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Zhang ML, Li HB, Jin Y. Application and perspective of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology in human diseases modeling and gene therapy. Front Genet 2024; 15:1364742. [PMID: 38666293 PMCID: PMC11043577 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1364742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat (CRISPR) mediated Cas9 nuclease system has been extensively used for genome editing and gene modification in eukaryotic cells. CRISPR/Cas9 technology holds great potential for various applications, including the correction of genetic defects or mutations within the human genome. The application of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system in human disease research is anticipated to solve a multitude of intricate molecular biology challenges encountered in life science research. Here, we review the fundamental principles underlying CRISPR/Cas9 technology and its recent application in neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune related diseases, and cancer, focusing on the disease modeling and gene therapy potential of CRISPR/Cas9 in these diseases. Finally, we provide an overview of the limitations and future prospects associated with employing CRISPR/Cas9 technology for diseases study and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man-Ling Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory for Pathogenesis and Diagnosis of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
| | - Hong-Bin Li
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory for Pathogenesis and Diagnosis of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
| | - Yong Jin
- Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
- Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory for Pathogenesis and Diagnosis of Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, The Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University, Hohhot, China
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2
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Savino W, Durães J, Maldonado-Galdeano C, Perdigon G, Mendes-da-Cruz DA, Cuervo P. Thymus, undernutrition, and infection: Approaching cellular and molecular interactions. Front Nutr 2022; 9:948488. [PMID: 36225882 PMCID: PMC9549110 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.948488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Undernutrition remains a major issue in global health. Low protein-energy consumption, results in stunting, wasting and/or underweight, three deleterious forms of malnutrition that affect roughly 200 million children under the age of five years. Undernutrition compromises the immune system with the generation of various degrees of immunodeficiency, which in turn, renders undernourished individuals more sensitive to acute infections. The severity of various infectious diseases including visceral leishmaniasis (VL), influenza, and tuberculosis is associated with undernutrition. Immunosuppression resulting from protein-energy undernutrition severely impacts primary and secondary lymphoid organs involved in the response to related pathogens. The thymus—a primary lymphoid organ responsible for the generation of T lymphocytes—is particularly compromised by both undernutrition and infectious diseases. In this respect, we will discuss herein various intrathymic cellular and molecular interactions seen in undernutrition alone or in combination with acute infections. Many examples illustrated in studies on humans and experimental animals clearly revealed that protein-related undernutrition causes thymic atrophy, with cortical thymocyte depletion. Moreover, the non-lymphoid microenvironmental compartment of the organ undergoes important changes in thymic epithelial cells, including their secretory products such as hormones and extracellular matrix proteins. Of note, deficiencies in vitamins and trace elements also induce thymic atrophy. Interestingly, among the molecular interactions involved in the control of undernutrition-induced thymic atrophy is a hormonal imbalance with a rise in glucocorticoids and a decrease in leptin serum levels. Undernutrition also yields a negative impact of acute infections upon the thymus, frequently with the intrathymic detection of pathogens or their antigens. For instance, undernourished mice infected with Leishmania infantum (that causes VL) undergo drastic thymic atrophy, with significant reduction in thymocyte numbers, and decreased levels of intrathymic chemokines and cytokines, indicating that both lymphoid and microenvironmental compartments of the organ are affected. Lastly, recent data revealed that some probiotic bacteria or probiotic fermented milks improve the thymus status in a model of malnutrition, thus raising a new field for investigation, namely the thymus-gut connection, indicating that probiotics can be envisioned as a further adjuvant therapy in the control of thymic changes in undernutrition accompanied or not by infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson Savino
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- *Correspondence: Wilson Savino, ,
| | - Jonathan Durães
- Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratory on Leishmaniasis Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Carolina Maldonado-Galdeano
- Laboratory of Immunology, Reference Center for Lactobacilli Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CERELA-CONICET), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratory of Immunology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy, National University of Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Gabriela Perdigon
- Laboratory of Immunology, Reference Center for Lactobacilli Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CERELA-CONICET), San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
- Laboratory of Immunology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Chemistry and Pharmacy, National University of Tucumán, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Daniella Arêas Mendes-da-Cruz
