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Ricker E, Manni M, Flores-Castro D, Jenkins D, Gupta S, Rivera-Correa J, Meng W, Rosenfeld AM, Pannellini T, Bachu M, Chinenov Y, Sculco PK, Jessberger R, Prak ETL, Pernis AB. Altered function and differentiation of age-associated B cells contribute to the female bias in lupus mice. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4813. [PMID: 34376664 PMCID: PMC8355159 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25102-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Differences in immune responses to viruses and autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can show sexual dimorphism. Age-associated B cells (ABC) are a population of CD11c+T-bet+ B cells critical for antiviral responses and autoimmune disorders. Absence of DEF6 and SWAP-70, two homologous guanine exchange factors, in double-knock-out (DKO) mice leads to a lupus-like syndrome in females marked by accumulation of ABCs. Here we demonstrate that DKO ABCs show sex-specific differences in cell number, upregulation of an ISG signature, and further differentiation. DKO ABCs undergo oligoclonal expansion and differentiate into both CD11c+ and CD11c- effector B cell populations with pathogenic and pro-inflammatory function as demonstrated by BCR sequencing and fate-mapping experiments. Tlr7 duplication in DKO males overrides the sex-bias and further augments the dissemination and pathogenicity of ABCs, resulting in severe pulmonary inflammation and early mortality. Thus, sexual dimorphism shapes the expansion, function and differentiation of ABCs that accompanies TLR7-driven immunopathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edd Ricker
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michela Manni
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
| | - Danny Flores-Castro
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniel Jenkins
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
| | - Sanjay Gupta
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
| | - Juan Rivera-Correa
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Wenzhao Meng
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Aaron M Rosenfeld
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Tania Pannellini
- Research Division and Precision Medicine Laboratory, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mahesh Bachu
- Arthritis and Tissue Degeneration Program, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
| | - Yurii Chinenov
- David Z. Rosensweig Genomics Research Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
| | - Peter K Sculco
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rolf Jessberger
- Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Technische Universitat, Dresden, Germany
| | - Eline T Luning Prak
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alessandra B Pernis
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- David Z. Rosensweig Genomics Research Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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Ricker E, Chinenov Y, Pannellini T, Flores-Castro D, Ye C, Gupta S, Manni M, Liao JK, Pernis AB. Serine-threonine kinase ROCK2 regulates germinal center B cell positioning and cholesterol biosynthesis. J Clin Invest 2020; 130:3654-3670. [PMID: 32229726 PMCID: PMC7324193 DOI: 10.1172/jci132414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Germinal center (GC) responses require B cells to respond to a dynamic set of intercellular and microenvironmental signals that instruct B cell positioning, differentiation, and metabolic reprogramming. RHO-associated coiled-coil-containing protein kinase 2 (ROCK2), a serine-threonine kinase that can be therapeutically targeted by ROCK inhibitors or statins, is a key downstream effector of RHOA GTPases. Although RHOA-mediated pathways are emerging as critical regulators of GC responses, the role of ROCK2 in B cells is unknown. Here, we found that ROCK2 was activated in response to key T cell signals like CD40 and IL-21 and that it regulated GC formation and maintenance. RNA-Seq analyses revealed that ROCK2 controlled a unique transcriptional program in GC B cells that promoted optimal GC polarization and cholesterol biosynthesis. ROCK2 regulated this program by restraining AKT activation and subsequently enhancing FOXO1 activity. ATAC-Seq (assay for transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing) and biochemical analyses revealed that the effects of ROCK2 on cholesterol biosynthesis were instead mediated via a novel mechanism. ROCK2 directly phosphorylated interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8), a crucial mediator of GC responses, and promoted its interaction with sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 2 (SREBP2) at key regulatory regions controlling the expression of cholesterol biosynthetic enzymes, resulting in optimal recruitment of SREBP2 at these sites. These findings thus uncover ROCK2 as a multifaceted and therapeutically targetable regulator of GC responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edd Ricker
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York, New York, USA
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
| | | | - Tania Pannellini
- Research Division and
- Precision Medicine Laboratory, HSS, New York, New York, USA
| | - Danny Flores-Castro
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York, New York, USA
| | - Chao Ye
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York, New York, USA
| | - Sanjay Gupta
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York, New York, USA
| | - Michela Manni
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York, New York, USA
| | - James K. Liao
- Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Alessandra B. Pernis
- Autoimmunity and Inflammation Program, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), New York, New York, USA
- David Z. Rosensweig Genomics Research Center
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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