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Trembath AP, Krausz KL, Sharma N, Gerling IC, Mathews CE, Markiewicz MA. NKG2D Signaling Within the Pancreatic Islets Reduces NOD Diabetes and Increases Protective Central Memory CD8 + T-Cell Numbers. Diabetes 2020; 69:1749-1762. [PMID: 32535552 PMCID: PMC7372071 DOI: 10.2337/db19-0979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
NKG2D is implicated in autoimmune diabetes. However, the role of this receptor in diabetes pathogenesis is unclear owing to conflicting results with studies involving global inhibition of NKG2D signaling. We found that NKG2D and its ligands are present in human pancreata, with expression of NKG2D and its ligands increased in the islets of patients with type 1 diabetes. To directly assess the role of NKG2D in the pancreas, we generated NOD mice that express an NKG2D ligand in β-islet cells. Diabetes was reduced in these mice. The reduction corresponded with a decrease in the effector to central memory CD8+ T-cell ratio. Further, NKG2D signaling during in vitro activation of both mouse and human CD8+ T cells resulted in an increased number of central memory CD8+ T cells and diabetes protection by central memory CD8+ T cells in vivo. Taken together, these studies demonstrate that there is a protective role for central memory CD8+ T cells in autoimmune diabetes and that this protection is enhanced with NKG2D signaling. These findings stress the importance of anatomical location when determining the role NKG2D signaling plays, as well as when developing therapeutic strategies targeting this pathway, in type 1 diabetes development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew P Trembath
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Kelsey L Krausz
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Neekun Sharma
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
| | - Ivan C Gerling
- Department of Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN
| | - Clayton E Mathews
- Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL
| | - Mary A Markiewicz
- Department of Microbiology, Molecular Genetics and Immunology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
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Hebbandi Nanjundappa R, Ronchi F, Wang J, Clemente-casares X, Yamanouchi J, Sokke Umeshappa C, Yang Y, Blanco J, Bassolas-molina H, Salas A, Khan H, Slattery RM, Wyss M, Mooser C, Macpherson AJ, Sycuro LK, Serra P, Mckay DM, Mccoy KD, Santamaria P. A Gut Microbial Mimic that Hijacks Diabetogenic Autoreactivity to Suppress Colitis. Cell 2017; 171:655-667.e17. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2016] [Revised: 08/10/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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3
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Yeste A, Takenaka MC, Mascanfroni ID, Nadeau M, Kenison JE, Patel B, Tukpah AM, Babon JAB, DeNicola M, Kent SC, Pozo D, Quintana FJ. Tolerogenic nanoparticles inhibit T cell-mediated autoimmunity through SOCS2. Sci Signal 2016; 9:ra61. [PMID: 27330188 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aad0612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a T cell-dependent autoimmune disease that is characterized by the destruction of insulin-producing β cells in the pancreas. The administration to patients of ex vivo-differentiated FoxP3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells or tolerogenic dendritic cells (DCs) that promote Treg cell differentiation is considered a potential therapy for T1D; however, cell-based therapies cannot be easily translated into clinical practice. We engineered nanoparticles (NPs) to deliver both a tolerogenic molecule, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) ligand 2-(1'H-indole-3'-carbonyl)-thiazole-4-carboxylic acid methyl ester (ITE), and the β cell antigen proinsulin (NPITE+Ins) to induce a tolerogenic phenotype in DCs and promote Treg cell generation in vivo. NPITE+Ins administration to 8-week-old nonobese diabetic mice suppressed autoimmune diabetes. NPITE+Ins induced a tolerogenic phenotype in DCs, which was characterized by a decreased ability to activate inflammatory effector T cells and was concomitant with the increased differentiation of FoxP3(+) Treg cells. The induction of a tolerogenic phenotype in DCs by NPs was mediated by the AhR-dependent induction of Socs2, which resulted in inhibition of nuclear factor κB activation and proinflammatory cytokine production (properties of tolerogenic DCs). Together, these data suggest that NPs constitute a potential tool to reestablish tolerance in T1D and potentially other autoimmune disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ada Yeste
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Maisa C Takenaka
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ivan D Mascanfroni
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Meghan Nadeau
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jessica E Kenison
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Bonny Patel
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Ann-Marcia Tukpah
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jenny Aurielle B Babon
- Department of Medicine, Diabetes Division, Diabetes Center of Excellence, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Megan DeNicola
- Department of Medicine, Diabetes Division, Diabetes Center of Excellence, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Sally C Kent
- Department of Medicine, Diabetes Division, Diabetes Center of Excellence, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - David Pozo
- CABIMER-Andalusian Center for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-University of Seville-Universidad Pablo de Olavide), Seville 41092, Spain. Department of Medical Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Immunology, University of Seville Medical School, Seville 41009, Spain
| | - Francisco J Quintana
- Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
