1
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Shirafkan F, Hensel L, Rattay K. Immune tolerance and the prevention of autoimmune diseases essentially depend on thymic tissue homeostasis. Front Immunol 2024; 15:1339714. [PMID: 38571951 PMCID: PMC10987875 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1339714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The intricate balance of immune reactions towards invading pathogens and immune tolerance towards self is pivotal in preventing autoimmune diseases, with the thymus playing a central role in establishing and maintaining this equilibrium. The induction of central immune tolerance in the thymus involves the elimination of self-reactive T cells, a mechanism essential for averting autoimmunity. Disruption of the thymic T cell selection mechanisms can lead to the development of autoimmune diseases. In the dynamic microenvironment of the thymus, T cell migration and interactions with thymic stromal cells are critical for the selection processes that ensure self-tolerance. Thymic epithelial cells are particularly significant in this context, presenting self-antigens and inducing the negative selection of autoreactive T cells. Further, the synergistic roles of thymic fibroblasts, B cells, and dendritic cells in antigen presentation, selection and the development of regulatory T cells are pivotal in maintaining immune responses tightly regulated. This review article collates these insights, offering a comprehensive examination of the multifaceted role of thymic tissue homeostasis in the establishment of immune tolerance and its implications in the prevention of autoimmune diseases. Additionally, the developmental pathways of the thymus are explored, highlighting how genetic aberrations can disrupt thymic architecture and function, leading to autoimmune conditions. The impact of infections on immune tolerance is another critical area, with pathogens potentially triggering autoimmunity by altering thymic homeostasis. Overall, this review underscores the integral role of thymic tissue homeostasis in the prevention of autoimmune diseases, discussing insights into potential therapeutic strategies and examining putative avenues for future research on developing thymic-based therapies in treating and preventing autoimmune conditions.
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2
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Dinges SS, Amini K, Notarangelo LD, Delmonte OM. Primary and secondary defects of the thymus. Immunol Rev 2024; 322:178-211. [PMID: 38228406 PMCID: PMC10950553 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2024]
Abstract
The thymus is the primary site of T-cell development, enabling generation, and selection of a diverse repertoire of T cells that recognize non-self, whilst remaining tolerant to self- antigens. Severe congenital disorders of thymic development (athymia) can be fatal if left untreated due to infections, and thymic tissue implantation is the only cure. While newborn screening for severe combined immune deficiency has allowed improved detection at birth of congenital athymia, thymic disorders acquired later in life are still underrecognized and assessing the quality of thymic function in such conditions remains a challenge. The thymus is sensitive to injury elicited from a variety of endogenous and exogenous factors, and its self-renewal capacity decreases with age. Secondary and age-related forms of thymic dysfunction may lead to an increased risk of infections, malignancy, and autoimmunity. Promising results have been obtained in preclinical models and clinical trials upon administration of soluble factors promoting thymic regeneration, but to date no therapy is approved for clinical use. In this review we provide a background on thymus development, function, and age-related involution. We discuss disease mechanisms, diagnostic, and therapeutic approaches for primary and secondary thymic defects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah S. Dinges
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Department of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Immunology and Critical Care Medicine, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Kayla Amini
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Luigi D. Notarangelo
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Ottavia M. Delmonte
- Laboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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3
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Bhalla P, Su DM, van Oers NSC. Thymus Functionality Needs More Than a Few TECs. Front Immunol 2022; 13:864777. [PMID: 35757725 PMCID: PMC9229346 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.864777] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The thymus, a primary lymphoid organ, produces the T cells of the immune system. Originating from the 3rd pharyngeal pouch during embryogenesis, this organ functions throughout life. Yet, thymopoiesis can be transiently or permanently damaged contingent on the types of systemic stresses encountered. The thymus also undergoes a functional decline during aging, resulting in a progressive reduction in naïve T cell output. This atrophy is evidenced by a deteriorating thymic microenvironment, including, but not limited, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transitions, fibrosis and adipogenesis. An exploration of cellular changes in the thymus at various stages of life, including mouse models of in-born errors of immunity and with single cell RNA sequencing, is revealing an expanding number of distinct cell types influencing thymus functions. The thymus microenvironment, established through interactions between immature and mature thymocytes with thymus epithelial cells (TEC), is well known. Less well appreciated are the contributions of neural crest cell-derived mesenchymal cells, endothelial cells, diverse hematopoietic cell populations, adipocytes, and fibroblasts in the thymic microenvironment. In the current review, we will explore the contributions of the many stromal cell types participating in the formation, expansion, and contraction of the thymus under normal and pathophysiological processes. Such information will better inform approaches for restoring thymus functionality, including thymus organoid technologies, beneficial when an individuals’ own tissue is congenitally, clinically, or accidentally rendered non-functional.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pratibha Bhalla
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
| | - Dong-Ming Su
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Genetics, The University of North Texas Health Sciences Center, Fort Worth, TX, United States
| | - Nicolai S C van Oers
- Department of Immunology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States.,Department of Microbiology, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, United States
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4
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Moreira C, Hétru J, Paiola M, Duflot A, Chan P, Vaudry D, Pinto PIS, Monsinjon T, Knigge T. Proteomic changes in the extracellular environment of sea bass thymocytes exposed to 17α-ethinylestradiol in vitro. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY D-GENOMICS & PROTEOMICS 2021; 40:100911. [PMID: 34583305 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbd.2021.100911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2021] [Revised: 08/14/2021] [Accepted: 08/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The thymus is an important immune organ providing the necessary microenvironment for the development of a diverse, self-tolerant T cell repertoire, which is selected to allow for the recognition of foreign antigens while avoiding self-reactivity. Thymus function and activity are known to be regulated by sex steroid hormones, such as oestrogen, leading to sexual dimorphisms in immunocompetence between males and females. The oestrogenic modulation of the thymic function provides a potential target for environmental oestrogens, such as 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2), to interfere with the cross-talk between the endocrine and the immune system. Oestrogen receptors have been identified on thymocytes and the thymic microenvironment, but it is unclear how oestrogens regulate thymic epithelial and T cell communication including paracrine signalling. Much less is known regarding intrathymic signalling in fish. Secretomics allows for the analysis of complex mixtures of immunomodulatory signalling factors secreted by T cells. Thus, in the present study, isolated thymocytes of the European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, were exposed in vitro to 30 nM EE2 for 4 h and the T cell-secretome (i.e., extracellular proteome) was analysed by quantitative label-free mass-spectrometry. Progenesis revealed a total of 111 proteins differentially displayed between EE2-treated and control thymocytes at an α-level of 5% and a 1.3-fold change cut off (n = 5-6). The EE2-treatment significantly decreased the level of 90 proteins. Gene ontology revealed the proteasome to be the most impacted pathway. In contrast, the abundance of 21 proteins was significantly increased, with cathepsins showing the highest level of induction. However, no particular molecular pathway was significantly altered for these upregulated proteins. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first study of the secretome of the fish thymus exposed to the environmental oestrogen EE2, highlighting the impact on putative signalling pathways linked to immune surveillance, which may be of crucial importance for fish health and defence against pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catarina Moreira
- Normandie Univ, UNILEHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 SCALE, UMR-I 02 Environmental Stress and Aquatic Biomonitoring (SEBIO), F-76600 Le Havre, France
| | - Julie Hétru
- Normandie Univ, UNILEHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 SCALE, UMR-I 02 Environmental Stress and Aquatic Biomonitoring (SEBIO), F-76600 Le Havre, France
| | - Matthieu Paiola
- Normandie Univ, UNILEHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 SCALE, UMR-I 02 Environmental Stress and Aquatic Biomonitoring (SEBIO), F-76600 Le Havre, France; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, 14642 Rochester, NY, United States
| | - Aurélie Duflot
- Normandie Univ, UNILEHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 SCALE, UMR-I 02 Environmental Stress and Aquatic Biomonitoring (SEBIO), F-76600 Le Havre, France
| | - Philippe Chan
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, PISSARO Proteomic Facility, IRIB, F-76820 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France; Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), F-76183 Rouen, France
| | - David Vaudry
- Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, PISSARO Proteomic Facility, IRIB, F-76820 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France; Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Neuronal and Neuroendocrine Differentiation and Communication (DC2N), Inserm U1239, 76821 Mont-Saint-Aignan, France; Normandie Univ, UNIROUEN, Institute for Research and Innovation in Biomedicine (IRIB), F-76183 Rouen, France
| | - Patrícia I S Pinto
- Centro de Ciências Do Mar (CCMAR), Universidade Do Algarve, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - Tiphaine Monsinjon
- Normandie Univ, UNILEHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 SCALE, UMR-I 02 Environmental Stress and Aquatic Biomonitoring (SEBIO), F-76600 Le Havre, France
| | - Thomas Knigge
- Normandie Univ, UNILEHAVRE, FR CNRS 3730 SCALE, UMR-I 02 Environmental Stress and Aquatic Biomonitoring (SEBIO), F-76600 Le Havre, France.