- Laboratory on Thymus Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Brazilian National Institute of Science and Technology on Neuroimmunomodulation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, United Kingdom
| | - Patricia Cuervo
- Rio de Janeiro Research Network on Neuroinflammation, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratory on Leishmaniasis Research, Oswaldo Cruz Institute, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Patricia Cuervo, ,
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Bao X, Qin Y, Lu L, Zheng M. Transcriptional Regulation of Early T-Lymphocyte Development in Thymus. Front Immunol 2022; 13:884569. [PMID: 35432347 PMCID: PMC9008359 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.884569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
T-lymphocytes play crucial roles for maintaining immune homeostasis by fighting against various pathogenic microorganisms and establishing self-antigen tolerance. They will go through several stages and checkpoints in the thymus from progenitors to mature T cells, from CD4-CD8- double negative (DN) cells to CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP) cells, finally become CD4+ or CD8+ single positive (SP) cells. The mature SP cells then emigrate out of the thymus and further differentiate into distinct subsets under different environment signals to perform specific functions. Each step is regulated by various transcriptional regulators downstream of T cell receptors (TCRs) that have been extensively studied both in vivo and vitro via multiple mouse models and advanced techniques, such as single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and Chromatin Immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq). This review will summarize the transcriptional regulators participating in the early stage of T cell development reported in the past decade, trying to figure out cascade networks in each process and provide possible research directions in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xueyang Bao
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yingyu Qin
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
| | - Linrong Lu
- Shanghai Immune Therapy Institute, Renji Hospital, Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.,Institute of Immunology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mingzhu Zheng
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, China
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Monteleone-Cassiano AC, Dernowsek JA, Mascarenhas RS, Assis AF, Pitol D, Santos Moreira NC, Sakamoto-Hojo ET, Issa JPM, Donadi EA, Passos GA. The absence of the autoimmune regulator gene (AIRE) impairs the three-dimensional structure of medullary thymic epithelial cell spheroids. BMC Mol Cell Biol 2022; 23:15. [PMID: 35331137 PMCID: PMC8952272 DOI: 10.1186/s12860-022-00414-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Besides controlling the expression of peripheral tissue antigens, the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene also regulates the expression of adhesion genes in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), an essential process for mTEC-thymocyte interaction for triggering the negative selection in the thymus. For these processes to occur, it is necessary that the medulla compartment forms an adequate three-dimensional (3D) architecture, preserving the thymic medulla. Previous studies have shown that AIRE knockout (KO) mice have a small and disorganized thymic medulla; however, whether AIRE influences the mTEC-mTEC interaction in the maintenance of the 3D structure has been little explored. Considering that AIRE controls cell adhesion genes, we hypothesized that this gene affects 3D mTEC-mTEC interaction. To test this, we constructed an in vitro model system for mTEC spheroid formation, in which cells adhere to each other, establishing a 3D structure. Results The comparisons between AIRE wild type (AIREWT) and AIRE KO (AIRE−/−) 3D mTEC spheroid formation showed that the absence of AIRE: i) disorganizes the 3D structure of mTEC spheroids, ii) increases the proportion of cells at the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle, iii) increases the rate of mTEC apoptosis, iv) decreases the strength of mTEC-mTEC adhesion, v) promotes a differential regulation of mTEC classical surface markers, and vi) modulates genes encoding adhesion and other molecules. Conclusions Overall, the results show that AIRE influences the 3D structuring of mTECs when these cells begin the spheroid formation through controlling cell adhesion genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Carolina Monteleone-Cassiano
- Program of Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.,Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Janaina A Dernowsek
- Institute for Energy and Nuclear Research, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Romario S Mascarenhas
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Amanda Freire Assis
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil
| | - Dimitrius Pitol
- Department of Basic and Oral Biology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Elza Tiemi Sakamoto-Hojo
- Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters at Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - João Paulo Mardegan Issa
- Department of Basic and Oral Biology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Eduardo A Donadi
- Program of Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. .,Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Geraldo Aleixo Passos
- Program of Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. .,Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14049-900, Brazil. .,Department of Basic and Oral Biology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. .,Center for Cell-Based Therapy in Dentistry, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. .,Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Department of Basic and Oral Biology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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5