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Sinha S, Boyden AW, Itani FR, Crawford MP, Karandikar NJ. CD8(+) T-Cells as Immune Regulators of Multiple Sclerosis. Front Immunol 2015; 6:619. [PMID: 26697014 PMCID: PMC4674574 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2015.00619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2015] [Accepted: 11/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The vast majority of studies regarding the immune basis of MS (and its animal model, EAE) have largely focused on CD4(+) T-cells as mediators and regulators of disease. Interestingly, CD8(+) T-cells represent the predominant T-cell population in human MS lesions and are oligoclonally expanded at the site of pathology. However, their role in the autoimmune pathologic process has been both understudied and controversial. Several animal models and MS patient studies support a pathogenic role for CNS-specific CD8(+) T-cells, whereas we and others have demonstrated a regulatory role for these cells in disease. In this review, we describe studies that have investigated the role of CD8(+) T-cells in MS and EAE, presenting evidence for both pathogenic and regulatory functions. In our studies, we have shown that cytotoxic/suppressor CD8(+) T-cells are CNS antigen-specific, MHC class I-restricted, IFNγ- and perforin-dependent, and are able to inhibit disease. The clinical relevance for CD8(+) T-cell suppressive function is best described by a lack of their function during MS relapse, and importantly, restoration of their suppressive function during quiescence. Furthermore, CD8(+) T-cells with immunosuppressive functions can be therapeutically induced in MS patients by glatiramer acetate (GA) treatment. Unlike CNS-specific CD8(+) T-cells, these immunosuppressive GA-induced CD8(+) T-cells appear to be HLA-E restricted. These studies have provided greater fundamental insight into the role of autoreactive as well as therapeutically induced CD8(+) T-cells in disease amelioration. The clinical implications for these findings are immense and we propose that this natural process can be harnessed toward the development of an effective immunotherapeutic strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sushmita Sinha
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa , Iowa City, IA , USA
| | | | - Farah R Itani
- Department of Pathology, University of Iowa , Iowa City, IA , USA
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Alonso N, Julián MT, Carrascal J, Colobran R, Pujol-Autonell I, Rodriguez-Fernández S, Teniente A, Fernández MA, Miñarro A, Ruiz de Villa MC, Vives-Pi M, Puig-Domingo M. Type 1 Diabetes Prevention in NOD Mice by Targeting DPPIV/CD26 Is Associated with Changes in CD8⁺T Effector Memory Subset. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0142186. [PMID: 26555789 PMCID: PMC4640511 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2014] [Accepted: 10/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
CD26 is a T cell activation marker consisting in a type II transmembrane glycoprotein with dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) activity in its extracellular domain. It has been described that DPPIV inhibition delays the onset of type 1 diabetes and reverses the disease in non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice. The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of MK626, a DPPIV inhibitor, in type 1 diabetes incidence and in T lymphocyte subsets at central and peripheral compartments. Pre-diabetic NOD mice were treated with MK626. Diabetes incidence, insulitis score, and phenotyping of T lymphocytes in the thymus, spleen and pancreatic lymph nodes were determined after 4 and 6 weeks of treatment, as well as alterations in the expression of genes encoding β-cell autoantigens in the islets. The effect of MK626 was also assessed in two in vitro assays to determine proliferative and immunosuppressive effects. Results show that MK626 treatment reduces type 1 diabetes incidence and after 6 weeks of treatment reduces insulitis. No differences were observed in the percentage of T lymphocyte subsets from central and peripheral compartments between treated and control mice. MK626 increased the expression of CD26 in CD8+ T effector memory (TEM) from spleen and pancreatic lymph nodes and in CD8+ T cells from islet infiltration. CD8+TEM cells showed an increased proliferation rate and cytokine secretion in the presence of MK626. Moreover, the combination of CD8+ TEM cells and MK626 induces an immunosuppressive response. In conclusion, treatment with the DPPIV inhibitor MK626 prevents experimental type 1 diabetes in association to increase expression of CD26 in the CD8+ TEM lymphocyte subset. In vitro assays suggest an immunoregulatory role of CD8+ TEM cells that may be involved in the protection against autoimmunity to β pancreatic islets associated to DPPIV inhibitor treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Núria Alonso
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM). Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - María Teresa Julián
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jorge Carrascal
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Badalona, Spain
| | - Roger Colobran
- Service of Immunology, Vall d’Hebron Research Institute, Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Irma Pujol-Autonell
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Badalona, Spain
| | - Silvia Rodriguez-Fernández
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Badalona, Spain
| | - Aina Teniente
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Badalona, Spain
| | | | - Antoni Miñarro
- Department of Statistics, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Marta Vives-Pi
- Immunology Department, Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Badalona, Spain
- CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM). Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
| | - Manel Puig-Domingo
- Department of Endocrinology and Nutrition, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM). Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Madrid, Spain
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Abstract
The goal of immunotherapy against autoimmunity is to block pathogenic inflammation without impairing immunity against infections and tumours. Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) play a central role in maintaining immune homeostasis, and autoimmune inflammation is frequently associated with decreased numbers and/or function of these T-cells. Therapies harnessing Tregs to treat autoimmune inflammation remain under-developed with caveats ranging from the lack of antigenic and disease specificity to the potential phenotypic and functional instability of in vitro-expanded Treg cells in vivo. Here, we review nanotechnology-based approaches designed to promote immune tolerance through various mechanisms, ranging from systemic or local suppression of antigen-presenting cells and deletion of antigen-specific T-cells, to the systemic expansion of antigen- and disease-specific Treg cells in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pau Serra
- Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona 08036, Spain.