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5
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Lifantseva NV, Koneeva TO, Voronova SN, Lutsenko GV, Zakharova LA, Melnikova VI. Expression and the Role of Type 1A Serotonin Receptor in Rats’ Embryonic Thymus. Russ J Dev Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1134/s1062360420050057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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6
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de Barros SC, Suterwala BT, He C, Ge S, Chick B, Blumberg GK, Kim K, Klein S, Zhu Y, Wang X, Casero D, Crooks GM. Pleiotropic Roles of VEGF in the Microenvironment of the Developing Thymus. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2020; 205:2423-2436. [PMID: 32989093 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1901519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Neonatal life marks the apogee of murine thymic growth. Over the first few days after birth, growth slows and the murine thymus switches from fetal to adult morphology and function; little is known about the cues driving this dramatic transition. In this study, we show for the first time (to our knowledge) the critical role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on thymic morphogenesis beyond its well-known role in angiogenesis. During a brief window a few days after birth, VEGF inhibition induced rapid and profound remodeling of the endothelial, mesenchymal and epithelial thymic stromal compartments, mimicking changes seen during early adult maturation. Rapid transcriptional changes were seen in each compartment after VEGF inhibition, including genes involved in migration, chemotaxis, and cell adhesion as well as induction of a proinflammatory and proadipogenic signature in endothelium, pericytes, and mesenchyme. Thymocyte numbers fell subsequent to the stromal changes. Expression patterns and functional blockade of the receptors VEGFR2 and NRP1 demonstrated that VEGF mediates its pleiotropic effects through distinct receptors on each microenvironmental compartment of the developing mouse thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie C de Barros
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Batul T Suterwala
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Chongbin He
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Shundi Ge
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Brent Chick
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Garrett K Blumberg
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Kenneth Kim
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Sam Klein
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Yuhua Zhu
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Xiaoyan Wang
- Department of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - David Casero
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
| | - Gay M Crooks
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095; .,Department of Pediatrics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095; and.,Broad Stem Cell Research Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095
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7
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Abstract
The lymphoid system is intimately involved in immunological processes. The small lymphocyte that circulates through blood into lymphoid tissues, then through the lymph and back to the blood through the thoracic duct, is able to initiate immune responses after appropriate stimulation by antigen. However, the lymphocytes found in the thymus are deficient in this ability despite the fact that the thymus plays a central role in lymphocyte production and in ensuring the normal development of immunological faculty. During embryogenesis, lymphocytes are present in the thymus before they can be identified in the circulation and in other lymphoid tissues. They become "educated" in the thymus to recognize a great diversity of peptide antigens bound to the body's own marker antigen, the major histocompatibility complex, but they are purged if they strongly react against their own self-components. Lymphocytes differentiate to become various T cell subsets and then exit through the bloodstream to populate certain areas of the lymphoid system as peripheral T lymphocytes with distinct markers and immune functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacques F A P Miller
- The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia. .,Department of Medical Biology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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8
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Khosravi-Maharlooei M, Hoelzl M, Li HW, Madley RC, Waffarn EE, Danzl NM, Sykes M. Rapid thymectomy of NSG mice to analyze the role of native and grafted thymi in humanized mice. Eur J Immunol 2019; 50:138-141. [PMID: 31583677 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201948205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Revised: 07/30/2019] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
We developed a rapid method to remove the native mouse thymus from NSG mice, which allowed us to compare the behavior of human immune cells in the presence or absence of human T cells in human immune system mice. Removing the native mouse thymus is critical for studies of human thymopiesis in grafted thymic tissue in humanized mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohsen Khosravi-Maharlooei
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Markus Hoelzl
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Hao Wei Li
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rachel C Madley
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth E Waffarn
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nichole M Danzl
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - Megan Sykes
- Columbia Center for Translational Immunology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.,Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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9
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Furler RL, Newcombe KL, Del Rio Estrada PM, Reyes-Terán G, Uittenbogaart CH, Nixon DF. Histoarchitectural Deterioration of Lymphoid Tissues in HIV-1 Infection and in Aging. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses 2019; 35:1148-1159. [PMID: 31474115 DOI: 10.1089/aid.2019.0156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Impaired immunity is a common symptom of aging and advanced Human Immunodeficiency Virus type 1 (HIV-1) disease. In both diseases, a decline in lymphocytic function and cellularity leads to ineffective adaptive immune responses to opportunistic infections and vaccinations. Furthermore, despite sustained myeloid cellularity there is a background of chronic immune activation and a decrease in innate immune function in aging. In HIV-1 disease, myeloid cellularity is often more skewed than in normal aging, but similar chronic activation and innate immune dysfunction typically arise. Similarities between aging and HIV-1 infection have led to several investigations into HIV-1-mediated aging of the immune system. In this article, we review various studies that report alterations of leukocyte number and function during aging, and compare those alterations with those observed during progressive HIV-1 disease. We pay particular attention to changes within lymphoid tissue microenvironments and how histoarchitectural changes seen in these two diseases affect immunity. As we review various immune compartments including peripheral blood as well as primary and secondary lymphoid organs, common themes arise that help explain the decline of immunity in the elderly and in HIV-1-infected individuals with advanced disease. In both conditions, lymphoid tissues often show signs of histoarchitectural deterioration through fat accumulation and/or fibrosis. These structural changes can be attributed to a loss of communication between leukocytes and the surrounding stromal cells that produce the extracellular matrix components and growth factors necessary for cell migration, cell proliferation, and lymphoid tissue function. Despite the common general impairment of immunity in aging and HIV-1 progression, deterioration of immunity is caused by distinct mechanisms at the cellular and tissue levels in these two diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L. Furler
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Kevin L. Newcombe
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Perla M. Del Rio Estrada
- Departmento de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosío Villegas,” CDMX, Mexico DF, Mexico
| | - Gustavo Reyes-Terán
- Departmento de Investigación en Enfermedades Infecciosas, Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Respiratorias “Ismael Cosío Villegas,” CDMX, Mexico DF, Mexico
| | - Christel H. Uittenbogaart
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Medicine-Pediatrics, UCLA AIDS Institute and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
| | - Douglas F. Nixon
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
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10
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Albert S, Koristka S, Gerbaulet A, Cartellieri M, Arndt C, Feldmann A, Berndt N, Loureiro LR, von Bonin M, Ehninger G, Eugster A, Bonifacio E, Bornhäuser M, Bachmann MP, Ehninger A. Tonic Signaling and Its Effects on Lymphopoiesis of CAR-Armed Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2019; 202:1735-1746. [PMID: 30728213 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1801004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Long-term survival of adoptively transferred chimeric Ag receptor (CAR) T cells is often limited. Transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) transduced to express CARs could help to overcome this problem as CAR-armed HSCs can continuously deliver CAR+ multicell lineages (e.g., T cells, NK cells). In dependence on the CAR construct, a variable extent of tonic signaling in CAR T cells was reported; thus, effects of CAR-mediated tonic signaling on the hematopoiesis of CAR-armed HSCs is unclear. To assess the effects of tonic signaling, two CAR constructs were established and analyzed 1) a signaling CAR inducing a solid Ag-independent tonic signaling termed CAR-28/ζ and 2) a nonstimulating control CAR construct lacking intracellular signaling domains termed CAR-Stop. Bone marrow cells from immunocompetent mice were isolated, purified for HSC-containing Lin-cKit+ cells or the Lin-cKit+ Sca-1+ subpopulation (Lin-Sca-1+cKit+), and transduced with both CAR constructs. Subsequently, modified bone marrow cells were transferred into irradiated mice, in which they successfully engrafted and differentiated into hematopoietic progenitors. HSCs expressing the CAR-Stop sustained normal hematopoiesis. In contrast, expression of the CAR-28/ζ led to elimination of mature CAR+ T and B cells, suggesting that the CAR-mediated tonic signaling mimics autorecognition via the newly recombined immune receptors in the developing lymphocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susann Albert
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), 01328 Dresden, Germany.,University Cancer Center (UCC), Tumor Immunology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Stefanie Koristka
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Alexander Gerbaulet
- Institute of Immunology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Claudia Arndt
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Anja Feldmann
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Nicole Berndt
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), 01328 Dresden, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Liliana R Loureiro
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - Malte von Bonin
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Medical Clinic and Policlinic I, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Gerhard Ehninger
- University Cancer Center (UCC), Tumor Immunology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.,Medical Clinic and Policlinic I, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.,National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), partner site Dresden, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Anne Eugster
- Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; and
| | - Ezio Bonifacio
- Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD), Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; and
| | - Martin Bornhäuser
- University Cancer Center (UCC), Tumor Immunology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Medical Clinic and Policlinic I, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.,National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), partner site Dresden, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael P Bachmann
- Institute of Radiopharmaceutical Cancer Research, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), 01328 Dresden, Germany; .,University Cancer Center (UCC), Tumor Immunology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Dresden and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), partner site Dresden, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Armin Ehninger
