1
|
Kustrimovic N, Gallo D, Piantanida E, Bartalena L, Lai A, Zerbinati N, Tanda ML, Mortara L. Regulatory T Cells in the Pathogenesis of Graves' Disease. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16432. [PMID: 38003622 PMCID: PMC10671795 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Maintaining a delicate balance between the prompt immune response to pathogens and tolerance towards self-antigens and commensals is crucial for health. T regulatory (Treg) cells are pivotal in preserving self-tolerance, serving as negative regulators of inflammation through the secretion of anti-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-2 neutralization, and direct suppression of effector T cells. Graves' disease (GD) is a thyroid-specific autoimmune disorder primarily attributed to the breakdown of tolerance to the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor. Given the limitations of currently available GD treatments, identifying potential pathogenetic factors for pharmacological targeting is of paramount importance. Both functional impairment and frequency reduction of Tregs seem likely in GD pathogenesis. Genome-wide association studies in GD have identified polymorphisms of genes involved in Tregs' functions, such as CD25 (interleukin 2 receptor), and Forkhead box protein P3 (FOXP3). Clinical studies have reported both functional impairment and a reduction in Treg frequency or suppressive actions in GD, although their precise involvement remains a subject of debate. This review begins with an overview of Treg phenotype and functions, subsequently delves into the pathophysiology of GD and into the existing literature concerning the role of Tregs and the balance between Tregs and T helper 17 cells in GD, and finally explores the ongoing studies on target therapies for GD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Natasa Kustrimovic
- Center for Translational Research on Autoimmune and Allergic Disease—CAAD, Università del Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
| | - Daniela Gallo
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, ASST dei Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.L.T.)
| | - Eliana Piantanida
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, ASST dei Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.L.T.)
| | - Luigi Bartalena
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, ASST dei Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.L.T.)
| | - Adriana Lai
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, ASST dei Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.L.T.)
| | - Nicola Zerbinati
- Dermatology Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, ASST dei Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Maria Laura Tanda
- Endocrine Unit, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Insubria, ASST dei Sette Laghi, 21100 Varese, Italy (M.L.T.)
| | - Lorenzo Mortara
- Immunology and General Pathology Laboratory, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, 21100 Varese, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Liu N, Sadlon T, Wong YY, Pederson S, Breen J, Barry SC. 3DFAACTS-SNP: using regulatory T cell-specific epigenomics data to uncover candidate mechanisms of type 1 diabetes (T1D) risk. Epigenetics Chromatin 2022; 15:24. [PMID: 35773720 PMCID: PMC9244893 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-022-00456-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have enabled the discovery of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are significantly associated with many autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes (T1D). However, many of the identified variants lie in non-coding regions, limiting the identification of mechanisms that contribute to autoimmune disease progression. To address this problem, we developed a variant filtering workflow called 3DFAACTS-SNP to link genetic variants to target genes in a cell-specific manner. Here, we use 3DFAACTS-SNP to identify candidate SNPs and target genes associated with the loss of immune tolerance in regulatory T cells (Treg) in T1D. Results Using 3DFAACTS-SNP, we identified from a list of 1228 previously fine-mapped variants, 36 SNPs with plausible Treg-specific mechanisms of action. The integration of cell type-specific chromosome conformation capture data in 3DFAACTS-SNP identified 266 regulatory regions and 47 candidate target genes that interact with these variant-containing regions in Treg cells. We further demonstrated the utility of the workflow by applying it to three other SNP autoimmune datasets, identifying 16 Treg-centric candidate variants and 60 interacting genes. Finally, we demonstrate the broad utility of 3DFAACTS-SNP for functional annotation of all known common (> 10% allele frequency) variants from the Genome Aggregation Database (gnomAD). We identified 9376 candidate variants and 4968 candidate target genes, generating a list of potential sites for future T1D or other autoimmune disease research. Conclusions We demonstrate that it is possible to further prioritise variants that contribute to T1D based on regulatory function, and illustrate the power of using cell type-specific multi-omics datasets to determine disease mechanisms. Our workflow can be customised to any cell type for which the individual datasets for functional annotation have been generated, giving broad applicability and utility. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13072-022-00456-5.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ning Liu
- South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia.,Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.,Bioinformatics Hub, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Timothy Sadlon
- Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.,Women's and Children's Health Network, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Ying Y Wong
- Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.,Women's and Children's Health Network, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Stephen Pederson
- Bioinformatics Hub, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - James Breen
- South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia. .,Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia. .,Bioinformatics Hub, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia. .,Black Ochre Data Labs, Indigenous Genomics, Telethon Kids Institute, Adelaide, Australia. .,John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
| | - Simon C Barry
- Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.,Women's and Children's Health Network, Women's and Children's Hospital, Adelaide, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Magnusson L, Espes D, Casas R, Carlsson PO. Increased Plasma Levels of the Co-stimulatory Proteins CDCP1 and SLAMF1 in Patients With Autoimmune Endocrine Diseases. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1916. [PMID: 32983115 PMCID: PMC7476208 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite that autoimmune diseases share similar immunogenetic mechanisms, studies comparing the protein composition in peripheral blood from patients with autoimmune endocrine diseases are limited. In this study, we applied proximity extension assay to measure proteins related to signaling and interactions within the immune system in peripheral blood from patients with new-onset (N-T1D) and long-standing (L-T1D) type 1 diabetes, Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), Graves' disease (GD), and autoimmune Addison's disease in addition to healthy controls (HC). Proteins in plasma and supernatants from cultured PBMC were measured by using a 92-plex Olink® INFLAMMATION panel. Soluble CDCP1 was more abundant in plasma from patients with N-T1D, L-T1D, HT, and GD than in HC. The L-T1D and HT groups had elevated plasma levels of SLAMF1 compared with HC. Patients and HC could not be distinguished by their protein composition in PBMC supernatants. The high-throughput multiplex technology enabled us to detect two low-abundant proteins that have been gradually connected to autoimmune diseases. Our study provides novel associations between CDCP1, SLAMF1, and autoimmune endocrine diseases, which might reflect a higher degree of inflammation and lymphocyte activation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Louise Magnusson
- Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Division of Children and Women Health, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Daniel Espes
- Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Rosaura Casas
- Division of Children and Women Health, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - Per-Ola Carlsson
- Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Landa A, Navarro L, Ochoa-Sánchez A, Jiménez L. Taenia solium and Taenia crassiceps: miRNomes of the larvae and effects of miR-10-5p and let-7-5p on murine peritoneal macrophages. Biosci Rep 2019; 39:BSR20190152. [PMID: 31694049 DOI: 10.1042/BSR20190152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Revised: 09/04/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurocysticercosis (NCC), a major cause of neurological morbidity worldwide, is caused by the larvae of Taenia solium. Cestodes secrete molecules that block the Th1 response of their hosts and induce a Th2 response permissive to their establishment. Mature microRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression and participate in immunological processes. To determine the participation of Taenia miRs in the immune response against cysticercosis, we constructed small RNA (sRNA) libraries from larvae of Taenia solium and Taenia crassiceps. A total of 12074504 and 11779456 sequencing reads for T. solium and T. crassiceps, respectively, were mapped to the genomes of T. solium and other helminths. Both larvae shared similar miRNome, and miR-10-5p was the most abundant in both species, followed by let-7-5p in T. solium and miR-4989-3p in T. crassiceps, whereas among the genus-specific miRs, miR-001-3p was the most abundant in both, followed by miR-002-3p in T. solium and miR-003a-3p in T. crassiceps. The sequences of these miRs were identical in both. Structure and target prediction analyses revealed that these pre-miRs formed a hairpin and had more than one target involved in immunoregulation. Culture of macrophages, RT-PCR and ELISA assays showed that cells internalized miR-10-5p and let-7-5p into the cytoplasm and the miRs strongly decreased interleukin 16 (Il6) expression, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and IL-12 secretion, and moderately decreased nitric oxide synthase inducible (Nos2) and Il1b expression (pro-inflammatory cytokines) in M(IFN-γ) macrophages and expression of Tgf1b, and the secretion of IL-10 (anti-inflammatory cytokines) in M(IL-4) macrophages. These findings could help us understand the role of miRs in the host–Taenia relationship.
Collapse
|
5
|
Li Z, Cui Y, Feng J, Guo Y. Identifying the pattern of immune related cells and genes in the peripheral blood of ischemic stroke. J Transl Med 2020; 18:296. [PMID: 32746852 PMCID: PMC7398186 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02463-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2019] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Ischemic stroke (IS) is the second leading cause of death worldwide which is a serious hazard to human health. Evidence suggests that the immune system plays a key role in the pathophysiology of IS. However, the precisely immune related mechanisms were still not been systematically understood. Methods In this study, we aim to identify the immune related modules and genes that might play vital role in the occurrence and development of IS by using the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Meanwhile, we applied a kind of deconvolution algorithm to reveal the proportions of 22 subsets of immune cells in the blood samples. Results There were total 128 IS patients and 67 healthy control samples in the three Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets. Under the screening criteria, 1082 DEGs (894 up-regulated and 188 down-regulated) were chosen for further analysis. A total of 11 clinically significant modules were identified, from which immune-related hub modules and hub genes were further explored. Finally, 16 genes were selected as real hub genes for further validation analysis. Furthermore, these CIBERSORT results suggest that detailed analysis of the immune subtype distribution pattern has the potential to enhance clinical prediction and to identify candidates for immunotherapy. More specifically, we identified that neutrophil emerge as a promising target for IS therapies. Conclusions In the present study, we investigated the immune related gene expression modules, in which the SLAMF1, IL7R and NCF4 may be novel therapeutic targets to promote functional and histological recovery after ischemic stroke. Furthermore, these hub genes and neutrophils may become important biological targets in the drug screening and drug designing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zijian Li
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Yueran Cui
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Juan Feng
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanxia Guo
- Department of Neurology, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, No. 36 Sanhao Street, Heping District, Shenyang, 110004, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
Years of researches have demonstrated that the imbalance of Th17 and Tregs contribute to the thyroid autoimmunity and the severity of autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD). The underlying mechanism comprises inherent genetic predisposition, abnormality of Th17 and Treg related biological molecules, and gut microbiota disorder. New therapeutic strategies have been developed to improve the Th17/Treg equilibrium, including regulation of intracellular signaling pathways, neutralization of Th17-related cytokines, as well as manipulation of Th17 and Treg specific transcription factors. Although a few of these agents are applied into AITD, the clinic prospect is promising.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Shiying Shao
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Xuefeng Yu
- Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan 430030, PR China
| | - Liya Shen
- Department of Geriatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Jianghan University, Wuhan 430015, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|