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Duarte MJ, Mascarenhas RS, Assis AF, Tanaka PP, Speck-Hernandez CA, Passos GA. Autoimmune regulator act in synergism with thymocyte adhesion in the control of lncRNAs in medullary thymic epithelial cells. Mol Immunol 2021; 140:127-135. [PMID: 34700158 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2021.10.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Revised: 05/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/06/2022]
Abstract
The autoimmune regulator (Aire) gene in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) encodes the AIRE protein, which interacts with its partners within the nucleus. This "Aire complex" induces stalled RNA Pol II on chromatin to proceed with transcription elongation of a large set of messenger RNAs and microRNAs. Considering that RNA Pol II also transcribes long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), we hypothesized that Aire might be implicated in the upstream control of this RNA species. To test this, we employed a loss-of-function approach in which Aire knockout mTECs were compared to Aire wild-type mTECs for lncRNA transcriptional profiling both in vitro and in vivo model systems. RNA sequencing enables the differential expression profiling of lncRNAs when these cells adhere in vitro to thymocytes or do not adhere to them as a way to test the effect of cell adhesion. Sets of lncRNAs that are unique and that are shared in vitro and in vivo were identified. Among these, we found the Aire-dependent lncRNAs as for example, Platr28, Ifi30, Morrbid, Malat1, and Xist. This finding represents the first evidence that Aire mediates the transcription of lncRNAs in mTECs. Microarray hybridizations enabled us to observe that temporal thymocyte adhesion modulates the expression levels of such lncRNAs as Morrbid, Xist, and Fbxl12o after 36 h of adhesion. This finding shows the existence of a synergistic mechanism involving a link between thymocyte adhesion, Aire, and lncRNAs in mTECs that might be important for immune self-representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Max Jordan Duarte
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Romário S Mascarenhas
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Amanda Freire Assis
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Pedro Paranhos Tanaka
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Cesar A Speck-Hernandez
- Program in Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Geraldo Aleixo Passos
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Program in Basic and Applied Immunology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Department of Basic and Oral Biology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil; Center for Cell-Based Therapy in Dentistry, USP, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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6
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Duah M, Li L, Shen J, Lan Q, Pan B, Xu K. Thymus Degeneration and Regeneration. Front Immunol 2021; 12:706244. [PMID: 34539637 PMCID: PMC8442952 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.706244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The immune system’s ability to resist the invasion of foreign pathogens and the tolerance to self-antigens are primarily centered on the efficient functions of the various subsets of T lymphocytes. As the primary organ of thymopoiesis, the thymus performs a crucial role in generating a self-tolerant but diverse repertoire of T cell receptors and peripheral T cell pool, with the capacity to recognize a wide variety of antigens and for the surveillance of malignancies. However, cells in the thymus are fragile and sensitive to changes in the external environment and acute insults such as infections, chemo- and radiation-therapy, resulting in thymic injury and degeneration. Though the thymus has the capacity to self-regenerate, it is often insufficient to reconstitute an intact thymic function. Thymic dysfunction leads to an increased risk of opportunistic infections, tumor relapse, autoimmunity, and adverse clinical outcome. Thus, exploiting the mechanism of thymic regeneration would provide new therapeutic options for these settings. This review summarizes the thymus’s development, factors causing thymic injury, and the strategies for improving thymus regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxwell Duah
- Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Blood Diseases Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Lingling Li
- Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Blood Diseases Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Jingyi Shen
- Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Blood Diseases Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Qiu Lan
- Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Blood Diseases Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Bin Pan
- Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Blood Diseases Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Kailin Xu
- Department of Hematology, The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China.,Blood Diseases Institute, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
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7
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Grasso C, Pierie C, Mebius RE, van Baarsen LGM. Lymph node stromal cells: subsets and functions in health and disease. Trends Immunol 2021; 42:920-936. [PMID: 34521601 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2021.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/16/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Lymph nodes (LNs) aid the interaction between lymphocytes and antigen-presenting cells, resulting in adequate and prolonged adaptive immune responses. LN stromal cells (LNSCs) are crucially involved in steering adaptive immune responses at different levels. Most knowledge on LNSCs has been obtained from mouse studies, and few studies indicate similarities with their human counterparts. Recent advances in single-cell technologies have revealed significant LNSC heterogeneity among different subsets with potential selective functions in immunity. This review provides an overview of current knowledge of LNSCs based on human and murine studies describing the role of these cells in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Grasso