- Medical Clinic and Policlinic I, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technical University Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.,GEMoaB Monoclonals GmbH, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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11
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Xu M, Gan T, Ning H, Wang L. MicroRNA Functions in Thymic Biology: Thymic Development and Involution. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2063. [PMID: 30254640 PMCID: PMC6141719 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
During the entire processes of thymus organogenesis, maturation, and involution, gene regulation occurs post-transcriptionally via recently discovered microRNA (miRNA) transcripts. Numerous reports indicate that miRNAs may be involved in the construction of a normal thymic microenvironment, which constitutes a critical component to support T lymphocyte development. MiRNAs are also expressed in thymic stromal cells including thymic epithelial cells (TECs) during maturation and senescence. This review focuses on the function of miRNAs in thymic development and involution. A better understanding of these processes will provide new insights into the regulatory network of TECs and further comprehension of how genes control TECs to maintain the thymic microenvironment during thymus development and aging, thus supporting a normal cellular immune system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minwen Xu
- First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
| | - Tao Gan
- Department of Biotechnology, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
| | - Huiting Ning
- Department of Biotechnology, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
| | - Liefeng Wang
- Department of Biotechnology, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, China
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12
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Abusarah J, Khodayarian F, Cui Y, El-Kadiry AEH, Rafei M. Thymic Rejuvenation: Are We There Yet? Gerontology 2018. [DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.74048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
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13
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Clark SM, Vaughn CN, Soroka JA, Li X, Tonelli LH. Neonatal adoptive transfer of lymphocytes rescues social behaviour during adolescence in immune-deficient mice. Eur J Neurosci 2018; 47:968-978. [PMID: 29430738 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Revised: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Accumulating evidence has shown that lymphocytes modulate behaviour and cognition by direct interactions with the central nervous system. Studies have shown that reconstitution by adoptive transfer of lymphocytes from wild type into immune-deficient mice restores a number of neurobehavioural deficits observed in these models. Moreover, it has been shown that these effects are mostly mediated by T lymphocytes. Studies of adoptive transfer thus far have employed adult mice, but whether lymphocytes may also modulate behaviour during development remains unknown. In this study, neonate lymphocyte-deficient Rag2-/- mice were reconstituted within 48 hours after birth with lymphoid cells from transgenic donors expressing green fluorescent protein, allowing for their identification in various tissues in recipient mice while retaining all functional aspects. Adolescent Rag2-/- and reconstituted Rag2-/- along with C57BL/6J wild-type mice underwent a series of behavioural tests, including open field, social interaction and sucrose preference tests. At 12 weeks, they were evaluated in the Morris water maze (MWM). Reconstituted mice showed changes in almost all aspects of behaviour that were assessed, with a remarkable complete rescue of impaired social behaviour displayed by adolescent Rag2-/- mice. Consistent with previous reports in adult mice, neonatal reconstitution in Rag2-/- mice restored spatial memory in the MWM. The presence of donor lymphocytes in the brain of neonatally reconstituted Rag2-/- mice was confirmed at various developmental points. These findings provide evidence that lymphocytes colonize the brain during post-natal development and modulate behaviour across the lifespan supporting a role for adaptive immunity during brain maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Clark
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroimmunology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, MSTF Building Room 934E, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.,Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Chloe N Vaughn
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroimmunology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, MSTF Building Room 934E, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Jennifer A Soroka
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroimmunology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, MSTF Building Room 934E, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Xin Li
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroimmunology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, MSTF Building Room 934E, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Leonardo H Tonelli
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neuroimmunology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 685 W. Baltimore Street, MSTF Building Room 934E, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA.,Research and Development Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD, USA
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14
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Abstract
About two decades ago, cloning of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene materialized one of the most important actors on the scene of self-tolerance. Thymic transcription of genes encoding tissue-specific antigens (ts-ags) is activated by AIRE protein and embodies the essence of thymic self-representation. Pathogenic AIRE variants cause the autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1, which is a rare and complex disease that is gaining attention in research on autoimmunity. The animal models of disease, although not identically reproducing the human picture, supply fundamental information on mechanisms and extent of AIRE action: thanks to its multidomain structure, AIRE localizes to chromatin enclosing the target genes, binds to histones, and offers an anchorage to multimolecular complexes involved in initiation and post-initiation events of gene transcription. In addition, AIRE enhances mRNA diversity by favoring alternative mRNA splicing. Once synthesized, ts-ags are presented to, and cause deletion of the self-reactive thymocyte clones. However, AIRE function is not restricted to the activation of gene transcription. AIRE would control presentation and transfer of self-antigens for thymic cellular interplay: such mechanism is aimed at increasing the likelihood of engagement of the thymocytes that carry the corresponding T-cell receptors. Another fundamental role of AIRE in promoting self-tolerance is related to the development of thymocyte anergy, as thymic self-representation shapes at the same time the repertoire of regulatory T cells. Finally, AIRE seems to replicate its action in the secondary lymphoid organs, albeit the cell lineage detaining such property has not been fully characterized. Delineation of AIRE functions adds interesting data to the knowledge of the mechanisms of self-tolerance and introduces exciting perspectives of therapeutic interventions against the related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Perniola
- Department of Pediatrics, Neonatal Intensive Care, Vito Fazzi Regional Hospital, Lecce, Italy
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15
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Weis CA, Schalke B, Ströbel P, Marx A. Challenging the current model of early-onset myasthenia gravis pathogenesis in the light of the MGTX trial and histological heterogeneity of thymectomy specimens. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2018; 1413:82-91. [DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13563] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Revised: 10/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cleo-Aron Weis
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim; University of Heidelberg; Mannheim Germany
| | - Berthold Schalke
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Regensburg; University of Regensburg; Regensburg Germany
| | - Philipp Ströbel
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Center Göttingen; University of Göttingen; Göttingen Germany
| | - Alexander Marx
- Institute of Pathology, University Medical Centre Mannheim; University of Heidelberg; Mannheim Germany
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16
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Udenwobele DI, Su RC, Good SV, Ball TB, Varma Shrivastav S, Shrivastav A. Myristoylation: An Important Protein Modification in the Immune Response. Front Immunol 2017; 8:751. [PMID: 28713376 PMCID: PMC5492501 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2017.00751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein N-myristoylation is a cotranslational lipidic modification specific to the alpha-amino group of an N-terminal glycine residue of many eukaryotic and viral proteins. The ubiquitous eukaryotic enzyme, N-myristoyltransferase, catalyzes the myristoylation process. Precisely, attachment of a myristoyl group increases specific protein–protein interactions leading to subcellular localization of myristoylated proteins with its signaling partners. The birth of the field of myristoylation, a little over three decades ago, has led to the understanding of the significance of protein myristoylation in regulating cellular signaling pathways in several biological processes especially in carcinogenesis and more recently immune function. This review discusses myristoylation as a prerequisite step in initiating many immune cell signaling cascades. In particular, we discuss the hitherto unappreciated implication of myristoylation during myelopoiesis, innate immune response, lymphopoiesis for T cells, and the formation of the immunological synapse. Furthermore, we discuss the role of myristoylation in inducing the virological synapse during human immunodeficiency virus infection as well as its clinical implication. This review aims to summarize existing knowledge in the field and to highlight gaps in our understanding of the role of myristoylation in immune function so as to further investigate into the dynamics of myristoylation-dependent immune regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ikenna Udenwobele
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu, Nigeria
| | - Ruey-Chyi Su
- JC Wilt Infectious Diseases Research Institute, National HIV and Retrovirology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Sara V Good
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Terry Blake Ball
- JC Wilt Infectious Diseases Research Institute, National HIV and Retrovirology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Shailly Varma Shrivastav
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,VastCon Inc., Winnipeg, MB, Canada
| | - Anuraag Shrivastav
- Department of Biology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.,Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
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17
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Sornborger A, Li J, Timmons C, Lupu F, Eggenschwiler J, Takahama Y, Manley NR. MiCASA is a new method for quantifying cellular organization. Nat Commun 2017; 8:15619. [PMID: 28555660 PMCID: PMC5493597 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 04/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
While many tools exist for identifying and quantifying individual cell types, few methods are available to assess the relationships between cell types in organs and tissues and how these relationships change during aging or disease states. We present a quantitative method for evaluating cellular organization, using the mouse thymus as a test organ. The thymus is the primary lymphoid organ responsible for generating T cells in vertebrates, and its proper structure and organization is essential for optimal function. Our method, Multitaper Circularly Averaged Spectral Analysis (MiCASA), identifies differences in the tissue-level organization with high sensitivity, including defining a novel type of phenotype by measuring variability as a specific parameter. MiCASA provides a novel and easily implemented quantitative tool for assessing cellular organization. There are few methods available that can quantify relationships between cell types in tissue images. Here the authors present a quantitative method to evaluate cellular organization, validated in the mouse thymus and spinal cord, called Multitaper Circularly Averaged Spectral Analysis (MiCASA).