| | - Pere Santamaria
- Institut D'Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer, Barcelona 08036, Spain; Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre (JMDRC) and Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases and Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Cummings School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada.
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Abstract
The initiation and perpetuation of autoimmunity recognize numerous checkpoints, from the genomic susceptibility to the breakdown of tolerance. This latter phenomenon includes the loss of B cell anergy and T regulatory cell failure, as well as the production of autoantibodies and autoreactive T cells. These mechanisms ultimately lead to tissue injury via different mechanisms that span from the production of proinflammatory cytokines to the chemotaxis of immune cells to the target sites. The pathways to autoimmunity have been widely investigated over the past year and resulted in a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals that has increased by nearly 10 % compared to 2011. We herein follow on the attempt to provide a brief discussion of the majority of articles on autoimmune diseases that were published in the major immunology journals in the previous solar year. The selection is necessarily arbitrary and may thus not be seen as comprehensive but reflects current research trends. Indeed, 2012 articles were mostly dedicated to define new and old mechanisms with potential therapeutic implications in autoimmunity in general, though based on specific clinical conditions or animal models. As paradigmatic examples, the environmental influence on autoimmunity, Th17 changes modulating the autoimmune response, serum autoantibodies and B cell changes as biomarkers and therapeutic targets were major issues addressed by experimental articles in 2012. Further, a growing number of studies investigated the sex bias of autoimmunity and supported different working hypotheses to explain the female predominance, including sex chromosome changes and reproductive life factors. In conclusion, the resulting scenario illustrates that common factors may underlie different autoimmune diseases and this is well represented by the observed alterations in interferon-α and TGFβ or by the shared signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Selmi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology and Translational Medicine, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,
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Yu S, Downey EF, Braley-Mullen H. Agonistic anti-CD40 promotes early development and increases the incidence of severe thyroid epithelial cell hyperplasia (TEC H/P) in CD4-/- mice. Immun Inflamm Dis 2013; 1:14-25. [PMID: 25400914 PMCID: PMC4217545 DOI: 10.1002/iid3.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2013] [Revised: 07/19/2013] [Accepted: 08/05/2013] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
IFN-γ−/−NOD.H-2h4 mice develop thyroid epithelial cell hyperplasia (TEC H/P) characterised by abnormal proliferation of thyrocytes and infiltration of thyroids by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. CD8+ T cells from mice with severe TEC H/P transfer similar lesions to SCID recipients, whereas CD4+ T cells transfer mild TEC H/P. CD4− and CD8− deficient IFN-γ−/−NOD.H-2h4 mice were generated to determine if CD4+ T cells were required for initial activation of the CD8+ T cells that transfer TEC H/P. After 6–8 months on NaI water, only 2 of 60 CD8−/− mice developed severe TEC H/P, whereas 31 of 101 CD4−/− mice developed severe TEC H/P and fibrosis comparable in severity to that of IFN-γ−/− mice. However, splenocytes from CD4−/− mice with severe TEC H/P did not effectively transfer severe TEC H/P to SCID recipients. When CD4−/− donors were given agonistic anti-CD40 mAb, most developed severe TEC H/P and their cells transferred severe TEC H/P to SCID recipients. These results indicate that agonistic anti-CD40 can provide an important signal for activation of autoreactive CD8+ T cells that transfer severe TEC H/P. Therefore, targeting or blocking CD40 could provide effective therapy for diseases involving hyperplasia and fibrosis mediated by CD8+ T cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiguang Yu
- Department of Veterans Affairs Research Service Columbia, Missouri, 65212 ; Departments of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri School of Medicine Columbia, Missouri, 65212 ; Department of Biological Science, Arkansas State University, Arkansas Biosciences Institute Jonesboro, Arkansas, 72467
| | - Edward F Downey
- Departments of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri School of Medicine Columbia, Missouri, 65212
| | - Helen Braley-Mullen
- Department of Veterans Affairs Research Service Columbia, Missouri, 65212 ; Departments of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri School of Medicine Columbia, Missouri, 65212 ; Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, University of Missouri School of Medicine Columbia, Missouri, 65212
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Kayes T, Fang Y, Yu S, Downey E, Wang S, Braley-Mullen H. Agonistic anti-CD40 induces thyrocyte proliferation and promotes thyroid autoimmunity by increasing CD40 expression on thyroid epithelial cells. J Immunol 2013; 190:3928-38. [PMID: 23509363 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1202929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