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center (ARC), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - C Pierie
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center (ARC), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - R E Mebius
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - L G M van Baarsen
- Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Department of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity Institute, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Rheumatology and Immunology Center (ARC), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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8
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Wei TT, Li MJ, Guo L, Xie YD, Chen WH, Sun Y, Liu GH, Ding Y, Chai YR. Resveratrol ameliorates thymus senescence changes in D-galactose induced mice. Microbiol Immunol 2020; 64:620-629. [PMID: 32691886 DOI: 10.1111/1348-0421.12833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Revised: 07/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
The thymic microenvironment plays an important role in the development of T cells. A decrease of thymic epithelial cells is the main cause of age-related thymic atrophy or degeneration. Resveratrol (RSV), a phytoalexin produced from plants, has been shown to inhibit the adverse effects of dietary obesity on the structure and function of the thymus. D-Galactose (D-gal) can induce accelerated aging in mice. In the present study, young mice (2 months old) were injected with D-gal (120 mg/kg/day) for 8 consecutive weeks to construct an accelerated aging model. Compared with normal control mice, the thymus epithelium of the D-gal treated mice had structural changes, the number of senescent cells increased, the number of CD4+ T cells decreased, and CD8+ T cells increased. After RSV administration by gavage for 6 weeks, it was found that RSV improved the surface phenotypes of D-gal treated mice, and recovered thymus function by maintaining the ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ cells. It also indicated that RSV enhanced the cell proliferation and inhibited cell senescence. Increased autoimmune regulator (Aire) expression was present in the RSV treated mice. The lymphotoxin-beta receptor (LTβR) expression also increased. These findings suggested that RSV intake could restore the alterations caused by D-gal treatment in the thymus via stimulation of Aire expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Ting Wei
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
- Population and Family Planning Science and Technology Research Institute of Henan, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Meng-Jie Li
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Li Guo
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Yan-Dong Xie
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Wen-Hui Chen
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Yun Sun
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Guo-Hong Liu
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Yi Ding
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
| | - Yu-Rong Chai
- Department of Histology and Embryology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China
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9
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Oliveira EH, Assis AF, Speck-Hernandez CA, Duarte MJ, Passos GA. Aire Gene Influences the Length of the 3' UTR of mRNAs in Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells. Front Immunol 2020; 11:1039. [PMID: 32547551 PMCID: PMC7270294 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.01039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aire is a transcriptional controller in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) modulating a set of peripheral tissue antigens (PTAs) and non-PTA mRNAs as well as miRNAs. Even miRNAs exerting posttranscriptional control of mRNAs in mTECs, the composition of miRNA-mRNA networks may differ. Under reduction in Aire expression, networks exhibited greater miRNA diversity controlling mRNAs. Variations in the number of 3'UTR binding sites of Aire-dependent mRNAs may represent a crucial factor that influence the miRNA interaction. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed through bioinformatics the length of 3'UTRs of a large set of Aire-dependent mRNAs. The data were obtained from existing RNA-seq of mTECs of wild type or Aire-knockout (KO) mice. We used computational algorithms as FASTQC, STAR and HTSEQ for sequence alignment and counting reads, DESEQ2 for the differential expression, 3USS for the alternative 3'UTRs and TAPAS for the alternative polyadenylation sites. We identified 152 differentially expressed mRNAs between these samples comprising those that encode PTAs as well as transcription regulators. In Aire KO mTECs, most of these mRNAs featured an increase in the length of their 3'UTRs originating additional miRNA binding sites and new miRNA controllers. Results from the in silico analysis were statistically significant and the predicted miRNA-mRNA interactions were thermodynamically stable. Even with no in vivo or in vitro experiments, they were adequate to show that lack of Aire in mTECs might favor the downregulation of PTA mRNAs and transcription regulators via miRNA control. This could unbalance the overall transcriptional activity in mTECs and thus the self-representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernna H. Oliveira
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | | | - Cesar A. Speck-Hernandez
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Max Jordan Duarte
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
| | - Geraldo A. Passos
- Molecular Immunogenetics Group, Department of Genetics, Ribeirão Preto Medical School, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
- Laboratory of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Department of Basic and Oral Biology, School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto, USP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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10