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Sornborger
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Jie Li
- Department of Genetics, Paul D. Coverdell Center, University of Georgia, 500 DW Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Cullen Timmons
- Department of Genetics, Paul D. Coverdell Center, University of Georgia, 500 DW Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Floria Lupu
- Department of Genetics, Paul D. Coverdell Center, University of Georgia, 500 DW Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Jonathan Eggenschwiler
- Department of Genetics, Paul D. Coverdell Center, University of Georgia, 500 DW Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
| | - Yousuke Takahama
- Division of Experimental Immunology, Institute for Genome Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Nancy R Manley
- Department of Genetics, Paul D. Coverdell Center, University of Georgia, 500 DW Brooks Drive, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA
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18
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Intrathymic injection of hematopoietic progenitor cells establishes functional T cell development in a mouse model of severe combined immunodeficiency. J Hematol Oncol 2017; 10:109. [PMID: 28511686 PMCID: PMC5432974 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-017-0478-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Even though hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can be curative in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency, there is a need for additional strategies boosting T cell immunity in individuals suffering from genetic disorders of lymphoid development. Here we show that image-guided intrathymic injection of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice is feasible and facilitates the generation of functional T cells conferring protective immunity. METHODS Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells were isolated from the bone marrow of healthy C57BL/6 mice (wild-type, Luciferase+, CD45.1+) and injected intravenously or intrathymically into both male and female, young or aged NOD-scid IL2rγnull recipients. The in vivo fate of injected cells was analyzed by bioluminescence imaging and flow cytometry of thymus- and spleen-derived T cell populations. In addition to T cell reconstitution, we evaluated mice for evidence of immune dysregulation based on diabetes development and graft-versus-host disease. T cell immunity following intrathymic injection of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice was assessed in a B cell lymphoma model. RESULTS Despite the small size of the thymic remnant in NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice, we were able to accomplish precise intrathymic delivery of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells by ultrasound-guided injection. Thymic reconstitution following intrathymic injection of healthy allogeneic hematopoietic cells was most effective in young male recipients, indicating that even in the setting of severe immunodeficiency, sex and age are important variables for thymic function. Allogeneic T cells generated in intrathymically injected NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice displayed anti-lymphoma activity in vivo, but we found no evidence for severe auto/alloreactivity in T cell-producing NOD-scid IL2rγnull mice, suggesting that immune dysregulation is not a major concern. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that intrathymic injection of donor hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells is a safe and effective strategy to establish protective T cell immunity in a mouse model of severe combined immunodeficiency.
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19
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Zhou YJ, Peng H, Chen Y, Liu YL. Alterations of Thymic Epithelial Cells in Lipopolysaccharide-induced Neonatal Thymus Involution. Chin Med J (Engl) 2017; 129:59-65. [PMID: 26712434 PMCID: PMC4797544 DOI: 10.4103/0366-6999.172577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the thymus was mainly produced by the thymic epithelial cells (TECs), the predominant component of the thymic microenvironment. The progression of TECs and the roles of VEGF in the neonatal thymus during sepsis have not been reported. This study aimed to explore the alterations of TECs and VEGF level in the neonatal thymus involution and to explore the possible mechanisms at the cellular level. METHODS By establishing a model of clinical sepsis, the changes of TECs were measured by hematoxylin-eosin staining, confocal microscopy, and flow cytometry. Moreover, the levels of VEGF in serum and thymus were assessed based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and Western blotting. RESULTS The number of thymocytes and TECs was significantly decreased 24 h after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge, (2.40 ± 0.46)×10 7 vs. (3.93 ± 0.66)×10 7 and (1.16 ± 0.14)×10 5 vs. (2.20 ± 0.19)×10 5 , P < 0.05, respectively. Cortical TECs and medullary TECs in the LPS-treated mice were decreased 1.5-fold and 3.9-fold, P < 0.05, respectively, lower than those in the controls. The number of thymic epithelial progenitors was also decreased. VEGF expression in TECs was down-regulated in a time-dependent manner. CONCLUSION VEGF in thymic cells subsets might contribute to the development of TECs in neonatal sepsis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Ya-Lan Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022, China
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20
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Hamazaki Y, Sekai M, Minato N. Medullary thymic epithelial stem cells: role in thymic epithelial cell maintenance and thymic involution. Immunol Rev 2016; 271:38-55. [PMID: 27088906 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12412] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The thymus consists of two distinct anatomical regions, the cortex and the medulla; medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) play a crucial role in establishing central T-cell tolerance for self-antigens. Although the understanding of mTEC development in thymic organogenesis as well as the regulation of their differentiation and maturation has improved, the mechanisms of postnatal maintenance remain poorly understood. This issue has a central importance in immune homeostasis and physiological thymic involution as well as autoimmune disorders in various clinicopathological settings. Recently, several reports have demonstrated the existence of TEC stem or progenitor cells in the postnatal thymus, which are either bipotent or unipotent. We identified stem cells specified for mTEC-lineage that are generated in the thymic ontogeny and may sustain mTEC regeneration and lifelong central T-cell self-tolerance. This finding suggested that the thymic medulla is maintained autonomously by its own stem cells. Although several issues, including the relationship with other putative TEC stem/progenitors, remain unclear, further examination of mTEC stem cells (mTECSCs) and their regulatory mechanisms may contribute to the understanding of postnatal immune homeostasis. Possible relationships between decline of mTECSC activity and early thymic involution as well as various autoimmune disorders are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoko Hamazaki
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Miho Sekai
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Nagahiro Minato
- Department of Immunology and Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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21
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Barsanti M, Lim JMC, Hun ML, Lister N, Wong K, Hammett MV, Lepletier A, Boyd RL, Giudice A, Chidgey AP. A novel Foxn1
eGFP/+
mouse model identifies Bmp4‐induced maintenance of
Foxn1
expression and thymic epithelial progenitor populations. Eur J Immunol 2016; 47:291-304. [DOI: 10.1002/eji.201646553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2016] [Revised: 10/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/08/2016] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Marco Barsanti
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Joanna M. C. Lim
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Michael L. Hun
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Natalie Lister
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Kahlia Wong
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Maree V. Hammett
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Ailin Lepletier
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Richard L. Boyd
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Antonietta Giudice
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
| | - Ann P. Chidgey
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology Monash University Melbourne Victoria Australia
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22
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Hun M, Barsanti M, Wong K, Ramshaw J, Werkmeister J, Chidgey AP. Native thymic extracellular matrix improves in vivo thymic organoid T cell output, and drives in vitro thymic epithelial cell differentiation. Biomaterials 2016; 118:1-15. [PMID: 27940379 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.11.054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2016] [Revised: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 11/28/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Although the thymus is a primary lymphoid organ, its function is compromised by an age-induced loss of resident epithelial cells, which results in reduced naïve T cell output. This has important implications for immune recovery in aged and elderly patients following damage from cytoablative therapies. As thymic architecture plays a crucial role in naïve T cell development, a tissue specific scaffold that provides essential supporting matrix may assist in stem cell-based thymus regeneration to recreate complex organoids. Here we investigate thymus decellularization approaches that preserve major extracellular matrix components and support thymic epithelial cells for the generation of a functional thymic microenvironment with improved T cell output. We also established an in vitro, serum-free culture system that both maintains a progenitor thymic epithelial cell pool and drives their differentiation in the presence of decellularized thymic matrix. This approach enables further dissection of key cellular and niche components involved in thymic epithelial stem cell maintenance and T cell production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Hun
- Stem Cells and Immune Regeneration Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Level 3, 15 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Marco Barsanti
- Stem Cells and Immune Regeneration Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Level 3, 15 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - Kahlia Wong
- Stem Cells and Immune Regeneration Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Level 3, 15 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
| | - John Ramshaw
- CSIRO Manufacturing, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia
| | | | - Ann P Chidgey
- Stem Cells and Immune Regeneration Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Level 3, 15 Innovation Walk, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia.
