsets/pathology
- Bone Marrow Cells/pathology
- Bone Marrow Transplantation
- Cell Differentiation/genetics
- Cell Differentiation/immunology
- Cell Division/genetics
- Cell Division/immunology
- Cell Movement/immunology
- Cell Survival/immunology
- Cells, Cultured
- Chemokine CXCL12
- Chemokines, CXC/deficiency
- Chemokines, CXC/genetics
- Chemokines, CXC/physiology
- Embryonic and Fetal Development/genetics
- Embryonic and Fetal Development/immunology
- Fetal Tissue Transplantation/immunology
- Fetal Tissue Transplantation/pathology
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells/cytology
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells/immunology
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells/pathology
- Liver Transplantation/immunology
- Liver Transplantation/pathology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Mice, Transgenic
- Mutation
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/biosynthesis
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/physiology
- Radiation Chimera/genetics
- Radiation Chimera/immunology
- Receptors, CXCR4/deficiency
- Receptors, CXCR4/genetics
- Receptors, CXCR4/physiology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/cytology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/immunology
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/metabolism
- T-Lymphocyte Subsets/pathology
- Thymus Gland/cytology
- Thymus Gland/embryology
- Thymus Gland/immunology
- Thymus Gland/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshiaki Ara
- Department of Immunology, Research Institute, Osaka Medical Center for Maternal and Child Health, Osaka, Japan
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45
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Kaymaz FF, Dağdeviren A, Aşan E. Antigenic profile of human thymus in concurrence with "Clusters of Thymic Epithelial Staining" classification. Ann Anat 2003; 185:163-71. [PMID: 12725440 DOI: 10.1016/s0940-9602(03)80081-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We examined the expression of various CD coded or not yet defined antigens in human thymus samples using indirect immunoperoxidase and immunoflourescent techniques. Data obtained are presented in concurrence with Clusters of Thymic Epithelial Staining (CTES) classification for various monoclonal antibodies recognizing CD antigens (CD1, CD1a, CD6, CD9, CD14, CD16, CD29, CD30, CD32, CD44, CD45RB, CD47, CD48, CD49a, CD49b, CD49c, CD49d, CD49e, CD49f, CD51, CD53, CD54, CD56, CD57, CD63, CD85, CD95, CD98, CD102, CD103, CD106, CD109, CD146, CD147, CD148, CD151, CD152, CD158a, CD158b, CD164, CD165, CD166) and for monoclonal antibodies 1B10, 5G7, A4, BD46, BLTZ, HP1C5, IND.64, M72, WU947 whose specifities are not yet defined. Some of the mAbs such as CD49f, IND.64 and BD46 are detected as good markers for specific cell types or compartments. Significance of the presence of these antigens on thymic epithelial cells at certain locations is briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Figen Kaymaz
- Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University, 06100 Ankara, Turkey.
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46
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Abstract
The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a gene where mutations cause the recessively inherited disorder called autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) or autoimmune polyendocrinopathy syndrome type 1 (APS1). Variable combinations of autoimmune endocrine diseases such as Addison's disease, hypoparathyroidism, and type 1 diabetes characterize APECED. The AIRE protein has several domains indicative of a transcriptional regulator. AIRE contains two PHD (plant homeodomain) type zinc fingers, four nuclear receptor binding LXXLL motifs, a putative DNA-binding domain named SAND and, in addition, a highly conserved N-terminal domain similar to the homogenously staining region domain of the Sp100 protein. At the subcellular level, AIRE is expressed in nuclear dots resembling promyelocytic leukemia nuclear bodies, which are associated with several transcriptionally active proteins. AIRE is primarily expressed in thymic medullary epithelial cells and monocyte-dendritic cells in the thymus but also in a rare subset of cells in the lymph nodes, spleen and fetal liver. The disease, caused by mutations in AIRE, its function as a protein involved in transcription, and its restricted expression in cells important in negative selection, all together suggest that AIRE is a central protein in the maintenance of immune tolerance. In this review of the recent literature we discuss the results of these studies with particular attention on the AIRE expression pattern and its function as a transcriptional regulator, as well as the effects of patient mutations on the molecular characteristics of the protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pitkänen
- Institute of Medical Technology, University of Tampere and Tampere Hospital, Finland
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47
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Abstract
Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their ligands, the ephrins, are known to play an important role in regulating cell migration and targeting in neuronal and endothelial cells. Recently, it has been shown that lymphoid cells also express Eph receptors, raising the possibility that Eph receptors may similarly regulate lymphocyte migration. Chemotaxis in response to soluble chemokine factors is an essential facet of T cell biology. We demonstrate here that T cell chemotaxis in response to both the stromal cell-derived factor (SDF)-1alpha and macrophage inflammatory protein 3beta chemokines is modulated by costimulation with ephrins. Both ephrin-A and ephrin-B ligands were found to modify the chemotactic responses of a T cell line and primary T cells. Ephrin-A1, in particular, strongly inhibited chemotaxis. In accordance with the tyrosine kinase activity of EphA receptors, ephrin-A1 stimulation induced rapid intracellular tyrosine phosphorylation in T cells. Although strongly inhibiting chemotaxis, ephrin-A1 costimulus did not affect many of the signaling events downstream of the SDF-1alpha receptor CXCR4, including calcium flux and activation of MAPK. Rather, ephrin-A1 altered the balance of small G protein activity in T cells. Ephrin-A1 stimulation prevented SDF-1alpha-induced activation of cdc42, while simultaneously inducing rho activation. Ultimately, ephrin-A1 was found to inhibit chemokine-induced actin polymerization, thereby blocking migration. Ubiquitous ephrin expression in vivo creates enormous potential for T cells to encounter these ligands, suggesting that Eph receptors and ephrins may be important regulators of T cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nigel Sharfe