CD40 is expressed on cells of the immune system and in some tissues that are targets for autoimmune-mediated damage. It is not known if CD40 expression in target tissues plays a role in the pathology of autoimmune diseases. This study shows that agonistic anti-CD40 induces strong and sustained proliferation of thyroid epithelial cells (TECs), or thyrocytes, in IFN-γ(-/-) autoimmune-prone NOD and NOD.H-2h4 mice. TEC proliferation is accompanied by greatly increased expression of CD40 on TECs, development of fibrosis and hypothyroidism, and increased expression of proinflammatory molecules in thyroids. Bone marrow chimera experiments indicate that TEC expression of CD40 is required for anti-CD40-induced TEC proliferation, but lymphoid cells do not have to express CD40. TEC proliferation is reduced in wild-type mice given anti-CD40, presumably because they produce IFN-γ, which inhibits TEC proliferation. CD40 also increases on TECs during development of an autoimmune thyroid disease characterized by TEC hyperproliferation that develops spontaneously in IFN-γ(-/-) NOD.H-2h4 mice. TEC hyperproliferation development is accelerated in mice given agonistic anti-CD40. These studies provide new information regarding the role of target tissue expression of CD40 in development of autoimmunity and suggest that use of agonistic anti-CD40 for tumor therapy could result in autoimmune disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy Kayes
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
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Shameli A, Yamanouchi J, Tsai S, Yang Y, Clemente-Casares X, Moore A, Serra P, Santamaria P. IL-2 promotes the function of memory-like autoregulatory CD8+T cells but suppresses their development via FoxP3+Treg cells. Eur J Immunol 2013. [DOI: 10.1002/eji.201242845] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Afshin Shameli
- Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre (JMDRC) and Departments of Microbiology; Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
| | - Jun Yamanouchi
- Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre (JMDRC) and Departments of Microbiology; Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
| | - Sue Tsai
- Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre (JMDRC) and Departments of Microbiology; Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
| | - Yang Yang
- Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre (JMDRC) and Departments of Microbiology; Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Faculty of Medicine, the University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
| | - Xavier Clemente-Casares
- Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre (JMDRC) and Departments of Microbiology; Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
| | - Anna Moore
- Molecular Imaging Laboratory; MGH/MIT/HMS Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging; Department of Radiology; Massachusetts General Hospital; Charlestown MA USA
| | - Pau Serra
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomédiques August Pi i Sunyer - Hospital Clinic de Barcelona; Centre Esther Koplowitz Barcelona Spain
| | - Pere Santamaria
- Julia McFarlane Diabetes Research Centre (JMDRC) and Departments of Microbiology; Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, the University of Calgary; Calgary AB Canada
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomédiques August Pi i Sunyer - Hospital Clinic de Barcelona; Centre Esther Koplowitz Barcelona Spain
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11
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Abstract
The mechanisms leading to the onset and perpetuation of systemic and tissue-specific autoimmune diseases are complex, and numerous hypotheses have been proposed or confirmed over the past 12 months. It is particularly of note that the number of articles published during 2011 in the major immunology and autoimmunity journals increased by 3 % compared to the previous year. The present article is dedicated to a brief review of the reported data and, albeit not comprehensive of all articles, is aimed at identifying common and future themes. First, clinical researchers were particularly dedicated to defining refractory forms of diseases and to discuss the use and switch of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies in everyday practice. Second, following the plethora of genome-wide association studies reported in most multifactorial diseases, it became clear that genomics cannot fully explain the individual susceptibility and additional environmental or epigenetic factors are necessary. Both these components were widely investigated, both in organ-specific (i.e., type 1 diabetes) and systemic (i.e., systemic lupus erythematosus) diseases. Third, a large number of 2011 works published in the autoimmunity area are dedicated to dissect pathogenetic mechanisms of tolerance breakdown in general or in specific conditions. While our understanding of T regulatory and Th17 cells has significantly increased in 2011, it is of note that most of the proposed lines of evidence identify potential targets for future treatments and should not be overlooked.
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