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23
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Lucas B, McCarthy NI, Baik S, Cosway E, James KD, Parnell SM, White AJ, Jenkinson WE, Anderson G. Control of the thymic medulla and its influence on αβT-cell development. Immunol Rev 2016; 271:23-37. [PMID: 27088905 PMCID: PMC4982089 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The thymus is a primary lymphoid tissue that supports the generation of αβT cells. In this review, we describe the processes that give rise to the thymus medulla, a site that nurtures self-tolerant T-cell generation following positive selection events that take place in the cortex. To summarize the developmental pathways that generate medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTEC) from their immature progenitors, we describe work on both the initial emergence of the medulla during embryogenesis, and the maintenance of the medulla during postnatal stages. We also investigate the varying roles that receptors belonging to the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily have on thymus medulla development and formation, and highlight the impact that T-cell development has on thymus medulla formation. Finally, we examine the evidence that the thymic medulla plays an important role during the intrathymic generation of distinct αβT-cell subtypes. Collectively, these studies provide new insight into the development and functional importance of medullary microenvironments during self-tolerant T-cell production in the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth Lucas
- MRC Centre for Immune RegulationInstitute for Immunology and ImmunotherapyMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Nicholas I. McCarthy
- MRC Centre for Immune RegulationInstitute for Immunology and ImmunotherapyMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Song Baik
- MRC Centre for Immune RegulationInstitute for Immunology and ImmunotherapyMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Emilie Cosway
- MRC Centre for Immune RegulationInstitute for Immunology and ImmunotherapyMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Kieran D. James
- MRC Centre for Immune RegulationInstitute for Immunology and ImmunotherapyMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Sonia M. Parnell
- MRC Centre for Immune RegulationInstitute for Immunology and ImmunotherapyMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Andrea J. White
- MRC Centre for Immune RegulationInstitute for Immunology and ImmunotherapyMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - William E. Jenkinson
- MRC Centre for Immune RegulationInstitute for Immunology and ImmunotherapyMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
| | - Graham Anderson
- MRC Centre for Immune RegulationInstitute for Immunology and ImmunotherapyMedical SchoolUniversity of BirminghamBirminghamUK
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24
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Montero-Herradón S, García-Ceca J, Sánchez Del Collado B, Alfaro D, Zapata AG. Eph/ephrin-B-mediated cell-to-cell interactions govern MTS20(+) thymic epithelial cell development. Histochem Cell Biol 2016; 146:167-82. [PMID: 27060907 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-016-1431-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Thymus development is a complex process in which cell-to-cell interactions between thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are essential to allow a proper maturation of both thymic cell components. Although signals that control thymocyte development are well known, mechanisms governing TEC maturation are poorly understood, especially those that regulate the maturation of immature TEC populations during early fetal thymus development. In this study, we show that EphB2-deficient, EphB2LacZ and EphB3-deficient fetal thymuses present a lower number of cells and delayed maturation of DN cell subsets compared to WT values. Moreover, deficits in the production of chemokines, known to be involved in the lymphoid seeding into the thymus, contribute in decreased proportions of intrathymic T cell progenitors (PIRA/B(+)) in the mutant thymuses from early stages of development. These features correlate with increased proportions of MTS20(+) cells but fewer MTS20(-) cells from E13.5 onward in the deficient thymuses, suggesting a delayed development of the first epithelial cells. In addition, in vitro the lack of thymocytes or the blockade of Eph/ephrin-B-mediated cell-to-cell interactions between either thymocytes-TECs or TECs-TECs in E13.5 fetal thymic lobes coursed with increased proportions of MTS20(+) TECs. This confirms, for the first time, that the presence of CD45(+) cells, corresponding at these stages to DN1 and DN2 cells, and Eph/ephrin-B-mediated heterotypic or homotypic cell interactions between thymocytes and TECs, or between TECs and themselves, contribute to the early maturation of MTS20(+) TECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Montero-Herradón
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Javier García-Ceca
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Beatriz Sánchez Del Collado
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - David Alfaro
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Agustín G Zapata
- Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University of Madrid, C/José Antonio Novais 2, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
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25
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Al‐Chami E, Tormo A, Pasquin S, Kanjarawi R, Ziouani S, Rafei M. Interleukin-21 administration to aged mice rejuvenates their peripheral T-cell pool by triggering de novo thymopoiesis. Aging Cell 2016; 15:349-60. [PMID: 26762709 PMCID: PMC4783337 DOI: 10.1111/acel.12440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/29/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The vaccination efficacy in the elderly is significantly reduced compared to younger populations due to thymic involution and age‐related intrinsic changes affecting their naïve T‐cell compartment. Interleukin (IL)‐21 was recently shown to display thymostimulatory properties. Therefore, we hypothesized that its administration to ageing hosts may improve T‐cell output and thus restore a competent peripheral T‐cell compartment. Indeed, an increase in the production of recent thymic emigrants (RTEs) attributable to intrathymic expansion of early thymic progenitors (ETPs), double‐negative (DN), and double‐positive (DP) thymocytes as well as thymic epithelial cell (TEC) was observed in recombinant (r)IL‐21‐treated aged mice. In sharp contrast, no alterations in the frequency of bone marrow (BM)‐derived progenitors were detected following rIL‐21 administration. Enhanced production of naïve T cells improved the T‐cell receptor (TCR) repertoire diversity and re‐established a pool of T cells exhibiting higher levels of miR‐181a and diminished amounts of the TCR‐inhibiting phosphatases SHP‐2 and DUSP5/6. As a result, stimulation of T cells derived from rIL‐21‐treated aged mice displayed enhanced activation of Lck, ZAP‐70, and ERK, which ultimately boosted their IL‐2 production, CD25 expression, and proliferation capabilities in comparison with T cells derived from control aged mice. Consequently, aged rIL‐21‐treated mice vaccinated using a tyrosinase‐related protein 2 (Trp2)‐derived peptide exhibited a substantial delay in B16 tumor growth and improved survival. The results of this study highlight the immunorestorative function of rIL‐21 paving its use as a strategy for the re‐establishment of effective immunity in the elderly.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Al‐Chami
- Department of Pharmacology Université de Montréal Montréal QC H3C 1J7 Canada
| | - A. Tormo
- Department of Pharmacology Université de Montréal Montréal QC H3C 1J7 Canada
| | - S. Pasquin
- Department of Pharmacology Université de Montréal Montréal QC H3C 1J7 Canada
| | - R. Kanjarawi
- Department of Pharmacology Université de Montréal Montréal QC H3C 1J7 Canada
| | - S. Ziouani
- Université Paris‐Sud, Faculté de Pharmacie 5 rue J.B. Clément 92296 Châtenay‐Malabry Cedex France
| | - M. Rafei
- Department of Pharmacology Université de Montréal Montréal QC H3C 1J7 Canada
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Satoh R, Kakugawa K, Yasuda T, Yoshida H, Sibilia M, Katsura Y, Levi B, Abramson J, Koseki Y, Koseki H, van Ewijk W, Hollander GA, Kawamoto H. Requirement of Stat3 Signaling in the Postnatal Development of Thymic Medullary Epithelial Cells. PLoS Genet 2016; 12:e1005776. [PMID: 26789017 PMCID: PMC4720355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Thymic medullary regions are formed in neonatal mice as islet-like structures, which increase in size over time and eventually fuse a few weeks after birth into a continuous structure. The development of medullary thymic epithelial cells (TEC) is dependent on NF-κB associated signaling though other signaling pathways may contribute. Here, we demonstrate that Stat3-mediated signals determine medullary TEC cellularity, architectural organization and hence the size of the medulla. Deleting Stat3 expression selectively in thymic epithelia precludes the postnatal enlargement of the medulla retaining a neonatal architecture of small separate medullary islets. In contrast, loss of Stat3 expression in cortical TEC neither affects the cellularity or organization of the epithelia. Activation of Stat3 is mainly positioned downstream of EGF-R as its ablation in TEC phenocopies the loss of Stat3 expression in these cells. These results indicate that Stat3 meditated signal via EGF-R is required for the postnatal development of thymic medullary regions. Thymic medulla is known to be an essential site for the deletion of auto-reactive T cells. Whereas it has been well documented that the development of medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) depends on NF-κB associated signaling, it remained unclear whether other signaling pathways are also involved. In this context, it had been reported that conditional deletion of Stat3 alleles in TECs using cytokeratin-5 (CK5) promoter controlled Cre expression results in a profound impairment in TEC development. However, a detailed analysis of phenotypes in mTECs remained unstudied. In the present study, we show that thymic medullary regions remain as small islets when Stat3 is conditionally deleted in thymic epithelial cells, while they normal fuse to form continuous structures during postnatal development. Furthermore, we identified EGF-R mediated signal to be placed upstream of Stat3 activation, as its ablation phenocopied the loss of Stat3 expression in TECs. Thus, the present study revealed that Stat3 is required for the postnatal development of medullary regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rumi Satoh
- Laboratory for Lymphocyte Development, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, Japan
- Laboratory for Developmental Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kiyokazu Kakugawa
- Laboratory for Lymphocyte Development, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, Japan
- Laboratory for Immune Crosstalk, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Takuwa Yasuda
- Laboratory for Immunogenetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokoham, Japan
| | - Hisahiro Yoshida
- Laboratory for Immunogenetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokoham, Japan
| | - Maria Sibilia
- Department of Medicine I, Institute of Cancer Research, Comprehensive Cancer Center, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Yoshimoto Katsura
- Division of Cell Regeneration and Transplantation, Advanced Medical Research Center, Nihon University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ben Levi
- Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jakub Abramson
- Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yoko Koseki
- Laboratory for Developmental Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Haruhiko Koseki
- Laboratory for Developmental Genetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Willem van Ewijk
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Department of Immunology, Leiden University Medical Center, RA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Georg A. Hollander
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Center for Biomedicine, University of Basel, and the University Children’s Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Developmental Immunology Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Hiroshi Kawamoto
- Laboratory for Lymphocyte Development, RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology, Yokohama, Japan
- Department of Immunology, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- * E-mail:
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WEI TIANLI, ZHANG NANNAN, GUO ZHIBIN, CHI FENG, SONG YAN, ZHU XIKE. Wnt4 signaling is associated with the decrease of proliferation and increase of apoptosis during age-related thymic involution. Mol Med Rep 2015; 12:7568-76. [DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2015.4343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2014] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Jurberg AD, Vasconcelos-Fontes L, Cotta-de-Almeida V. A Tale from TGF-β Superfamily for Thymus Ontogeny and Function. Front Immunol 2015; 6:442. [PMID: 26441956 PMCID: PMC4564722 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple signaling pathways control every aspect of cell behavior, organ formation, and tissue homeostasis throughout the lifespan of any individual. This review takes an ontogenetic view focused on the large superfamily of TGF-β/bone morphogenetic protein ligands to address thymus morphogenesis and function in T cell differentiation. Recent findings on a role of GDF11 for reversing aging-related phenotypes are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arnon Dias Jurberg