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, Department of Pediatrics, Infection, Immunity, Injury and Repair Program, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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48
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Abstract
Dendritic cells (DC) are bone marrow-derived professional antigen-presenting cells that function as sentinels of the immune system. Their importance in immunity resides in their unique ability to prime or tolerize T lymphocytes, thereby initiating or inhibiting immune responses. They reside in all tissues and organs and upon appropriate activation, migrate to secondary lymphoid organs to present antigen to T lymphocytes in the T cell zones. Because of this central role in T cell activation, there is a great deal of interest in using DC therapeutically to deliver positive or negative signals to the immune system. The DC system is critically dependent on the ability of DC at different stages of maturation to respond to a range of soluble and cell-bound signals, including members of the chemokine gene superfamily. This review will describe the interactions between DC and the chemokine system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun R McColl
- Chemokine Biology Laboratory and Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Adelaide, Australia.
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49
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Savino W, Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Silva JS, Dardenne M, Cotta-de-Almeida V. Intrathymic T-cell migration: a combinatorial interplay of extracellular matrix and chemokines? Trends Immunol 2002; 23:305-13. [PMID: 12072370 DOI: 10.1016/s1471-4906(02)02224-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 114] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Cell migration is crucial for intrathymic T-cell differentiation. Chemokines and extracellular matrix proteins per se induce thymocyte migration, and recent data suggest a combinatorial role for these molecules in this event. For example, thymocyte migration induced by fibronectin plus CXCL12/SDF1-alpha (stromal cell-derived factor1-alpha) is higher than that elicited by the chemokine alone. If such interactions are relevant in the thymus, abnormal expression of any of these ligands and/or their corresponding receptors will lead to defects in thymocyte migration. At least in the murine model of Chagas disease, this seems to be the case. Therefore a better knowledge of this complex biological circuitry will provide new clues for understanding thymus physiology and designing therapeutic strategies targeting developing T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Dept of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Ave Brasil 4365, Manguinhos, 21045-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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50
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Savino W, Postel-Vinay MC, Smaniotto S, Dardenne M. The thymus gland: a target organ for growth hormone. Scand J Immunol 2002; 55:442-52. [PMID: 11975755 DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-3083.2002.01077.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence has placed hormones and neuropeptides among potent immunomodulators, in both health and disease. Herein, we focus on the effects of growth hormone (GH) upon the thymus. Exogenous GH enhances thymic microenvironmental cell-derived secretory products such as cytokines and thymic hormones. Moreover, GH increases thymic epithelial cell (TEC) proliferation in vitro, and exhibits a synergistic effect with anti-CD3 in stimulating thymocyte proliferation, which is in keeping with the data showing that transgenic mice overexpressing GH or GH-releasing hormone exhibit overgrowth of the thymus. GH also influences thymocyte traffic: it increases human T-cell progenitor engraftment into the thymus; augments TEC/thymocyte adhesion and the traffic of thymocytes in the lymphoepithelial complexes, the thymic nurse cells; modulates in vivo the homing of recent thymic emigrants, enhancing the numbers of fluroscein isothiocyanate (FITC)+ cells in the lymph nodes and diminishing them in the spleen. In keeping with the effects of GH upon thymic cells is the detection of GH receptors in both TEC and thymocytes. Additionally, data indicate that insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 is involved in several effects of GH in the thymus, including the modulation of thymulin secretion, TEC proliferation as well as thymocyte/TEC adhesion. This is in keeping with the demonstration of IGF-1 production and expression of IGF-1 by TEC and thymocytes. Also, it should be envisioned as an intrathymic circuitry, involving not only IGF-1, but also GH itself, as intrathymic GH expression is seen both in TEC and in thymocytes, and that thymocyte-derived GH could enhance thymocyte proliferation. Finally, the possibility that GH improve thymic functions, including thymocyte proliferation and migration, places this molecule as a potential therapeutic adjuvant in immunodeficiency conditions associated with thymocyte decrease and loss of peripheral T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Department of Immunology, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro,
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