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Dumont-Lagacé M, Daouda T, Depoërs L, Zumer J, Benslimane Y, Brochu S, Harrington L, Lemieux S, Perreault C. Qualitative Changes in Cortical Thymic Epithelial Cells Drive Postpartum Thymic Regeneration. Front Immunol 2020; 10:3118. [PMID: 32010151 PMCID: PMC6974522 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.03118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Accepted: 12/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
During gestation, sex hormones cause a significant thymic involution which enhances fertility. This thymic involution is rapidly corrected following parturition. As thymic epithelial cells (TECs) are responsible for the regulation of thymopoiesis, we analyzed the sequential phenotypic and transcriptomic changes in TECs during the postpartum period in order to identify mechanisms triggering postpartum thymic regeneration. In particular, we performed flow cytometry analyses and deep RNA-sequencing on purified TEC subsets at several time points before and after parturition. We report that pregnancy-induced involution is not caused by loss of TECs since their number does not change during or after pregnancy. However, during pregnancy, we observed a significant depletion of all thymocyte subsets downstream of the double-negative 1 (DN1) differentiation stage. Variations in thymocyte numbers correlated with conspicuous changes in the transcriptome of cortical TECs (cTECs). The transcriptomic changes affected predominantly cTEC expression of Foxn1, its targets and several genes that are essential for thymopoiesis. By contrast, medullary TECs (mTECs) showed very little transcriptomic changes in the early postpartum regenerative phase, but seemed to respond to the expansion of single-positive (SP) thymocytes in the late phase of regeneration. Together, these results show that postpartum thymic regeneration is orchestrated by variations in expression of a well-defined subset of cTEC genes, that occur very early after parturition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maude Dumont-Lagacé
- Immunobiology Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Tariq Daouda
- Immunobiology Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.,Functional and Structural Bioinformatics Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Lucyle Depoërs
- Immunobiology Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Jérémie Zumer
- Functional and Structural Bioinformatics Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Yahya Benslimane
- Telomere Length Homeostasis and Genomic Instability Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sylvie Brochu
- Immunobiology Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Lea Harrington
- Telomere Length Homeostasis and Genomic Instability Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Sébastien Lemieux
- Functional and Structural Bioinformatics Research Unit, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Claude Perreault
- Immunobiology Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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Garcia-Robledo JE, Barrera MC, Tobón GJ. CRISPR/Cas: from adaptive immune system in prokaryotes to therapeutic weapon against immune-related diseases. Int Rev Immunol 2019; 39:11-20. [PMID: 31625429 DOI: 10.1080/08830185.2019.1677645] [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: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas evolved as an adaptive immune system in bacteria and archaea to inactivate foreign viral and plasmid DNA. However, the capacities of various CRISPR/Cas systems for precise genome editing based on sequence homology also allow their use as tools for genomic and epigenomic modification in eukaryotes. Indeed, these genetic characteristics have proven useful for disease modeling and testing the specific functions of target genes under pathological conditions. Moreover, recent studies provide compelling evidence that CRISPR/Cas systems could be useful therapeutic tools against human diseases, including cancer, monogenic disorders, and autoimmune disorders.HighlightsCRISPR/Cas evolved as an adaptive immune system in bacteria and archaea.CRISPR/Cas systems are nowadays used as tools for genomic modification.CRISPR/Cas systems could be useful therapeutic tools against human disease, including autoimmune conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - María Claudia Barrera
- Grupo de Investigación en Reumatología, Autoinmunidad y Medicina Traslacional; Fundación Valle Del Lili and Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia
| | - Gabriel J Tobón
- Grupo de Investigación en Reumatología, Autoinmunidad y Medicina Traslacional; Fundación Valle Del Lili and Universidad Icesi, Cali, Colombia
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CRISPR/Cas9 guided genome and epigenome engineering and its therapeutic applications in immune mediated diseases. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2019; 96:32-43. [PMID: 31112800 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2019.05.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2019] [Revised: 05/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Recent developments in the nucleic acid editing technologies have provided a powerful tool to precisely engineer the genome and epigenome for studying many aspects of immune cell differentiation and development as well as several immune mediated diseases (IMDs) including autoimmunity and cancer. Here, we discuss the recent technological achievements of the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-based RNA-guided genome and epigenome editing toolkit and provide an insight into how CRISPR/Cas9 (CRISPR Associated Protein 9) toolbox could be used to examine genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying IMDs. In addition, we will review the progress in CRISPR/Cas9-based genome-wide genome and epigenome screens in various cell types including immune cells. Finally, we will discuss the potential of CRISPR/Cas9 in defining the molecular function of disease associated SNPs overlapping gene regulatory elements.
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