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil ; Graduate Program in Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
| | - Larissa Vasconcelos-Fontes
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
| | - Vinícius Cotta-de-Almeida
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) , Rio de Janeiro , Brazil
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29
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Garabatos N, Blanco J, Fandos C, Lopez E, Santamaria P, Ruiz A, Perez-Vidakovics ML, Benveniste P, Galkin O, Zuñiga-Pflucker JC, Serra P. A monoclonal antibody against the extracellular domain of mouse and human epithelial V-like antigen 1 reveals a restricted expression pattern among CD4- CD8- thymocytes. Monoclon Antib Immunodiagn Immunother 2015; 33:305-11. [PMID: 25357997 DOI: 10.1089/mab.2014.0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Expression of transcripts for the homotypic adhesion protein epithelial V-like antigen 1 (EVA1), also known as myelin protein zero like-2 (Mpzl2), is known to be present in thymic stromal cells. However, protein expression within different thymic subsets, stromal and/or lymphoid, has not been characterized due a lack of specific reagents. To address this, we generated a hybridoma (G9P3-1) secreting a monoclonal antibody (G9P3-1Mab), reactive against both human and mouse EVA1. The G9P3-1Mab was generated by immunizing Mpzl2-deficient gene-targeted mice with the extracellular domain of EVA1, followed by a conventional hybridoma fusion protocol, illustrating the feasibility of using gene-targeted mice to generate monoclonal antibodies with multiple species cross-reactivity. We confirmed expression of EVA1 on cortical and medullary epithelial cell subsets and revealed a restricted pattern of expression on CD4- CD8- double negative (DN) cell subsets, with the highest level of expression on DN3 (CD44(low)CD25(+)) thymocytes. G9P3-1MAb is a valuable reagent to study thymic T cell development and is likely useful for the analysis of pathological conditions affecting thymopoiesis, such as thymic involution caused by stress or aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nahir Garabatos
- 1 Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS) , Barcelona, Spain
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Onder L, Nindl V, Scandella E, Chai Q, Cheng HW, Caviezel-Firner S, Novkovic M, Bomze D, Maier R, Mair F, Ledermann B, Becher B, Waisman A, Ludewig B. Alternative NF-κB signaling regulates mTEC differentiation from podoplanin-expressing precursors in the cortico-medullary junction. Eur J Immunol 2015; 45:2218-31. [PMID: 25973789 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201545677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2015] [Revised: 04/23/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The thymic epithelium forms specialized niches to enable thymocyte differentiation. While the common epithelial progenitor of medullary and cortical thymic epithelial cells (mTECs and cTECs) is well defined, early stages of mTEC lineage specification have remained elusive. Here, we utilized in vivo targeting of mTECs to resolve their differentiation pathways and to determine whether mTEC progenitors participate in thymocyte education. We found that mTECs descend from a lineage committed, podoplanin (PDPN)-expressing progenitor located at the cortico-medullary junction. PDPN(+) junctional TECs (jTECs) represent a distinct TEC population that builds the thymic medulla, but only partially supports negative selection and thymocyte differentiation. Moreover, conditional gene targeting revealed that abrogation of alternative NF-κB pathway signaling in the jTEC stage completely blocked mTEC development. Taken together, this study identifies jTECs as lineage-committed mTEC progenitors and shows that NF-κB-dependent progression of jTECs to mTECs is critical to secure central tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Onder
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Veronika Nindl
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Elke Scandella
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Qian Chai
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Hung-Wei Cheng
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | | | - Mario Novkovic
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - David Bomze
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Reinhard Maier
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
| | - Florian Mair
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Birgit Ledermann
- Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Burkhard Becher
- Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ari Waisman
- Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Burkhard Ludewig
- Institute of Immunobiology, Kantonsspital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland.,Institute of Experimental Immunology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Vasil’ev KA, Polevshchikov AV. Thymus development in early ontogeny: A comparative aspect. Russ J Dev Biol 2015. [DOI: 10.1134/s106236041503008x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Fernandez I, Patey N, Marchand V, Birlea M, Maranda B, Haddad E, Decaluwe H, Le Deist F. Multiple intestinal atresia with combined immune deficiency related to TTC7A defect is a multiorgan pathology: study of a French-Canadian-based cohort. Medicine (Baltimore) 2014; 93:e327. [PMID: 25546680 PMCID: PMC4602622 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000000327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Hereditary multiple intestinal atresia (HMIA) is a rare cause of intestinal obstruction in humans associated with a profound combined immune deficiency. Deleterious mutations of the tetratricopeptide repeat domain-7A (TTC7A) gene lead to HMIA, although the mechanism(s) causing the disease in TTC7A deficiency has (have) not yet been clearly identified. To evaluate the consequences of TTC7A deficiency, we studied the morphology of several organs from HMIA patients at different developmental stages, as well as the expression of the TTC7A protein. We performed histological and immunohistochemical analyses on biopsies and autopsies of 6 patients and 1 fetus with HMIA. Moreover, we characterized for the first time the expression of the TTC7A protein by immunostaining it in several organs from control (including fetal samples), infants, and 1 fetus with HMIA. Besides the gastrointestinal tract, HMIA disease was associated with morphological alterations in multiple organs: thymus, lung, spleen, and liver. Moreover, we demonstrated that normal TTC7A protein was expressed in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells of the intestine, thymus, and pancreas. Surprisingly, altered TTC7A protein was highly expressed in tissues from patients, mainly in the epithelial cells. We have established that HMIA associated with a TTC7A defect is characterized by multiorgan impairments. Overall, this report suggests that TTC7A protein is critical for the proper development, preservation, and/or function of thymic and gastrointestinal epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Fernandez
- From the Department of Microbiology, Infectiology and Immunology, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada (IF, EH, FLD); Department of Microbiology and Immunology, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada (IF, FLD); CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, Canada (IF, NP, EH, HD, FLD); Department of Pathology and Cell Biology, CHU Sainte-Justine and University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada (NP); Department of Paediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada (VM, EH, HD, FLD); Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada (VM); Histology Facility, IRIC, University of Montreal, Montreal, Montreal, Canada (MB); Medical Genetics Service, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada (BM); and Division of Rheumatology, Immunology and Allergology, CHU Sainte-Justine Montreal, Canada (EH, HD, FLD)
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Suzuki S, Suzuki M, Nakai M, Sembon S, Fuchimoto D, Onishi A. Transcriptional and histological analyses of the thymic developmental process in the fetal pig. Exp Anim 2014; 63:215-25. [PMID: 24770647 PMCID: PMC4160976 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.63.215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The humanized pig model, in which human cells or tissues can be functionally maintained
in pigs, can be an invaluable tool for human medical research. Although the recent
development of immunodeficient pigs has opened the door for the development of such a
model, the efficient engraftment and differentiation of human cells may be difficult to
achieve. The transplantation of human cells into fetal pigs, whose immune system is
immature, will ameliorate this problem. Therefore, we examined the development of porcine
fetal thymus, which is critical for the establishment of the immune system. We first
analyzed the levels of mRNA expression of genes that are relevant to the function of
thymic epithelial cells or thymocytes in whole thymi from 35 to 85 days of gestation (DG)
and at 2 days postpartum (DP) by quantitative RT-PCR. In addition, immunohistochemical
analyses of thymic epithelial cells from DG35 to DG55 and DP2 were performed. These
analyses showed that the thymic cortex was formed as early as DG35, and thymic medulla
gradually developed from DG45 to DG55. These findings suggested that, at least before
DG45, the thymus do not differentiate to form fully functional T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shunichi Suzuki
- Transgenic Pig Research Unit, National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, 2 Ikenodai, Tsukuba,Ibaraki 305-0901, Japan
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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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Yang E, Zou T, Leichner TM, Zhang SL, Kambayashi T. Both retention and recirculation contribute to long-lived regulatory T-cell accumulation in the thymus. Eur J Immunol 2014; 44:2712-20. [PMID: 24894919 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201444529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Revised: 04/24/2014] [Accepted: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Natural Treg cells acquire their lineage-determining transcription factor Foxp3 during development in the thymus and are important in maintaining immunologic tolerance. Here, we analyzed the composition of the thymic Treg-cell pool using RAG2-GFP/FoxP3-RFP dual reporter mice and found that a population of long-lived GFP(-) Treg cells exists in the thymus. These long-lived Treg cells substantially increased with age, to a point where they represent >90% of the total thymic Treg-cell pool at 6 months of age. In contrast, long-lived conventional T cells remained at ∼ 15% of the total thymic pool at 6 months of age. Consistent with these studies, we noticed that host-derived Treg cells represented a large fraction (∼ 10%) of the total thymic Treg-cell pool in bone marrow chimeras, suggesting that long-lived Treg cells also reside in the thymus of these mice. The pool of long-lived Treg cells in the thymus was sustained by retention of Treg cells in the thymus and by recirculation of peripheral Treg cells back into the thymus. These long-lived thymic Treg cells suppressed T-cell proliferation to an equivalent extent to splenic Treg cells. Together, these data demonstrate that long-lived Treg cells accumulate in the thymus by both retention and recirculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- EnJun Yang
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
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Palamaro L, Romano R, Fusco A, Giardino G, Gallo V, Pignata C. FOXN1 in Organ Development and Human Diseases. Int Rev Immunol 2014; 33:83-93. [DOI: 10.3109/08830185.2013.870171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Hakim FT, Gress RE. Immunosenescence: immune deficits in the elderly and therapeutic strategies to enhance immune competence. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2014; 1:443-58. [DOI: 10.1586/1744666x.1.3.443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Abstract
Immunodeficiencies with nonfunctional T cells comprise a heterogeneous group of conditions characterized by altered function of T lymphocytes in spite of largely preserved T cell development. Some of these forms are due to hypomorphic mutations in genes causing severe combined immunodeficiency. More recently, advances in human genome sequencing have facilitated the identification of novel genetic defects that do not affect T cell development, but alter T cell function and homeostasis. Along with increased susceptibility to infections, these conditions are characterized by autoimmunity and higher risk of malignancies. The study of these diseases, and of corresponding animal models, has provided fundamental insights on the mechanisms that govern immune homeostasis.
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Obukhova LA, Vais VB, Bakeeva LE, Sergeeva SV, Kolosova NG. Structural and functional basis of accelerated involution of the thymus in OXYS rats. ADVANCES IN GERONTOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1134/s2079057014010081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Human proT-cells generated in vitro facilitate hematopoietic stem cell-derived T-lymphopoiesis in vivo and restore thymic architecture. Blood 2013; 122:4210-9. [PMID: 24215033 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2012-12-472803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is followed by a period of immune deficiency due to a paucity in T-cell reconstitution. Underlying causes are a severely dysfunctional thymus and an impaired production of thymus-seeding progenitors in the host. Here, we addressed whether in vitro-derived human progenitor T (proT)-cells could not only represent a source of thymus-seeding progenitors, but also able to influence the recovery of the thymic microenvironment. We examined whether co-transplantation of in vitro-derived human proT-cells with hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) was able to facilitate HSC-derived T-lymphopoiesis posttransplant. A competitive transfer approach was used to define the optimal proT subset capable of reconstituting immunodeficient mice. Although the 2 subsets tested (proT1, CD34(+)CD7(+)CD5(-); proT2, CD34(+)CD7(+)CD5(+)) showed thymus engrafting function, proT2-cells exhibited superior engrafting capacity. Based on this, when proT2-cells were coinjected with HSCs, a significantly improved and accelerated HSC-derived T-lymphopoiesis was observed. Furthermore, we uncovered a potential mechanism by which receptor activator of nuclear factor κb (RANK) ligand-expressing proT2-cells induce changes in both the function and architecture of the thymus microenvironment, which favors the recruitment of bone marrow-derived lymphoid progenitors. Our findings provide further support for the use of Notch-expanded progenitors in cell-based therapies to aid in the recovery of T-cells in patients undergoing HSCT.
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Ribeiro AR, Rodrigues PM, Meireles C, Di Santo JP, Alves NL. Thymocyte selection regulates the homeostasis of IL-7-expressing thymic cortical epithelial cells in vivo. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2013; 191:1200-9. [PMID: 23794633 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1203042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) help orchestrate thymopoiesis, and TEC differentiation relies on bidirectional interactions with thymocytes. Although the molecular mediators that stimulate medullary thymic epithelial cell (mTEC) maturation are partially elucidated, the signals that regulate cortical thymic epithelial cell (cTEC) homeostasis remain elusive. Using IL-7 reporter mice, we show that TECs coexpressing high levels of IL-7 (Il7(YFP+) TECs) reside within a subset of CD205(+)Ly51(+)CD40(low) cTECs that coexpresses Dll4, Ccl25, Ccrl1, Ctsl, Psmb11, and Prss16 and segregates from CD80(+)CD40(high) mTECs expressing Tnfrsf11a, Ctss, and Aire. As the frequency of Il7(YFP+) TECs gradually declines as mTEC development unfolds, we explored the relationship between Il7(YFP+) TECs and mTECs. In thymic organotypic cultures, the thymocyte-induced reduction in Il7(YFP+) TECs dissociates from the receptor activator of NF-κB-mediated differentiation of CD80(+) mTECs. Still, Il7(YFP+) TECs can generate some CD80(+) mTECs in a stepwise differentiation process via YFP(-)Ly51(low)CD80(low) intermediates. Il7(YFP+) TECs are sustained in Rag2(-/-) mice, even following in vivo anti-CD3ε treatment that mimics the process of pre-TCR β-selection of thymocytes to the double positive (DP) stage. Using Marilyn-Rag2(-/-) TCR transgenic, we find that positive selection into the CD4 lineage moderately reduces the frequency of Il7(YFP+) TECs, whereas negative selection provokes a striking loss of Il7(YFP+) TECs. These results imply that the strength of MHC/peptide-TCR interactions between TECs and thymocytes during selection constitutes a novel rheostat that controls the maintenance of IL-7-expressing cTECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana R Ribeiro
- Infection and Immunity Unit, CAGE Laboratory, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Porto, 4150-180 Porto, Portugal
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Martin KR, Layton D, Seach N, Corlett A, Barallobre MJ, Arbonés ML, Boyd RL, Scott B, Pritchard MA. Upregulation of RCAN1 causes Down syndrome-like immune dysfunction. J Med Genet 2013; 50:444-54. [PMID: 23644448 DOI: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2013-101522] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND People with Down syndrome (DS) are more susceptible to infections and autoimmune disease, but the molecular genetic basis for these immune defects remains undetermined. In this study, we tested whether increased expression of the chromosome 21 gene RCAN1 contributes to immune dysregulation. METHODS We investigated the immune phenotype of a mouse model that overexpresses RCAN1. RCAN1 transgenic (TG) mice exhibit T cell abnormalities that bear a striking similarity to the abnormalities described in individuals with DS. RESULTS RCAN1-TG mice display T cell developmental defects in the thymus and peripheral immune tissues. Thymic cellularity is reduced by substantial losses of mature CD4 and CD8 thymocytes and medullary epithelium. In peripheral immune organs T lymphocytes are reduced in number and exhibit reduced proliferative capacity and aberrant cytokine production. These T cell defects are stem cell intrinsic in that transfer of wild type bone marrow into RCAN1-TG recipients restored medullary thymic epithelium and T cell numbers in the thymus, spleen and lymph nodes. However, bone marrow transplantation failed to improve T cell function, suggesting an additional role for RCAN1 in the non-haemopoietic compartment. CONCLUSIONS RCAN1 therefore facilitates T cell development and function, and when overexpressed, may contribute to immune dysfunction in DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine R Martin
- Department Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Wellington Rd, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
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Abstract
For a very long time, we studied the metallophilic macrophages of the rodent thymus and in this review our results on morphological, histochemical, enzymehistochemical, immunohistochemical, ultrastructural and functional features of these cells, as well as the molecular regulation of their development, will be presented. Furthermore, the differences between species will also be discussed and the comparisons with similar/related cell types (metallophilic macrophages in the marginal sinus of the spleen, subcapsular sinus of the lymph nodes and germinal centers of secondary lymphoid follicles) will be made. Metallophilic macrophages are strategically positioned in the thymic cortico-medullary zone and are very likely to be involved in: (i) the metabolism, synthesis and production of bioactive lipids, most likely arachidonic acid metabolites, based on their histochemical and enzymehistochemical features, and (ii) the process of negative selection that occurs in the thymus, based on their ultrastructural features and their reactivity after the application of toxic or immunosuppressive/immunomodulatory agents. Taken together, their phenotypic and functional features strongly suggest that metallophilic macrophages play a significant role in the thymic physiology.
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Antigen recognition by autoreactive CD4⁺ thymocytes drives homeostasis of the thymic medulla. PLoS One 2012; 7:e52591. [PMID: 23300712 PMCID: PMC3531460 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2012] [Accepted: 11/16/2012] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The thymic medulla is dedicated for purging the T-cell receptor (TCR) repertoire of self-reactive specificities. Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) play a pivotal role in this process because they express numerous peripheral tissue-restricted self-antigens. Although it is well known that medulla formation depends on the development of single-positive (SP) thymocytes, the mechanisms underlying this requirement are incompletely understood. We demonstrate here that conventional SP CD4+ thymocytes bearing autoreactive TCRs drive a homeostatic process that fine-tunes medullary plasticity in adult mice by governing the expansion and patterning of the medulla. This process exhibits strict dependence on TCR-reactivity with self-antigens expressed by mTECs, as well as engagement of the CD28-CD80/CD86 costimulatory axis. These interactions induce the expression of lymphotoxin α in autoreactive CD4+ thymocytes and RANK in mTECs. Lymphotoxin in turn drives mTEC development in synergy with RANKL and CD40L. Our results show that Ag-dependent interactions between autoreactive CD4+ thymocytes and mTECs fine-tune homeostasis of the medulla by completing the signaling axes implicated in mTEC expansion and medullary organization.
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Irla M, Guenot J, Sealy G, Reith W, Imhof BA, Sergé A. Three-dimensional visualization of the mouse thymus organization in health and immunodeficiency. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2012; 190:586-96. [PMID: 23248258 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1200119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Lymphoid organs exhibit complex structures tightly related to their function. Surprisingly, although the thymic medulla constitutes a specialized microenvironment dedicated to the induction of T cell tolerance, its three-dimensional topology remains largely elusive because it has been studied mainly in two dimensions using thymic sections. To overcome this limitation, we have developed an automated method for full organ reconstruction in three dimensions, allowing visualization of intact mouse lymphoid organs from a collection of immunolabeled slices. We validated full organ reconstruction in three dimensions by reconstructing the well-characterized structure of skin-draining lymph nodes, before revisiting the complex and poorly described corticomedullary organization of the thymus. Wild-type thymi contain ~200 small medullae that are connected to or separated from a major medullary compartment. In contrast, thymi of immunodeficient Rag2(-/-) mice exhibit only ~20 small, unconnected medullary islets. Upon total body irradiation, medullary complexity was partially reduced and then recovered upon bone marrow transplantation. This intricate topology presents fractal properties, resulting in a considerable corticomedullary area. This feature ensures short distances between cortex and medulla, hence efficient thymocyte migration, as assessed by mathematical models. Remarkably, this junction is enriched, particularly in neonates, in medullary thymic epithelial cells expressing the autoimmune regulator. The emergence of a major medullary compartment is induced by CD4(+) thymocytes via CD80/86 and lymphotoxin-α signals. This comprehensive three-dimensional view of the medulla emphasizes a complex topology favoring efficient interactions between developing T cells and autoimmune regulator-positive medullary thymic epithelial cells, a key process for central tolerance induction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magali Irla
- Department of Pathology and Immunology, University of Geneva, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
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Perniola R. Expression of the autoimmune regulator gene and its relevance to the mechanisms of central and peripheral tolerance. Clin Dev Immunol 2012; 2012:207403. [PMID: 23125865 PMCID: PMC3485510 DOI: 10.1155/2012/207403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2012] [Revised: 08/26/2012] [Accepted: 09/11/2012] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
The autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a monogenic disease due to pathogenic variants occurring in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene. Its related protein, AIRE, activates the transcription of genes encoding for tissue-specific antigens (TsAgs) in a subset of medullary thymic epithelial cells: the presentation of TsAgs to the maturating thymocytes induces the apoptosis of the autoreactive clones and constitutes the main form of central tolerance. Dysregulation of thymic AIRE expression in genetically transmitted and acquired diseases other than APS-1 may contribute to further forms of autoimmunity. As AIRE and its murine homolog are also expressed in the secondary lymphoid organs, the extent and relevance of AIRE participation in the mechanisms of peripheral tolerance need to be thoroughly defined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Perniola
- Neonatal Intensive Care, Department of Pediatrics, V. Fazzi Regional Hospital, Piazza F. Muratore, 73100 Lecce, Italy.
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Capalbo D, Giardino G, Martino LD, Palamaro L, Romano R, Gallo V, Cirillo E, Salerno M, Pignata C. Genetic basis of altered central tolerance and autoimmune diseases: a lesson from AIRE mutations. Int Rev Immunol 2012; 31:344-62. [PMID: 23083345 DOI: 10.3109/08830185.2012.697230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The thymus is a specialized organ that provides an inductive environment for the development of T cells from multipotent hematopoietic progenitors. Self-nonself discrimination plays a key role in inducing a productive immunity and in preventing autoimmune reactions. Tolerance represents a state of immunologic nonresponsiveness in the presence of a particular antigen. The immune system becomes tolerant to self-antigens through the two main processes, central and peripheral tolerance. Central tolerance takes place within the thymus and represents the mechanism by which T cells binding with high avidity self-antigens, which are potentially autoreactive, are eliminated through so-called negative selection. This process is mostly mediated by medullary thymic epithelia cells (mTECs) and medullary dendritic cells (DCs). A remarkable event in the process is the expression of tissue-specific antigens (TSA) by mTECs driven by the transcription factor autoimmune regulator (AIRE). Mutations in this gene result in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), a rare autosomal recessive disease (OMIM 240300). Thus far, this syndrome is the paradigm of a genetically determined failure of central tolerance and autoimmunty. Patients with APECED have a variable pattern of autoimmune reactions, involving different endocrine and nonendocrine organs. However, although APECED is a monogenic disorder, it is characterized by a wide variability of the clinical expression, thus implying a further role for disease-modifying genes and environmental factors in the pathogenesis. Studies on this polyreactive autoimmune syndrome contributed enormously to unraveling several issues of the molecular basis of autoimmunity. This review focuses on the developmental, functional, and molecular events governing central tolerance and on the clinical implication of its failure.
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From murine to human nude/SCID: the thymus, T-cell development and the missing link. Clin Dev Immunol 2012; 2012:467101. [PMID: 22474479 PMCID: PMC3303720 DOI: 10.1155/2012/467101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2011] [Accepted: 12/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are disorders of the immune system, which lead to increased susceptibility to infections. T-cell defects, which may affect T-cell development/function, are approximately 11% of reported PIDs. The pathogenic mechanisms are related to molecular alterations not only of genes selectively expressed in hematopoietic cells but also of the stromal component of the thymus that represents the primary lymphoid organ for T-cell differentiation. With this regard, the prototype of athymic disorders due to abnormal stroma is the Nude/SCID syndrome, first described in mice in 1966. In man, the DiGeorge Syndrome (DGS) has long been considered the human prototype of a severe T-cell differentiation defect. More recently, the human equivalent of the murine Nude/SCID has been described, contributing to unravel important issues of the T-cell ontogeny in humans. Both mice and human diseases are due to alterations of the FOXN1, a developmentally regulated transcription factor selectively expressed in skin and thymic epithelia.
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Passa O, Tsalavos S, Belyaev NN, Petryk A, Potocnik AJ, Graf D. Compartmentalization of bone morphogenetic proteins and their antagonists in lymphoid progenitors and supporting microenvironments and functional implications. Immunology 2011; 134:349-59. [PMID: 21978004 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2011.03495.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling regulates lymphopoiesis in bone marrow and thymus via the interaction of haemato-lymphoid progenitors with the stroma microenvironment. Despite increasing functional evidence for the role of BMP signalling in lymphopoiesis, little is known of the spatial distribution of BMP/BMP antagonists in the thymus and of how BMP signals exert specific functions in developing lymphocytes. We analysed expression of BMP/BMP antagonists in the thymus and bone marrow and determined the topology of BMP/BMP antagonist expression using lacZ reporter mice. Bmp4, Bmp7, Gremlin and Twisted gastrulation (Twsg1) are all expressed in the thymus and expression was clearly different for each gene investigated. Expression was seen both in cortical and medullary regions suggesting that BMP signals regulate all stages of T-cell development. Two genes in particular, Bmp7 and Twsg1, were dynamically expressed in developing T and B lymphocytes. Their conditional ablation in all haematopoietic cells surprisingly did not affect the steady state of B-cell and T-cell development. This indicates that both lymphoid cell-derived BMP7 and TWSG1 are dispensable for normal lymphopoiesis and that bone-marrow stroma-derived TWSG1 is responsible for the lymphoid defects observed in Twsg1 null mice. In summary our data demonstrate a complex network of lymphoid and stroma derived BMP signals involved in the orchestration of lymphopoiesis in both bone marrow and thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ourania Passa
- Institute of Immunology, Biomedical Sciences Research Centre Alexander Fleming, Vari, Greece
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Gui J, Morales AJ, Maxey SE, Bessette KA, Ratcliffe NR, Kelly JA, Craig RW. MCL1 increases primitive thymocyte viability in female mice and promotes thymic expansion into adulthood. Int Immunol 2011; 23:647-59. [PMID: 21937457 DOI: 10.1093/intimm/dxr073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Increasing the pool of cells at early T-cell developmental stages enhances thymopoiesis and is especially beneficial when T-cell production is compromised by radiation or aging. Within the immature double-negative (DN; CD4(-)CD8(-)) thymocyte subpopulation, the DN1 subset contains the most primitive cells including the rare early T-cell progenitors (ETPs). In the present study, a human MCL1 transgene, under the control of its endogenous promoter, resulted in enlargement of an undistorted thymus in C57/BL6 mice. Enlargement occurred in females but not males, being seen at 1 month of age and maintained during progression into adulthood as the thymus underwent involution. The small DN1 subset was expanded disproportionally (ETPs increasing from ∼0.016 to 0.03% of thymocytes), while more mature thymocytes were increased proportionally (1.5-fold) along with the stroma. DN1 cells from transgenic females exhibited increased viability with maintained proliferation, and their survival in primary culture was extended. Exposure of transgenic females to γ-irradiation also revealed an expanded pool of radioresistant DN1 cells exhibiting increased viability. While the viability of DN1 cells from transgenic males was equivalent to that of their non-transgenic counterparts directly after harvest, it was enhanced in culture-suggesting that the effect of the transgene was suppressed in the in vivo environment of the male. Viability was increased in ETPs from transgenic females, but unchanged in more mature thymocytes, indicating that primitive cells were affected selectively. The MCL1 transgene thus increases the viability and pool size of primitive ETP/DN1 cells, promoting thymopoiesis and radioresistance in peripubescent females and into adulthood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingang Gui
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, NH 03755, USA
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